Breya, Etherium Shaper costs {W}{U}{B}{R} and is a 4/4 Legendary Artifact Creature. When it enters you create two 1/1 blue Thopter artifact creature tokens with flying, and for {2} and two sacrificed artifacts you choose one: deal 3 damage to a player or planeswalker, give a creature -4/-4 until end of turn, or gain 5 life. Every artifact is both a threat and a resource to sacrifice.
The precon already has the artifact count and the sacrifice outlets, including Etherium Sculptor, Skullclamp, Thopter Foundry, Baleful Strix and Solemn Simulacrum. 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 Breya decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Breya decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Invent Superiority precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough artifact payoffs and cost reducers
Sai, Master Thopterist, Emry, Lurker of the Loch, Thopter Spy Network, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain and Foundry Inspector reward casting artifacts or make them cheaper. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Equipment, sweepers and situational artifacts outside the lists
Blinkmoth Urn, Bonehoard, Dispeller's Capsule, Executioner's Capsule, Loxodon Warhammer, Nevinyrral's Disk, Beacon of Unrest, Coastal Breach, Grave Upheaval, Migratory Route, Parting Thoughts and Phyrexian Rebirth are not cards Breya decks usually play.
Few artifact lands
Artifact lands such as Razortide Bridge count as artifacts for Breya's sacrifice and for Thopter Spy Network, while still tapping for mana.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Blinkmoth Urn is a five-mana artifact that adds colourless mana for each artifact a player controls. It is not a card Breya 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 makes a flyer from every artifact, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Bonehoard is a four-mana Equipment with living weapon that grows with creature cards in graveyards. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
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 recasts a sacrificed artifact every turn.
Dispeller's Capsule is a one-mana artifact that destroys an artifact or enchantment. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Thopter Spy Network costs {2}{U}{U}. At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control an artifact, you create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying, and whenever one or more artifact creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you draw a card. A four-mana enchantment that makes a free artifact every turn.
Executioner's Capsule is a one-mana artifact that destroys a nonblack creature for {1}{B}. It is not a card Breya 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 that draws a card from every artifact.
Loxodon Warhammer is a three-mana Equipment with equip {3} that gives +3/+0, trample and lifelink. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Foundry Inspector is a 3/2 Construct artifact creature for {3}. Artifact spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. A colourless three-drop that stacks with Etherium Sculptor.
Nevinyrral's Disk is a four-mana artifact that enters tapped and destroys all artifacts, creatures and enchantments. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
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.
Beacon of Unrest is a five-mana sorcery that reanimates an artifact or creature from any graveyard. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
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.
Coastal Breach is a seven-mana sorcery with undaunted that returns all nonland permanents to their owners' hands. It is not a card Breya 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 that is itself an artifact and makes the rest cheaper.
Grave Upheaval is a six-mana sorcery that reanimates a creature from any graveyard, and it has basic landcycling {2}. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Marionette Master is a 1/3 Human Artificer for {4}{B}{B} with fabricate 3. Whenever an artifact you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target opponent loses life equal to its power. A six-drop that turns every sacrificed artifact into a drain.
Migratory Route is a five-mana sorcery that makes four 1/1 Birds, and it has basic landcycling {2}. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Sword of the Meek is a two-mana Equipment with equip {2} that gives +1/+2. Whenever a 1/1 creature you control enters, you may return it from your graveyard to the battlefield and attach it. A two-mana artifact that comes back every time a Thopter enters.
Parting Thoughts is a three-mana sorcery that destroys a creature and draws for its counters. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Marionette Apprentice is a 1/2 Human Artificer for {1}{B} with fabricate 1. Whenever another creature or artifact you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life. A two-drop that makes a Servo or a counter and drains for every sacrifice.
Phyrexian Rebirth is a six-mana sorcery that destroys all creatures and makes a Horror. It is not a card Breya decks usually play.
Razortide Bridge is an Artifact Land that enters tapped, is indestructible, and taps for {W} or {U}. A dual land that also counts as an artifact for Breya, Thopter Spy Network and sacrifice.
The full swap list
Cut
- Blinkmoth Urn
- Bonehoard
- Dispeller's Capsule
- Executioner's Capsule
- Loxodon Warhammer
- Nevinyrral's Disk
- Beacon of Unrest
- Coastal Breach
- Grave Upheaval
- Migratory Route
- Parting Thoughts
- Phyrexian Rebirth
Add
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Emry, Lurker of the Loch
- Thopter Spy Network
- Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
- Foundry Inspector
- Padeem, Consul of Innovation
- Thought Monitor
- Enthusiastic Mechanaut
- Marionette Master
- Sword of the Meek
- Marionette Apprentice
- Razortide Bridge
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Etherium Sculptor$0.37
Played in 59% of Breya decks. Makes every artifact spell cost {1} less. - Skullclamp$4.67
Played in 55% of Breya decks. Draws two cards whenever the equipped creature dies, which is great with Thopter tokens. - Thopter Foundry$0.28
Played in 43% of Breya decks. Turns a nontoken artifact into a flying Thopter and 1 life. - Baleful Strix$4.51
Played in 44% of Breya decks. A flying, deathtouch artifact creature that replaces itself. - Solemn Simulacrum$0.20
Played in 36% of Breya decks. Ramps when it enters and draws when it dies, so it is perfect sacrifice fodder.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Time Sieve$7.47
A two-mana artifact that takes an extra turn by sacrificing five artifacts. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Master Transmuter$1.19
A four-mana artifact creature that returns an artifact to your hand to put one from your hand onto the battlefield. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Invent Superiority already has the artifact count, the sacrifice outlets and Breya's thopters. The upgrade is cheap artifact payoffs and cost reducers, in place of equipment, sweepers and situational artifacts that Breya decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $8 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Breya, Etherium Shaper from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Invent Superiority precon?
Using data from 22,779 Breya decks, the highest-scoring additions are Sai, Master Thopterist (for Blinkmoth Urn), Emry, Lurker of the Loch (for Bonehoard) and Thopter Spy Network (for Dispeller's Capsule). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Invent Superiority?
All 12 swaps cost about $7.65 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Time Sieve ($7.47) and Master Transmuter ($1.19).
What should I cut from Invent Superiority?
The weakest cards for this commander are Blinkmoth Urn, Bonehoard and Dispeller's Capsule. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Invent Superiority?
Keep Etherium Sculptor, Skullclamp, Thopter Foundry, Baleful Strix and Solemn Simulacrum. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Breya do?
Breya, Etherium Shaper costs {W}{U}{B}{R} and is a 4/4 Legendary Artifact Creature. When it enters you create two 1/1 blue Thopter artifact creature tokens with flying, and for {2} and two sacrificed artifacts you choose one: deal 3 damage to a player or planeswalker, give a creature -4/-4 until end of turn, or gain 5 life. Every artifact is both a threat and a resource to sacrifice.
More Commander 2016 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Breya, Etherium Shaper decks (22,779 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 Breya decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift stays low for these cards because most of them are played in many decks, so use inclusion and synergy to compare cards, not lift. 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.