Squirreled Away Precon Upgrade Guide: Hazel of the Rootbloom
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BLC precon
Squirreled Away
- Commander
- Hazel of the Rootbloom
- Colors
- Black, Green
- Released
- 2 August 2024
- Card value
- ≈ $122.61
- Key cards
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General, Academy Manufactor, Toski, Bearer of Secrets
Hazel of the Rootbloom copies a token at every end step, two copies if it is a Squirrel, and can tap itself and your tokens for mana. The precon has plenty of squirrels but too many filler creatures. These upgrades add token doublers, sac outlets and drain payoffs so the swarm turns into a win.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($4.44), mid-range ($5.62), premium ($52.77). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
- 1Hazel of the Rootbloom$3.92
Creatures (29)
- 1Academy Manufactor$9.32
- 1Arasta of the Endless Web$0.41
- 1Beledros Witherbloom$2.40
- 1Chatterfang, Squirrel General$9.79
- 1Chittering Witch$0.34
- 1Deep Forest Hermit$0.37
- 1End-Raze Forerunners$0.64
- 1Gilded Goose$0.41
- 1Haywire Mite$1.03
- 1Hazel’s Brewmaster$3.45
- 1Honored Dreyleader$0.31
- 1Insatiable Frugivore$0.22
- 1Moonstone Eulogist$0.30
- 1Morbid Opportunist$0.31
- 1Nadier’s Nightblade$0.35
- 1Nested Shambler$0.31
- 1Ogre Slumlord$0.37
- 1Plaguecrafter$0.34
- 1Poison-Tip Archer$1.40
- 1Prosperous Innkeeper$0.32
- 1Ravenous Squirrel$0.33
- 1Scurry of Squirrels$2.63
- 1Skyfisher Spider$0.34
- 1Squirrel Sovereign$0.33
- 1The Odd Acorn Gang
- 1Tireless Provisioner$3.62
- 1Toski, Bearer of Secrets$7.24
- 1Woe Strider$0.33
- 1Zulaport Cutthroat$2.84
Planeswalkers (1)
- 1Garruk, Cursed Huntsman$1.38
Instants (8)
- 1Cache Grab$0.25
- 1Deadly Dispute$0.36
- 1Plumb the Forbidden$0.51
- 1Putrefy$0.32
- 1Saw in Half$5.81
- 1Second Harvest$4.60
- 1Tear Asunder$0.36
- 1Windgrace’s Judgment$0.30
Sorceries (7)
- 1Casualties of War$0.24
- 1Chatterstorm$0.32
- 1Decree of Pain$0.34
- 1Maelstrom Pulse$0.31
- 1Rootcast Apprenticeship$0.51
- 1Shamanic Revelation$2.07
- 1Swarmyard Massacre$4.31
Artifacts (9)
- 1Arcane Signet$0.87
- 1Chitterspitter$0.26
- 1Golgari Signet$0.38
- 1Idol of Oblivion$3.41
- 1Maskwood Nexus$2.68
- 1Skullclamp$6.31
- 1Sol Ring$2.10
- 1Sword of the Squeak$1.23
- 1Talisman of Resilience$0.47
Enchantments (7)
- 1Bastion of Remembrance$0.38
- 1Beastmaster Ascension$6.58
- 1Binding the Old Gods$0.29
- 1Gourmand’s Talent$0.50
- 1Moldervine Reclamation$0.36
- 1Squirrel Nest$0.35
- 1Wolfwillow Haven$0.34
Lands (38)
- 1Barren Moor$0.34
- 1Bojuka Bog$2.14
- 1Command Tower$0.30
- 1Evolving Wilds$0.39
- 1Exotic Orchard$0.35
- 5Forest$0.24
- 4Forest$0.18
- 1Golgari Rot Farm$0.40
- 1Grim Backwoods$0.32
- 1Haunted Mire$0.32
- 1Jungle Hollow$0.34
- 1Llanowar Wastes$1.40
- 1Necroblossom Snarl$0.63
- 1Oran-Rief, the Vastwood$0.55
- 1Path of Ancestry$0.35
- 4Swamp$0.21
- 4Swamp$0.22
- 1Swarmyard$5.59
- 1Tainted Wood$0.41
- 1Temple of Malady$0.28
- 1Terramorphic Expanse$0.33
- 1Tranquil Thicket$0.29
- 1Twilight Mire$0.47
- 1Viridescent Bog$0.30
- 1Woodland Cemetery$1.00
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- Hazel snowballs tokens every turn and turns them into huge amounts of mana.
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General, Second Harvest and Plumb the Forbidden give the deck explosive token turns.
- Removal like Maelstrom Pulse, Putrefy and Casualties of War is excellent for a precon.
Where it struggles
- End-Raze Forerunners and Arasta of the Endless Web are off-plan expensive creatures.
- Sword of the Squeak and Hazel’s Brewmaster are slow and low impact.
- Nested Shambler, Skyfisher Spider and Insatiable Frugivore are filler that a better token maker replaces.
Recommended upgrades
Pick a budget tab. Every row tells you which card to take out and what to put in.
Cheap swaps (under $2 each) that fix the biggest problems first.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woe Strider | Jade Mage | $0.19 €0.09 | A repeatable mana sink that makes Saprolings whenever you have spare mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Hazel’s Brewmaster | Tireless Tracker | $0.24 €0.22 | Clues from land drops are tokens Hazel can copy, and it grows as you crack them. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Cache Grab | Peregrin Took | $0.35 €0.21 | Adds a Food whenever you make tokens, including Hazel copies, and turns Foods into cards. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Nested Shambler | Esika’s Chariot | $0.40 €0.61 | Brings two Cats and copies a token each attack, a perfect Hazel partner. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Moonstone Eulogist | Avenger of Zendikar | $0.44 €0.64 | Makes a Plant for every land you control and grows them with each land drop, giving Hazel a pile of tokens to copy and tap. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Skyfisher Spider | Viscera Seer | $0.49 €0.48 | A free sacrifice outlet that scrys, perfect for squirrels and death triggers. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Saw in Half | Mirkwood Bats | $1.07 €0.41 | Pings opponents whenever you create or sacrifice a token, which is constantly. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Arasta of the Endless Web | Tendershoot Dryad | $1.26 €1.51 | Makes a Saproling every upkeep, giving Hazel more tokens to copy and tap. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $4.44 | |||
Stronger synergy pieces and better interaction ($2–$8 each).
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insatiable Frugivore | Blood Artist | $2.71 €2.10 | Each creature that dies drains a player for 1, turning sacrificed squirrels into a win condition. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Ogre Slumlord | Pitiless Plunderer | $2.91 €3.04 | Makes a Treasure whenever another creature you control dies, and those Treasures are tokens Hazel can copy or tap for mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $5.62 | |||
Premium upgrades. None of these are on the official Game Changers list, so the deck stays friendly for most casual tables.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaguecrafter | Heroic Intervention | $9.26 €9.55 | Saves your whole token board from a sweeper or targeted removal for two mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Sword of the Squeak | Ashnod’s Altar | $14.30 €10.14 | Turns spare tokens into colorless mana, enabling huge turns with drain effects. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| End-Raze Forerunners | Doubling Season | $29.21 €19.37 | Doubles every token Hazel makes, so a Squirrel becomes four copies at each end step. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $52.77 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Squirreled Away on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
Squirreled Away is one of the strongest Bloomburrow precons and only needs focus. Add doublers, sac outlets and drains, and Hazel’s swarm will close games on its own.