Commander Spock does something every time he enters or attacks: he reveals the top card of your library and, if its mana value is no more than the number of differently named lands you control, you cast it free. A land goes onto the battlefield tapped, and if the card is still on top you draw it. The precon plays 40 lands with 35 different names, so Spock's free casts get bigger as the game goes on.
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 those decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in them than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Landing Party precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Creatures that very few Spock decks run
Tribble Cluster, Giant Space Amoeba, Sam Kirk, T'Pring, Cold-Blooded Crew and Fleet Captain Pike are each played in so few early Commander Spock decks that they barely register in the data. None of them makes Spock enter again or rewards a land drop.
Too few ways to re-enter Spock
Flickering Hound, Ephemerate, Soulherder and Cloudshift all return a creature to the battlefield, and Starfield Vocalist and Panharmonicon make an enter trigger happen twice. Each one is a second or third Spock trigger. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
A land-fetching creature with little payoff
Satyr Wayfinder is played in about one Commander Spock deck in sixteen, and the deck already has Nature's Lore, Exploration, Lotus Cobra and plenty of land ramp.
The 7 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Tribble Cluster is a 1/1 for {2}{W} that grows each combat and leaves 1/1 Tribbles that cannot block when it dies. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Flickering Hound is a 2/2 for {3}{W}. Whenever you cast a creature spell, you exile up to one other creature you control and return it. Blinking Commander Spock makes him enter again, which is a fresh chance at a free spell or a land every time you cast a creature. It is played in about three Commander Spock decks in five.
Giant Space Amoeba is a 3/3 flier for {4}{U} that shrinks a defender and makes a copy of itself when it attacks. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Starfield Vocalist is a 3/4 for {3}{U} with warp {1}{U}. If a permanent entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. When Spock enters, he triggers twice: two reveals, and two chances at a free spell.
Sam Kirk is a 3/3 for {3}{U} that investigates whenever an opponent casts a creature spell. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Ephemerate is a {W} instant that exiles a creature you control and returns it, and with rebound you can cast it again from exile on your next upkeep. Flicker Spock in response to removal and he enters twice for one card. It is played in about three Commander Spock decks in five.
T'Pring is a 3/3 for {3}{G}{U} that makes two creatures fight when it enters and draws a card if one of them dies. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Tatyova, Benthic Druid is a 3/3 for {3}{G}{U}. Landfall: whenever a land you control enters, you gain 1 life and draw a card. The deck has 40 lands, and Spock puts extra lands onto the battlefield too.
Cold-Blooded Crew is a 4/4 for {4}{G}{G} that puts two +1/+1 counters on a creature when it enters and has basic landcycling {2}. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Soulherder is a 1/1 for {1}{W}{U}. At the beginning of your end step you may exile another creature you control and return it, and it grows whenever a creature is exiled from the battlefield. That is a free Spock trigger every turn.
Fleet Captain Pike is a 0/6 for {2}{U} that taps or untaps two other creatures for a cost. It is played in so few Commander Spock decks that it barely registers in the data.
Cloudshift is a {W} instant that exiles a creature you control and returns it. For one white mana it makes Spock enter again, and it can save any creature from removal.
Satyr Wayfinder is a 1/1 for {1}{G} that reveals the top four cards when it enters, lets you take a land and puts the rest in your graveyard. It is played in about one Commander Spock deck in sixteen.
Panharmonicon is a {4} artifact. If an artifact or creature entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. With Spock it doubles his enter trigger, so a single creature drop gives two reveals.
The full swap list
Cut
- Tribble Cluster
- Giant Space Amoeba
- Sam Kirk, Xenoanthropologist
- T'Pring, Never Parted
- Cold-Blooded Crew
- Fleet Captain Christopher Pike
- Satyr Wayfinder
Add
- Flickering Hound
- Starfield Vocalist
- Ephemerate
- Tatyova, Benthic Druid
- Soulherder
- Cloudshift
- Panharmonicon
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Nature's Lore$2.13
Played in 69% of Commander Spock decks. Ramp that puts a Forest straight onto the battlefield and counts as a land drop for landfall. - Exploration$9.99
Played in 53% of Commander Spock decks. An extra land each turn means more landfall and more differently named lands for Spock. - Lotus Cobra$5.93
Played in 49% of Commander Spock decks. Every land adds a mana of any colour. - Chief Kyle, Transporter Tech$9.97
Played in 43% of Commander Spock decks. Landfall: it blinks a creature at end of turn, which can be Spock. - Scute Swarm$8.54
Played in 42% of Commander Spock decks. Every land makes a 1/1 Insect, or a copy of itself once you have six lands.
If you want to spend more
These are strong cards that cost more than the swaps above. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Displacer Kitten$29.04
Displacer Kitten ({3}{U}) scores 51: it is in 53% of Commander Spock decks with 50% synergy. It reads: Avoidance: Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, exile up to one target nonland permanent you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. - Misty Rainforest$36.09
Misty Rainforest scores 37: it is in 56% of Commander Spock decks with 25% synergy. It reads: {T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Forest or Island card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. - Flooded Strand$15.62
Flooded Strand scores 36: it is in 56% of Commander Spock decks with 23% synergy. It reads: {T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Plains or Island card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. - Field of the Dead$23.99
Field of the Dead scores 35: it is in 35% of Commander Spock decks with 34% synergy. It reads: This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {C}. Whenever this land or another land you control enters, if you control seven or more lands with different names, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
The precon's landfall core is already close to what the first Commander Spock decks play: its best cards, Nature's Lore, Exploration and Lotus Cobra, are in about half of them. The upgrade is more ways to make Spock enter again, in place of big creatures that very few decks run. These seven swaps cost about $18 in total, keep the deck's identity intact, and are based on early data that we will update after release.
Want a full 100-card list built around Commander Spock from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Landing Party precon?
Using data from 339 Commander Spock decks, the highest-scoring additions are Ephemerate (for Sam Kirk, Xenoanthropologist), Flickering Hound (for Tribble Cluster) and Starfield Vocalist (for Giant Space Amoeba). The full list has 7 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Landing Party?
All 7 swaps cost about $18.26 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-11-03). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Displacer Kitten ($29.04), Misty Rainforest ($36.09), Flooded Strand ($15.62) and Field of the Dead ($23.99).
What should I cut from Landing Party?
The weakest cards for this commander are Tribble Cluster, Giant Space Amoeba and Sam Kirk, Xenoanthropologist. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Landing Party?
Keep Nature's Lore, Exploration, Lotus Cobra, Chief Kyle, Transporter Tech and Scute Swarm. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Commander Spock do?
Commander Spock does something every time he enters or attacks: he reveals the top card of your library and, if its mana value is no more than the number of differently named lands you control, you cast it free. A land goes onto the battlefield tapped, and if the card is still on top you draw it. The precon plays 40 lands with 35 different names, so Spock's free casts get bigger as the game goes on.
More Star Trek Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Commander Spock decks (339 of them when this was written, 2026-11-03) 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 Commander Spock decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. And lift is very high for many Star Trek cards because they are new and rarely played outside Star Trek 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.