Killian, Decisive Mentor costs {1}{W}{B}. Whenever an enchantment you control enters, you tap up to one target creature and goad it, and whenever one or more creatures enchanted by an Aura you control attack, you draw a card. Every enchantment is a goad, and every attack with an enchanted creature is a card.
The precon already has the Aura engines, including Kor Spiritdancer, Sram and Eriette of the Charmed Apple. 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 Killian decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Killian decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Silverquill Influence precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Politics cards that feed the table
Secret Rendezvous has you and an opponent each draw three, Keen Duelist makes you and an opponent each take the other's revealed card, Combat Calligrapher gives attackers an Inkling, and Firemane Commando draws cards for opponents who attack someone else. Each gives value to the table as well as to you.
The best Aura cards are missing
Ethereal Armor, All That Glitters, Eye of Nidhogg and Mesa Enchantress are the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out, and each is a cheap way to turn an enchantment into a big, evasive attacker or a card.
Slow lands
Silverquill Campus, Sunlit Marsh, Forum of Amity and Temple of Silence all enter tapped, in a deck with 37 lands.
The 11 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Secret Rendezvous has you and an opponent each draw three cards, and it is played in about one Killian deck in eight.
Ethereal Armor costs {W}: enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control and has first strike. A one-mana Aura that makes a creature huge in a deck with 30 enchantment cards, and it is the highest-scoring card the precon is missing.

Intermediate Chirography is a Class that makes a 2/1 flying Inkling when it enters, and levels up for more. It is played in about one Killian deck in eight.
All That Glitters costs {1}{W}: enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact and/or enchantment you control. A two-mana Aura that is nearly as big as Ethereal Armor, and it is played in about 60% of Killian decks.

Keen Duelist is a 2/2 that makes you and an opponent each reveal your top card, lose life equal to the other's card, and put your card into your hand. It gives an opponent a free card each turn, and is played in about one Killian deck in seven.
Eye of Nidhogg costs {2}{B}. Enchanted creature becomes a black Dragon with base power and toughness 4/2, flying and deathtouch, and is goaded, and when the Aura goes to the graveyard it returns to your hand. A recurring Aura that goads and keeps coming back.

Tomik is a 2/4 flying, vigilant creature with affinity for planeswalkers, and the deck has no planeswalkers to cheapen it. His trigger draws only when an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures.
Mesa Enchantress costs {1}{W}{W}: whenever you cast an enchantment spell, you may draw a card. In a deck with 30 enchantment cards, that is a card most turns.

Combat Calligrapher is a 3/3 flier for {3}{W} that gives an Inkling to any player who attacks one of your opponents. It builds up other players' boards as well as yours.
Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice costs {1}{W}. Whenever you cast an Aura, you may search your library for an Aura with the same or lower mana value and a different name and put it onto the battlefield attached to Light-Paws. A two-drop that turns each Aura into two.

Firemane Commando is a 4/3 flier for {3}{W} that draws cards for you when you attack with two or more creatures, and for other players who attack someone else. It is played in about one Killian deck in four.
Danitha Capashen, Paragon is a first strike, vigilance, lifelink creature for {2}{W} that makes Aura and Equipment spells cost {1} less. Every Aura you cast is one mana cheaper, and Danitha is a strong body to put them on.

Nils, Discipline Enforcer puts a +1/+1 counter on one creature for each player at your end step, which means counters for your opponents too. It is played in about one Killian deck in four.
Sigil of the Empty Throne costs {3}{W}{W}: whenever you cast an enchantment spell you create a 4/4 flying Angel. In a deck with 30 enchantment cards, every spell makes a 4/4 flier.

Mangara is a 2/4 lifelinker that draws a card when an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures, or casts their second spell each turn. It is a defensive card that is played in about one Killian deck in three.
Spellbook Vendor is a 2/2 vigilance creature for {1}{W}. At the beginning of combat you may pay {1} to create a Sorcerer Role token attached to a creature you control. A Role is an enchantment, so every combat it triggers Killian, and gives the creature +1/+1 and scry.

Fallen Ideal gives flying and a sacrifice ability, and returns to your hand when it goes to the graveyard. It is a fine Aura, but it is played in about one Killian deck in four.
Spirit Link costs {W}: whenever enchanted creature deals damage, you gain that much life. A one-mana Aura that is a cheap enchantment for Killian and gains you life with every hit.

Shadrix Silverquill is a 2/5 flying, double strike Elder Dragon for {3}{W}{B} with a choice of modes at the start of combat. It is played in about one Killian deck in three.
Ondu Spiritdancer is a 3/3 Kor Cleric for {4}{W}. Whenever an enchantment you control enters, you may create a token copy of it, once each turn. A copied enchantment is a second goad trigger from Killian.

Raffine's Guidance is a one-mana Aura that gives +1/+1 and can be cast again from the graveyard for {2}{W}. It is played in about one Killian deck in three.
Sphere of Safety is a five-mana enchantment. Creatures can't attack you or your planeswalkers unless their controller pays {X} for each of those creatures, where X is the number of enchantments you control. In an enchantment deck it is a wall, and it enters as another goad trigger.
The full swap list
Cut
- Secret Rendezvous
- Intermediate Chirography
- Keen Duelist
- Tomik, Wielder of Law
- Combat Calligrapher
- Firemane Commando
- Nils, Discipline Enforcer
- Mangara, the Diplomat
- Fallen Ideal
- Shadrix Silverquill
- Raffine's Guidance
Add
- Ethereal Armor
- All That Glitters
- Eye of Nidhogg
- Mesa Enchantress
- Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice
- Danitha Capashen, Paragon
- Sigil of the Empty Throne
- Spellbook Vendor
- Spirit Link
- Ondu Spiritdancer
- Sphere of Safety
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Eriette of the Charmed Apple$0.36
Played in 93% of Killian decks. Creatures enchanted by your Auras can't attack you, which turns every Aura into protection. - Ghoulish Impetus$0.47
A cheap Aura that gives +1/+1 and deathtouch, and goads the creature. Killian triggers, and the goaded creature goes at someone else. - Kor Spiritdancer$0.42
Gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it and draws a card whenever you cast an Aura. - Killian, Ink Duelist$0.29
A lifelink, menace creature that makes spells that target a creature cost {2} less, which makes every Aura cheap. - Sram, Senior Edificer$1.71
Draws a card whenever you cast an Aura, Equipment or Vehicle spell.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Open the Armory$2.48
Tutors an Aura or Equipment for two mana. - Timely Ward$3.66
An Aura you can cast with flash on your commander, giving it indestructible.
Silverquill Influence already plays the Aura engines and the draw. The upgrade is cheap Auras that make one creature huge, enchantment payoffs that draw cards or make Angels, and fewer politics cards that give the table free value. These eleven swaps cost about $17 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Killian, Decisive Mentor from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Silverquill Influence precon?
Using data from 11,376 Killian decks, the highest-scoring additions are Ethereal Armor (for Secret Rendezvous), All That Glitters (for Intermediate Chirography) and Eye of Nidhogg (for Keen Duelist). The full list has 11 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Silverquill Influence?
All 11 swaps cost about $17.47 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Open the Armory ($2.48) and Timely Ward ($3.66).
What should I cut from Silverquill Influence?
The weakest cards for this commander are Secret Rendezvous, Intermediate Chirography and Keen Duelist. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Silverquill Influence?
Keep Eriette of the Charmed Apple, Ghoulish Impetus, Kor Spiritdancer, Killian, Ink Duelist and Sram, Senior Edificer. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Killian do?
Killian, Decisive Mentor costs {1}{W}{B}. Whenever an enchantment you control enters, you tap up to one target creature and goad it, and whenever one or more creatures enchanted by an Aura you control attack, you draw a card. Every enchantment is a goad, and every attack with an enchanted creature is a card.
More Secrets of Strixhaven Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Killian, Decisive Mentor decks (11,376 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 Killian decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for many cards here because they are rarely played outside Aura and enchantment decks, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.










