Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir costs {1}{W}{U}{B} and is a 4/3 with flying and first strike. Eminence: whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari is in the command zone or on the battlefield, you draw a card, then discard a card. Whenever he deals combat damage to a player, you return a Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Attack with a Knight and loot every turn.
The precon already has the Knight lords and the recursion, including Knight Exemplar, Herald of Hoofbeats, Vodalian Wave-Knight, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge and Knights' Charge. Each swap below pairs a cut with an add, and every card is scored with the same numbers the Oracle uses to build decks: synergy and inclusion from the Sidar Jabari decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Sidar Jabari decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Cavalry Charge precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap Knight lords
Marshal of Zhalfir, Haytham Kenway and Dion, Bahamut's Dominant are Knights that pump or give flying to the other Knights. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Few cheap Knights that make more Knights
The Circle of Loyalty, Invasion of New Phyrexia and Dion create 2/2 Knight tokens, and Breathless Knight, Ayara's Oathsworn and Knight of the Ebon Legion are cheap Knights that grow.
Rocks, draw spells and a sweeper
Fractured Powerstone and Ichor Elixir are not played in the commander's decks, and Path of the Enigma, Pull from Tomorrow, Painful Truths and Fell the Mighty do nothing for a Knight army.
The 14 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Fractured Powerstone is a two-mana rock that rolls the planar die. It is not a card Sidar Jabari decks usually play.
Marshal of Zhalfir is a 2/2 Human Knight for {W}{U}. Other Knights you control get +1/+1, and for {W}{U} and a tap it taps another target creature. A two-drop Knight lord, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Ichor Elixir is a four-mana rock that changes planar dice. It is not a card Sidar Jabari decks usually play.
Haytham Kenway is a 3/3 Human Knight for {2}{W}{U}. Other Knights you control get +2/+2 and have protection from Assassins, and when it enters you exile up to one target creature each opponent controls until it leaves the battlefield. A Knight lord that removes a creature from every opponent.
Path of the Enigma is a five-mana sorcery that draws four cards and has a vote. It is not a card Sidar Jabari decks usually play.
Dion, Bahamut's Dominant is a Human Noble Knight for {3}{W}. During your turn, Dion and other Knights you control have flying, and when it enters you create a 2/2 Knight token. Every Knight flies, and it makes another Knight.
Knight of the Last Breath is a seven-mana 4/4 Giant Knight with afterlife 3. It is not a card Sidar Jabari decks usually play.
The Circle of Loyalty is a legendary artifact for {4}{W}{W} with affinity for Knights, so it is cheap in a Knight deck. Creatures you control get +1/+1, whenever you cast a legendary spell you create a 2/2 Knight with vigilance, and for {3}{W} and a tap you create a 2/2 Knight. An anthem that makes Knights.
Syr Elenora, the Discerning is a Human Knight whose power equals your hand size, for {3}{U}{U}. It is not a card Sidar Jabari decks usually play.
Invasion of New Phyrexia is a Siege for {X}{W}{U}. When it enters you create X 2/2 white and blue Knights with vigilance, and when it is defeated it becomes Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir, whose -2 gives Knights +1/+0 and ward. X Knights for a spell.
Maul of the Skyclaves is a three-mana Equipment that gives +2/+2, flying and first strike. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in eleven.
Guardian of Faith is a 3/2 Spirit Knight with flash and vigilance for {1}{W}{W}. When it enters, any number of other creatures you control phase out, which protects them from a sweeper. A Knight that is a trick.
Pull from Tomorrow is an X draw spell that makes you discard a card. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in nine.
Breathless Knight is a 2/2 flying lifelink Spirit Knight for {1}{W}{B}. Whenever it or another creature you control enters from a graveyard or is cast from a graveyard, it gets a +1/+1 counter. Sidar Jabari returns Knights from the graveyard, and each one grows it.
Fell the Mighty is a five-mana sorcery that destroys creatures with power greater than a target's. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in eight, and it kills your own Knights.
Knight of the Ebon Legion is a 1/2 Vampire Knight for {B}. For {2}{B} it gets +3/+3 and deathtouch until end of turn, and at your end step it gets a counter if a player lost 4 or more life. A one-drop Knight that is a threat at any size.
Liliana's Standard Bearer is a 3/1 flash Zombie Knight for {2}{B} that draws if creatures died this turn. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in seven.
Ayara's Oathsworn is a 2/2 menace Human Knight for {1}{B}. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player it gets a +1/+1 counter, and when it has exactly four counters you search your library for a card. A two-drop Knight that grows and tutors.
Painful Truths draws cards for the colours you spend on it, and it costs life. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in six.
Westfold Rider is a 3/1 Human Knight for {1}{W}. You can sacrifice it to destroy an artifact or enchantment. A two-mana Knight with a utility ability.
Commander's Sphere is a three-mana rock that sacrifices itself to draw a card. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in four, in a deck with Sol Ring and Arcane Signet.
Kinsbaile Cavalier is a 2/2 Kithkin Knight for {3}{W}. Knight creatures you control have double strike. Every Knight in the deck hits twice, and it is the top-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Mind Stone is a two-mana rock that draws a card late. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in five.
Moonshaker Cavalry is a 6/6 flying Spirit Knight for {5}{W}{W}{W}. When it enters, creatures you control gain flying and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control. A Knight that wins the game on the turn it lands.
Arvad the Cursed is a 3/3 deathtouch, lifelink Vampire Knight for {3}{W}{B} that pumps legendary creatures. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in six.
Cavalier of Night is a 4/5 lifelink Elemental Knight for {2}{B}{B}{B}. When it enters you may sacrifice another creature to destroy target creature an opponent controls, and when it dies you return a creature with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. A Knight that is removal and recursion.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight is a 4/5 menace Zombie Knight for {2}{B}{B} that makes eight Zombie Knights when kicked for {5}{B}. It is played in about one Sidar Jabari deck in six.
Cavalier of Dawn is a 4/6 vigilance Elemental Knight for {2}{W}{W}{W}. When it enters you destroy up to one nonland permanent, and its controller creates a 3/3 Golem, and when it dies you return an artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand. A Knight that is removal and a card.
The full swap list
Cut
- Fractured Powerstone
- Ichor Elixir
- Path of the Enigma
- Knight of the Last Breath
- Syr Elenora, the Discerning
- Maul of the Skyclaves
- Pull from Tomorrow
- Fell the Mighty
- Liliana's Standard Bearer
- Painful Truths
- Commander's Sphere
- Mind Stone
- Arvad the Cursed
- Josu Vess, Lich Knight
Add
- Marshal of Zhalfir
- Haytham Kenway
- Dion, Bahamut's Dominant
- The Circle of Loyalty
- Invasion of New Phyrexia
- Guardian of Faith
- Breathless Knight
- Knight of the Ebon Legion
- Ayara's Oathsworn
- Westfold Rider
- Kinsbaile Cavalier
- Moonshaker Cavalry
- Cavalier of Night
- Cavalier of Dawn
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Knight Exemplar$4.03
Played in 93% of Sidar Jabari decks. Other Knights get +1/+1 and indestructible. - Herald of Hoofbeats$4.65
Other Knights you control have horsemanship, which makes them hard to block. - Vodalian Wave-Knight$4.31
Puts a +1/+1 counter on each other Knight and Merfolk whenever you draw a card, including Sidar Jabari's loot. - Haakon, Stromgald Scourge$0.84
Can be cast from the graveyard and lets you cast Knight spells from there. - Knights' Charge$0.64
Drains each opponent whenever a Knight attacks, and returns every Knight from your graveyard late in the game.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Virtue of Loyalty$5.29
Puts a counter on each creature at your end step and untaps them, or makes a Knight at instant speed.
Cavalry Charge already has the Knight lords and the recursion. The upgrade is cheap Knights that pump, fly and create more Knights, in place of rocks, draw spells and a sweeper that do nothing for an army. These fourteen swaps cost about $31 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Cavalry Charge precon?
Using data from 17,844 Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir decks, the highest-scoring additions are Marshal of Zhalfir (for Fractured Powerstone), Kinsbaile Cavalier (for Commander's Sphere) and Guardian of Faith (for Maul of the Skyclaves). The full list has 14 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Cavalry Charge?
All 14 swaps cost about $30.71 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Virtue of Loyalty ($5.29).
What should I cut from Cavalry Charge?
The weakest cards for this commander are Fractured Powerstone, Ichor Elixir and Path of the Enigma. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Cavalry Charge?
Keep Knight Exemplar, Herald of Hoofbeats, Vodalian Wave-Knight, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge and Knights' Charge. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir do?
Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir costs {1}{W}{U}{B} and is a 4/3 with flying and first strike. Eminence: whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari is in the command zone or on the battlefield, you draw a card, then discard a card. Whenever he deals combat damage to a player, you return a Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Attack with a Knight and loot every turn.
More March of the Machine Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir decks (17,844 of them when this was written, 2026-10-27) that play the card. Synergy is how much more often they play it than other decks in the same colours. Oracle score is synergy × 0.6 plus inclusion × 0.4, the same blend The Oracle uses to rank cards for a deck. Lift compares how often the card appears in these decks with how often it could, capped at 8× here; it is shown for context and does not change the score.
Two cautions. Players who run the precon unmodified count as Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many Knight cards because few decks play them outside a Knight deck, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. A card the commander's decks do not usually play counts as 0 in the average score. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.