Animated Army Commander Precon Guide

Overview

Animated Army takes an unusual angle on the Gruul colour identity. Rather than the typical creature-aggro approach, Bello rewards you for filling your deck with high-mana-value artifacts and enchantments, then turns them all into 4/4 indestructible Elementals with haste the moment they enter the battlefield. What looks like a passive enchantment or artifact is suddenly a combat threat that demands an answer, and if your opponent cannot answer it, you draw a card when it deals damage.

The deck plays out as a threat-dense midrange strategy. Every permanent in your top-end does double duty: it functions as its normal self and as an attacker under Bello. Enchantments like Sunbird's Invocation cascade spells off the top of your library while simultaneously threatening as a 4/4 on the turn they land. Artifacts like Esika's Chariot generate tokens in the normal way and pile into combat alongside the rest of your animated permanents. The result is a deck that is well-built for a precon, focused, and surprisingly capable out of the box.

Key Cards

Playing the Deck

The early game is about landing ramp and establishing Bello by turn four. The deck has significant ramp support — both mana-producing artifacts that also become Bello's 4/4 attackers — so the curve feels natural. Prioritise getting Bello into play on curve. Without Bello, the deck's artifacts and enchantments are still functional but lose their aggressive dimension.

The mid game centres on deploying the top-end permanents. The ideal sequence is Bello on turn four, then a high-MV artifact or enchantment on turn five that immediately attacks as a 4/4 with haste. Warstorm Surge and Outpost Siege are particularly strong additions in these turns, providing either damage as creatures enter or an additional card per turn. Cards like Esika's Chariot compound the pressure by also generating token creatures alongside their animated body.

The late game is about overwhelming the board through sheer mass of 4/4s. Unnatural Growth makes each individual attacker disproportionately powerful as the count grows. Greater Good keeps the hand stocked through any attrition. If opponents manage to deal with Bello repeatedly, the deck can still function through Gratuitous Violence, which doubles all damage your creatures deal and extends the deck's reach even without the animation effect active.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: Animated Army is widely regarded as the best-built of the four Bloomburrow precons out of the box. Its focus is tight, its curve is consistent, and the redundancy between ramp pieces and Bello targets means hands rarely feel awkward. Indestructible animated permanents are also difficult to remove cleanly — opponents need exile effects specifically, rather than simple destroy spells.

Weaknesses: As the game develops, 4/4s can get outclassed by larger commander threats. The deck also has more ramp than it strictly needs, and a token subtheme that dilutes focus slightly. Enchantment or artifact sweepers (Austere Command, Bane of Progress) can devastate the board in a way that creature removal cannot, since they hit every animated permanent simultaneously.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Animated Army precon, enriched with current prices. Click any card to expand it.