Commander Legends 2 may be right around the corner, but the 5 pre-constructed (aka precon) decks from Streets of New Capenna are still very much in the spotlight thanks to the 5 newly introduced mechanics. We’ve already reviewed “Cabaretti Cacophony” and “Obscura Operation,” so this time we’re rushing into “Riveteers Rampage!”

If you’ve been following our reviews from previous years, we’ve made some changes in 2022. The “Accessibility” category has been removed as lately there have been no problems with supply, no matter how popular a deck may be. “Playability” has also been renamed to “Power Level” to provide more clarity on what the category is focused on.

Power Level: How likely the deck can hold its own and win against the other recent precon decks?

Value: How good is the deck in terms of financial value of reprints, as well as future potential gain?

Upgradability: How easily can this deck be upgraded and optimised with a small budget? A high potential for upgrades will lead to better scores.

Beginner Friendliness: How easily can a beginner pick up and learn the mechanics of the deck?

And with that, it’s time to blitz that review!

“Riveteers Rampage” Preconstructed Deck

Overview

Riveteers Rampage relies heavily on its Commander Henzie, “Toolbox” Torre, as it gives Blitz to each of your Creatures that has Mana Value 4 or greater. Blitz is one of the new mechanics that gives the Creature Haste, but as a drawback has to be sacrificed at the End Step. What makes it incredibly potent is that whenever that Creature dies, you draw a card.

Check out the full deck list!

Henzie also supplies a cost reduction for Blitz, and the idea is to keep spamming big, menacing Creatures with attack triggers, draw cards to replenish your hand, and then rinse and repeat!

Power Level

Once you’ve reached that 4 or 5 Mana threshold and your Commander Henzie “Toolbox” Torre is still on the board, the reins of power can easily swing over to your corner. Imagine an Etali, Primal Storm or Inferno Titan being able to attack on the very turn it comes into play. Even if they are dying at the end (due to Blitz), you’re getting insane value – potentially casting 3 spells for free and dealing 6 damage divided any way you choose.

And with 27 out of 29 Creatures in the deck costing 4 or more Mana, all of them can be cast for 1 or 2 Mana less if you have Henzie on the board. Protecting Henzie becomes a top priority, and the deck doesn’t do a good job of that, unfortunately. There isn’t even a Swiftfoot Boots or Lightning Greaves to prevent your Commander from being targeted. Without blue and white in your colour identity, you’re already short of protection and counter spells.

But assuming you can build your board without interruption, Riveteers Rampage should have no problem stomping over the precon competition through sheer beefiness of your Creatures, plus the value it generates through the attack or dying triggers.

Value

Although the Riveteers Rampage precon deck as a whole is rather middling in overall value, it does have the brand new card Rains of Riches that is sought after because of its versatility (currently at $15). Being a red Enchantment that can give other spells Cascade, this can fit into any deck that has red, needs card advantage, or makes use of Treasures.

You’ve also got a few staple cards like Blasphemous Act, Twilight Mire and Avenger of Zendikar that can still be sold for $3 to $5, but don’t hold your breath for them to appreciate because they have been been reprinted many times.

Instead, the new card Protection Racket could be a good long term investment. As a card that can fit into many black decks and offer good value all around, there is some hope it will rise in price in the future.

Upgradability

Having both Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves will go some way in helping your Commander survive. Without Henzie “Toolbox” Torre, your game winners will instead be sitting on the benches for a turn, waiting for opponents to deal with them. There really isn’t much else you could do to protect your deck’s key piece.

We’re not confident of having massively over-costed cards like Woodfall Primus and Artisan of Kozilek in the deck as there aren’t that many ramp spells (they help you get more Lands or can tap for Mana) to speed up your game. Swap out those two for Glorybringer, which you can Exert to deal 4 free damage (since it’s going to die anyway), and Ilharg, the Raze-Boar that can get sent back to your Library even when it’s sacrificed as the end of turn.

Some cards that take advantage of dying Creatures can also fit well in this deck. Blood Artist and Bastion of Remembrance can help to slowly ping your opponents’ life totals down as Creatures are sacrificed due to Blitz. You could even take a step further with Goblin Bombardment, sacrificing the Blitz-ed Creatures to deal 1 additional damage before they die.

Beginner Friendliness

Riveteers Rampage follows a simple 3-step plan: 1) Play Lands and ramp spells. 2) Cast Henzie “Toolbox” Torre, and 3) Blitz big Creatures and profit!

The gameplay is so linear that there really isn’t anything better (or more fun) for beginners to Magic. Who doesn’t like drawing 4 cards when their Treeshaker Chimera dies? It’s nice when new players get to cast their big toys and stomp the opponent with it.

Final Verdict