Arahbo, Roar of the World costs {3}{G}{W} and is a 5/5 Legendary Cat Avatar. Its eminence gives another target Cat you control +3/+3 at the beginning of combat on your turn while Arahbo is in the command zone or on the battlefield, and whenever another Cat you control attacks, you may pay {1}{G}{W} to give it trample and +X/+X, where X is its power. The more Cats you have, the more damage it adds.
The precon already has strong Cats and tricks, including Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist, Qasali Slingers, Fleecemane Lion, Qasali Pridemage and Hungry Lynx. 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 Arahbo decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Arahbo decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Feline Ferocity precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough Cat lords and token makers
Regal Caracal, Feline Sovereign, Arahbo, the First Fang, King of the Pride and Adorned Pouncer boost the other Cats or make more of them. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Equipment, curses and artifacts outside the lists
Grappling Hook, Hero's Blade, Staff of Nin, Hedron Archive, Dreamstone Hedron, Curse of Bounty, Curse of Vitality, Sunspear Shikari and Taj-Nar Swordsmith are not cards Arahbo decks usually play.
Situational answers outside the lists
Crushing Vines, Relic Crush and Wing Shards are narrow, and none of them is a card Arahbo decks usually play.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Crushing Vines is a three-mana instant that destroys a flyer or an artifact. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Regal Caracal is a 3/3 Cat for {3}{W}{W}. Other Cats you control get +1/+1 and have lifelink, and when it enters you create two 1/1 white Cat tokens with lifelink. A five-drop that makes two Cats and boosts the rest, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Relic Crush is a five-mana instant that destroys up to two artifacts or enchantments. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Feline Sovereign is a 2/3 Cat for {2}{G}. Other Cats you control get +1/+1 and have protection from Dogs, and whenever one or more Cats you control deal combat damage to a player, you destroy up to one target artifact or enchantment that player controls. A three-drop that boosts the team and still removes an artifact or enchantment.
Wing Shards is a three-mana instant that makes a player sacrifice an attacking creature, with storm. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Arahbo, the First Fang is a 2/2 Legendary Cat Avatar for {2}{W}. Other Cats you control get +1/+1, and whenever Arahbo or another nontoken Cat you control enters, you create a 1/1 white Cat creature token. A three-drop that makes a Cat from each Cat you play.
Dreamstone Hedron is a six-mana rock that taps for three colourless. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
King of the Pride is a 2/1 Cat for {2}{W}. Other Cats you control get +2/+1. A three-drop that makes every other Cat much bigger.
Grappling Hook is a four-mana Equipment with equip {4} that gives double strike. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Adorned Pouncer is a 1/1 Cat for {1}{W} with double strike and eternalize {3}{W}{W}. A two-drop Cat that has double strike by itself, comes back as a 4/4 token, and deals Arahbo's pump twice.
Hedron Archive is a four-mana rock that can later draw two cards. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Keeper of Fables is a 4/5 Cat for {3}{G}{G}. Whenever one or more non-Human creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you draw a card. A five-drop Cat that draws a card when your Cats connect.
Hero's Blade is a two-mana Equipment with equip {4} that gives +3/+2. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Felidar Retreat costs {3}{W}. Landfall: whenever a land you control enters, you choose one: create a 2/2 white Cat Beast creature token, or put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control, which also gain vigilance until end of turn. A four-mana enchantment that makes a Cat from every land drop.
Staff of Nin is a six-mana artifact that draws an extra card and pings for 1. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Kaheera, the Orphanguard is a 3/2 Legendary Cat Beast for {1}{G/W}{G/W} with vigilance. Each other creature you control that is a Cat, Elemental, Nightmare, Dinosaur or Beast gets +1/+1 and has vigilance. A three-drop Cat that boosts your other Cats.
Curse of Bounty is a two-mana Aura Curse that untaps your permanents when the enchanted player is attacked. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Sacred Cat is a 1/1 Cat for {W} with lifelink and embalm {W}. A one-drop Cat that comes back as another Cat token for a single mana.
Curse of Vitality is a three-mana Aura Curse that gains life when the enchanted player is attacked. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Bronzehide Lion is a 3/3 Cat for {G}{W}. For {G}{W} it gains indestructible until end of turn, and when it dies it returns as an Aura enchantment that can give a creature indestructible. A two-drop in exactly Arahbo's colours that is hard to remove.
Sunspear Shikari is a two-mana 2/2 Cat Soldier that needs to be equipped to have first strike and lifelink. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Skyhunter Skirmisher is a 1/1 Cat Knight for {1}{W}{W} with flying and double strike. A three-drop Cat with flying and double strike that makes Arahbo's pump hit harder.
Taj-Nar Swordsmith is a four-mana 2/3 Cat Soldier that searches for an Equipment when you pay {X}. It is not a card Arahbo decks usually play.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride is a {1}{W}{W} planeswalker. Its +1 puts a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature, its -3 gives a creature flying and double strike until end of turn, and its -8 creates X 2/2 white Cat creature tokens, where X is your life total. A three-mana planeswalker that grows a Cat each turn or gives one flying and double strike.
The full swap list
Cut
- Crushing Vines
- Relic Crush
- Wing Shards
- Dreamstone Hedron
- Grappling Hook
- Hedron Archive
- Hero's Blade
- Staff of Nin
- Curse of Bounty
- Curse of Vitality
- Sunspear Shikari
- Taj-Nar Swordsmith
Add
- Regal Caracal
- Feline Sovereign
- Arahbo, the First Fang
- King of the Pride
- Adorned Pouncer
- Keeper of Fables
- Felidar Retreat
- Kaheera, the Orphanguard
- Sacred Cat
- Bronzehide Lion
- Skyhunter Skirmisher
- Ajani, Caller of the Pride
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist$5.36
Played in 85% of Arahbo decks. A first strike Cat that limits blockers and stops a swarm from attacking you. - Qasali Slingers$9.40
Played in 73% of Arahbo decks. Destroys an artifact or enchantment whenever it or another Cat enters. - Fleecemane Lion$0.16
Played in 61% of Arahbo decks. A 3/3 for two that becomes hexproof and indestructible. - Qasali Pridemage$0.24
Played in 61% of Arahbo decks. Has exalted and can destroy an artifact or enchantment. - Hungry Lynx$6.03
Played in 57% of Arahbo decks. Gives Cats protection from Rats and grows them when a Rat dies.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Leonin Warleader$6.16
A four-mana 4/4 Cat that makes two 1/1 lifelink Cats tapped and attacking whenever it attacks. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Pride Sovereign$4.65
A three-mana Cat that grows for each other Cat and makes two lifelink Cats for {W} and a tap. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Feline Ferocity already has strong Cats, the best Cat combat tricks and Arahbo's eminence. The upgrade is cheap Cat lords and token makers, in place of equipment, curses and artifacts that Arahbo decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $8 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Arahbo, Roar of the World from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Feline Ferocity precon?
Using data from 11,734 Arahbo decks, the highest-scoring additions are Regal Caracal (for Crushing Vines), Feline Sovereign (for Relic Crush) and Arahbo, the First Fang (for Wing Shards). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Feline Ferocity?
All 12 swaps cost about $7.93 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Leonin Warleader ($6.16) and Pride Sovereign ($4.65).
What should I cut from Feline Ferocity?
The weakest cards for this commander are Crushing Vines, Relic Crush and Wing Shards. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Feline Ferocity?
Keep Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist, Qasali Slingers, Fleecemane Lion, Qasali Pridemage and Hungry Lynx. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Arahbo do?
Arahbo, Roar of the World costs {3}{G}{W} and is a 5/5 Legendary Cat Avatar. Its eminence gives another target Cat you control +3/+3 at the beginning of combat on your turn while Arahbo is in the command zone or on the battlefield, and whenever another Cat you control attacks, you may pay {1}{G}{W} to give it trample and +X/+X, where X is its power. The more Cats you have, the more damage it adds.
More Commander 2017 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Arahbo, Roar of the World decks (11,734 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 Arahbo decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many Cat cards because few decks play them outside a Cats 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.