Zaffai, Thunder Conductor costs {2}{U}{R} and is a 1/4 Legendary Human Shaman. Magecraft: whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell you scry 1. If that spell's mana value is 5 or greater, you create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token, and if it is 10 or greater, Zaffai deals 10 damage to an opponent chosen at random. Every big spell and every copy of it is a 4/4.
The precon already has the big spells and the mana, including Apex of Power, Mana Geyser, Rousing Refrain, Veyran and Volcanic Vision. 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 Zaffai decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Zaffai decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Prismari Performance precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cost reducers and copy effects
Goblin Electromancer, Stormcatch Mentor, Dirgur Focusmage and Mindsplice Apparatus make big spells cheaper, and Double Vision and Galvanic Iteration copy them. Each copy is another trigger for Zaffai. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Creatures that do not cast spells
Humble Defector and Sly Instigator are not cards Zaffai, and Living Lore, Erratic Cyclops and Crackling Drake are each played in about one Zaffai deck in seven to eleven decks usually play.
A very top-heavy deck
The deck has 19 nonland cards at mana value six or more, including several seven-drops, and 37 lands plus a lot of ramp spells.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Humble Defector is a two-mana 2/1 that draws two cards and gives itself to an opponent. It is not a card Zaffai decks usually play.
Goblin Electromancer is a 2/2 Goblin Wizard for {U}{R}. Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less. A two-drop that makes every big spell cheaper, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Sly Instigator is a four-mana 2/4 that makes a creature unblockable and goads it. It is not a card Zaffai decks usually play.
Archmage Emeritus is a 2/2 Human Wizard for {2}{U}{U}. Magecraft: whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell you draw a card. A four-drop that draws a card from every spell and every copy.

Traumatic Visions is a five-mana counterspell with basic landcycling. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in twelve.
Mystic Confluence costs {3}{U}{U}. Choose three modes, which may repeat: counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}, return target creature to its owner's hand, or draw a card. A five-mana instant that triggers Zaffai's 4/4 Elemental and does three things.

Fiery Fall is a six-mana instant that deals 5 damage to a creature, with basic landcycling. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in eleven.
Electrodominance costs {X}{R}{R}. It deals X damage to any target, and you may cast a spell with mana value X or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. An instant that burns something and casts a free spell, which both trigger Zaffai.

Living Lore is a four-mana creature that exiles an instant or sorcery from your graveyard to set its size. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in eleven.
Molten-Core Maestro is a 2/2 Goblin Bard for {1}{R} with menace. Opus: whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell it gets a +1/+1 counter, and if five or more mana was spent you add {R} equal to its power. A two-drop that grows and pays you back on big spells.

Call the Skybreaker is a seven-mana sorcery that makes a 5/5 flying Elemental and can be retraced. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in eight.
Double Vision costs {3}{R}{R}. Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, you copy it and may choose new targets. A five-mana enchantment that doubles your biggest spell, and Zaffai triggers on the copy.

Erratic Cyclops is a four-mana 0/8 trampler that gets +X/+0 from the spells you cast. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in eight.
Stormcatch Mentor is a 1/1 Otter Wizard for {U}{R} with haste and prowess. Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less. A two-drop that is a second Goblin Electromancer.

Crackling Drake is a four-mana flyer whose power is the number of instants and sorceries in your graveyard and exile. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in seven.
Dirgur Focusmage is a 1/4 Djinn Monk for {2}{U}. Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less, and whenever you cast an instant or sorcery with mana value 5 or greater from your hand it becomes prepared, which lets you cast Braingeyser to draw X cards. A three-drop cost reducer that draws on your big spells.

Letter of Acceptance is a three-mana rock that can draw a card. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in seven.
Mindsplice Apparatus is an artifact for {3}{U} with flash. At the beginning of your upkeep it gets an oil counter, and instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less for each oil counter on it. A four-mana artifact that makes your spells cheaper every turn.

Inferno Project is a seven-mana trampler that enters with counters equal to the mana value of the instants and sorceries in your graveyard. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in seven.
Zaffai and the Tempests is a 5/7 Legendary Human Bard Sorcerer for {5}{U}{R}. Once during each of your turns you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand without paying its mana cost. A seven-drop that casts your biggest spell for free, which is exactly what Zaffai wants.

Charmbreaker Devils is a six-mana 4/4 that returns an instant or sorcery each upkeep and pumps. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in six.
Ral, Storm Conduit is a {2}{U}{R} planeswalker. Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell it deals 1 damage to target opponent or planeswalker, its +2 scries 1 and its -2 copies the next instant or sorcery you cast this turn. A four-mana planeswalker that copies a big spell.

Diluvian Primordial is a seven-mana 5/5 flyer that casts an instant or sorcery from an opponent's graveyard for free. It is played in about one Zaffai deck in five.
Galvanic Iteration costs {U}{R}. When you next cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn, you copy that spell and may choose new targets, and it has flashback {1}{U}{R}. A two-mana instant that copies your best spell twice.
The full swap list
Cut
- Humble Defector
- Sly Instigator
- Traumatic Visions
- Fiery Fall
- Living Lore
- Call the Skybreaker
- Erratic Cyclops
- Crackling Drake
- Letter of Acceptance
- Inferno Project
- Charmbreaker Devils
- Diluvian Primordial
Add
- Goblin Electromancer
- Archmage Emeritus
- Mystic Confluence
- Electrodominance
- Molten-Core Maestro
- Double Vision
- Stormcatch Mentor
- Dirgur Focusmage
- Mindsplice Apparatus
- Zaffai and the Tempests
- Ral, Storm Conduit
- Galvanic Iteration
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Mana Geyser$0.86
Played in 80% of Zaffai decks. Adds {R} for each tapped land your opponents control. - Veyran, Voice of Duality$2.22
Played in 77% of Zaffai decks. Makes magecraft triggers happen an additional time. - Apex of Power$0.97
Played in 73% of Zaffai decks. Adds ten mana and lets you cast spells from the top seven cards. - Rousing Refrain$0.33
Played in 69% of Zaffai decks. Adds mana for each card in an opponent's hand and can be suspended. - Volcanic Vision$0.50
Played in 61% of Zaffai decks. Returns an instant or sorcery and damages creatures by its mana value.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Magnus the Red$7.10
A flyer that makes instant and sorcery spells cost {1} less for each creature token you control, which Zaffai's Elementals provide. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Time Stretch$4.21
A ten-mana sorcery that gives a player two extra turns, which makes a 4/4 Elemental and a scry with Zaffai. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Prismari Performance already has the big spells, the ramp and Zaffai's Elementals. The upgrade is cheap cost reducers and copy effects, plus cheap creatures that reward every spell, in place of creatures that do little for a spell deck. These twelve swaps cost about $6 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Zaffai, Thunder Conductor from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Prismari Performance precon?
Using data from 1,529 Zaffai decks, the highest-scoring additions are Goblin Electromancer (for Humble Defector), Archmage Emeritus (for Sly Instigator) and Electrodominance (for Fiery Fall). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Prismari Performance?
All 12 swaps cost about $5.64 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Magnus the Red ($7.10) and Time Stretch ($4.21).
What should I cut from Prismari Performance?
The weakest cards for this commander are Humble Defector, Sly Instigator and Traumatic Visions. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Prismari Performance?
Keep Mana Geyser, Veyran, Voice of Duality, Apex of Power, Rousing Refrain and Volcanic Vision. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Zaffai do?
Zaffai, Thunder Conductor costs {2}{U}{R} and is a 1/4 Legendary Human Shaman. Magecraft: whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell you scry 1. If that spell's mana value is 5 or greater, you create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token, and if it is 10 or greater, Zaffai deals 10 damage to an opponent chosen at random. Every big spell and every copy of it is a 4/4.
More Strixhaven Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Zaffai, Thunder Conductor decks (1,529 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 Zaffai decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many spell cards because few decks play them outside a spellslinger 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.











