Caesar, Legion's Emperor costs {1}{R}{W}{B} and is a 4/4. Whenever you attack, you may sacrifice another creature. When you do, you choose two: create two 1/1 Soldier tokens with haste that are tapped and attacking, draw a card and lose 1 life, or deal damage to an opponent equal to the number of creature tokens you control. Every attack turns one creature into two tokens and a card.
The precon already has the sacrifice and drain cards, including Bastion of Remembrance, Skullclamp, Pitiless Plunderer and Secure the Wastes. 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 Caesar decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Caesar decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Hail, Caesar precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Nothing doubles Caesar's trigger
Isshin, Two Heavens as One and Windcrag Siege make a trigger caused by an attacking creature happen an additional time. Caesar's trigger is one of them, so each attack makes four tokens.
Not enough cheap token makers
Adeline, Hero of Bladehold, Bone-Cairn Butcher and Elspeth, Sun's Champion create tokens on their own, and Arabella and Thalisse turn a board of small creatures into damage and fliers. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Fallout cards that almost nobody plays
Butch DeLoria, Desdemona, Mr. House and Mysterious Stranger are not cards Caesar, and Ruthless Radrat, Survivor's Med Kit and the Bobbleheads are played in about one Caesar deck in ten or fewer decks usually play.
The 14 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake is a 2/2 menace Rogue for {1}{B} that pumps with other Rogues and Snakes. It is not a card Caesar decks usually play.
Isshin, Two Heavens as One is a 3/4 for {R}{W}{B}. If a creature attacking causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. Caesar sacrifices a creature and makes four tokens. It is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Desdemona, Freedom's Edge is a 3/4 vigilance Rogue for {2}{R}{W} that gives a card in your graveyard escape. It is not a card Caesar decks usually play.
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar is a vigilance creature for {1}{W}{W} whose power equals the number of creatures you control. Whenever you attack, you create a 1/1 Human that is tapped and attacking for each opponent. A three-drop that makes a token on every attack.
Mr. House, President and CEO is a 0/4 artifact creature for {R}{W}{B} that rolls dice for Robots. It is not a card Caesar decks usually play.
Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim is a 2/2 deathtouch creature for {W}{B}. Whenever another creature you control enters you gain 1 life, and whenever another creature you control dies each opponent loses 1 life. Caesar's sacrifices and tokens are all drains.
Mysterious Stranger is a 3/2 flash Rogue for {2}{R}{R} that copies an instant or sorcery from a graveyard. It is not a card Caesar decks usually play.
Windcrag Siege costs {1}{R}{W}. Choose Mardu and a trigger caused by an attacking creature happens an additional time, or choose Jeskai and you create a 1/1 Goblin with lifelink and haste at each upkeep. A second Isshin in enchantment form.
Ruthless Radrat is a 2/2 menace Rat for {1}{B}{B} with squad that exiles your graveyard. It is played in about one Caesar deck in seventeen.
Bone-Cairn Butcher is a 4/4 Demon for {1}{R}{W}{B} with mobilize 2: whenever it attacks you create two tapped and attacking Warriors, and attacking tokens you control have deathtouch. Tokens for Caesar to count, and every attack token kills what blocks it.
Survivor's Med Kit is a one-mana artifact that draws a card for {1} once, then makes Food. It is played in about one Caesar deck in seventeen.
Arabella, Abandoned Doll is a 1/3 artifact creature for {R}{W}. Whenever she attacks she deals X damage to each opponent and you gain X life, where X is the number of creatures you control with power 2 or less. Every 1/1 token is a point of drain.
Luck Bobblehead is a three-mana rock that rolls dice for Treasure. It is played in about one Caesar deck in eleven.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion is a planeswalker for {4}{W}{W} that makes three 1/1 Soldiers every turn with her +1, and destroys all creatures with power 4 or greater with her -3. Three bodies a turn to sacrifice and swing with.
Sierra, Nuka's Biggest Fan is a 3/4 for {3}{W} that makes Food when your creatures connect. It is played in about one Caesar deck in twelve.
Hero of Bladehold is a 3/4 for {2}{W}{W} with battle cry. Whenever it attacks it creates two tapped and attacking 1/1 Soldiers, and each other attacking creature gets +1/+0. Tokens that arrive attacking, and Isshin or Windcrag Siege doubles them.
Charisma Bobblehead is a three-mana rock that makes Soldiers for {4}, one per Bobblehead. It is played in about one Caesar deck in nine.
Thalisse, Reverent Medium is a 3/4 for {3}{W}{B}. At the beginning of each end step, it creates a 1/1 flying Spirit for each token you created this turn. Caesar's tokens turn into fliers every end step.
Wild Wasteland skips your draw step to exile the top two cards each upkeep. It is played in about one Caesar deck in nine.
Mirkwood Bats is a 2/3 flier for {3}{B}. Whenever you create or sacrifice a token, each opponent loses 1 life. Caesar creates tokens and sacrifices them every turn.
Stolen Strategy is a five-mana enchantment that exiles the top card of each opponent's library each upkeep. It is played in about one Caesar deck in ten.
Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon is a 1/2 for {1}{R}{W}. Whenever you attack with one or more non-Gnome creatures, it gets a +1/+1 counter and you create that many tapped and attacking 1/1 Gnomes. Tokens that are attacking when they leave pay Caesar's drain.
Thrill-Kill Disciple is a 3/2 for {2}{R} with squad that makes a Junk when it dies. It is played in about one Caesar deck in ten.
Warleader's Call is an enchantment for {1}{R}{W}. Creatures you control get +1/+1, and whenever a creature you control enters, it deals 1 damage to each opponent. Every token is a point of damage.
Vault 11: Voter's Dilemma is a four-mana Saga that makes tokens and has the table vote. It is played in about one Caesar deck in nine.
Zurgo Stormrender is a 3/3 for {R}{W}{B} with mobilize 1. Whenever a creature token you control leaves the battlefield, you draw a card if it was attacking, and otherwise each opponent loses 1 life. A Warrior token every attack that draws or drains.
Aradesh, the Founder is a 2/2 for {2}{W} that gives double strike to a creature that enlisted. It is played in about one Caesar deck in seven.
Impact Tremors costs {1}{R}. Whenever a creature you control enters, it deals 1 damage to each opponent. Cheap and constant damage for a token deck.
The full swap list
Cut
- Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake
- Desdemona, Freedom's Edge
- Mr. House, President and CEO
- Mysterious Stranger
- Ruthless Radrat
- Survivor's Med Kit
- Luck Bobblehead
- Sierra, Nuka's Biggest Fan
- Charisma Bobblehead
- Wild Wasteland
- Stolen Strategy
- Thrill-Kill Disciple
- Vault 11: Voter's Dilemma
- Aradesh, the Founder
Add
- Isshin, Two Heavens as One
- Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
- Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
- Windcrag Siege
- Bone-Cairn Butcher
- Arabella, Abandoned Doll
- Elspeth, Sun's Champion
- Hero of Bladehold
- Thalisse, Reverent Medium
- Mirkwood Bats
- Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon
- Warleader's Call
- Zurgo Stormrender
- Impact Tremors
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Bastion of Remembrance$0.27
Played in 78% of Caesar decks. Makes a Soldier when it enters and drains whenever a creature you control dies. - Skullclamp$4.82
Equip {1} to a token and it draws two cards when it dies, which Caesar's sacrifice outlet makes easy. - Pitiless Plunderer$3.06
Makes a Treasure whenever another creature you control dies. - Secure the Wastes$0.32
An instant that makes X Warrior tokens, a flexible source of bodies. - Martial Coup$0.21
Makes X Soldiers and, for seven mana, destroys all other creatures and leaves you an army.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Call the Coppercoats$6.28
An instant that makes tokens equal to the creatures an opponent controls.
Hail, Caesar already has the sacrifice outlets and the drain. The upgrade is cards that double Caesar's attack trigger and make tokens when you attack, in place of Fallout cards that almost nobody plays. These fourteen swaps cost about $27 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Caesar, Legion's Emperor from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Hail, Caesar precon?
Using data from 23,068 Caesar decks, the highest-scoring additions are Isshin, Two Heavens as One (for Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake), Adeline, Resplendent Cathar (for Desdemona, Freedom's Edge) and Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon (for Stolen Strategy). The full list has 14 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Hail, Caesar?
All 14 swaps cost about $26.81 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Call the Coppercoats ($6.28).
What should I cut from Hail, Caesar?
The weakest cards for this commander are Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake, Desdemona, Freedom's Edge and Mr. House, President and CEO. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Hail, Caesar?
Keep Bastion of Remembrance, Skullclamp, Pitiless Plunderer, Secure the Wastes and Martial Coup. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Caesar do?
Caesar, Legion's Emperor costs {1}{R}{W}{B} and is a 4/4. Whenever you attack, you may sacrifice another creature. When you do, you choose two: create two 1/1 Soldier tokens with haste that are tapped and attacking, draw a card and lose 1 life, or deal damage to an opponent equal to the number of creature tokens you control. Every attack turns one creature into two tokens and a card.
More Fallout upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Caesar, Legion's Emperor decks (23,068 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 Caesar decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is moderate for most of these cards because they are played in many Mardu 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.