Chishiro, the Shattered Blade costs {2}{R}{G} and is a Legendary Creature. Whenever an Aura or Equipment you control enters, you create a 2/2 red Spirit creature token with menace, and at the beginning of your end step you put a +1/+1 counter on each modified creature you control. Equipment, Auras you control and counters are all modifications, so every Aura you cast makes a body and every body grows.
The precon already has the Umbras and the counter creatures, including Bear Umbra, Snake Umbra, Grumgully, Champion of Lambholt and Akki Battle Squad. 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 Chishiro decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Chishiro decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Upgrades Unleashed precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap Auras and Equipment
Rancor, Lizard Blades and Rabbit Battery are cheap Auras and Equipment, and each one that enters makes a Spirit. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out, along with Hardened Scales, which adds an extra counter every time one is put on a creature.
Sweepers and clunky creatures
Collision of Realms, Acidic Slime, Spearbreaker Behemoth, Whiptongue Hydra and Walking Skyscraper cost five or more and do not appear in many Chishiro decks. The deck has 7 nonland cards at mana value six or more.
Cards that work against the plan
Ox of Agonas is not a card Chishiro, and Agitator Ant and Goblin Razerunners are each played in about one Chishiro deck in seven decks usually play.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Ox of Agonas is a five-mana 4/2 that discards your hand and draws three cards, with escape. It is not a card Chishiro decks usually play.
Rancor costs {G}. Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has trample, and when this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield it returns to your hand. A one-mana Aura that you can cast again each time, making a Spirit every time it enters, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Kaima, the Fractured Calm is a four-mana 3/3 that goads creatures enchanted by your Auras. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in fourteen.
Thundering Raiju is a 3/3 Spirit with haste for {2}{R}{R}. Whenever it attacks you put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control, then it deals X damage to each opponent, where X is the number of other modified creatures you control. A four-drop that attacks right away and hits harder with every Spirit you make.
Shifting Shadow is a three-mana Aura that destroys the creature each upkeep and replaces it with another one. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in eleven.
Hardened Scales costs {G}. If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, that many plus one are put on it instead. A one-mana enchantment that makes Chishiro's end-step counters bigger on every modified creature.
Collision of Realms is a seven-mana sorcery that shuffles all creatures into their owners' libraries and puts a creature from each onto the battlefield. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in eight.
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. An instant that draws several cards after Chishiro's counters.
Agitator Ant is a three-mana 2/2 that lets each player put two +1/+1 counters on a creature and goads those creatures. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in seven.
Red XIII, Proud Warrior is a 3/3 Legendary Creature for {1}{R}{G} with vigilance and trample. Other modified creatures you control have vigilance and trample, and when it enters you return target Aura or Equipment card from your graveyard to your hand. A three-drop that gives your team trample and returns an Aura.
Goblin Razerunners is a four-mana 3/4 that sacrifices lands for +1/+1 counters and deals damage at your end step. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in seven.
Lizard Blades is a 1/1 Equipment Lizard artifact creature for {1}{R} with double strike. Equipped creature has double strike, and reconfigure {2} lets it attach to a creature. A two-drop that is Equipment when it enters, so it makes a Spirit, and gives double strike to the biggest creature.
Acidic Slime is a five-mana 2/2 with deathtouch that destroys an artifact, enchantment or land. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in six.
Halana and Alena, Partners is a 2/3 Legendary Creature for {2}{R}{G} with reach and first strike. At the beginning of combat on your turn you put X +1/+1 counters on another target creature you control, where X is its power, and that creature gains haste. A four-drop that makes a modified creature and gives it haste.
Spearbreaker Behemoth is a seven-mana 5/5 that is indestructible. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in six.
Renata, Called to the Hunt is a Legendary Enchantment Creature for {2}{G}{G}. Its power equals your devotion to green, and each other creature you control enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. A four-drop that makes every creature, including the Spirits, enter modified.
Walking Skyscraper is an eight-mana 8/8 that costs less for each modified creature. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in seven.
Lion Umbra is an Aura for {G}{G} that enchants a modified creature. Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has reach and vigilance, and it has umbra armor. A two-mana Aura that makes a Spirit, protects the target and makes it much larger.
Bonehoard is a four-mana Equipment with living weapon that grows with creature cards in all graveyards. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in six.
Rabbit Battery is a 1/1 Equipment Rabbit artifact creature for {R} with haste. Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has haste, and reconfigure {R} lets it attach to a creature. A one-mana Equipment that makes a Spirit when it enters.
Vastwood Surge is a four-mana sorcery that ramps two lands and can add counters when kicked. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in five.
Evolution Witness is a 2/1 for {2}{G}. For {1}{G} it adapts 2, and whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on it you return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand. A three-drop that returns an Aura or Equipment every time it grows.
Whiptongue Hydra is a six-mana 4/4 with reach that destroys all creatures with flying. It is played in about one Chishiro deck in four.
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei is a 2/2 Legendary Creature for {1}{R}. For {R} creatures you control gain haste until end of turn, and for {3}{R}{R} you create a 5/5 flying red Dragon Spirit if you control an attacking modified creature. A two-drop that gives haste and turns a modified attacker into a Dragon.
The full swap list
Cut
- Ox of Agonas
- Kaima, the Fractured Calm
- Shifting Shadow
- Collision of Realms
- Agitator Ant
- Goblin Razerunners
- Acidic Slime
- Spearbreaker Behemoth
- Walking Skyscraper
- Bonehoard
- Vastwood Surge
- Whiptongue Hydra
Add
- Rancor
- Thundering Raiju
- Hardened Scales
- Inspiring Call
- Red XIII, Proud Warrior
- Lizard Blades
- Halana and Alena, Partners
- Renata, Called to the Hunt
- Lion Umbra
- Rabbit Battery
- Evolution Witness
- Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Bear Umbra$12.65
Played in 77% of Chishiro decks. An Aura that gives +2/+2, untaps your lands when the creature attacks, and protects it. - Grumgully, the Generous$0.27
Played in 74% of Chishiro decks. Each other non-Human creature enters with an extra +1/+1 counter. - Champion of Lambholt$2.65
Played in 72% of Chishiro decks. Grows whenever another creature enters, including every Spirit. - Snake Umbra$0.87
Played in 70% of Chishiro decks. An Aura that draws a card when the enchanted creature deals damage to an opponent. - Akki Battle Squad$4.74
Played in 69% of Chishiro decks. Untaps modified creatures and adds a combat phase when they attack.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Kalonian Hydra$6.09
A trampler that enters with four +1/+1 counters and doubles the counters on each of your creatures whenever it attacks. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Kami of Whispered Hopes$4.38
Adds an extra +1/+1 counter whenever you put counters on a permanent and taps for mana. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Upgrades Unleashed already has the Umbras and the creatures that grow. The upgrade is cheap Auras and Equipment that make Spirits, counter doublers and haste enablers, in place of sweepers and clunky creatures. These twelve swaps cost about $9 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Chishiro, the Shattered Blade from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Upgrades Unleashed precon?
Using data from 7,012 Chishiro decks, the highest-scoring additions are Rancor (for Ox of Agonas), Inspiring Call (for Collision of Realms) and Hardened Scales (for Shifting Shadow). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Upgrades Unleashed?
All 12 swaps cost about $8.93 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Kalonian Hydra ($6.09) and Kami of Whispered Hopes ($4.38).
What should I cut from Upgrades Unleashed?
The weakest cards for this commander are Ox of Agonas, Kaima, the Fractured Calm and Shifting Shadow. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Upgrades Unleashed?
Keep Bear Umbra, Grumgully, the Generous, Champion of Lambholt, Snake Umbra and Akki Battle Squad. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Chishiro do?
Chishiro, the Shattered Blade costs {2}{R}{G} and is a Legendary Creature. Whenever an Aura or Equipment you control enters, you create a 2/2 red Spirit creature token with menace, and at the beginning of your end step you put a +1/+1 counter on each modified creature you control. Equipment, Auras you control and counters are all modifications, so every Aura you cast makes a body and every body grows.
More Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Chishiro, the Shattered Blade decks (7,012 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 Chishiro decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many Aura and Equipment cards because few decks play them outside a modified 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.