Ezuri, Claw of Progress costs {2}{G}{U} and is a 3/3 Legendary Phyrexian Elf Warrior. Whenever a creature you control with power 2 or less enters you get an experience counter, and at the beginning of combat on your turn you put X +1/+1 counters on another target creature you control, where X is the number of experience counters you have. Every small creature you play makes every future counter bigger.
The precon already has the small creatures and card draw, including Cold-Eyed Selkie, Forgotten Ancient, Trygon Predator, Sakura-Tribe Elder and Coiling Oracle. 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 Ezuri decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Ezuri decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Swell the Host precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough counter payoffs and mana creatures
Fathom Mage, Thrummingbird, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Gyre Sage and Llanowar Elves are small creatures that use counters or make mana. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Big spells, equipment and creatures outside the lists
Biomantic Mastery, Desert Twister, Verdant Confluence, Orochi Hatchery, Scytheclaw, Simic Keyrune, Sword of Vengeance, Bane of Progress, Broodbirth Viper, Caller of the Pack, Chameleon Colossus and Great Oak Guardian are not cards Ezuri decks usually play.
Too many lands
The deck has 41 lands, so every cheap creature that replaces a high-cost card also makes the deck more likely to cast Ezuri's experience counters early.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Biomantic Mastery is a seven-mana sorcery that draws a card for each creature two players control. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Fathom Mage is a 1/1 Human Wizard for {2}{G}{U} with evolve. Whenever a +1/+1 counter is put on it, you may draw a card. A four-drop that draws a card from Ezuri's counters, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Desert Twister is a six-mana sorcery that destroys a permanent. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Thrummingbird is a 1/1 Phyrexian Bird Horror for {1}{U} with flying. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, you proliferate. A two-drop with power 1 that gives Ezuri a counter when it enters and adds more when it connects.
Verdant Confluence is a six-mana sorcery with three modes. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Rishkar, Peema Renegade is a 2/2 Legendary Elf Druid for {2}{G}. When it enters you put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two target creatures, and each creature you control with a counter on it has "{T}: Add {G}." A three-drop with power 2 that makes mana from Ezuri's counters.
Orochi Hatchery is an artifact with {X}{X} that makes Snakes for {5}. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Llanowar Elves is a 1/1 Elf Druid for {G} that taps for {G}. A one-drop mana creature with power 1 that gives Ezuri an experience counter.
Scytheclaw is a five-mana Equipment with living weapon that halves life totals. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Inspiring Call costs {2}{G}. You draw a card for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it, and those creatures gain indestructible until end of turn. A three-mana instant that draws several cards and protects your team.
Simic Keyrune is a three-mana rock that becomes a 2/3 Crab. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Simic Ascendancy costs {G}{U}. For {1}{G}{U} you put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control, whenever counters go on a creature you put that many growth counters on this enchantment, and at the beginning of your upkeep, if it has twenty or more you win the game. A two-mana enchantment with a real win condition in a counters deck.
Sword of Vengeance is a three-mana Equipment with equip {3}. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Bred for the Hunt costs {1}{G}{U}. Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. A three-mana enchantment that draws a card from every counter creature that connects.
Bane of Progress is a six-mana creature that destroys all artifacts and enchantments. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Iridescent Hornbeetle is a 3/4 Insect for {4}{G}. At the beginning of your end step, you create a 1/1 green Insect token for each +1/+1 counter you've put on creatures under your control this turn. A five-drop that turns Ezuri's counters into more power-1 creatures.
Broodbirth Viper is a five-mana 3/3 with myriad that draws on combat damage. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Master Biomancer is a 2/4 Elf Wizard for {2}{G}{U}. Each other creature you control enters with a number of additional +1/+1 counters equal to its power, and as a Mutant. A four-drop in exactly Ezuri's colours that doubles every creature's counters.
Caller of the Pack is a seven-mana 8/6 trampler with myriad. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Cultivator of Blades is a 1/1 Elf Artificer for {3}{G}{G} with fabricate 2. Whenever it attacks, you may have other attacking creatures get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power. A five-drop that pumps the whole attack.
Chameleon Colossus is a four-mana 4/4 changeling with protection from black. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Gyre Sage is a 1/2 Elf Druid for {1}{G} with evolve. It taps for {G} for each +1/+1 counter on it. A two-drop that ramps off Ezuri's counters.
Great Oak Guardian is a six-mana flash creature that gives +2/+2 and untaps your team. It is not a card Ezuri decks usually play.
Chasm Skulker is a 1/1 Squid Horror for {2}{U}. Whenever you draw a card it gets a +1/+1 counter, and when it dies you create X 1/1 blue Squid tokens with islandwalk, where X is the number of counters on it. A three-drop that grows every draw and leaves Squids behind.
The full swap list
Cut
- Biomantic Mastery
- Desert Twister
- Verdant Confluence
- Orochi Hatchery
- Scytheclaw
- Simic Keyrune
- Sword of Vengeance
- Bane of Progress
- Broodbirth Viper
- Caller of the Pack
- Chameleon Colossus
- Great Oak Guardian
Add
- Fathom Mage
- Thrummingbird
- Rishkar, Peema Renegade
- Llanowar Elves
- Inspiring Call
- Simic Ascendancy
- Bred for the Hunt
- Iridescent Hornbeetle
- Master Biomancer
- Cultivator of Blades
- Gyre Sage
- Chasm Skulker
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Cold-Eyed Selkie$0.25
Played in 64% of Ezuri decks. Draws cards equal to the damage it deals. - Forgotten Ancient$0.32
Played in 52% of Ezuri decks. Collects counters whenever any player casts a spell and moves them to your creatures. - Trygon Predator$0.10
Played in 39% of Ezuri decks. A flyer that destroys an artifact or enchantment when it connects. - Sakura-Tribe Elder$0.31
Played in 43% of Ezuri decks. Sacrifices itself for a land, and is power 1 for Ezuri's trigger. - Coiling Oracle$0.15
Played in 37% of Ezuri decks. Ramps or draws when it enters, and is power 1 for Ezuri's trigger.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Champion of Lambholt$2.65
A three-mana creature that grows whenever another creature enters and stops smaller creatures from blocking. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Kami of Whispered Hopes$4.38
A three-mana creature that adds one to every +1/+1 counter you would put on a permanent. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Swell the Host already has the small creatures that feed Ezuri's experience counters and the card draw. The upgrade is cheap counter payoffs and mana creatures, in place of big spells, equipment and creatures that Ezuri decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $5 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Ezuri, Claw of Progress from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Swell the Host precon?
Using data from 7,471 Ezuri decks, the highest-scoring additions are Fathom Mage (for Biomantic Mastery), Thrummingbird (for Desert Twister) and Gyre Sage (for Chameleon Colossus). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Swell the Host?
All 12 swaps cost about $4.58 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Champion of Lambholt ($2.65) and Kami of Whispered Hopes ($4.38).
What should I cut from Swell the Host?
The weakest cards for this commander are Biomantic Mastery, Desert Twister and Verdant Confluence. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Swell the Host?
Keep Cold-Eyed Selkie, Forgotten Ancient, Trygon Predator, Sakura-Tribe Elder and Coiling Oracle. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Ezuri do?
Ezuri, Claw of Progress costs {2}{G}{U} and is a 3/3 Legendary Phyrexian Elf Warrior. Whenever a creature you control with power 2 or less enters you get an experience counter, and at the beginning of combat on your turn you put X +1/+1 counters on another target creature you control, where X is the number of experience counters you have. Every small creature you play makes every future counter bigger.
More Commander 2015 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Ezuri, Claw of Progress decks (7,471 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 Ezuri decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many counter cards because few decks play them outside a 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.