Doctor Doom, King of Latveria costs {1}{U}{B}{R}. Whenever you discard one or more land cards, each opponent loses 2 life. At the beginning of combat on your turn, a Villain you control gains menace and connives: you draw a card, discard a card, and if you discarded a nonland card it gets a +1/+1 counter.
The precon already has the Villain support and the connive creatures, including Ultron, Unlimited, Iron Monger and Baron Strucker. Each swap below pairs a cut with an add, and every card is scored with the same numbers the Oracle uses to build decks: synergy and inclusion from the Doctor Doom decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in these decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Doom Prevails precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
A pile of Villains almost nobody plays
Batroc, Klaw, Titania, Stilt-Man, Helmut Zemo and Damocles Base are each played in about one Doom deck in four or fewer, and Batroc is not played in the commander's decks at all. They are Villains, but they do nothing with discard or connive.
Missing discard and connive engines
Leader, Super-Genius, Magmakin Artillerist, Archfiend of Ifnir and M.O.D.O.K. each turn discarding or conniving into damage, counters or cards, and the precon leaves them all out.
A heavy top end
Nine nonland cards cost six or more, including Tri-Sentinel at seven mana, Abomination at eight and Extract Power at six. Cheaper cards keep the connive engine running every turn.
The 15 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Batroc is a two-mana Villain with multikicker {2}, and it is not a card Doom decks usually play.
Leader, Super-Genius costs {2}{U}{U}. If a creature you control would connive, you draw a card first, then it connives, and at the beginning of combat on your turn a creature you control connives. With Doom's own combat trigger, that is two connives and an extra card each turn. It is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Damocles Base is a 5/5 flying, deathtouch Vehicle with crew 3, and each time it connects the player faces a villainous choice. It is played in about one Doom deck in nine.
Archfiend of Ifnir costs {3}{B}{B} and has flying. Whenever you cycle or discard another card, it puts a -1/-1 counter on each creature your opponents control. Every connive and every land you discard to Doom shrinks the opposing board.

Superior Foes of Spider-Man is a 3/3 trampler for {2}{R} that exiles the top card whenever you cast a spell with mana value 4 or greater, and you may play it. It is played in about one Doom deck in ten.
M.O.D.O.K. is a flying, lifelink artifact creature for {3}{B}{B}. Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1, and for 3 life it connives on your turn. A Villain that makes the table weaker and connives on demand.

Lady Loki costs {5}{R}, and her ability only triggers on your first instant, sorcery or Villain spell each turn. It is played in about one Doom deck in seven.
Green Goblin, Revenant is a flying, deathtouch Villain for {3}{B}{R}. Whenever it attacks you discard a card, then draw a card for each card you have discarded this turn. Every attack is a discard trigger for Doom and a card-flow engine.

Tri-Sentinel costs seven. It flies and deals 3 damage to a creature when it enters, and has unearth {7}, but seven mana is a lot.
Doctor Doom costs {4}{B}{B}: you get two 3/3 Doombot artifact Villain tokens when it enters, he has indestructible while you control an artifact creature or a Plan, and you draw a card at the end step. Three Villains for one card, and a card every turn.

Klaw is a 3/3 deathtouch Villain that steals the top card of a player's library when it connects. It is played in about one Doom deck in six.
Doom Reigns Supreme costs {1}{B}. Whenever a Villain you control enters, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1, and it gets a plan counter. When the fifth counter is added it is sacrificed, an opponent exiles the top five cards, and you may cast up to two of them for free. Every Villain you play drains and builds toward a free spell.

Titania is a 3/3 first striker with melee, and gives your other creatures melee. It is played in about one Doom deck in six, and it only gets big when you attack several opponents.
Magmakin Artillerist costs {2}{R}: whenever you discard one or more cards, it deals that much damage to each opponent, and it has cycling {1}{R}. Every connive, every discard and every cycled card hurts the table, on top of Doom's land-discard drain.

Helmut Zemo is a 2/2 for {2}{U} that casts a cheap instant or sorcery from your graveyard when he attacks. It is played in about one Doom deck in five.
Taskmaster, Mercenary Mimic is a 3/5 for {2}{U}{B}. At the beginning of your first main phase he becomes a copy of a creature on the battlefield or in a graveyard, except he stays a legendary Human Mercenary Villain. A flexible Villain that copies the best creature on the table.

Extract Power costs {5}{U}, six mana, to exile the top card of each library and play them for free. It is slow, and played in about one Doom deck in four.
Construct a Cosmic Cube is a {2}{B} Plan: whenever you draw your second card each turn, you create a 2/1 menace Villain and put a plan counter on it. Doom's combat connive draws that second card every turn, and at seven counters you control an opponent's turn.

Stilt-Man is a 4/2 reach Villain for {2}{R}, and steals a noncreature permanent when your Villains connect. It is played in about one Doom deck in four.
Loki, God of Mischief costs {1}{U}. Whenever a player or permanent becomes the target of an ability you control, you draw a card, once each turn. Doom's combat trigger targets a Villain every turn, so Loki draws you a card every turn.

Terramorphic Expanse sacrifices itself to put a basic land onto the battlefield tapped, and the deck has 37 lands.
Oscorp Industries enters tapped and taps for {U}, {B} or {R}. It has mayhem, so if you discard it you may play it from your graveyard that turn, and a discarded land is two life lost for each opponent with Doom out. It is a tri-land, and a land you do not mind discarding.

Syphon Mind is a four-mana sorcery that makes each other player discard and draws you a card for each. It is played in about one Doctor Doom deck in five.
Norman Osborn is a Human Scientist Villain that can't be blocked and connives whenever it deals combat damage to a player. For {1}{U}{B}{R} it transforms into Green Goblin, a flying menace Villain that makes spells from your graveyard cost {2} less. A Villain that loots every turn, and the top-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Age of Ultron is a five-mana Saga that destroys a creature, makes Robot Villains and gives artifact creatures deathtouch. It is played in about one Doctor Doom deck in four.
Green Goblin, Nemesis is a 3/3 flying Villain for {2}{B}{R}. Whenever you discard a nonland card it puts a +1/+1 counter on a Goblin, and whenever you discard a land it makes a Treasure. Doctor Doom's connive discards feed it every turn.

Endless Ranks of HYDRA is a four-mana sorcery that makes a 2/1 Villain for each opponent and can come back. It is played in about one Doctor Doom deck in four.
Cool but Rude is a Class for {1}{R}. Whenever you attack you may discard a card to draw one, at level 2 you deal 2 damage to each opponent whenever you discard, and at level 3 you tutor. A cheap discard engine that drains, and Doctor Doom also drains when you discard lands.

Kang Dynasty is a four-mana Saga that taps and goads creatures and draws cards from their damage. It is played in about one Doctor Doom deck in four.
Doctor Octopus, Master Planner is a 4/8 Villain for {5}{U}{B}. Other Villains you control get +2/+2, your maximum hand size is eight, and at your end step you draw cards equal to the difference if you have fewer than eight. A Villain lord that refills your hand every turn.
The full swap list
Cut
- Batroc the Leaper
- Damocles Base, Sword of Kang
- Superior Foes of Spider-Man
- Lady Loki, Agent of Chaos
- Tri-Sentinel, Act of Vengeance
- Klaw, Master of Sound
- Titania, Proud Pummeler
- Helmut Zemo, Mastermind
- Extract Power
- Stilt-Man, Towering Terror
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Syphon Mind
- Age of Ultron
- Endless Ranks of HYDRA
- Kang Dynasty
Add
- Leader, Super-Genius
- Archfiend of Ifnir
- M.O.D.O.K.
- Green Goblin, Revenant
- Doctor Doom
- Doom Reigns Supreme
- Magmakin Artillerist
- Taskmaster, Mercenary Mimic
- Construct a Cosmic Cube
- Loki, God of Mischief
- Oscorp Industries
- Norman Osborn // Green Goblin
- Green Goblin, Nemesis
- Cool but Rude
- Doctor Octopus, Master Planner
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Ultron, Unlimited$0.54
Played in 82% of Doom decks. A flier for {1}{U}{B} that connives whenever it attacks. - Chameleon, Master of Disguise$0.33
Enters as a copy of a creature you control, and has mayhem for {2}{U}. - Iron Monger, Sadistic Tycoon$0.35
A flier that puts a +1/+1 counter on each Villain whenever a creature you control connives. - Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord$0.24
Villain spells cost {1} less, and another Villain entering can connive. - Tombstone, Career Criminal$0.20
Returns a Villain card from your graveyard to your hand and makes Villain spells cost {1} less.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Glint-Horn Buccaneer$6.99
Deals 1 damage to each opponent whenever you discard, and rummages for {1}{R}.
Doom Prevails already plays the Villain core and the cost reducers. The upgrade is cheap discard and connive engines that turn every discard into damage, counters or cards, fewer Villains that do nothing for the plan, and fewer six- and seven-drops. These fifteen swaps cost about $41 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Doctor Doom, King of Latveria from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Doom Prevails precon?
Using data from 11,607 Doctor Doom decks, the highest-scoring additions are Norman Osborn // Green Goblin (for Syphon Mind), Leader, Super-Genius (for Batroc the Leaper) and Green Goblin, Nemesis (for Age of Ultron). The full list has 15 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Doom Prevails?
All 15 swaps cost about $40.78 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Glint-Horn Buccaneer ($6.99).
What should I cut from Doom Prevails?
The weakest cards for this commander are Batroc the Leaper, Damocles Base, Sword of Kang and Superior Foes of Spider-Man. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Doom Prevails?
Keep Ultron, Unlimited, Chameleon, Master of Disguise, Iron Monger, Sadistic Tycoon, Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord and Tombstone, Career Criminal. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Doctor Doom do?
Doctor Doom, King of Latveria costs {1}{U}{B}{R}. Whenever you discard one or more land cards, each opponent loses 2 life. At the beginning of combat on your turn, a Villain you control gains menace and connives: you draw a card, discard a card, and if you discarded a nonland card it gets a +1/+1 counter.
More Marvel Super Heroes Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Doctor Doom, King of Latveria decks (11,607 of them when this was written, 2026-10-27) that play the card. Synergy is how much more often they play it than other decks in the same colours. Oracle score is synergy × 0.6 plus inclusion × 0.4, the same blend The Oracle uses to rank cards for a deck. Lift compares how often the card appears in these decks with how often it could, capped at 8× here; it is shown for context and does not change the score.
Two cautions. Players who run the precon unmodified count as Doctor Doom decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for nearly every Marvel card here because they are new and rarely played outside Villain decks, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. A card the commander's decks do not usually play counts as 0 in the average score. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.














