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Fantastic Four Precon Upgrade Guide: 7 Swaps, About $5

19 min readBy Reid MarshLast reviewed
Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch and The Thing face commander cards fanned out against a dark navy background

This Fantastic Four precon upgrade guide starts from the official Wizards of the Coast decklist for the red-green-white-blue Marvel Commander deck, spends about $5 on seven swaps, and works out which of the four face commanders is worth picking.

TL;DR: The Fantastic Four precon is a noncreature-spell deck: 16 of the 62 nonland cards in its 99 reward casting one. The box holds 23 sorceries but only 6 instants, against 15 and 10 in EDHREC's averaged list. Seven swaps bring in Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Brainstorm, Arcane Denial, Fellwar Stone, Human Torch, Johnny Storm and The Vision for seven of the least-played cards, cost $5.13 at October 9 prices and lift instants to 10. Pick Mister Fantastic as the commander, and keep Galactus and Silver Surfer.

Key Takeaways

  • The box holds four face commanders and 96 other cards, so you pick one commander and the other three go into the 99 as ordinary creatures.
  • 16 of the 62 nonland cards in the 99 reward noncreature spells, and 8 of them share the commanders' own beginning-of-combat clause.
  • Seven swaps cost $5.13 in total and the seven cuts $1.66, using the lowest Scryfall price per card on October 9, 2026.
  • Mister Fantastic is the most-played face commander, with 2,068 of the 4,815 decks (42.9%) on the four EDHREC commander pages.
  • Neither the box nor the seven additions contains a Game Changer, so the upgrade stays in the range where the precon started.

What Is the Fantastic Four Precon? (quick answer)

The Fantastic Four is the red-green-white-blue deck among the four Marvel Super Heroes Commander precons that Wizards of the Coast released on June 26, 2026. It ships with four face commanders, Invisible Woman msc-1msc-1 card artmsc-1Shop on TCGplayer, Mister Fantastic msc-2msc-2 card artmsc-2Shop on TCGplayer, Human Torch msc-3msc-3 card artmsc-3Shop on TCGplayer and The Thing msc-4msc-4 card artmsc-4Shop on TCGplayer, plus 96 other cards, 26 of them new to Magic. You choose one of the four as your commander.

Wizards' blurb for the deck reads "Pick your favorite member of Marvel's First Family msc-83msc-83 card artmsc-83Shop on TCGplayer and push science to its limits!" That is also the design brief: all four commanders share one trigger, so the deck is built to cast a noncreature spell every turn and cash in at the beginning of combat.

Which Face Commander Should You Pick?

Pick Mister Fantastic. He costs {2}{U}, draws a card on any turn you cast a noncreature spell, and his activated ability copies a triggered ability you control twice. He is also the most-played of the four, with 2,068 decks on EDHREC against 1,099 for The Thing, 1,019 for Invisible Woman and 629 for Human Torch as of October 9, 2026.

Every face commander has the same first line: at the beginning of combat on your turn, if you've cast a noncreature spell this turn, something happens. What differs is the payoff and the second ability, which costs {R}{G}{W}{U} on all four.

CommanderCostBeginning-of-combat payoff{R}{G}{W}{U} abilityEDHREC decks
Mister Fantastic{2}{U}Draw a card{T}: copy target triggered ability you control twice2,068
The Thing{5}{G}Put four +1/+1 counters on himWhen he attacks, double each kind of counter on any permanents you control1,099
Invisible Woman{2}{W}Create a 0/3 Wall with defender and reachWhen you attack, a creature gets +1/+0 for each creature you control and can't be blocked1,019
Human Torch{3}{R}Gains flying, double strike and hasteWhen he attacks, his combat damage to an opponent is dealt to each other opponent too629

The four Fantastic Four face commanders, Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch and The Thing, shown side by side The four face commanders in the box. Card images: Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall.

Two things make Mister Fantastic the pick in this box. He is the only one of the four whose payoff replaces itself, so the trigger never costs you a card. And his copy ability reaches the other eight beginning-of-combat payoffs in the deck. Copy Franklin Richards, Ascendant msc-52msc-52 card artmsc-52Shop on TCGplayer's trigger twice and you discover 6 three times in one combat; copy Mister Fantastic's own trigger and you draw three. The cost is that he taps, so he does not attack that turn. This is arithmetic from the printed card text, not playtest data, and a table that kills small creatures quickly will find The Thing's six-mana cost harder to justify than Mister Fantastic's three.

What Is Actually in the Box?

Counted from the Wizards decklist, the 100 cards break into 37 lands (20 nonbasic and 17 basic), 20 creatures counting all four face commanders, and 43 noncreature spells. Wizards ships four face commanders and 96 other cards, which is exactly 100, and a Commander deck has one commander, so the three you do not pick sit in the 99 as ordinary creatures.

With Mister Fantastic as the commander, the 99 cards around him are 37 lands, 19 creatures and 43 noncreature spells: 23 sorceries, 8 artifacts, 6 instants and 6 enchantments. EDHREC's averaged list for him (99 cards besides the commander) runs 36 lands (14 basic and 22 nonbasic), 21 creatures, 10 instants, 15 sorceries, 9 artifacts and 8 enchantments. The two gaps are the whole story: the box has 8 more sorceries and 4 fewer instants than the deck players actually build.

Bar chart of the 62 nonland cards in the Fantastic Four precon by mana value: 2 at one, 14 at two, 15 at three, 14 at four, 10 at five and 7 at six or more Image: BaseMTG chart. Source: Wizards of the Coast decklist and Scryfall mana values (October 9, 2026).

The curve is middling: 29 of the 62 nonland cards cost two or three mana, 17 cost five or more, and the average mana value is 3.69. Of the 43 noncreature spells, 22 cost three or less, which is the pool that keeps the combat trigger on.

The payoffs are why the shape matters. Eight cards in the 99 repeat the commanders' exact clause: Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing (the three face commanders you did not pick), Council of Reeds msc-28msc-28 card artmsc-28Shop on TCGplayer; Lockjaw, Slobbering Teleporter msc-36msc-36 card artmsc-36Shop on TCGplayer; Alicia Masters, Skilled Sculptor msc-48msc-48 card artmsc-48Shop on TCGplayer; Franklin Richards, Ascendant; and H.E.R.B.I.E., Lovable Robot msc-106msc-106 card artmsc-106Shop on TCGplayer. Eight more trigger whenever a noncreature spell is cast, including Valeria Richards, Precocious msc-38msc-38 card artmsc-38Shop on TCGplayer; Crystal, Inhuman Princess msc-80msc-80 card artmsc-80Shop on TCGplayer; Namor, Atlantean King msc-88msc-88 card artmsc-88Shop on TCGplayer; The Fantasticar msc-104msc-104 card artmsc-104Shop on TCGplayer; and Whirlwind of Thought frc-51frc-51 card artfrc-51Shop on TCGplayer. That is 16 payoffs among the 62 nonland cards.

GODEEPER: The red-white-blue Marvel precon is a Hero-tribal deck, so its upgrade order is different. Avengers Assemble Upgrade Guide: 7 Swaps for About $10 →

Galactus and Silver Surfer: Should You Cut the Ten-Drop?

No. Silver Surfer, Galactus's Herald msc-10msc-10 card artmsc-10Shop on TCGplayer (29.7% of Mister Fantastic decks on EDHREC) and Galactus, Devourer of Worlds msc-8msc-8 card artmsc-8Shop on TCGplayer (31.2%) are among the least-played cards in the box, but they are the only top-end that does something with Mister Fantastic's copy ability. This is the one place the guide departs from its own cut rule, which skips the pair and cuts the next seven cards instead.

Galactus costs {10}, has flying, trample and indestructible, and when he enters you exile target permanent. His second ability, Insatiable Hunger, makes him attack the opponent with the most life each combat unless you control a creature named Silver Surfer, Galactus's Herald. Silver Surfer costs {5}, has flying, and when he enters you may search your library for Galactus and put him into your hand. So the Surfer is both the way to find the ten-drop and the way to stop it from being forced into combat.

The Reddit reaction when Galactus was revealed was to call him a reanimation target. On the r/magicTCG thread posted June 9, 2026, one commenter wrote:

"You're going to cast this fool? This is a reanimate target, friend." (u/ThePromise110 on r/magicTCG)

Another said the printed drawback barely matters if you cheat him in:

"The Insatiable Hunger part of the card may as well not even exist, it's so pointless. If I play this card I am reanimating it and flickering it, I really don't care a lot about the rest of the text." (u/westergames81 on r/magicTCG)

Both are right in general, and neither applies to this box. I searched the oracle text of all 83 distinct cards: none returns a creature from a graveyard (Fantastic Elasticity msc-30msc-30 card artmsc-30Shop on TCGplayer returns instants and sorceries, and Dragon Man casts itself from the graveyard), and none blinks a creature. What the box does have is Mister Fantastic: once he is out of summoning sickness, tap him with {R}{G}{W}{U} in response to Galactus's enters trigger and you exile three permanents instead of one. Quantum Misalignment msc-152msc-152 card artmsc-152Shop on TCGplayer is the second route. Scryfall's ruling says any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature trigger for the token, and rebound casts it a second time next upkeep, so one five-mana sorcery can exile two more permanents. Neither line is cheap, and ten mana is a late-game number, but it is a finisher that costs one slot, and nothing else in the box is.

Step-by-Step: Seven Swaps for About $5

The table pairs each cut with its replacement. "EDHREC" is the share of Mister Fantastic decks that run the card as of October 9, 2026. Treat those numbers with some care: most of those decks began as this precon, so a high figure also reflects people not swapping cards out. The cuts are the seven lowest-played cards other than the commander and the Galactus pair, and none of the seven passes 35% on any of the four commander pages.

CutEDHRECAddEDHRECPrice
Dragon Man, Reformed Robot15.7%Human Torch, Johnny Storm34.6%$0.20
Negative Zone Portal16.1%Fellwar Stone30.1%$0.51
Path of Discovery21.5%Beast Within22.1%$0.51
Cut a Deal27.9%Swords to Plowshares44.0%$0.88
Mirage Mirror31.2%The Vision19.6%$0.75
Collective Effort32.2%Brainstorm15.3%$0.56
Ultimate Nullification33.2%Arcane Denial15.3%$1.72

The seven additions cost $5.13 at the lowest Scryfall price for each card as fetched on October 9. Those prices move by a cent or a few during the day (Fellwar Stone frc-57frc-57 card artfrc-57Shop on TCGplayer read $0.57 hours later), so treat the total as "about $5". The seven cuts were worth $1.66 together, so they will not fund the swap.

1. Cut the seven cards the fewest lists keep. Dragon Man and Negative Zone Portal have the lowest inclusion in the deck at 15.7% and 16.1%. Collective Effort and Ultimate Nullification are sorceries, and Ultimate Nullification asks you to sacrifice a legendary creature to exile all creatures and graveyards, which a deck full of legends can pay but rarely wants to. Cut all seven in one sitting.

2. Add Swords to Plowshares and Beast Within. Swords to Plowshares frc-37frc-37 card artfrc-37Shop on TCGplayer is the most-played card in the package: 44.0% on Mister Fantastic's page and between 42.1% and 52.5% on all four. It costs {W}, exiles a creature and counts as a one-mana noncreature spell. Beast Within mic-133mic-133 card artmic-133Shop on TCGplayer destroys any permanent for {2}{G} at instant speed and leaves its controller a 3/3 Beast, so it answers the things Path to Exile frc-30frc-30 card artfrc-30Shop on TCGplayer cannot. Together with the box's Path to Exile, the deck now has three cheap answers.

3. Add Brainstorm and Arcane Denial. Brainstorm frc-39frc-39 card artfrc-39Shop on TCGplayer costs {U} and draws three, then puts two cards back, so it is a one-mana trigger enabler that also fixes a bad hand. Arcane Denial msc-147msc-147 card artmsc-147Shop on TCGplayer costs {1}{U}, counters a spell, lets that spell's controller draw up to two cards at the next upkeep and draws you one. At $1.72 it is the priciest card in the package; it is also the only counterspell the deck would own.

4. Add Fellwar Stone. The box has three noncreature mana rocks: Sol Ring frc-21frc-21 card artfrc-21Shop on TCGplayer, Arcane Signet frc-20frc-20 card artfrc-20Shop on TCGplayer and Chromatic Lantern frc-54frc-54 card artfrc-54Shop on TCGplayer. Fellwar Stone is a fourth that costs {2}, makes a color an opponent's land could produce, and replaces Negative Zone Portal, which does nothing for your own board. It is weaker in a game where every opponent plays one color, which is a reason to keep it at one copy and not to add more.

5. Add Human Torch, Johnny Storm and The Vision. Human Torch, Johnny Storm msh-136msh-136 card artmsh-136Shop on TCGplayer costs {2}{R}, flies, and deals 1 damage to an opponent whenever you draw a card while you control another Hero. The Vision msh-255msh-255 card artmsh-255Shop on TCGplayer costs {4}, has flying and vigilance, and on each noncreature spell lets you pick double strike, indestructible or a card. The swaps take the Hero count in the 99 from 13 to 15, so the Torch pings more often.

6. Move one Plains to an Island. Counting colored mana symbols in the nonland cards, the swaps shift the deck from 24 white, 24 blue, 18 red and 16 green to 20 white, 25 blue, 19 red and 16 green. The box ships 5 Plains, 4 Islands, 3 Mountains and 5 Forests, so replace a Plains with an Island and play 4, 5, 3 and 5. This is an editorial call based on the symbol counts, not a tested result.

7. Keep Galactus and Silver Surfer. The seven swaps leave the pair in the 99, for the reasons in the section above, and the rest of the list is unchanged.

Four of the seven additions, Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Human Torch Johnny Storm and The Vision, laid side by side Four of the seven adds: Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Human Torch, Johnny Storm and The Vision. Card images: Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall.

The swaps bring instants from 6 to 10, which is EDHREC's average, and cut sorceries from 23 to 20, still 5 above it.

Bar chart of instants and sorceries in the 99 cards: instants 6 in the box, 10 after the swaps and 10 on EDHREC's average list; sorceries 23, 20 and 15 Image: BaseMTG chart. Source: Wizards decklist, Scryfall and EDHREC's Mister Fantastic page (October 9, 2026).

Why does that matter for a deck that triggers on your own turn? A sorcery has to be spent on your turn, while an instant can be cast in your own first main phase when you need the combat trigger or held for an opponent's turn when you would rather answer a threat. The odds of the trigger firing barely move: the chance of seeing no noncreature spell costing three or less in your first ten cards goes from 7.0% to 6.1%. The change is that more of those spells are now ones you want to cast.

The Upgraded 100-Card List

This is the full list after the seven swaps and the Plains-to-Island change, with Mister Fantastic as the commander. Cards shown with a card chip, here or earlier in the guide, link to their page in the BaseMTG card database.

Buy this list on TCGplayer

100 cards, opens in TCGplayer Mass Entry. Affiliate link.

Tips for Playing the Deck

Cast the cheap spell before combat. The commanders' clause checks whether you have cast a noncreature spell this turn as the beginning of combat step starts. A one-mana Brainstorm or a rock in your first main phase counts; waiting until combat has begun does not.

Spend Mister Fantastic's ability on the best trigger, not the first one. Tapping him with {R}{G}{W}{U} copies a triggered ability twice. Franklin Richards, Ascendant's discover 6 and Galactus's enters trigger are worth far more than a surveil from H.E.R.B.I.E., and tapping him means he skips the attack.

Cast Silver Surfer before Galactus. With the Surfer on the battlefield, Insatiable Hunger no longer forces Galactus to attack the player with the most life. If you cheat the ten-drop out some other way, the Surfer is still the card that keeps it at home.

Save Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares for the real threat. Path hands the controller a basic land and Swords gains them life equal to the creature's power, so spending either on a small creature is expensive in multiplayer. Beast Within is better when the problem is not a creature.

*Video: The Command Zone's 77-minute upgrade guide for the Fantastic Four precon, published June 26, 2026, with 10 additions and 10 cuts.*

Our Take: Fix the Instants, Keep the Ten-Drop

Based on the card texts and counts above, the deck's weak spot is not its mana or its commanders. It is a tilt toward sorceries and a handful of low-play cards in slots that should hold cheap interaction, and seven swaps that cost $5.13 fix that without touching the creature count much (19 becomes 20). We would pick Mister Fantastic because he replaces himself and copies the best trigger in the box. We would keep Galactus and Silver Surfer because a copy of the enters trigger is the strongest thing the deck can do. This is arithmetic from the printed text and EDHREC's data, not goldfishing or playtest results, and a table that plays creature removal early will make the Brainstorm and Arcane Denial slots look less exciting than they are on paper. The Wakanda Forever upgrade guide applies the same method to the green-white Marvel precon.

GODEEPER: The blue-black-red Marvel precon keeps a Connive and life-drain shell and is Bracket 2 as printed. Doom Prevails Precon Upgrade Guide: Stay in Bracket 2 →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Fantastic Four precon good? It is a coherent noncreature-spell deck, since 16 of the 62 nonland cards in its 99 reward casting one. Its weak spot is a tilt toward sorceries, 23 in the box against 15 on EDHREC's average list. Seven swaps costing $5.13 at October 9 prices bring instants from 6 to 10.

Which Fantastic Four commander is best? Mister Fantastic is the best fit for most tables. He costs {2}{U}, draws a card when you cast a noncreature spell, and copies a triggered ability you control twice. He is also the most-played face commander, with 2,068 decks on EDHREC against 1,099 for The Thing and 1,019 for Invisible Woman.

What colors is the Fantastic Four Commander deck? Red, green, white and blue. Wizards lists it as Red-Green-White-Blue, and all four face commanders carry an {R}{G}{W}{U} ability that sets the color identity. The box ships 17 basic lands: 5 Plains, 4 Islands, 3 Mountains and 5 Forests. After the swaps in this guide, 4 Plains, 5 Islands, 3 Mountains and 5 Forests fit better.

Can you play all four Fantastic Four commanders in one deck? You can play all four cards, but only one is your commander. The box has four face commanders and 96 other cards, which makes 100, and a Commander deck has exactly one commander. The three you do not pick go into the 99 as ordinary creatures, and each has a beginning-of-combat trigger of its own.

How much does it cost to upgrade the Fantastic Four precon? About $5. The seven additions in this guide cost $5.13 using the lowest Scryfall price for each card on October 9, 2026, and the seven cut cards were worth $1.66. The priciest add is Arcane Denial at $1.72, followed by Swords to Plowshares at $0.88 and The Vision at $0.75.

Is Galactus worth playing in the Fantastic Four deck? Yes, as a one-card finisher. He costs {10}, but Silver Surfer tutors for him, and with Mister Fantastic you can copy his enters trigger twice, exiling three permanents. The box has no creature recursion or blink, so the Reddit plan of reanimating him does not apply here.

References

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About the author

Reid Marsh
Reid Marsh24 posts

Commander & Budget Desk

Pen name for the BaseMTG Commander desk: budget builds, precons, upgrades and deck-building. Lists are priced from Scryfall on the publish date and every card pick comes with a reason.

  • Commander builds, budget lists and precon upgrades
  • Prices checked on Scryfall, dated in the article
  • A sources table behind every card and number
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Disclaimer

This article is published for informational and entertainment purposes. It does not constitute professional financial, legal, or technical advice. Game performance, online services, patch schedules, and store listings change. Verify critical details (pricing, system requirements, regional availability) with publishers and storefronts before you buy. Affiliate links, where present, help support our editorial work and are labelled in our affiliate disclosure.