Magic: The Gathering Tyranid Swarm precon: guide lists 10 upgrade swaps
A community guide reportedly breaks down the Warhammer 40k Tyranid Swarm Commander deck for Magic: The Gathering and proposes ten card swaps. Hydroid Krasis and Altered Ego are among the cards it would add.
A community guide reportedly examines the Tyranid Swarm Warhammer 40k Commander precon for Magic: The Gathering and proposes ten swaps to improve it. Among the additions it names are Hydroid Krasis, which would replace Acolyte Hybrid, and Altered Ego, which would replace Goliath Truck. This is a single community source, not an official publisher document, so every detail below should be read as reported rather than confirmed.
What the deck is
According to the guide, Tyranid Swarm is one of the four Warhammer 40k Commander precons. It is a Temur (blue-red-green) deck built around the tyranids. Its face commander is The Swarmlord, while Magus Lucea Kane serves as the side commander.
The decklist as described contains 1 commander, 36 creatures, 8 enchantments, 6 artifacts, 4 instants, 6 sorceries and 39 lands. The artifact suite is Arcane Signet, Bone Sabres, Goliath Truck, Herald's Horn, Icon of Ancestry and Sol Ring.
On the mana side, the guide counts 8 Forest, 7 Island and 7 Mountain. Utility and fixing lands include Command Tower, Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse, Temple of Abandon, Temple of Epiphany and Temple of Mystery, among others.
Themes and weak spots
Two plans drive the deck: stacking +1/+1 counters, and ramping into X-spells with a very large X. The ravenous mechanic pays off when X reaches 5 or greater. The guide notes that 11 cards in the list already carry X in their mana costs.
Magus Lucea Kane supports that plan by providing ramp and a free +1/+1 counter on creature spells with X.
The guide's verdict is that the precon is short on interaction and card draw while holding more ramp than it needs. It also points out a limit on theme: tyranid is a creature type that exists only in this precon, so a dedicated tyranid deck is not possible beyond generic typal support and changelings.
The ten suggested swaps
The guide pairs each addition with a cut:
- Kiora's Follower in, Overgrowth out
- Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner in, New Horizons out
- Animar, Soul of Elements in, Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph out
- Hydroid Krasis in, Acolyte Hybrid out
- The Goose Mother in, Explore out
- Animist's Awakening in, Harrow out
- Altered Ego in, Goliath Truck out
- Goldvein Hydra in, Lictor out
- Steelbane Hydra in, Hull Breach out
- Voracious Hydra in, Genestealer Locus out
What it means for players
The swaps lean on the deck's own strengths. Several cuts, such as Explore, Harrow and Overgrowth, are ramp or mana-fixing pieces, which lines up with the guide's complaint that the deck has an excess of ramp. Players who own the precon can compare these ten pairings against their own list. Because the guide is a community take, treat it as one opinion on how to tune the deck.
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