The Wise Mothman costs {1}{B}{G}{U} and is a 3/3 with flying. Whenever it enters or attacks, each player gets a rad counter. Whenever one or more nonland cards are milled, you put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to X target creatures, where X is the number of nonland cards milled. Every mill turns into counters.
The precon already has the rad makers and the proliferate, including Nuclear Fallout, Glowing One and Vexing Radgull. 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 Wise Mothman decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Wise Mothman decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Mutant Menace precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough ways to mill
Ruin Crab, Syr Konrad, the Master of Lake-town and Consuming Aberration all mill opponents, and every nonland card they mill is a counter for the Mothman. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Too few cards that reward counters
Evolution Witness, Fathom Mage, Hollowmurk Siege and Thrummingbird draw, return cards or proliferate whenever counters arrive.
Cards that do not use the graveyard
Piper Wright is not a card the Mothman, and Strength Bobblehead, Tireless Tracker, Biomass Mutation and Lumbering Megasloth are each played in about one deck in nine or fewer decks usually play.
The 14 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Piper Wright, Publick Reporter is a 1/2 for {1}{U} that investigates when it connects. It is not a card The Wise Mothman decks usually play.
Ruin Crab is a 0/3 for {U} with landfall: whenever a land enters under your control, each opponent mills three cards. A one-drop that mills a table every land drop, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Strength Bobblehead is a three-mana rock that makes counters for {3}. It is played in about one Mothman deck in fourteen.
Syr Konrad, the Grim is a 5/4 for {3}{B}{B}. Whenever another creature dies or a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere other than the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to each opponent, and for {1}{B} each player mills a card. A mill outlet that pings the table.

Tireless Tracker is a 3/2 for {2}{G} that investigates on landfall. It is played in about one Mothman deck in ten.
Evolution Witness is a 2/1 Elf Shaman Mutant for {2}{G}. For {1}{G} it adapts 2, and whenever counters are put on it you return a permanent card from your graveyard to your hand. Every Mothman counter is a card back.

Biomass Mutation sets your creatures' base power and toughness to X/X until end of turn. It is played in about one Mothman deck in eight.
Thrummingbird is a 1/1 flier for {1}{U}. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, you proliferate. Every rad counter and +1/+1 counter grows.

Lumbering Megasloth is a 12-mana 8/8 trampler that costs {1} less for each counter among players and permanents, and enters tapped. It is played in about one Mothman deck in nine.
Fathom Mage is a 1/1 for {2}{G}{U} with evolve. Whenever a +1/+1 counter is put on it, you may draw a card. A creature that draws a card whenever the Mothman's trigger lands on it.

Recon Craft Theta is a four-mana 4/4 flying Vehicle that proliferates when it attacks. It is played in about one Mothman deck in seven.
The Master of Lake-town is a 3/2 deathtouch creature for {1}{B}{B}. Whenever a player loses life, that player mills that many cards, and when it dies you draw a card for each graveyard with seven or more cards. Rad counters make a player lose life every turn, and every point is a mill.

Young Deathclaws is a 4/2 menace creature for {2}{B}{G} that gives creature cards in your graveyard scavenge. It is played in about one Mothman deck in seven.
Consuming Aberration is a creature for {3}{U}{B} whose power and toughness equal the number of cards in your opponents' graveyards. Whenever you cast a spell, each opponent reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a land and puts them into their graveyard. A big body that mills the table with every spell.

Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet is a 2/3 for {2}{U} that draws when a Zombie or Mutant dies with changed power. It is played in about one Mothman deck in five.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide is a 6/6 for {3}{B}{G}{U}. During each of your turns you may play a land and cast a permanent spell of each permanent type from your graveyard. A deck that mills itself gets its best cards back.

Harmonize draws three cards for four mana and does nothing else. It is played in about one Mothman deck in five.
Jenova, Ancient Calamity is a 1/5 for {2}{B}{G}. At the beginning of combat on your turn it puts counters equal to its power on another creature and makes that creature a Mutant, and whenever a Mutant you control dies during your turn you draw cards equal to its power. A counter engine that draws cards.

Contagion Clasp is a two-mana artifact that puts a -1/-1 counter on a creature and proliferates for {4}. It is played in about one Mothman deck in five.
Hollowmurk Siege costs {B}{G}. Choose Sultai and you draw a card whenever a counter is put on a creature you control, once each turn, or choose Abzan and put a +1/+1 counter on an attacking creature. A two-mana enchantment that draws a card every turn the Mothman's trigger resolves.

Vault 87: Forced Evolution ({3}{G}{U}) is one of the lowest-scoring cards in the precon, at 19 in the Oracle: it is in 21% of The Wise Mothman decks with 18% synergy. It reads: I : Gain control of target non-Mutant creature for as long as you control this Saga. II : Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Mindcrank ({2}) scores 61: it is in 66% of The Wise Mothman decks with 58% synergy. It reads: Whenever an opponent loses life, that player mills that many cards.

Harold and Bob, First Numens ({2}{G}) is one of the lowest-scoring cards in the precon, at 20 in the Oracle: it is in 22% of The Wise Mothman decks with 19% synergy. It reads: Reach, vigilance. When Harold and Bob dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield.
Mesmeric Orb ({2}) scores 54: it is in 61% of The Wise Mothman decks with 49% synergy. It reads: Whenever a permanent becomes untapped, that permanent's controller mills a card.

Watchful Radstag ({2}{G}) is one of the lowest-scoring cards in the precon, at 24 in the Oracle: it is in 26% of The Wise Mothman decks with 23% synergy. It reads: Evolve. Whenever this creature evolves, create a token that's a copy of it.
Evolution Sage ({2}{G}) scores 39: it is in 43% of The Wise Mothman decks with 36% synergy. It reads: Landfall : Whenever a land you control enters, proliferate.

Lily Bowen, Raging Grandma ({3}{G}) is one of the lowest-scoring cards in the precon, at 25 in the Oracle: it is in 26% of The Wise Mothman decks with 24% synergy. It reads: Vigilance. Lily Bowen enters with two +1/+1 counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, double the number of +1/+1 counters on Lily Bowen if its power is 16 or.
Ripples of Potential ({1}{U}) scores 38: it is in 41% of The Wise Mothman decks with 36% synergy. It reads: Proliferate, then choose any number of permanents you control that had a counter put on them this way. Those permanents phase out.
The full swap list
Cut
- Piper Wright, Publick Reporter
- Strength Bobblehead
- Tireless Tracker
- Biomass Mutation
- Lumbering Megasloth
- Recon Craft Theta
- Young Deathclaws
- Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet
- Harmonize
- Contagion Clasp
- Vault 87: Forced Evolution
- Harold and Bob, First Numens
- Watchful Radstag
- Lily Bowen, Raging Grandma
Add
- Ruin Crab
- Syr Konrad, the Grim
- Evolution Witness
- Thrummingbird
- Fathom Mage
- The Master of Lake-town
- Consuming Aberration
- Muldrotha, the Gravetide
- Jenova, Ancient Calamity
- Hollowmurk Siege
- Mindcrank
- Mesmeric Orb
- Evolution Sage
- Ripples of Potential
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Nuclear Fallout$2.54
Played in 81% of Mothman decks. A sweeper that gives every player X rad counters. - Glowing One$1.41
A deathtouch creature that gives four rad counters when it connects and gains you life when a nonland card is milled. - Mutational Advantage$5.77
Protects permanents with counters and proliferates. - Vexing Radgull$0.57
A flier that gives two rad counters or proliferates when it connects. - Hardened Scales$1.77
Puts one more +1/+1 counter whenever counters would be put on a creature you control.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- The Water Crystal$3.93
Opponents mill four more cards whenever they would mill. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Psychic Corrosion$4.59
Each opponent mills two cards whenever you draw a card. - Kami of Whispered Hopes$4.57
Puts one extra +1/+1 counter on any permanent you control, and taps for mana equal to its power.
Mutant Menace already has the rad makers and the proliferate. The upgrade is cheap ways to mill opponents every turn and creatures that grow or draw when counters arrive, in place of cards that do not use the graveyard. These fourteen swaps cost about $41 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around The Wise Mothman from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Mutant Menace precon?
Using data from 34,352 The Wise Mothman decks, the highest-scoring additions are Mindcrank (for Vault 87: Forced Evolution), Ruin Crab (for Piper Wright, Publick Reporter) and Mesmeric Orb (for Harold and Bob, First Numens). The full list has 14 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Mutant Menace?
All 14 swaps cost about $41.21 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers The Water Crystal ($3.93), Psychic Corrosion ($4.59) and Kami of Whispered Hopes ($4.57).
What should I cut from Mutant Menace?
The weakest cards for this commander are Piper Wright, Publick Reporter, Strength Bobblehead and Tireless Tracker. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Mutant Menace?
Keep Nuclear Fallout, Glowing One, Mutational Advantage, Vexing Radgull and Hardened Scales. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does The Wise Mothman do?
The Wise Mothman costs {1}{B}{G}{U} and is a 3/3 with flying. Whenever it enters or attacks, each player gets a rad counter. Whenever one or more nonland cards are milled, you put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to X target creatures, where X is the number of nonland cards milled. Every mill turns into counters.
More Fallout upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of The Wise Mothman decks (34,352 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 The Wise Mothman decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is moderate to high for these cards because few decks play them outside a mill and counters 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.













