Anje Falkenrath costs {1}{B}{R} and is a 1/3 Legendary Vampire with haste. For a tap and a discarded card it draws a card, and whenever you discard a card with madness, it untaps. Discarding a madness card casts it for its cheap madness cost, and then Anje can loot again.
The precon already has the best madness removal, including Big Game Hunter, Call to the Netherworld, Dark Withering, Grave Scrabbler and Fiery Temper. 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 Anje decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Anje decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Merciless Rage precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap madness cards
Terminal Agony, Necrogoyf, Kitchen Imp, Blazing Rootwalla, Muck Drubb and Hell Mongrel all have madness, which makes each one far cheaper when discarded to Anje. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Heavy cards outside the lists
Aeon Engine, Bloodthirsty Blade, Champion of Stray Souls, Geth, Greven, Meteor Golem, Plaguecrafter, Sanitarium Skeleton, Scaretiller, Skyfire Phoenix, Wildfire Devils and Hate Mirage are not cards Anje decks usually play. The deck has 14 nonland cards at mana value six or more.
Few discard outlets besides Anje
Archfiend of Ifnir and Shadow of the Grave reward every discard, and Alms of the Vein and Hell Mongrel are cheap madness cards you can discard to Anje.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Aeon Engine is a five-mana artifact that reverses turn order. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Terminal Agony is a {2}{B}{R} sorcery that destroys target creature, with madness {B}{R}. A removal spell in exactly Anje's colors that costs two mana when discarded, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Bloodthirsty Blade is a two-mana Equipment that goads. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Shadow of the Grave costs {1}{B}. Return to your hand all cards in your graveyard that you cycled or discarded this turn. A two-mana instant that gets back everything you discarded, including madness cards that went to the graveyard.
Champion of Stray Souls is a six-mana 4/4 that sacrifices creatures to reanimate. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Necrogoyf is a Lhurgoyf for {3}{B}{B} whose power equals the creature cards in all graveyards and has toughness 4. At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player discards a card, and it has madness {1}{B}{B}. A five-drop that makes every player discard, and with madness it is cheaper when discarded.
Geth, Lord of the Vault is a six-mana 5/5 that reanimates from opponents' graveyards. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Kitchen Imp is a 2/2 Imp for {3}{B} with flying and haste, and madness {B}. A flying, haste creature that costs one mana when you discard it.
Greven, Predator Captain is a five-mana 5/5 menace creature that sacrifices creatures to draw. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Muck Drubb is a 3/3 Beast for {3}{B}{B} with flash, and madness {2}{B}. When it enters, you change the target of target spell that targets only a single creature to Muck Drubb. A flash creature that redirects a removal spell, for three mana when discarded.
Meteor Golem is a seven-mana 3/3 that destroys a nonland permanent. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Voldaren Pariah is a Vampire Horror for {3}{B}{B} with flying and madness {B}{B}{B}. Sacrifice three other creatures: transform it into Abolisher of Bloodlines, and when it transforms target opponent sacrifices three creatures. A flying Vampire that costs {B}{B}{B} when discarded.
Plaguecrafter is a three-mana 3/2 that makes each player sacrifice a creature or planeswalker. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Bloodmad Vampire is a 4/1 Vampire Berserker for {2}{R}. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, it gets a +1/+1 counter, and it has madness {1}{R}. A three-drop Vampire that costs two mana when discarded.
Sanitarium Skeleton is a one-mana 1/2 that returns itself to your hand for {2}{B}. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Blazing Rootwalla is a 1/1 Lizard for {R}. For {R} it gets +2/+0 until end of turn, once each turn, and it has madness {0}. A one-drop that is free when you discard it.
Scaretiller is a four-mana 1/4 artifact creature that puts a land onto the battlefield when it taps. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Hell Mongrel is a 4/3 Nightmare Dog for {3}{B} that gets +1/+1 for each card you discard, and it has madness {2}{B}. A creature that is a discard outlet for itself and costs three mana when discarded.
Skyfire Phoenix is a four-mana 3/3 flying, haste Phoenix that returns when you cast your commander. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Archfiend of Ifnir is a 5/4 Demon for {3}{B}{B} with flying and cycling {2}. Whenever you cycle or discard another card, you put a -1/-1 counter on each creature your opponents control. A five-drop that shrinks the opposing board every time Anje loots.
Wildfire Devils is a four-mana 4/2 that casts a copy of a random instant or sorcery. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Incorrigible Youths is a 4/3 Vampire for {3}{R}{R} with haste and madness {2}{R}. A hasty Vampire that costs three mana when discarded.
Hate Mirage is a four-mana sorcery that copies two opposing creatures. It is not a card Anje decks usually play.
Alms of the Vein costs {2}{B}, with madness {B}. Target opponent loses 3 life and you gain 3 life. A one-mana drain when you discard it.
The full swap list
Cut
- Aeon Engine
- Bloodthirsty Blade
- Champion of Stray Souls
- Geth, Lord of the Vault
- Greven, Predator Captain
- Meteor Golem
- Plaguecrafter
- Sanitarium Skeleton
- Scaretiller
- Skyfire Phoenix
- Wildfire Devils
- Hate Mirage
Add
- Terminal Agony
- Shadow of the Grave
- Necrogoyf
- Kitchen Imp
- Muck Drubb
- Voldaren Pariah
- Bloodmad Vampire
- Blazing Rootwalla
- Hell Mongrel
- Archfiend of Ifnir
- Incorrigible Youths
- Alms of the Vein
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Big Game Hunter$0.39
Played in 93% of Anje decks. Destroys a creature with power 4 or greater, for {B} with madness. - Call to the Netherworld$0.39
Played in 92% of Anje decks. Returns a black creature card to your hand, free with madness. - Dark Withering$0.18
Played in 91% of Anje decks. Destroys a nonblack creature, for {B} with madness. - Grave Scrabbler$0.11
Played in 89% of Anje decks. Returns a creature card from a graveyard when cast with madness. - Fiery Temper$0.24
Played in 87% of Anje decks. Deals 3 damage to any target, for {R} with madness.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Shadowgrange Archfiend$6.08
An 8/4 for seven mana that makes an opponent sacrifice their biggest creature, with madness for {2}{B} and 8 life. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Glint-Horn Buccaneer$6.93
A hasty creature that deals 1 damage to each opponent whenever you discard a card. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Merciless Rage already has the best madness removal and Anje's looting. The upgrade is cheap madness creatures that cost almost nothing when discarded, in place of heavy artifacts and creatures that Anje decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $3 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Anje Falkenrath from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Merciless Rage precon?
Using data from 5,831 Anje Falkenrath decks, the highest-scoring additions are Terminal Agony (for Aeon Engine), Necrogoyf (for Champion of Stray Souls) and Kitchen Imp (for Geth, Lord of the Vault). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Merciless Rage?
All 12 swaps cost about $3.38 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Shadowgrange Archfiend ($6.08) and Glint-Horn Buccaneer ($6.93).
What should I cut from Merciless Rage?
The weakest cards for this commander are Aeon Engine, Bloodthirsty Blade and Champion of Stray Souls. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Merciless Rage?
Keep Big Game Hunter, Call to the Netherworld, Dark Withering, Grave Scrabbler and Fiery Temper. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Anje Falkenrath do?
Anje Falkenrath costs {1}{B}{R} and is a 1/3 Legendary Vampire with haste. For a tap and a discarded card it draws a card, and whenever you discard a card with madness, it untaps. Discarding a madness card casts it for its cheap madness cost, and then Anje can loot again.
More Commander 2019 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Anje Falkenrath decks (5,831 of them when this was written, 2026-10-28) 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 Anje Falkenrath decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many madness cards because few decks play them outside a madness deck, 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.