Right before Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty previews officially started to really roll in, the pair of Commander precons showed up on eBay. As a result, they started to make waves throughout the internet. They didn't list the contents of their decks, but they did show the face card on the front and a handful of other cards on the back. One thing stood out very quickly to me with the one deck, Buckle Up: the face card - Kotori, Pilot Prodigy - was sitting on and directly in front of what could only be described as the Magic version of a mech. That got me crazy excited.

If you're not too familiar with mechs, they're a major trope in anime and various other Japanese IPs, with some trickling over into other parts of the world over the years as well. Famous examples include the likes of Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Voltron, and Robotech in terms of anime, just to name a few. Outside of that we saw a ton of these in the various tokusatsu shows that American audiences may know as Power Rangers, VR Troopers, Beetleborgs, and so on. Video games have featured them heavily ever since the arcade days, and there's even been a few well-known live action versions like Pacific Rim.

Mechs are really big in Japanese pop culture and it's cool as heck to see them in a futuristic Kamigawa setting like this. In some ways, it does feel a bit un-Magic, but at the same time it feels like it's being done in a way that's very unique to the game. It's not dissimilar to how they managed to get steampunk and general sci-fi to work with Kaladesh and Mirrodin to work, respectively, and the end result is great.

When we finally got the list for the Buckle Up deck, my jaw hit the floor. This deck rules. It's about as well Constructed as you're going to find for most preconstructed decks. Commander precons have long had this sort of stigma of being somewhat underpowered and dull. Lately, though, I can't help but feel like they've been knocking it out of the park. The last two releases had tons of fantastic support within the precons themselves that worked as incredible baselines to start your Commander adventures, and this one is no different.

Today we'll be looking at upgrading this deck and seeing what it has to offer. Before we really dive into it, let's have a look at the initial precon list:

Buckle Up Precon | Commander | Wizards of the Coast

• Commander (1)
• 1 Kotori, Pilot Prodigy

• Creatures (27)
• 1 Aeronaut Admiral
• 1 Arcanist's Owl
• 1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
• 1 Cyberdrive Awakener
• 1 Drumbellower
• 1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
• 1 Etherium Sculptor
• 1 Foundry Inspector
• 1 Gold Myr
• 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
• 1 Indomitable Archangel
• 1 Ironsoul Enforcer
• 1 Kappa Cannoneer
• 1 Katsuma, the Animator
• 1 Master of Etherium
• 1 Myrsmith
• 1 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage
• 1 Research Thief
• 1 Riddlesmith
• 1 Sai, Master Thopterist
• 1 Shimmer Myr
• 1 Silver Myr
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Sram, Senior Edificer
• 1 Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
• 1 Vedalken Engineer
• 1 Whirler Rogue

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Jace, Architect of Thought

• Instants (8)
• 1 Access Denied
• 1 Armed and Armored
• 1 Crush Contraband
• 1 Dispatch
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Reality Shift
• 1 Release to Memory
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Dance of the Manse
• 1 Organic Extinction
• 1 Thoughtcast
• 1 Universal Surveillance

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Swift Reconfiguration
• 1 Thopter Spy Network

• Artifacts (20)
• 1 Aerial Surveyor
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Azorius Signet
• 1 Colossal Plow
• 1 Cultivator's Caravan
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Imperial Recovery Unit
• 1 Imposter Mech
• 1 Mirage Mirror
• 1 Mobilizer Mech
• 1 Parhelion II
• 1 Peacewalker Colossus
• 1 Prodigy's Prototype
• 1 Raiders' Karve
• 1 Shorikai, Genesis Engine
• 1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
• 1 Smuggler's Copter
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Surgehacker Mech
• 1 Weatherlight

• Lands (37)
• 15 Island
• 15 Plains
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Port Town
• 1 Prairie Stream
• 1 Skycloud Expanse
• 1 Spire of Industry
• 1 Temple of Enlightenment

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The really cool thing about this deck is that it's actually shockingly good as is. There're tons of great cards here and virtually every vehicle you might want for White and Blue are in this list already. Heck, even Smuggler's Copter shows up here! There's lots of great support as well between artifact cost reducers and value engines created just for playing artifacts as well. Not to mention a solid bit of removal as well. What you get is a great way to play with friends at a fairly decent power level right out of the box, and that rules.

The biggest area that the deck needs work in, however, is the lands. Frankly, this mana base leaves a lot to be desired. Precons aren't known for having the greatest mana bases in the world, but this one is almost something else. The big saving grace is that you're running very few lands that enter tapped, and we're playing with a heavy amount of artifacts. Because so many artifacts are colorless, the basic lands can go a lot further than you might think.

That said, you can really go quite the distance just by adding a few other kinds of lands to the mix. If you've been playing for even just a year or two, there's a decent chance that you have a couple lands of Azorius colors that will slide in here just fine. Pick up a couple support lands like Buried Ruin, Academy Ruins, and Reliquary Tower and you're already looking stellar. It doesn't take much to improve this, so if you want to use a fairly simple and cheap approach, try this method and see how it works for you. You can upgrade for probably about $50 alone and spruce your list up nicely.

This is an upgrade article, however, and as such I still feel obligated to provide an actual upgraded list. Here it is!

Buckle Up Revamped | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commander (1)
• 1 Kotori, Pilot Prodigy

• Creatures (21)
• 1 Aeronaut Admiral
• 1 Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel
• 1 Cyberdrive Awakener
• 1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
• 1 Etherium Sculptor
• 1 Foundry Inspector
• 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
• 1 Indomitable Archangel
• 1 Katsumasa, the Animator
• 1 Losheel, Clockwork Scholar
• 1 Master of Etherium
• 1 Myrsmith
• 1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
• 1 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage
• 1 Research Thief
• 1 Sai, Master Thopterist
• 1 Shimmer Myr
• 1 Sram, Senior Edificer
• 1 Tameshi, Reality Architect
• 1 Thought Monitor
• 1 Vedalken Archmage

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Jace, Architect of Thought
• 1 Tezzeret, Artifice Master

• Instants (6)
• 1 Access Denied
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Dovin's Veto
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (6)
• 1 Dance of the Manse
• 1 Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave
• 1 Organic Extinction
• 1 Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn
• 1 Thoughtcast
• 1 Universal Surveillance

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Efficient Construction
• 1 Swift Reconfiguration
• 1 Thopter Spy Network

• Artifacts (23)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Azorius Signet
• 1 Conqueror's Galleon // Conqueror's Foothold
• 1 Cultivator's Caravan
• 1 Imperial Recovery Unit
• 1 Imposter Mech
• 1 Mechtitan Core
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Mirage Mirror
• 1 Mobilizer Mech
• 1 Parhelion II
• 1 Peacewalker Colossus
• 1 Prodigy's Prototype
• 1 Raiders' Karve
• 1 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 1 Scourglass
• 1 Shorikai, Genesis Engine
• 1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
• 1 Smuggler's Copter
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Surgehacker Mech
• 1 Talisman of Progress
• 1 Weatherlight

• Lands (35)
• 5 Plains
• 7 Island
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 1 Adarkar Wastes
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 Castle Ardenvale
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 1 Celestial Colonnade
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Deserted Beach
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Gates of Istfell
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway
• 1 Irrigated Farmland
• 1 Karn's Bastion
• 1 Mishra's Factory
• 1 Mutavault
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Nimbus Maze
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Spire of Industry
• 1 Temple of Enlightenment
• 1 Treasure Vault

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Only a handful of good vehicles weren't in the original list so I've added them here. Conqueror's Galleon is a big one, as the back side gains you so much value on its own once you manage to land a hit. Cosima, God of the Voyage - aka The Omenkeel for this deck's purposes - does similar by turning all your vehicles into value engines. It's not a huge surprise these two weren't in this list given that they're double-faced cards, but they're cards that should very quickly go into your deck. Reckoner Bankbuster makes creatures to help crew your stuff and Mechtitan Core lets you build a freakin Megazord!

There are a handful of cards that might seem like odd exclusions, but that's probably because you might be looking at them from a Constructed lens. In this case, I'm referring to Heart of Kiran and Aethersphere Harvester, which were both missing from the initial list. Heart of Kiran's power was that you could crew it with planeswalkers, which are both weaker and less prevalent in Commander than 60-card Constructed. Aethersphere Harvester fares similarly, having been a good way to fight against aggro decks that were all over while it was legal in Standard. In Commander, neither ends up being that great, and so they get left out here in favor of other, better cards.

A few of the excellent new cards are actually somewhat cuttable here as well. Aerial Surveyor is a fantastic card and definitely one of the best in this list. It's certainly a card White needed more of and works well in the precon build with so many basics. Once you start shaving them down to add better lands its uses go down quite a bit, so while you get a great vehicle out of it, it's a good cut to add other support cards instead. Similarly is Drumbellower, which is an incredible White ability that's going to be a staple in Commander for years to come, but in a deck like this it leaves a bit to be desired. The big reason here is that it only untaps your creatures and not your vehicles, which are the real things you want access to, and as such Unwinding Clock might be better if you really want an untapping effect.

Beyond that, though, I slipped in a couple solid support cards. Thought Monitor, Vedalken Archmage, and Tezzeret, Artifice Master will draw you tons of cards to keep things moving. Padeem, Counsel of Innovation gives another way for your artifacts to be untargetable and I threw in a couple pieces of counter magic as well. Return to Dust is far better than Crush Contraband, Scourglass gives you another board wipe in a deck sorely in need of it, and Efficient Construction helps fill your board up the way Sai does. Tameshi acts as an extra Hanna here and Losheel makes it easier for your attacks to get through.

The big thing with all of these changes, though, is they're largely suggestions. Truth be told, in fact, I had a very hard time making cuts at the end and you might find that you just want to forgo answers and just do all the things instead. While I generally suggest adding some things in, the original list is largely quite tightly well-made and will provide you an excellent time however you build it - even if that means right out of the box.

My personal suggestion: take the deck, upgrade the lands with what you have access to, and play with it that way. Find the things that aren't working so well within your playgroup and find supportive cards that will help fight back against the things that appear in your group. No matter what you do with it, however, Buckle Up should be sure to give you a really great time at your next Commander night. Pick it up, get in the robots, and have a wildly great time.

Paige Smith

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