Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis costs {R}{G}{W}{U} and is a 2/8 Legendary Human Soldier. At the beginning of your end step you draw a card, then each player may put a land card from their hand onto the battlefield, and each opponent who didn't draws a card. Everyone gets cards, and you get the first one.
The precon already has the draw-for-everyone enchantments and the pillow forts, including Rites of Flourishing, Tempt with Discovery, Howling Mine, Selvala, Explorer Returned, Propaganda and Ghostly Prison. 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 Kynaios and Tiro decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in those decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Stalwart Unity precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough group hug creatures
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler, Gluntch, the Bestower, Xyris, the Writhing Storm, The Council of Four and The Second Doctor give everyone cards or counters and reward you for it. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Equipment and situational spells outside the lists
Benefactor's Draught, Entrapment Maneuver, Sylvan Reclamation, Assault Suit, Empyrial Plate, Keening Stone, Prismatic Geoscope, Migratory Route, Reverse the Sands, Seeds of Renewal, Wave of Reckoning, Evolutionary Escalation, Hoofprints of the Stag and Lurking Predators are not cards Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Only a flat pool of upgrades
Group hug decks are built around many different draw engines, so no single card is in most of them. The swaps below are chosen for what each card does with Kynaios and Tiro, not because every deck plays it.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Benefactor's Draught is a two-mana instant that untaps all creatures and draws when opponents block. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler is a 1/3 Legendary Rabbit Wizard for {W}{U}. For a tap each player may draw a card, then each player who drew a card this way gains 1 life. A two-drop that draws a card every turn, and the highest-scoring creature the precon leaves out.

Entrapment Maneuver is a four-mana instant that makes a player sacrifice an attacker and gives you Soldier tokens. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Gluntch, the Bestower is a 0/5 Legendary Jellyfish for {1}{G}{W} with flying. At the beginning of your end step you choose a player to put two +1/+1 counters on a creature, a second player to draw a card, and a third player to create two Treasure tokens. A three-drop that gives every player something and lets you choose who gets what.

Sylvan Reclamation is a five-mana instant that exiles up to two artifacts or enchantments, and it has basic landcycling {2}. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Dictate of Kruphix costs {1}{U}{U} and has flash. At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws an additional card. A three-mana enchantment that draws an extra card for every player.

Assault Suit is a four-mana Equipment with equip {3} that gives +2/+2 and haste and lets opponents steal the creature. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Ghirapur Orrery costs {4}. Each player may play an additional land on each of their turns, and at the beginning of each player's upkeep, if that player has no cards in hand, that player draws three cards. A four-mana artifact that gives every player extra lands and cards.

Empyrial Plate is a two-mana Equipment with equip {2} that grows with your hand size. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Braids, Conjurer Adept is a 2/2 Legendary Human Wizard for {2}{U}{U}. At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may put an artifact, creature or land card from their hand onto the battlefield. A four-drop that puts a permanent onto the battlefield for every player every turn.

Keening Stone is a six-mana artifact that mills a player for the size of their graveyard. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Xyris, the Writhing Storm is a 3/5 Legendary Snake Leviathan for {2}{G}{U}{R} with flying. Whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, you create a 1/1 green Snake token, and whenever Xyris deals combat damage to a player, you and that player each draw that many cards. A five-drop that makes a Snake from every extra card an opponent draws.

Prismatic Geoscope is a five-mana artifact that enters tapped and adds mana for each basic land type you control. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
The Council of Four is a 0/8 Legendary Human Noble for {3}{W}{U}. Whenever a player draws their second card during their turn you draw a card, and whenever a player casts their second spell during their turn you create a 2/2 white Knight token. A five-drop that draws a card and makes a Knight whenever someone uses their extra cards.

Migratory Route is a five-mana sorcery that makes four 1/1 Birds, and it has basic landcycling {2}. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
The Second Doctor is a 2/4 Legendary Time Lord Doctor for {2}{W}{U}. Players have no maximum hand size, and at the beginning of your end step each player may draw a card, and each opponent who does can't attack you or your permanents during their next turn. A four-drop that draws a card for everyone and discourages attacks.

Reverse the Sands is an eight-mana sorcery that redistributes life totals. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Rootweaver Druid is a 2/1 Elf Druid for {2}{G}. When it enters, each opponent may search their library for up to three basic land cards, and each puts one onto the battlefield tapped under your control and the rest onto the battlefield tapped under their control. A three-drop that ramps you and your opponents.

Seeds of Renewal is a seven-mana sorcery with undaunted that returns up to two cards from your graveyard to your hand. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Folio of Fancies costs {1}{U}. Players have no maximum hand size, for {X}{X} and a tap each player draws X cards, and for {2}{U} and a tap each opponent mills cards equal to the number of cards in their hand. A two-mana artifact that turns spare mana into cards for everyone.

Wave of Reckoning is a five-mana sorcery that makes each creature deal damage to itself equal to its power. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Chaos Warp costs {2}{R}. The owner of target permanent shuffles it into their library, then reveals the top card of their library, and if it's a permanent card, puts it onto the battlefield. A three-mana instant that removes any permanent.

Evolutionary Escalation is a two-mana enchantment that puts three +1/+1 counters on a creature you control and on one an opponent controls. It is not a card Kynaios and Tiro decks usually play.
Triskaidekaphile is a 1/3 Human Wizard for {1}{U}. You have no maximum hand size, you win the game at the beginning of your upkeep if you have exactly thirteen cards in hand, and for {3}{U} you draw a card. A two-drop with a real win condition in a deck where everyone draws extra.
The full swap list
Cut
- Benefactor's Draught
- Entrapment Maneuver
- Sylvan Reclamation
- Assault Suit
- Empyrial Plate
- Keening Stone
- Prismatic Geoscope
- Migratory Route
- Reverse the Sands
- Seeds of Renewal
- Wave of Reckoning
- Evolutionary Escalation
Add
- Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
- Gluntch, the Bestower
- Dictate of Kruphix
- Ghirapur Orrery
- Braids, Conjurer Adept
- Xyris, the Writhing Storm
- The Council of Four
- The Second Doctor
- Rootweaver Druid
- Folio of Fancies
- Chaos Warp
- Triskaidekaphile
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Rites of Flourishing$0.56
Played in 71% of Kynaios and Tiro decks. Gives every player an extra card and an extra land drop. - Tempt with Discovery$2.63
Played in 57% of Kynaios and Tiro decks. Puts a land onto the battlefield, and one more for each opponent who also searches. - Howling Mine$5.20
Played in 55% of Kynaios and Tiro decks. Draws an extra card for every player each turn. - Selvala, Explorer Returned$0.27
Played in 53% of Kynaios and Tiro decks. Adds mana and gains life when nonland cards are revealed. - Propaganda$2.19
Played in 53% of Kynaios and Tiro decks. Makes attacking cost {2} per attacker, so you can hand out cards safely.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Heartwood Storyteller$4.40
A three-mana creature that lets each opponent of a player who casts a noncreature spell draw a card. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Well of Ideas$1.50
A six-mana enchantment that draws two cards for you and gives every other player an extra card. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Stalwart Unity already has the draw-for-everyone enchantments, the pillow forts and Kynaios and Tiro's end step trigger. The upgrade is cheap group hug creatures that reward you for everyone's extra cards, in place of equipment and situational spells that Kynaios and Tiro decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $11 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Stalwart Unity precon?
Using data from 16,894 Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis decks, the highest-scoring additions are Kwain, Itinerant Meddler (for Benefactor's Draught), Gluntch, the Bestower (for Entrapment Maneuver) and Dictate of Kruphix (for Sylvan Reclamation). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Stalwart Unity?
All 12 swaps cost about $10.88 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Heartwood Storyteller ($4.40) and Well of Ideas ($1.50).
What should I cut from Stalwart Unity?
The weakest cards for this commander are Benefactor's Draught, Entrapment Maneuver and Sylvan Reclamation. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Stalwart Unity?
Keep Rites of Flourishing, Tempt with Discovery, Howling Mine, Selvala, Explorer Returned and Propaganda. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis do?
Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis costs {R}{G}{W}{U} and is a 2/8 Legendary Human Soldier. At the beginning of your end step you draw a card, then each player may put a land card from their hand onto the battlefield, and each opponent who didn't draws a card. Everyone gets cards, and you get the first one.
More Commander 2016 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis decks (16,894 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 Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift stays low to moderate for these cards because group hug cards 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.











