Ranar the Ever-Watchful costs {2}{W}{U} and is a 2/3 Legendary Spirit Warrior with flying and vigilance. The first card you foretell each turn costs {0} to foretell, and whenever one or more cards are put into exile from your hand, or a spell or ability you control exiles one or more permanents from the battlefield, you create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. Foretelling and flickering both make a flying Spirit.
The precon already has the foretell cards and the flicker engines, including Saw It Coming, Soulherder, Cosmic Intervention, Ravenform and Ethereal Valkyrie. 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 Ranar decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Ranar decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Phantom Premonition precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap foretell cards and Spirits
Cosmos Charger, Glorious Protector, Depart the Realm, Mystic Reflection and Starnheim Unleashed all have foretell, and Drogskol Captain and Abuelo are Spirits that pump or flicker. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Seven-drops and cards outside the lists
Arcane Artisan, Cloudgoat Ranger, Evangel of Heliod, Inspired Sphinx, Mist Raven and Surtland Elementalist are not cards Ranar decks usually play. The deck has 12 nonland cards at mana value six or more.
Slow and situational spells
Migratory Route, Storm Herd, Windfall and Day of the Dragons are each played in about one Ranar deck in five to seventeen.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Arcane Artisan is a three-mana 0/3 that draws and copies creature cards for {2}{U}. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Cosmos Charger is a 3/3 Horse Spirit for {3}{U} with flash and flying. Foretelling cards from your hand costs {1} less and can be done on any player's turn, and it has foretell {2}{U}. A four-drop that makes foretelling nearly free, and the highest-scoring cheap card the precon leaves out.

Cloudgoat Ranger is a five-mana 3/3 that makes three Kithkin. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Glorious Protector is a 3/4 Angel Cleric for {2}{W}{W} with flash and flying. When it enters you may exile any number of non-Angel creatures you control until it leaves the battlefield, and it has foretell {2}{W}. A four-drop that flickers your team and makes Spirits.

Evangel of Heliod is a six-mana 1/3 that makes Soldiers equal to your devotion to white. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Drogskol Captain is a 2/2 flying Spirit Soldier for {1}{W}{U}. Other Spirit creatures you control get +1/+1 and have hexproof. A three-drop that makes every Spirit token a 2/2 and protects it.

Inspired Sphinx is a seven-mana 5/5 flyer that draws cards for each opponent and makes Thopters. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Abuelo, Ancestral Echo is a 2/2 Legendary Spirit for {1}{W}{U} with flying and ward {2}. For {1}{W}{U} you exile another target creature or artifact you control and return it at the beginning of the next end step. A three-drop that flickers on demand and makes a Spirit token.

Mist Raven is a four-mana 2/2 flyer that bounces a creature when it enters. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Depart the Realm costs {1}{U} and has foretell {U}. It returns target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. A cheap instant that foretells for {0} the first time each turn and makes a Spirit when you exile it from your hand.

Surtland Elementalist is a seven-mana 8/8 that casts a free instant or sorcery when it attacks. It is not a card Ranar decks usually play.
Skyclave Apparition is a 2/2 Kor Spirit for {1}{W}{W}. When it enters it exiles up to one target nonland, nontoken permanent you don't control with mana value 4 or less, which makes a Spirit token, and when it leaves the battlefield that card's owner creates an X/X Illusion token. A three-drop Spirit that removes something and makes a Spirit.

Migratory Route is a five-mana sorcery that makes four Birds, with basic landcycling. It is played in about one Ranar deck in seventeen.
Doomskar is a {3}{W}{W} sorcery that destroys all creatures, and it has foretell {1}{W}{W}. A sweeper that foretells for free, which makes a Spirit, and that you can pair with Cosmic Intervention and Glorious Protector to protect your team.

Storm Herd is a ten-mana sorcery that makes Pegasi equal to your life total. It is played in about one Ranar deck in twelve.
Mystic Reflection costs {1}{U} and has foretell {U}. Choose target nonlegendary creature: the next time one or more creatures or planeswalkers enter this turn, they enter as copies of the chosen creature. A cheap foretell instant that turns your next creature into a copy of your best.

Burnished Hart is a three-mana artifact creature that fetches two basic lands. It is played in about one Ranar deck in eight.
Charming Prince is a 2/2 Human Noble for {1}{W}. When it enters you choose one: scry 2, gain 3 life, or exile another target creature you own and return it at the beginning of the next end step. A two-drop that flickers a creature and makes a Spirit.

Whirler Rogue is a four-mana 2/2 that makes two Thopters. It is played in about one Ranar deck in eight.
Starnheim Unleashed is a {2}{W}{W} sorcery that makes a 4/4 Angel Warrior with flying and vigilance, or X of them if it was foretold for {X}{X}{W}. A sorcery that makes several 4/4 flyers and a Spirit when foretold.

Windfall is a three-mana sorcery that makes each player discard their hand and draw. It is played in about one Ranar deck in five.
Ultimate Magic: Holy costs {2}{W} and has foretell {2}{W}. Permanents you control gain indestructible until end of turn, and if it was cast from exile you also prevent all damage that would be dealt to you. A cheap protection spell that foretells for {0}.

Day of the Dragons is a seven-mana enchantment that exiles your creatures and gives you Dragons. It is played in about one Ranar deck in eight.
Alrund's Epiphany costs {5}{U}{U} and has foretell {4}{U}{U}. It creates two 1/1 Birds with flying and gives you an extra turn. A foretell spell that makes tokens and an extra turn.
The full swap list
Cut
- Arcane Artisan
- Cloudgoat Ranger
- Evangel of Heliod
- Inspired Sphinx
- Mist Raven
- Surtland Elementalist
- Migratory Route
- Storm Herd
- Burnished Hart
- Whirler Rogue
- Windfall
- Day of the Dragons
Add
- Cosmos Charger
- Glorious Protector
- Drogskol Captain
- Abuelo, Ancestral Echo
- Depart the Realm
- Skyclave Apparition
- Doomskar
- Mystic Reflection
- Charming Prince
- Starnheim Unleashed
- Ultimate Magic: Holy
- Alrund's Epiphany
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Saw It Coming$0.39
Played in 91% of Ranar decks. A counterspell that you can foretell for {0}. - Soulherder$1.84
Played in 91% of Ranar decks. Flickers a creature each end step and grows when creatures are exiled. - Cosmic Intervention$4.66
Played in 89% of Ranar decks. Exiles and returns your permanents instead of letting them die. - Ravenform$0.24
Played in 84% of Ranar decks. Exiles an artifact or creature and can be foretold for {U}. - Ethereal Valkyrie$0.47
Played in 82% of Ranar decks. Draws a card and foretells another card whenever it enters or attacks.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Ephemerate$4.55
A one-mana instant that flickers a creature and rebounds. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Felidar Guardian$2.64
A creature that flickers another permanent you control when it enters, which makes a Spirit. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Phantom Premonition already has the foretell cards, the flicker engines and Ranar's Spirit tokens. The upgrade is cheap foretell cards and Spirits that flicker, in place of seven-drops and cards that Ranar decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $9 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Ranar the Ever-Watchful from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Phantom Premonition precon?
Using data from 3,552 Ranar the Ever-Watchful decks, the highest-scoring additions are Doomskar (for Migratory Route), Glorious Protector (for Cloudgoat Ranger) and Drogskol Captain (for Evangel of Heliod). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Phantom Premonition?
All 12 swaps cost about $9.10 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Ephemerate ($4.55) and Felidar Guardian ($2.64).
What should I cut from Phantom Premonition?
The weakest cards for this commander are Arcane Artisan, Cloudgoat Ranger and Evangel of Heliod. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Phantom Premonition?
Keep Saw It Coming, Soulherder, Cosmic Intervention, Ravenform and Ethereal Valkyrie. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Ranar the Ever-Watchful do?
Ranar the Ever-Watchful costs {2}{W}{U} and is a 2/3 Legendary Spirit Warrior with flying and vigilance. The first card you foretell each turn costs {0} to foretell, and whenever one or more cards are put into exile from your hand, or a spell or ability you control exiles one or more permanents from the battlefield, you create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. Foretelling and flickering both make a flying Spirit.
More Kaldheim Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Ranar the Ever-Watchful decks (3,552 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 Ranar the Ever-Watchful decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many foretell cards because few decks play them outside a foretell 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.











