Revenant Recon Precon Upgrade Guide: Mirko, Obsessive Theorist
Some links on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Revenant Recon
- Commander
- Mirko, Obsessive Theorist
- Colors
- Blue, Black
- Released
- 9 February 2024
- Card value
- ≈ $141.82
- Key cards
- Necromancy, Reanimate, Baleful Strix
Revenant Recon is a Dimir graveyard deck: Mirko, Obsessive Theorist grows every time you surveil and brings creatures back from your graveyard at the start of combat. Surveil fills the yard, Mirko recurs the best bodies, and evasive threats finish the job. These upgrades focus on extra surveil triggers, repeatable recursion and cheaper interaction.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($5.19), mid-range ($8.64), premium ($19.18). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
Creatures (29)
- 1Amphin Mutineer$0.21
- 1Baleful Strix$7.87
- 1Copy Catchers$0.33
- 1Dimir Spybug$0.24
- 1Dogged Detective$0.27
- 1Doom Whisperer$6.41
- 1Dream Eater$0.38
- 1Eye of Duskmantle$0.31
- 1Final-Word Phantom$2.31
- 1Grave Titan$0.80
- 1Lazav, the Multifarious$0.33
- 1Marvo, Deep Operative
- 1Massacre Wurm$4.83
- 1Master of Death$0.36
- 1Mulldrifter$0.38
- 1Nightveil Sprite$0.24
- 1Overseer of the Damned$0.39
- 1Phyrexian Metamorph$3.61
- 1Ravenous Chupacabra$1.00
- 1Shriekmaw$0.27
- 1Sinister Starfish$0.32
- 1Sphinx of the Second Sun$5.72
- 1Syr Konrad, the Grim$1.34
- 1Thoughtbound Phantasm$0.24
- 1Twilight Prophet$3.76
- 1Unshakable Tail$0.36
- 1Vizier of Many Faces$0.34
- 1Watcher of Hours$0.36
- 1Whispering Snitch$0.33
Instants (9)
- 1Brainstorm$2.56
- 1Consider$0.58
- 1Counterpoint$0.39
- 1Curate$0.29
- 1Ephara’s Dispersal$0.27
- 1Mission Briefing$0.38
- 1Otherworldly Gaze$0.28
- 1Pile On$0.38
- 1Price of Fame$0.29
Sorceries (9)
- 1Black Sun’s Zenith$0.42
- 1Charnel Serenade$0.32
- 1Connive$0.28
- 1Deep Analysis$0.28
- 1Discovery$0.24
- 1Notion Rain$0.28
- 1Reanimate$9.62
- 1Rise of the Dark Realms$7.45
- 1Toxic Deluge$5.74
Artifacts (9)
- 1Arcane Signet$1.32
- 1Dimir Signet$1.93
- 1Everflowing Chalice$0.36
- 1Foreboding Steamboat$0.30
- 1Mind Stone$0.39
- 1Ransom Note$0.23
- 1Sol Ring$1.97
- 1Talisman of Dominance$1.89
- 1Thought Vessel$3.11
Enchantments (6)
- 1Animate Dead$7.60
- 1Case of the Shifting Visage$0.38
- 1Disinformation Campaign$0.29
- 1Enhanced Surveillance$0.31
- 1Necromancy$19.38
- 1Phyrexian Arena$5.59
Lands (37)
- 1Ash Barrens$0.28
- 1Bojuka Bog$2.25
- 1Choked Estuary$0.40
- 1Command Tower$0.41
- 1Darkwater Catacombs$0.35
- 1Dimir Aqueduct$0.38
- 1Drownyard Temple$0.28
- 1Fetid Pools$0.36
- 1Hostile Desert$0.25
- 5Island$0.22
- 4Island$0.20
- 1Myriad Landscape$0.42
- 1Mystic Sanctuary$2.83
- 1Port of Karfell$0.23
- 1Reliquary Tower$4.48
- 1River of Tears$0.32
- 1Rogue’s Passage$1.31
- 1Sunken Hollow$0.39
- 5Swamp$0.24
- 4Swamp$0.25
- 1Tainted Isle$3.75
- 1Temple of the False God$0.33
- 1Tocasia’s Dig Site$0.29
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- Mirko is a cheap, evasive commander who grows with every surveil and recurs creatures for free.
- Premium removal like Toxic Deluge, Ravenous Chupacabra and Shriekmaw handles threats well.
- Reanimation spells such as Reanimate, Animate Dead and Necromancy pair nicely with the surveil theme.
Where it struggles
- Copy Catchers and Nightveil Sprite are small fliers that get outclassed quickly.
- Foreboding Steamboat and Ephara’s Dispersal are situational cards that often do little.
- Ransom Note and Everflowing Chalice spend mana without pushing the graveyard plan.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phyrexian Metamorph | Unauthorized Exit | $0.11 €0.06 | Cheap bounce for any nonland permanent that also surveils. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Nightveil Sprite | Blood Operative | $0.19 €0.09 | Eats opposing graveyards and returns itself whenever you surveil. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Counterpoint | Sinister Sabotage | $0.23 €0.12 | Clean counterspell that also surveils, fueling Mirko for one mana more. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Ephara’s Dispersal | Drag the Canal | $0.23 €0.09 | Makes a Detective, and after any creature dies it gains life, surveils and recurs. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Copy Catchers | Starving Revenant | $0.32 €0.21 | Surveils, draws and drains, a much stronger body for your graveyard plan. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Foreboding Steamboat | Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth | $0.36 €0.31 | Turns creatures dying into Clues and extra surveil triggers. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Everflowing Chalice | Oversold Cemetery | $0.48 €0.50 | Returns a creature to hand every upkeep once your graveyard is stocked. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Darkwater Catacombs | Underground River | $0.54 €0.94 | Untapped dual mana from the first turn instead of a filter land. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Deep Analysis | Drown in the Loch | $1.15 €0.85 | Flexible counter or removal that gets stronger as graveyards fill up. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Ransom Note | Laser Screwdriver | $1.58 €0.96 | Cheap artifact that surveils on demand, triggering Mirko over and over. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $5.19 | |||
Stronger synergy pieces and better interaction ($2–$8 each).
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rise of the Dark Realms | The Scarab God | $2.77 €3.84 | Reanimates creatures from any graveyard repeatedly as 4/4 Zombies. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Eye of Duskmantle | Virtue of Persistence | $5.87 €6.76 | Early removal that later reanimates a creature every upkeep. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $8.64 | |||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostile Desert | Undercity Sewers | $9.21 €11.91 | Dual land that surveils on entry, giving Mirko a counter right away. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Temple of the False God | Watery Grave | $9.97 €9.66 | Untapped dual land that works on turn one, unlike the Temple. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $19.18 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Revenant Recon on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
Revenant Recon is a solid, interactive precon with a commander that snowballs if left alone. A few more surveil engines, sturdier recursion and better lands turn it into a grindy deck that is very hard to put away.
