Gavi, Nest Warden costs {2}{U}{R}{W} and is a 2/5 Legendary Human Shaman. You may pay {0} rather than pay the cycling cost of the first card you cycle each turn, and whenever you draw your second card each turn you create a 2/2 red and white Dinosaur Cat creature token. Every cycle after the first is a second draw, so cycle once for free and every turn makes a Dinosaur Cat.

The precon already has the cycling enablers and the flicker, including Nimble Obstructionist, Astral Drift, Fluctuator, Tectonic Reformation and Valiant Rescuer. 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 Gavi decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Gavi decks than in decks that could play it.

Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Timeless Wisdom precon guide.

11
Swaps
$3.36
Cost of the adds
39→39
Lands
1→46
Avg Oracle score

What is holding the deck back

Not enough cheap cards with cycling

Drannith Stinger, Flourishing Fox, Magmakin Artillerist and Drannith Healer punish every cycle for a few mana and have cycling {1} or cycling themselves. Countervailing Winds, Complicate and Miscalculation are counterspells with cycling. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.

Goad Auras and creatures outside the lists

Martial Impetus, Psychic Impetus, Shiny Impetus, Agitator Ant, Cryptic Trilobite, Ethereal Forager, Isperia, Mercurial Chemister and Portal Mage are not cards Gavi decks usually play.

A top-heavy deck

The deck has 13 nonland cards at mana value six or more, including Chandra, Flamecaller, and 39 lands.

The 11 swaps

Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Swap 1 of 11
Martial Impetus
Cut
Martial Impetus
Enchantment — Aura · 2W
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Drannith Stinger
Add
Drannith Stinger
Creature — Human Wizard · 1R
Inclusion73%
Synergy72%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 73

Martial Impetus is a three-mana Aura that goads the enchanted creature. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Drannith Stinger is a 2/2 Human Wizard for {1}{R} with cycling {1}. Whenever you cycle another card, it deals 1 damage to each opponent. A two-drop that pings the table for every cycle, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Swap 2 of 11
Psychic Impetus
Cut
Psychic Impetus
Enchantment — Aura · 2U
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Flourishing Fox
Add
Flourishing Fox
Creature — Fox · W
Inclusion49%
Synergy49%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 49

Psychic Impetus is a three-mana Aura that gives +2/+2 and goads the creature. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Flourishing Fox is a 1/1 Fox for {W} with cycling {1}. Whenever you cycle another card, it gets a +1/+1 counter. A one-drop that grows with every cycle.

Swap 3 of 11
Shiny Impetus
Cut
Shiny Impetus
Enchantment — Aura · 2R
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Magmakin Artillerist
Add
Magmakin Artillerist
Creature — Elemental Pirate · 2R
Inclusion50%
Synergy49%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 49

Shiny Impetus is a three-mana Aura that goads a creature and makes a Treasure when it attacks. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Magmakin Artillerist is a 1/4 Elemental Pirate for {2}{R} with cycling {1}{R}. Whenever you discard one or more cards, it deals that much damage to each opponent, and when you cycle it, it deals 1 damage to each opponent. A three-drop that pings for every discard, including cycling.

Swap 4 of 11
Bonder's Ornament
Cut
Bonder's Ornament
Artifact · 3
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Containment Construct
Add
Containment Construct
Artifact Creature — Construct · 2
Inclusion33%
Synergy32%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 33

Bonder's Ornament is a three-mana rock that taps for any color. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Containment Construct is a 2/1 Construct artifact creature for {2}. Whenever you discard a card, you may exile it from your graveyard and play it this turn. A two-drop that lets you play the cards you cycle.

Swap 5 of 11
Agitator Ant
Cut
Agitator Ant
Creature — Insect · 2R
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Drannith Healer
Add
Drannith Healer
Creature — Human Cleric · 1W
Inclusion40%
Synergy40%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 40

Agitator Ant is a three-mana 2/2 that offers counters and goads. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Drannith Healer is a 2/2 Human Cleric for {1}{W} with cycling {1}. Whenever you cycle another card, you gain 1 life. A two-drop that is also a cycler.

Swap 6 of 11
Cryptic Trilobite
Cut
Cryptic Trilobite
Creature — Trilobite · XX
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Cloud of Faeries
Add
Cloud of Faeries
Creature — Faerie · 1U
Inclusion42%
Synergy40%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 41

Cryptic Trilobite is a variable-cost creature that grows and adds mana for abilities. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Cloud of Faeries is a 1/1 flying Faerie for {1}{U} with cycling {2}. When it enters, it untaps up to two lands. A two-drop that pays for itself and cycles later.

Swap 7 of 11
Ethereal Forager
Cut
Ethereal Forager
Creature — Elemental Whale · 4UU
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Shark Typhoon
Add
Shark Typhoon
Enchantment · 5U
Inclusion34%
Synergy30%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 32

Ethereal Forager is a six-mana 3/3 flyer with delve. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Shark Typhoon is a six-mana enchantment. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you create an X/X blue Shark with flying, where X is that spell's mana value, and it has cycling {X}{1}{U}. When you cycle it, you create an X/X Shark. A card that is both a cycler and a Shark maker.

Swap 8 of 11
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Cut
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Legendary Creature — Sphinx · 2WWUU
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Countervailing Winds
Add
Countervailing Winds
Instant · 2U
Inclusion59%
Synergy58%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 59

Isperia, Supreme Judge is a six-mana 6/4 flyer that draws when creatures attack. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Countervailing Winds costs {2}{U}. It counters target spell unless its controller pays {1} for each card in your graveyard, and it has cycling {2}. A counterspell that gets better with every card you cycle.

Swap 9 of 11
Mercurial Chemister
Cut
Mercurial Chemister
Creature — Human Wizard · 3UR
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Complicate
Add
Complicate
Instant · 2U
Inclusion56%
Synergy55%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 55

Mercurial Chemister is a five-mana 2/3 that draws two cards. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Complicate costs {2}{U}. It counters target spell unless its controller pays {3}, and it has cycling {2}{U}: when you cycle it, you may counter target spell unless its controller pays {1}. A counterspell that is also a cycler.

Swap 10 of 11
Portal Mage
Cut
Portal Mage
Creature — Human Wizard · 2U
Not a card this commander's decks usually play, so it scores below the cards that are
Miscalculation
Add
Miscalculation
Instant · 1U
Inclusion39%
Synergy38%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 39

Portal Mage is a three-mana 2/2 with flash that redirects an attacker. It is not a card Gavi decks usually play.

Miscalculation costs {1}{U}. It counters target spell unless its controller pays {2}, and it has cycling {2}. A cheap counterspell that cycles.

Swap 11 of 11
Chandra, Flamecaller
Cut
Chandra, Flamecaller
Legendary Planeswalker — Chandra · 4RR
Inclusion7%
Synergy6%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 6
Homunculus Horde
Add
Homunculus Horde
Creature — Homunculus · 3U
Inclusion36%
Synergy35%
Lift8.0×+
Oracle score 36

Chandra, Flamecaller is a six-mana planeswalker. It is played in about one Gavi deck in fourteen.

Homunculus Horde is a 2/2 Homunculus for {3}{U}. Whenever you draw your second card each turn, you create a token that's a copy of this creature. A four-drop that makes a copy whenever Gavi makes a Dinosaur Cat.

The full swap list

Cut

  • Martial Impetus
  • Psychic Impetus
  • Shiny Impetus
  • Bonder's Ornament
  • Agitator Ant
  • Cryptic Trilobite
  • Ethereal Forager
  • Isperia, Supreme Judge
  • Mercurial Chemister
  • Portal Mage
  • Chandra, Flamecaller

Add

  • Drannith Stinger
  • Flourishing Fox
  • Magmakin Artillerist
  • Containment Construct
  • Drannith Healer
  • Cloud of Faeries
  • Shark Typhoon
  • Countervailing Winds
  • Complicate
  • Miscalculation
  • Homunculus Horde

What to keep

These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.

If you want to spend more

These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.

The verdict

Timeless Wisdom already has the cycling enablers, the flicker and Gavi's token engine. The upgrade is cheap cards with cycling and creatures that punish each cycle, in place of goad Auras and creatures that Gavi decks leave out. These eleven swaps cost about $3 in total.

Want a full 100-card list built around Gavi, Nest Warden from today's data?

Build with The Oracle →

Frequently asked questions

What are the best upgrades for the Timeless Wisdom precon?

Using data from 4,773 Gavi decks, the highest-scoring additions are Drannith Stinger (for Martial Impetus), Countervailing Winds (for Isperia, Supreme Judge) and Complicate (for Mercurial Chemister). The full list has 11 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.

How much does it cost to upgrade Timeless Wisdom?

All 11 swaps cost about $3.36 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Rielle, the Everwise ($4.04) and Teferi's Ageless Insight ($3.83).

What should I cut from Timeless Wisdom?

The weakest cards for this commander are Martial Impetus, Psychic Impetus and Shiny Impetus. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.

Which cards should I keep in Timeless Wisdom?

Keep Nimble Obstructionist, Astral Drift, Fluctuator, Tectonic Reformation and Valiant Rescuer. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.

What does Gavi do?

Gavi, Nest Warden costs {2}{U}{R}{W} and is a 2/5 Legendary Human Shaman. You may pay {0} rather than pay the cycling cost of the first card you cycle each turn, and whenever you draw your second card each turn you create a 2/2 red and white Dinosaur Cat creature token. Every cycle after the first is a second draw, so cycle once for free and every turn makes a Dinosaur Cat.

More Commander 2020 (Ikoria) upgrade guides

All precon upgrade guides

How the numbers work

Inclusion is the share of Gavi, Nest Warden decks (4,773 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 Gavi decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many cycling cards because few decks play them outside a cycling 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.