Teferi, Temporal Archmage costs {4}{U}{U} and is a Legendary Planeswalker that can be your commander. Its +1 looks at the top two cards of your library and puts one into your hand and the other on the bottom, its -1 untaps up to four target permanents, and its -10 lets you activate loyalty abilities on any player's turn at instant speed. Untapping four mana rocks for a second turn of mana is the whole plan.
The precon already has the mana rocks and the best blue interaction, including Thran Dynamo, Cyclonic Rift, Everflowing Chalice, Worn Powerstone, Sapphire Medallion and Mind Stone. 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 Teferi decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Teferi decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Peer Through Time precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough big-mana artifacts and untap effects
Basalt Monolith, Gilded Lotus, Voltaic Key, Manifold Key and Dramatic Reversal give you more mana or untap permanents, which is exactly what Teferi's -1 wants. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Morphs and filler outside the lists
Turn to Frog, Azure Mage, Brine Elemental, Dulcet Sirens, Fathom Seer, Hoverguard Sweepers, Riptide Survivor, Shaper Parasite, Stitcher Geralf, Willbender, Assault Suit and Crown of Doom are not cards Teferi decks usually play.
Few cards that use Teferi's loyalty
Flux Channeler proliferates Teferi's loyalty counters when you cast a noncreature spell, and Deepglow Skate doubles them.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.
Turn to Frog is a two-mana instant that turns a creature into a 1/1 Frog. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Dramatic Reversal costs {1}{U}. It untaps all nonland permanents you control. A two-mana instant that untaps all your mana rocks.
Azure Mage is a two-mana 2/1 that draws for {3}{U}. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Trinket Mage is a 2/2 Human Wizard for {2}{U}. When it enters you may search your library for an artifact card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it and put it into your hand. A three-drop that fetches Voltaic Key, Manifold Key or Everflowing Chalice.
Brine Elemental is a six-mana 5/4 morph that makes opponents skip an untap step. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Basalt Monolith costs {3}. It doesn't untap during your untap step, taps for {C}{C}{C}, and untaps for {3}. A three-mana artifact that Teferi's -1 untaps for a second three mana, and the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.
Dulcet Sirens is a three-mana 1/3 morph that forces a creature to attack. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Gilded Lotus costs {5}. For a tap it adds three mana of any one color. A five-mana artifact that gives three mana of any colour, and Teferi can untap it.
Fathom Seer is a two-mana 1/3 with a morph that returns two Islands. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Voltaic Key costs {1}. For {1} and a tap, you untap target artifact. A one-mana artifact that untaps Thran Dynamo or Basalt Monolith.
Hoverguard Sweepers is an eight-mana 5/6 flyer that returns up to two creatures. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Narset, Parter of Veils is a {1}{U}{U} planeswalker. Each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn, and its -2 looks at the top four cards and lets you reveal a noncreature, nonland card from among them and put it into your hand. A three-mana planeswalker that digs for spells, like Teferi himself.
Riptide Survivor is a three-mana 2/1 morph that loots. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Manifold Key costs {1}. For {1} and a tap you untap another target artifact, and for {3} and a tap target creature can't be blocked this turn. A one-mana artifact that untaps a rock.
Shaper Parasite is a three-mana 2/3 morph that gives +2/-2 or -2/+2. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Phyrexian Metamorph costs {3}{U/P}, which can be paid with {U} or 2 life. You may have it enter as a copy of any artifact or creature on the battlefield, except it's an artifact in addition to its other types. A four-mana clone that can copy a mana rock.
Stitcher Geralf is a five-mana 3/4 that mills players and makes Zombies. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Moonsilver Key costs {2}. For {1}, a tap and a sacrifice, you search your library for an artifact card with a mana ability or a basic land card and put it into your hand. A two-mana artifact that tutors a mana rock.
Willbender is a two-mana 1/2 morph that changes a spell's target. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Brainstorm costs {U}. You draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library. A one-mana instant that digs deep.
Assault Suit is a four-mana Equipment that lets opponents steal the equipped creature. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Flux Channeler is a 2/2 Human Wizard for {2}{U}. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you proliferate. A three-drop that adds loyalty to Teferi with each artifact and spell.
Crown of Doom is a three-mana artifact that pumps attackers and passes between players. It is not a card Teferi decks usually play.
Deepglow Skate is a 3/3 Fish for {4}{U}. When it enters, you double the number of each kind of counter on any number of target permanents. A five-drop that doubles Teferi's loyalty.
The full swap list
Cut
- Turn to Frog
- Azure Mage
- Brine Elemental
- Dulcet Sirens
- Fathom Seer
- Hoverguard Sweepers
- Riptide Survivor
- Shaper Parasite
- Stitcher Geralf
- Willbender
- Assault Suit
- Crown of Doom
Add
- Dramatic Reversal
- Trinket Mage
- Basalt Monolith
- Gilded Lotus
- Voltaic Key
- Narset, Parter of Veils
- Manifold Key
- Phyrexian Metamorph
- Moonsilver Key
- Brainstorm
- Flux Channeler
- Deepglow Skate
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Thran Dynamo$2.07
Played in 72% of Teferi decks. Taps for three colourless mana and is a great target for Teferi's -1. - Cyclonic Rift$30.54
Played in 65% of Teferi decks. Bounces a permanent, or all of your opponents' with overload. - Everflowing Chalice$0.28
Played in 48% of Teferi decks. Scales its mana with kicker. - Worn Powerstone$0.36
Played in 30% of Teferi decks. Taps for two colourless mana and untaps with Teferi's -1. - Sapphire Medallion$8.35
Played in 61% of Teferi decks. Makes blue 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.
- Rings of Brighthearth$6.58
A three-mana artifact that copies a non-mana activated ability for {2}, including a planeswalker's loyalty ability. It costs more than a budget upgrade should. - Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim$5.19
A five-mana planeswalker that draws a card and grows whenever you draw. It costs more than a budget upgrade should.
Peer Through Time already has the mana rocks, the card draw and Teferi's -1. The upgrade is cheap big-mana artifacts and untap effects, in place of morphs and filler that Teferi decks leave out. These twelve swaps cost about $19 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Teferi, Temporal Archmage from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Peer Through Time precon?
Using data from 1,241 Teferi decks, the highest-scoring additions are Basalt Monolith (for Brine Elemental), Gilded Lotus (for Dulcet Sirens) and Voltaic Key (for Fathom Seer). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Peer Through Time?
All 12 swaps cost about $18.60 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-28). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Rings of Brighthearth ($6.58) and Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim ($5.19).
What should I cut from Peer Through Time?
The weakest cards for this commander are Turn to Frog, Azure Mage and Brine Elemental. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Peer Through Time?
Keep Thran Dynamo, Cyclonic Rift, Everflowing Chalice, Worn Powerstone and Sapphire Medallion. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Teferi do?
Teferi, Temporal Archmage costs {4}{U}{U} and is a Legendary Planeswalker that can be your commander. Its +1 looks at the top two cards of your library and puts one into your hand and the other on the bottom, its -1 untaps up to four target permanents, and its -10 lets you activate loyalty abilities on any player's turn at instant speed. Untapping four mana rocks for a second turn of mana is the whole plan.
More Commander 2014 upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Teferi, Temporal Archmage decks (1,241 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 Teferi decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is moderate for these cards because many blue decks play them, so use inclusion and synergy to compare cards, not lift. 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.