Saheeli, the Gifted costs {2}{U}{R} and is a Legendary Planeswalker that can be your commander. Its first +1 creates a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token, its second +1 gives the next spell you cast this turn affinity for artifacts, and its -7 creates a hasty token copy of each artifact you control, exiled at the next end step. Every artifact you cast makes the next one cheaper.
The precon already has the artifact count and strong engines, including Etherium Sculptor, Unwinding Clock, Thopter Spy Network, Myr Battlesphere and Saheeli's Directive. 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 Saheeli decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Saheeli decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Exquisite Invention precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cost reducers and artifact-cast payoffs
Sai, Master Thopterist, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain, Enthusiastic Mechanaut, Foundry Inspector and Efficient Construction reward casting artifacts or make them cheaper. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Clunky artifacts and creatures outside the lists
Scrabbling Claws, Geode Golem, Pilgrim's Eye, Psychosis Crawler and Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor are not cards Saheeli decks usually play.
Low-scoring spells and mana rocks
Enchanter's Bane, Magnifying Glass, Vessel of Endless Rest, Into the Roil, Endless Atlas, Tidings and Unstable Obelisk score lower than the cards that replace them.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Scrabbling Claws is a one-mana artifact that exiles cards from graveyards. It is not a card Saheeli decks usually play.
Sai, Master Thopterist is a 1/4 Legendary Human Artificer for {2}{U}. Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying, and for {1}{U} and two sacrificed artifacts you draw a card. A three-drop that turns every artifact into a flyer, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Geode Golem is a five-mana 5/3 trampler that lets you cast your commander for free when it hits. It is not a card Saheeli decks usually play.
Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain is a 3/3 Legendary Human Artificer for {2}{U}{R}. Whenever you cast a historic spell, you draw a card, and artifacts, legendaries and Sagas are historic. A four-drop in exactly Saheeli's colors that draws a card from every artifact.
Pilgrim's Eye is a three-mana 1/1 flying artifact that fetches a basic land. It is not a card Saheeli decks usually play.
Enthusiastic Mechanaut is a 2/2 Goblin Artificer artifact creature for {U}{R} with flying. Artifact spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. A two-drop in exactly Saheeli's colors that is itself an artifact and makes the rest cheaper.
Psychosis Crawler is a five-mana artifact creature whose power and toughness equal your hand size. It is not a card Saheeli decks usually play.
Foundry Inspector is a 3/2 Construct artifact creature for {3}. Artifact spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. A colorless three-drop that stacks with Etherium Sculptor.
Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor is a three-mana 3/3 that gives opponents Survivor tokens when it hits. It is not a card Saheeli decks usually play.
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer is a {1}{U/R}{U/R} planeswalker. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token, and its -2 makes an artifact you control a copy of another artifact or creature until end of turn. A three-mana planeswalker that makes an artifact from every noncreature spell.
Enchanter's Bane is a two-mana enchantment that punishes enchantments. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in twenty.
Emry, Lurker of the Loch is a 1/2 Legendary Merfolk Wizard for {2}{U} with affinity for artifacts. When it enters you mill four cards, and for a tap you may cast a target artifact card from your graveyard this turn. A cheap creature that replays your best artifact every turn.
Magnifying Glass is a three-mana rock that makes Clues for {4}. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in seventeen.
Thought Monitor is a 2/2 Construct artifact creature for {6}{U} with affinity for artifacts and flying. When it enters you draw two cards. In an artifact deck it costs only a few mana and draws two.
Vessel of Endless Rest is a three-mana rock that exiles a graveyard card. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in seventeen.
One with the Machine costs {3}{U}. You draw cards equal to the greatest mana value among artifacts you control. A four-mana sorcery that draws a big hand once Myr Battlesphere or Coveted Jewel is out.
Into the Roil is a two-mana bounce spell, kicked for {1}{U} more to draw a card. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in eleven.
Efficient Construction costs {3}{U}. Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying. A four-mana enchantment that adds a flyer to every artifact.
Endless Atlas is a two-mana artifact that draws only with three lands of the same name. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in twelve.
Padeem, Consul of Innovation is a 1/4 Legendary Vedalken Artificer for {3}{U}. Artifacts you control have hexproof, and at the beginning of your upkeep, if you control the artifact with the greatest mana value or tied for it, you draw a card. A four-drop that protects your artifacts and draws every turn.
Tidings is a five-mana sorcery that draws four cards. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in twelve.
Solemn Simulacrum is a 2/2 Golem artifact creature for {4}. When it enters you may search for a basic land and put it onto the battlefield tapped, and when it dies you may draw a card. A four-drop that ramps, draws, and counts as an artifact.
Unstable Obelisk is a three-mana rock that can later destroy a permanent for {7}. It is played in about one Saheeli deck in nine.
Silverbluff Bridge is an Artifact Land that enters tapped, is indestructible, and taps for {U} or {R}. A dual land in exactly Saheeli's colors that also counts as an artifact.
The full swap list
Cut
- Scrabbling Claws
- Geode Golem
- Pilgrim's Eye
- Psychosis Crawler
- Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
- Enchanter's Bane
- Magnifying Glass
- Vessel of Endless Rest
- Into the Roil
- Endless Atlas
- Tidings
- Unstable Obelisk
Add
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
- Enthusiastic Mechanaut
- Foundry Inspector
- Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
- Emry, Lurker of the Loch
- Thought Monitor
- One with the Machine
- Efficient Construction
- Padeem, Consul of Innovation
- Solemn Simulacrum
- Silverbluff Bridge
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Etherium Sculptor$0.37
Played in 68% of Saheeli decks. Makes every artifact spell cost {1} less. - Unwinding Clock$20.30
Played in 62% of Saheeli decks. Untaps your artifacts during each opponent's untap step. - Thopter Spy Network$0.22
Played in 59% of Saheeli decks. Makes a Thopter every upkeep and draws when artifact creatures connect. - Myr Battlesphere$0.23
Played in 56% of Saheeli decks. Makes four Myr and attacks for extra damage. - Saheeli's Directive$0.99
Played in 52% of Saheeli decks. Puts artifacts from the top of your library onto the battlefield.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Skullclamp$4.67
A one-mana Equipment that draws two cards whenever the equipped creature dies, which is great with Servo and Thopter tokens. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Mystic Forge$2.56
A four-mana artifact that lets you cast artifact spells from the top of your library. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Exquisite Invention already has the artifact count, Etherium Sculptor and a few strong engines. The upgrade is cheap cost reducers and artifact-cast payoffs, in place of clunky artifacts and creatures that Saheeli decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $4 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Saheeli, the Gifted from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Exquisite Invention precon?
Using data from 2,115 Saheeli decks, the highest-scoring additions are Sai, Master Thopterist (for Scrabbling Claws), Silverbluff Bridge (for Unstable Obelisk) and Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain (for Geode Golem). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Exquisite Invention?
All 12 swaps cost about $4.41 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Skullclamp ($4.67) and Mystic Forge ($2.56).
What should I cut from Exquisite Invention?
The weakest cards for this commander are Scrabbling Claws, Geode Golem and Pilgrim's Eye. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Exquisite Invention?
Keep Etherium Sculptor, Unwinding Clock, Thopter Spy Network, Myr Battlesphere and Saheeli's Directive. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Saheeli do?
Saheeli, the Gifted costs {2}{U}{R} and is a Legendary Planeswalker that can be your commander. Its first +1 creates a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token, its second +1 gives the next spell you cast this turn affinity for artifacts, and its -7 creates a hasty token copy of each artifact you control, exiled at the next end step. Every artifact you cast makes the next one cheaper.
More Commander 2018 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Saheeli, the Gifted decks (2,115 of them when this was written, 2026-10-28) 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 Saheeli decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many artifact cards because few decks play them outside an artifacts 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.