Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls costs {2}{B}{R}, has flying and ward (pay 2 life), and whenever an opponent loses life for the first time during each of their turns, it gets a +1/+1 counter and you draw a card. Every turn an opponent loses life is a card.
The precon already has the pingers and the drain, including Kederekt Parasite, Fate Unraveler and Blood Seeker. 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 Valgavoth decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Valgavoth decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Endless Punishment precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough ways to make opponents lose life on their own turn
Roiling Vortex, Sulfuric Vortex, Underworld Dreams and Razorkin Needlehead are the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out. Each hurts opponents at their upkeep or whenever they draw, which turns on Valgavoth during their turn.
Cards that do nothing for life loss
Bastion of Remembrance, Séance Board, Enchanter's Bane, Light Up the Stage and Barbflare Gremlin make tokens, mana or card flow, but none of them makes an opponent lose life.
A few cards almost nobody plays
Braids, Combustible Gearhulk, Fear of Burning Alive, Tectonic Giant and Florian are each played in about one Valgavoth deck in six or fewer.
The 13 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Braids, Arisen Nightmare is a 3/3 for {1}{B}{B} that sacrifices a permanent at your end step to make each opponent sacrifice one or lose 2 life and draw you a card. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Razorkin Needlehead is a 2/2 for {R}{R} with first strike on your turn. Whenever an opponent draws a card, it deals 1 damage to them. A two-drop that pings an opponent on every draw, including their draw step, and is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Bastion of Remembrance makes a 1/1 Human Soldier and drains 1 whenever a creature you control dies. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Roiling Vortex costs {1}{R}: at the beginning of each player's upkeep it deals 1 damage to them, and whenever a player casts a spell for no mana it deals 5 damage to them. For {R} your opponents can't gain life. Every upkeep is a Valgavoth trigger.

Combustible Gearhulk is a six-mana first striker that lets an opponent choose between giving you three cards and milling you for damage. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Underworld Dreams costs {B}{B}{B}: whenever an opponent draws a card, it deals 1 damage to that player. Every draw step and every cantrip pings, and it is a three-mana enchantment.

Fear of Burning Alive is a six-mana 4/4 that deals 4 damage to each opponent when it enters. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in seven.
Rug of Smothering is a 1/3 flying artifact creature for {3}. Whenever a player casts a spell, they lose 1 life for each spell they have cast this turn. Cast a second spell and you lose 2, but your opponents do too. It is a three-mana source of life loss and a flier.

Tectonic Giant is a 3/4 for {2}{R}{R} that either deals 3 damage to each opponent or exiles cards to play when it attacks or is targeted. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Sulfuric Vortex costs {1}{R}{R}: at the beginning of each player's upkeep it deals 2 damage to that player, and players cannot gain life. A repeated 2 damage every upkeep, and life loss on opponents' turns.

Light Up the Stage exiles the top two cards for you to play, with spectacle for {R} if an opponent lost life this turn. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in five.
Painful Quandary costs {3}{B}{B}: whenever an opponent casts a spell, that player loses 5 life unless they discard a card. Every spell is a card from their hand or 5 life, and either one is good for you.

Barbflare Gremlin is a 3/2 first strike, haste creature for {3}{R}. When it is tapped, every land tapped for mana adds an extra mana and deals 1 damage to that player. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Mai, Scornful Striker is a 2/2 first striker for {1}{B}: whenever a player casts a noncreature spell, they lose 2 life. A two-drop that punishes every instant, sorcery and artifact.

Florian, Voldaren Scion is a 3/3 first striker for {1}{B}{R} that digs for cards based on life your opponents lost this turn. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in five.
Magebane Lizard is a 1/4 for {1}{R}. Whenever a player casts a noncreature spell, it deals damage to that player equal to the number of noncreature spells they have cast this turn. A cheap blocker that punishes noncreature spells.

Séance Board is a two-mana artifact that makes mana for instants, sorceries, Demons and Spirits once creatures have died. It is slow and played in about one Valgavoth deck in five.
Revenge of Ravens costs {3}{B}: whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, that creature's controller loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Every attack drains an opponent and keeps you safe.

Enchanter's Bane deals damage equal to an enchantment's mana value to its controller unless they sacrifice it. It is a narrow card, played in about one Valgavoth deck in six.
Gideon the Oathless is a 3/3 for {2}{B} with ward (discard a card). Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, it deals 1 damage to that player, and whenever an opponent activates a loyalty ability, it deals 1 damage to that player. A three-drop that pings for every creature and planeswalker.

Theater of Horrors is a three-mana enchantment that exiles a card each upkeep for you to play if an opponent lost life. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in five.
Scrawling Crawler is a 3/2 artifact creature for {3}. At the beginning of your upkeep each player draws a card, and whenever an opponent draws a card that player loses 1 life. Every opponent loses life at least twice a turn, which triggers Valgavoth's draw and counter.

Mask of Griselbrand is a three-mana Equipment that gives flying and lifelink and draws cards when the creature dies. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in five.
Manabarbs costs {3}{R}. Whenever a player taps a land for mana, it deals 1 damage to that player. Every opponent loses life on their own turn, and Valgavoth gets a counter and a card the first time it happens.

Morbid Opportunist is a 1/3 that draws a card when other creatures die, once each turn. It is played in about one Valgavoth deck in three.
Chandra, Awakened Inferno is a six-mana planeswalker that can't be countered. Her +2 gives each opponent an emblem that deals 1 damage to them at each of their upkeeps, and her -3 deals 3 damage to each non-Elemental creature. Every emblem is life loss that Valgavoth draws from.
The full swap list
Cut
- Braids, Arisen Nightmare
- Bastion of Remembrance
- Combustible Gearhulk
- Fear of Burning Alive
- Tectonic Giant
- Light Up the Stage
- Barbflare Gremlin
- Florian, Voldaren Scion
- Séance Board
- Enchanter's Bane
- Theater of Horrors
- Mask of Griselbrand
- Morbid Opportunist
Add
- Razorkin Needlehead
- Roiling Vortex
- Underworld Dreams
- Rug of Smothering
- Sulfuric Vortex
- Painful Quandary
- Mai, Scornful Striker
- Magebane Lizard
- Revenge of Ravens
- Gideon the Oathless
- Scrawling Crawler
- Manabarbs
- Chandra, Awakened Inferno
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Kederekt Parasite$8.09
Played in 92% of Valgavoth decks. Deals 1 damage to an opponent whenever they draw, if you control a red permanent. - Mogis, God of Slaughter$5.83
An indestructible enchantment that damages opponents at their upkeep, and is a creature once your devotion to black and red is seven. - Fate Unraveler$2.87
Deals 1 damage to an opponent whenever they draw a card. - Blood Seeker$0.25
Makes a player lose 1 life whenever a creature they control enters. - Rampaging Ferocidon$1.87
Stops players gaining life and deals 1 damage to a creature's controller whenever another creature enters.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Screaming Nemesis$6.60
Redirects damage dealt to it to any other target.
Endless Punishment already has the pingers and the drain. The upgrade is more enchantments and creatures that hurt opponents on every draw, upkeep and spell, and fewer cards that make tokens, mana or card flow instead. These thirteen swaps cost about $31 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Endless Punishment precon?
Using data from 29,415 Valgavoth decks, the highest-scoring additions are Razorkin Needlehead (for Braids, Arisen Nightmare), Roiling Vortex (for Bastion of Remembrance) and Underworld Dreams (for Combustible Gearhulk). The full list has 13 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Endless Punishment?
All 13 swaps cost about $31.40 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Screaming Nemesis ($6.60).
What should I cut from Endless Punishment?
The weakest cards for this commander are Braids, Arisen Nightmare, Bastion of Remembrance and Combustible Gearhulk. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Endless Punishment?
Keep Kederekt Parasite, Mogis, God of Slaughter, Fate Unraveler, Blood Seeker and Rampaging Ferocidon. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Valgavoth do?
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls costs {2}{B}{R}, has flying and ward (pay 2 life), and whenever an opponent loses life for the first time during each of their turns, it gets a +1/+1 counter and you draw a card. Every turn an opponent loses life is a card.
More Duskmourn Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls decks (29,415 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 Valgavoth decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is moderate for most of these cards because they are played in many Rakdos decks, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.












