Overview

Phantom Premonition is a flicker and foretell deck that makes a Spirit whenever something is exiled. Ranar the Ever-Watchful has flying and vigilance, and the first card you foretell each turn costs {0} to foretell. Whenever one or more cards are put into exile from your hand, or a spell or ability you control exiles one or more permanents from the battlefield, you create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. Foretelling and blinking both make Spirits.

The 99 cards are 31 creatures, 9 artifacts, 5 enchantments, 10 instants, 8 sorceries and 36 lands. The creatures include flicker pieces such as Brago, King Eternal, Soulherder, Flickerwisp, Restoration Angel and Mistmeadow Witch, and flyers such as Thunderclap Wyvern, Empyrean Eagle and Ethereal Valkyrie. The deck also has foretell cards, including Behold the Multiverse, Saw It Coming, Iron Verdict, Ravenform and Sage of the Beyond, and blink spells such as Eerie Interlude, Ghostly Flicker and Momentary Blink.

Key Cards

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Soulherder
Flicker Engine · Counters
A 1/1 for {1}{W}{U}. Whenever a creature is exiled from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it, and at the beginning of your end step you may exile another target creature you control and return it. Every blink also triggers Ranar and re-uses enter effects.
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Brago, King Eternal
Flicker · Evasion
A 2/4 for {2}{W}{U}. It has flying, and whenever it deals combat damage to a player, exile any number of target nonland permanents you control, then return those cards to the battlefield. It can reset your whole board each time it connects.
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Ethereal Valkyrie
Foretell Engine · Card Advantage
A 4/4 for {4}{W}{U}. It has flying, and whenever it enters or attacks you draw a card, then exile a card from your hand face down so it becomes foretold. Its foretell cost is its mana cost reduced by {2}. Exiling from your hand also makes Ranar create a Spirit.
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Vega, the Watcher
Card Advantage · Flyer
A 2/2 for {1}{W}{U}. It has flying, and whenever you cast a spell from anywhere other than your hand, you draw a card. Foretold spells are cast from exile, so each foretold card replaces itself.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and card flow. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Azorius Signet, Marble Diamond, Sky Diamond and Mind Stone ramp you, Wall of Omens, Sea Gate Oracle and Kor Cartographer fix your hand, and Ranar the Ever-Watchful starts making Spirits with free foretells. Hero of Bretagard grows whenever cards are exiled from your hand.

The middle of the game is about flicker value. Flickerwisp, Mist Raven, Cloudblazer, Mulldrifter and Whirler Rogue give value when they enter, and Soulherder, Brago, King Eternal and Restoration Angel bring them back. Cloudgoat Ranger and Geist-Honored Monk make bodies, Goldnight Commander pumps the team, and Niko Defies Destiny gains life and mana for foretell.

The late game is about huge flyers and a reset. Angel of Serenity, Sage of the Beyond and Inspired Sphinx are big flyers, Day of the Dragons turns your creatures into 5/5 Dragons, and Synthetic Destiny exiles your creatures and brings back as many from your library. Cleansing Nova, Curse of the Swine and Spectral Deluge deal with an opposing board, and Storm Herd makes Pegasi for each point of life.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a large amount of value from entering creatures and flicker effects, plenty of flyers, and cheap interaction with foretell. It also has strong protection and answers, including Banishing Light, Cosmic Intervention, Eerie Interlude, Iron Verdict, Saw It Coming and Ghostly Prison.

Weaknesses: Many of the creatures are small, so a sweeper can set the deck back, and the plan depends on flicker effects, which a counterspell or exile effect can disrupt. The deck is two colours with a lot of double-coloured costs, and foretell requires careful planning of your mana across turns.

Want to improve it? See the Phantom Premonition upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Phantom Premonition is a skill-testing flicker deck that rewards good sequencing with foretell and Ranar's free Spirits. It is a good choice for players who like blinking creatures and want to learn foretell.

Want to see what a fully optimised Ranar the Ever-Watchful build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Phantom Premonition decklist?
The Phantom Premonition precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Ranar the Ever-Watchful. The full Phantom Premonition decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Phantom Premonition released?
Phantom Premonition was released on February 5, 2021 as part of Kaldheim Commander.

Who is the commander of Phantom Premonition?
Phantom Premonition is led by Ranar the Ever-Watchful, a Azorius (W/U) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Phantom Premonition?
The 99 cards besides Ranar the Ever-Watchful include 31 creatures.

How many lands does Phantom Premonition have?
Phantom Premonition has 36 lands in the 99 cards besides Ranar the Ever-Watchful, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Phantom Premonition precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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