Wretched Ranks Precon Upgrade Guide: Ghoulcaller Gisa
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Wretched Ranks
- Commander
- Ghoulcaller Gisa
- Colors
- Black
- Released
- 2 October
- Card value
- ≈ $50.15
- Key cards
- Ayara, First of Locthwain, Undead Warchief, Graveborn Muse
Wretched Ranks is the mono-black Zombie deck from the Foundations Commander precons. Ghoulcaller Gisa sacrifices a creature to create Zombies equal to its power, so you want sacrifice payoffs, big bodies to cash in and plenty of Zombie lords.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($4.26), mid-range ($14.04) and premium ($159.46). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
Creatures (31)
- 1Ayara, First of Locthwain$3.63
- 1Carrion Feeder$1.66
- 1Cemetery Reaper$0.27
- 1Champion of the Perished$0.37
- 1Cryptbreaker$0.31
- 1Death Baron$0.79
- 1Diregraf Colossus$0.68
- 1Eternal Taskmaster$0.24
- 1Fleshbag Marauder$0.33
- 1God-Eternal Bontu$0.27
- 1Grave Titan$0.26
- 1Graveborn Muse$2.78
- 1Gravecrawler$0.53
- 1Gray Merchant of Asphodel$0.63
- 1Headless Rider$0.99
- 1Josu Vess, Lich Knight$0.25
- 1Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet$1.47
- 1Liliana’s Reaver$0.32
- 1Lord of the Accursed$0.27
- 1Lord of the Undead$2.12
- 1Midnight Reaper$0.15
- 1Mire Triton$0.31
- 1Noxious Ghoul$0.54
- 1Razorlash Transmogrant$0.35
- 1Soulless One$0.28
- 1Undead Augur$0.30
- 1Undead Butler$0.24
- 1Undead Warchief$2.88
- 1Vengeful Dead$0.28
- 1Wight of Precinct Six$0.27
- 1Zul Ashur, Lich Lord$0.31
Instants (5)
- 1Consumed by Greed$0.28
- 1Consuming Corruption$0.27
- 1Go for the Throat$0.28
- 1Tendrils of Corruption$0.31
- 1Withering Torment$0.84
Sorceries (9)
- 1Ambition’s Cost$0.28
- 1Army of the Damned$0.37
- 1Cemetery Recruitment$0.28
- 1Moan of the Unhallowed$0.21
- 1Mutilate$0.30
- 1Necrotic Hex$0.30
- 1Night’s Whisper$0.23
- 1Sign in Blood$0.24
- 1Syphon Flesh$0.26
Artifacts (8)
- 1Arcane Signet$0.38
- 1Bontu’s Monument$1.75
- 1Charcoal Diamond$0.25
- 1Commander’s Sphere$0.18
- 1Infernal Idol$0.25
- 1Mind Stone$0.21
- 1Patchwork Banner$1.58
- 1Sol Ring$1.09
Enchantments (7)
- 1Bad Moon$0.27
- 1Endless Ranks of the Dead$1.25
- 1Liliana’s Mastery$0.21
- 1Marchesa’s Decree$0.26
- 1Open the Graves$0.27
- 1Oversold Cemetery$0.50
- 1Phyrexian Arena$2.27
Lands (39)
- 1Barren Moor$0.26
- 1Bojuka Bog$1.18
- 1Castle Locthwain$1.34
- 1Geier Reach Sanitarium$0.79
- 1Memorial to Folly$0.24
- 17Swamp$0.14
- 16Swamp$0.27
- 1Witch’s Cottage$0.39
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- A deep Zombie package with lords like Death Baron and Lord of the Undead
- Strong drain effects such as Gray Merchant of Asphodel
- Great value creatures like Grave Titan and Midnight Reaper
Where it struggles
- Too few free sacrifice outlets
- No “whenever a creature dies” drain engines
- A few slow sorceries and tapped lands
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moan of the Unhallowed | Victimize | $0.58 €0.54 | Sacrifice one Zombie token to bring back two real creatures | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Marchesa’s Decree | Custodi Lich | $0.37 €0.51 | Monarch on a Zombie body, plus an edict every time you take the crown back | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Infernal Idol | Dark Ritual | $0.44 €1.38 | Explosive early turns: Gisa or a big lord a turn early | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Mire Triton | Feed the Swarm | $0.21 €0.14 | Removal that also hits enchantments, which black rarely gets | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Eternal Taskmaster | Plague Belcher | $0.34 €0.46 | A 5/4 Zombie for three that drains each opponent whenever another Zombie dies | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Syphon Flesh | Village Rites | $0.27 €0.23 | A free sac outlet that turns spare Zombies into two cards | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Tendrils of Corruption | Accursed Marauder | $0.33 €0.34 | An edict effect on a Zombie body | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Commander’s Sphere | Rotting Regisaur | $1.72 €1.53 | A 7/6 Zombie for three mana | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $4.26 | |||
Stronger sacrifice and value pieces ($2–$8 each).
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambition’s Cost | Skullclamp | $4.69 €4.43 | Turns every Zombie token into two cards | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Bad Moon | Blood Artist | $2.71 €2.10 | Every Zombie that dies drains an opponent; Bad Moon also pumps their black creatures | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Charcoal Diamond | Pitiless Plunderer | $2.91 €3.04 | Makes a Treasure every time one of your creatures dies | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Sign in Blood | Dread Presence | $3.73 €1.54 | Every Swamp you play draws a card or pings for 2 | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $14.04 | |||
Premium upgrades for the strongest version of the deck. None of these are on the official Game Changers list, so the deck stays friendly for most casual tables.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josu Vess, Lich Knight | Liliana, Dreadhorde General | $9.32 €7.68 | Makes Zombies, draws when your creatures die and wipes opposing boards | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Undead Butler | Mikaeus, the Unhallowed | $22.01 €22.06 | Pumps your Zombies and makes each of them come back once when it dies | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Lord of the Accursed | Warren Soultrader | $18.36 €13.98 | A Zombie sac outlet that turns every spare creature into a Treasure | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Bontu’s Monument | Jet Medallion | $13.51 €9.39 | Cheapens every black spell for two mana | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Barren Moor | Cabal Coffers | $20.89 €18.49 | Huge amounts of mana in a mono-black deck full of Swamps | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Withering Torment | Grave Pact | $21.35 €19.26 | Each Zombie you lose costs every opponent a creature | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Vengeful Dead | Phyrexian Altar | $54.02 €40.58 | Sac outlet that makes mana; with Gravecrawler it can loop endlessly | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $159.46 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Wretched Ranks on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
With the budget swaps alone, Wretched Ranks goes from a fun precon to a focused black deck that does what Ghoulcaller Gisa wants every game. Add the pricier picks over time and it will hold its own at most casual tables.