Silverquill Influence Precon Upgrade Guide

Commander Overview

The Silverquill are decisive and devious, using their superior intellect to manipulate their peers and their enemies alike. Killian, Decisive Mentor embodies that strategy, turning your opponents against each other and profiting at the same time.

The Silverquill Influence precon from the Secrets of Strixhaven, releasing April 24th, 2026, has some awesome value. The deck boasts reprints of Land Tax, Breena, the Demagogue, and Inkshield. Those cards alone cover the $50 MSRP of the deck.

Plus, we get the new prepared creature Eiganjo Dynastorian, which features a modified version of Replenish, an insanely powerful card in many formats.

However, the precon has the typical issues, such as too many lands and a few spells/creatures that leave a little to be desired. In this upgrade guide, we’re going to trim the fat and add in some heaters that Wizards forgot to include.

What We’re Removing

There are a few really awesome cards in this deck, like the Dynastorian and Scriv, the Obligator, but there are also a few cards I think fall short. I opted to remove 15 cards, here’s what they were.

Cards to Remove:

• Doomwake Giant
• Keen Duelist
• Tomik, Wielder of Law
• Secret Rendezvous
• Fallen Ideal
• Anguished Unmaking
• Sentinel Eyes
• Raffine's Guidance
• Promise of Loyalty
• Chains of Custody
• Swamp
• Plains
• Silverquill Campus
• Desolate Mire
• Fetid Heath

Auras

As such, I opted to keep around the same number of auras that were included in the deck. A few, like Fallen Ideal, Sentinel Eyes, and Raffine's Guidance were removed to make room for more interesting auras that fit Killian’s theme a bit better.

Mana

I also trimmed 5 lands. Out of the box, the deck has 37 lands and 4 mana rocks, making it pretty mana-heavy for a deck with a lower mana investment than the other precons. Auras are cheap, so there’s no need for that much mana. I opted to remove some basics and the filter lands, as they aren’t as important in a 2-color deck as they might be in a 3-color one.

Creatures

Some of the creatures felt a little underpowered based on what we wanted to do. Keen Duelist is a markedly bad card in this deck, because we can draw cards in a much better, and discrete, way.

Doomwake Giant seems to be an auto-include in all enchantment decks that can run it, but in this deck, we want our opponents to be attacking one another, and we can’t risk killing them off by casting too many enchantments while Doomwake Giant is on the battlefield.

Tomik, Wielder of Law is a cool card, but in a deck where we want to goad our opponents’ creatures, his ability seems a bit hit or miss. How often will we be attacked with 2 or more creatures? I was on the fence with removing him, but at the end of the day, there are better cards we could include that fit our gameplan.

What We’re Adding

When I sat down to upgrade this deck, I first wanted to make sure the core premise remained intact. I like Killian’s style of sitting back and watching our opponents unravel as they have to attack one another, so I tried to keep that theme.

Cards to Add:

• Kaya's Ghostform
• Retether
• Heliod's Pilgrim
• Codsworth, Handy Helper
• Ardenn, Intrepid Archeologist
• Pariah
• Unholy Indenture
• Swiftfoot Boots
• Three Dreams
• Godless Shrine
• Heliod's Hall of Generosity
• Demon of Fate's Design
• Rebuff the Wicked
• Lord Skitter's Blessing
• Swords to Plowshares

Auras

There were a couple of really cool auras I knew I wanted to include. Kaya's Ghostform and Unholy Indenture lets us steal creatures from our opponents when they die. This is exceptionally good in a deck that forces these creatures to attack.

I also added in Lord Skitter's Blessing as more card draw, it’s like a better Phyrexian Arena in this deck. Pariah is also a funny card, especially paired with Darksteel Mutation.

Mana

Okay, okay, if you’re going to twist my arm, I’ll include some more lands. I added Godless Shrine for faster mana, as well as Heliod's Hall of Generosity for aura recursion.

Creatures

There were four creatures that stood out to me as auto-includes in this deck. First, Codsworth, Handy Helper from the Fallout set is an excellent addition. He gives Killian protection, adds mana for auras, and allows us to swap auras between creatures. Unfortunately, his ability is a sorcery-speed ability, and it doesn’t let us target other people’s creatures with the auras. But, it’s still a powerful ability that this deck was missing.

Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist does what Codsworth does, but better. It allows us to take our auras back from our opponents, or it lets us swap them around. The musical chairs of auras, if you will.

Heliod's Pilgrim felt like it slotted into Keen Duelist’s spot nicely. It can help us find an answer for problematic creatures, or a buff for our own board. For 3 mana, this is an Idyllic tutor on a body in this deck.

Lastly, I noticed that the deck lacked a haymaker creature, so I threw in Demon of Fate's Design. As an enchantment, we can reduce his cost to cast, and he lets us ramp with our life to cast enchantments. Plus, we can use him to remove auras from opponent’s creatures as a bargaining chip, or to hit someone for a lot of damage.

Instants and Sorceries

The suite of removal and interaction in the precon was a bit lackluster, so I spiced it up just a tad. I added Rebuff the Wicked to help protect Killian or an aura we control. Swords to Plowshares was conspicuously absent, so I threw that in as well.

As for recursion, I added Rether, which can be a game-ending card in later turns. It can also reset the board after your enchantments get destroyed, which is nice.

Three Dreams costs 5 mana, but it’s a great tutor in Killian. We can grab three auras right to our hand!

Deck Upgrades

If you want to take a look at the price for each of the upgrades, here’s a look at what you’ll be spending:

◆Upgrades

Suggested Upgrades

Upgrade cost+$62.73

Swaps16

High priorityBruiser

Doomwake GiantDemon of Fate's Design

+$0.02Buy

High priorityInteraction

Anguished UnmakingSwords to Plowshares

+$0.65Buy

High priorityUtility

Tomik, Wielder of Law Codsworth, Handy Helper

+$13.91Buy

High priorityUtility

SwampArdenn, Intrepid Archeologist

+$2.57Buy

Mid priorityTutor

Keen DuelistHeliod's Pilgrim

−$0.19Buy

Mid priorityLand

Desolate MireGodless Shrine

+$5.19Buy

Mid priorityLand

Fetid HeathHeliod's Hall of Generosity

+$9.87Buy

Mid priorityGameplan

Fallen IdealUnholy Indenture

+$0.00Buy

Mid priorityGameplan

Sentinel EyesKaya's Ghostform

+$1.13Buy

Mid priorityGameplan

Raffine's GuidancePariah

+$2.53Buy

Mid priorityRecursion

Secret RendezvouslRetether

+$17.70Buy

Mid priorityTutor

PlainsThree Dreams

+$2.19Buy

Mid priorityDraw

Chains of CustodyLord Skitter's Blessing

+$0.00Buy

Mid priorityProtection

Silverquill CampusSwiftfoot Boots

+$1.26Buy

Low priorityInteraction

Promise of LoyalityRebuff the Wicked

+$5.25Buy

Low priorityInteraction

Anguished UnmakingSwords to Plowshares

+$0.65Buy

All 16 swaps+$62.73New cards cost $69.19ManaPoolBuy upgrades on TCGplayer

Or 5% off at WNYGaming with code TNTSUB →

Conclusion

I think this deck looks really fun, and I’m excited to pick up the copy I have on preorder. There are definitely some improvements you can continue to make after this upgrade. Adding in better interaction, faster lands, and more consistent card draw with staples like Lotho, Corrupt Shiriff or Esper Sentinel will fine tune this deck, for sure.

I hope you enjoyed this upgrade guide, and that you get your admission to Strixhaven college soon!

Please take a look at the full upgraded decklist below

Decklist Bracket 2OrzhovEnchantments

Command zone

Killian, Decisive Mentor

Legendary Creature — Human Warlock

 Cards100 Est. cost$152.27

Creature26

• 1 Ajani's Chosen 2 $0.24
• 1 Archon of Sun's Grace 2 $0.30
• 1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist 2 $2.57
• 1 Armored Skyhunter 3 $0.40
• 1 Breena, the Demagogue 1 $0.85
• 1 Codsworth, Handy Helper 2 $14.28
• 1 Combat Calligrapher 3 $0.29
• 1 Defacing Duskmage 1 $0.39
• 1 Demon of Fate's Design 4 $0.32
• 1 Eidolon of Countless Battles 1 $0.31
• 1 Eiganjo Dynastorian 23 $0.68
• 1 Eriette of the Charmed Apple 1 $0.37
• 1 Firemane Commando 3 $0.68
• 1 Hateful Eidolon  $0.30
• 1 Heliod's Pilgrim 2 $0.18
• 1 Herald of Amity 3 $0.22
• 1 Killian, Ink Duelist  $0.32
• 1 Kor Spiritdancer 1 $0.44
• 1 Mangara, the Diplomat 3 $0.40
• 1 Nils, Discipline Enforcer 2 $0.35
• 1 Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor 1 $0.31
• 1 Scriv, the Obligator 2 $0.61
• 1 Shadrix Silverquill 3 $0.39
• 1 Sram, Senior Edificer 1 $1.70
• 1 Starfield Mystic 1 $0.33
• 1 Transcendent Envoy 1 $0.32

Instant5

• 1 Fracture  $0.34
• 1 Inkshield 3 $5.45
• 1 Rebuff the Wicked  $5.69
• 1 Swords to Plowshares  $2.01
• 1 Vanishing Verse  $0.29

Sorcery3

• 1 Retether 3 $18.03
• 1 Three Dreams 4 $2.19
• 1 Winds of Rath 3 $0.29

Artifact5

• 1 Arcane Signet 2 $0.54
• 1 Fellwar Stone 2 $2.68
• 1 Sol Ring 1 $1.14
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots 2 $1.57
• 1 Talisman of Hierarchy 2 $0.34

Enchantment26

• 1 Angelic Destiny 2 $0.30
• 1 Animate Dead 1 $7.11
• 1 Changing Loyalty 1 $1.68
• 1 Coercive Impetus 2 $0.32
• 1 Darksteel Mutation 1 $1.20
• 1 Eldrazi Conscription 8 $1.52
• 1 Flickering Ward  $0.34
• 1 Forum Filibuster 3 $0.24
• 1 Ghostly Prison 2 $6.39
• 1 Ghoulish Impetus 2 $0.51
• 1 Gift of Immortality 2 $0.44
• 1 Intermediate Chirography 1 $0.28
• 1 Kaya's Ghostform  $1.44
• 1 Land Tax  $16.79
• 1 Lord Skitter's Blessing 1 $0.32
• 1 Martial Impetus 2 $0.29
• 1 Parasitic Impetus 2 $0.33
• 1 Pariah 2 $2.74
• 1 Redemption Arc 2 $0.28
• 1 Sage's Reverie 3 $0.30
• 1 Screams from Within 1 $0.26
• 1 Sheltered by Ghosts 1 $1.23
• 1 Shielded by Faith 1 $0.41
• 1 Songbirds' Blessing 3 $0.42
• 1 Spirit Mantle 1 $0.38
• 1 Unholy Indenture 2 $0.25

Land34

• 1 Arcane Lighthouse $1.90
• 1 Bojuka Bog $1.58
• 1 Caves of Koilos $0.38
• 1 Command Tower $0.36
• 1 Eclipsed Steppe $2.08
• 1 Exotic Orchard $0.50
• 1 Fabled Passage $1.17
• 1 Forum of Amity $0.16
• 1 Godless Shrine $5.43
• 1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity $10.16
• 1 Isolated Chapel —
• 1 Path of Ancestry $0.32
• 7 Plains — ×7
• 1 Shineshadow Snarl $0.31
• 1 Study Hall $0.23
• 1 Sunlit Marsh $0.29
• 7 Swamp — ×7
• 1 Temple of Silence $0.25
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse $0.68
• 1 Turbulent Moor $7.77
• 1 Umbral Expanse $0.31
• 1 War Room $3.76

Tokens used5 Click a token for details

• CatToken Creature — Cat
• ContractToken Enchantment — Aura
• InklingToken Creature — Inkling
• PegasusToken Creature — Pegasus
• Wicked // CursedToken Enchantment — Aura Role // Token Enchantment — Aura Role

Mana curve

00 71 192 203 124 55 16 17+

Mana distribution

58 · 70%

25 · 30%

Colored pips across all mana costs.

Deck composition

26Creatures

8Instants & sorceries

34Lands

2.95Avg mana value

Total mana value: 195

Cost by type$151.52

• Enchantment$45.7730%
• Land$37.6425%
• Creature$27.5518%
• Sorcery$20.5114%
• Instant$13.789%
• Artifact$6.274%