Tyranid Swarm Upgrade Guide: 19 Easy Changes You Can Make

The Swarmlord | Background Illustration by Antonio José Manzanedo

Tyranid Swarm is one of the four Warhammer 40k Commander precons, a Temur () deck based around the tyranids. I confess I don’t know anything about the W40k universe, but at first glance, tyranids seem cool and a lot like the Zerg Swarm to me, so I consider the idea very interesting and well executed.

This is a hydras deck of sorts, in the sense that many creatures have X costs and can get X +1/+1 counters, so the theme isn’t new, and there’s a specific incentive to make X=5 or greater for the ravenous mechanic.

Today, I’ll go through this Commander precon to see what makes it tick and suggest some cool upgrades to make it more consistent. Let’s dive in!

Tyranid Swarm Deck Overview

Warhammer 40k precons have a really high average card quality, and this deck is pretty powerful right out of the box.

Tyranid Swarm is a Temur precon with The Swarmlord as its face commander. Magus Lucea Kane is the side commander, and I think it’s a more interesting choice here, especially with some upgrades.

There are two main themes here: +1/+1 counters and ramp to cast X-spells with an X greater than 5. This deck also has many tyranid creatures and ways to create more Tyranid tokens, which is a marginal subtheme since Tyranid is a creature type that only exists in this precon. Outside of generic typal support and changelings, we can’t make a dedicated tyranid deck.

Upgrade Plan

This precon lacks in two main areas, interaction and card draw, while it has an excess of ramp. Don’t get me wrong, this is a ramp deck, but when you have 10 lands in play, you don’t want to draw another ramp piece like Cultivate or Farseek; you want to draw into action, like Hydroid Krasis, which is a threat and card draw. Decks without white and black will always suffer in the spot removal department, so that and sweepers are something to look for here.

To upgrade this deck, I want to focus more on the X-spells theme, and less on the +1/+1 counter strategies. Magus Lucea Kane is a great enabler for it. This deck already has 11 cards with X in their mana costs, and Lucea Kane provides ramp, as well as a free +1/+1 counter for the creature spells.

Even though The Swarmlord is well supported in the precon, Magus Lucea Kane has the best ceiling and floor. Lucea enters play earlier, and as soon as you start to power up your X-spells, you’re in business.

Kiora’s Follower

Suggested Cut:

Kiora's Follower is part of an untap package that’ll allow you to untap your commander to reuse its tap ability. Kiora's Follower untapping Magus Lucea Kane means you can generate 4 colorless mana instead of 2. Even without the commander, you can untap other permanents as an okay ramp spell.

Since we’re dealing with ramp here, I want to take out Overgrowth, which I consider inferior and clunkier ramp.

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner

Suggested Cut:

Another card for the untap package, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner is excellent in this deck. You can use this planeswalker to untap permanents and draw some cards while casting giant X creatures.

New Horizons is leaving to make room for a different ramp piece; this is Draft chaff that’s borderline playable in enchantress decks, not here.

Animar, Soul of Elements

Suggested Cut:

Animar, Soul of Elements is an excellent ramp card in a creature-heavy deck, while having some +1/+1 counter synergies. It can be slow, but casting Animar with your commander already grants a +1/+1 counter, and the following X-spells will be even bigger.

Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph is a great card and an excellent commander, but this deck has so few ways to deal exactly 1 damage that I’m comfortable cutting it.

Hydroid Krasis

Suggested Cut:

Hydroid Krasis is an excellent addition to a deck like this, where I’m aiming to increase the number and quality of X-spells. This deck has ramp and incentives to cast X-spells, and this can be a great Mulldrifter-like card. It’s a good card early and late, and the card draw is guaranteed even if the spell gets countered.

I don’t think Acolyte Hybrid does a lot for this deck and its themes, so it gets the axe.

The Goose Mother

Suggested Cut:

We can’t play two Hydroid Krasis, so The Goose Mother is an okay replacement. We can draw cards while attacking with The Goose Mother, and sometimes we’ll get some life by cracking the Food tokens.

Explore is just mediocre ramp, and in the worst cases it’s just a cantrip.

Animist’s Awakening

Suggested Cut:

Animist's Awakening is a ramp and X-spell hybrid, and since I’m taking out some of the more traditional ramp cards, this is a nice addition.

Harrow is an okay card, but we already have Cultivate, Farseek, and other ramp pieces, so the need for mana fixing isn’t big.

Altered Ego

Suggested Cut:

Altered Ego is such a staple in decks that need mana sinks or synergies with X-spells. You’ll basically get a clone that can’t be countered and that gets bigger with more +1/+1 counters the more mana you spend.

Goliath Truck is a clunky vehicle that can add some +1/+1 counters here and there, but we’re changing a bit of the deck’s focus since The Swarmlord isn’t our main commander anymore.

Goldvein Hydra

Suggested Cut:

Another excellent creature that costs X, Goldvein Hydra is everything you want in a deck like this. It’s big, it has vigilance and trample, and when it dies, you get some Treasure to keep casting expensive spells.

Lictor is a card that puts some tyranids in play, but since we’re not following the tyranids typal plan, it looks like an easy cut.

Steelbane Hydra

Suggested Cut:

Steelbane Hydra is an attempt to fuse interaction and X-spells in a single card. Commander is a format where Naturalize effects are playable, and everyone has a mana rock, a strong build-around enchantment, or a stax piece. Hull Breach is a playable interaction; I just wanted to replace similar cards.

Voracious Hydra

Suggested Cut:

Another fusion of X-spells and interaction, Voracious Hydra gives you two options: a giant creature or a fight effect.

Genestealer Locus is a bad card in this deck, though I suppose you’d want this card if you’re going wide with 1/1s or something.

Repulsive Mutation

Suggested Cut:

On its own, Repulsive Mutation is a combat trick plus a counterspell. Even without the combat trick part this can still be an effective counter just because you already had a big creature in play.

Tyranid Invasion plays into the tyranid theme with tokens, and I think it’s a solid token creator because you’re often getting three 3/3 tokens for the price of one or two. That said, I want all my cards to support the same theme.

Traumatic Critique

Suggested Cut:

Traumatic Critique is a card draw spell and a fireball effect. Normally, those cards tend to be inefficient based on the amount of mana you’re paying, but here you also get a nice draw-and-discard effect to make up for it, plus Magus Lucea synergies.

The Red Terror is a card that grows when you’re dealing damage with red sources, but this deck isn’t constantly pinging opponents or attacking with red cards. I don’t want to play The Red Terror unless I have like 15-20+ ways to add +1/+1 counters to it.

Doppelgang

Suggested Cut:

Doppelgang is the ultimate mana sink. You can make X copies of X permanents in play, including your opponents’ stuff. Copy lands, creatures, their enchantment-based removal, or even their commanders. I don’t think this deck needs Bone Sabres; it’s clunky to equip, and most of the time, the extra +1/+1 counters won’t matter that much.

Crackle with Power

Suggested Cut:

Crackle with Power is a tried-and-true finisher, and a small sweeper as well. Killing some creatures with just one card is good enough, and for 11 mana you can deal 15 damage to three targets.

Tyranid Prime must be a cool top-down design, but I don’t see a 0/4 evolve creature making it into this deck, and giving the benefits to others is also marginal. I might consider it if The Swarmlord were our commander.

Zimone, Infinite Analyst

Suggested Cut:

Zimone, Infinite Analyst is an enabler and a payoff for X-spells. The first you cast will put two +1/+1 counters on Zimone, which will reduce from the next X-spells. It’s similar to Animar, Soul of Elements in essence, and a nice card for this deck.

I’m cutting Gargoyle Flock because you have to do some work to get an extra 1/1 flying token every turn, and that’s definitely not what we want to do here.

Rosheen Meanderer

Suggested Cut:

Any deck that wants to cast X-spells should play Rosheen Meanderer. Tapping this card to add is huge, and this deck has some ways to untap it. Toxicrene is a cool card, and it’s fine in 5-color strategies, or if you want to shut down enemy lands. But even then, we’re also fixing opponents’ mana for free, which isn’t something we need to be doing here.

Rosheen, Roaring Prophet

Suggested Cut:

Rosheen, Roaring Prophet is another take on X-spell support. This one isn’t adding straight away, but it’ll probably pick up your next X-spell when it enters, while also being a Metalworker of sorts for those spells.

Venomthrope is a nice tyranid if you’re into dealing damage with them, or putting +1/+1 counters on this card. Since I’m going in the opposite direction, I’m comfortable taking this one out.

Geometer’s Arthropod

Suggested Cut:

Geometer's Arthropod draws more cards if you’re casting X-spells. It’s a nice blocker in the early game, so this is one of those creatures you want to cast on turns 2-4. Purestrain Genestealer is also one of these cards, but the benefit of attacking twice and getting some lands isn’t what I’m looking for here.

Unbound Flourishing

Suggested Cut:

Unbound Flourishing is also a staple in decks that want to cast X-spells. This 3-mana enchantment just doubles your X-costs, making your spells extremely efficient, and you can win some games using this card and finishers like Crackle with Power.

I’m taking out a Mountain here because the deck already has 39 lands plus other sources or ramp.

The Final Deck and New Cards

Here’s the new deck with the upgrades. There are some pretty powerful new X-spells, that’s for sure. And the deck’s become more versatile and focused. If you want to get just the new cards, just click on the shopping cart icon in the second list below.

Commanding Conclusion

Magus Lucea Kane | Illustration by Bartek Fedyczak

And there you have it folks, my take on a Tyranid Swarm upgrade with Magus Lucea Kane at the helm. This list has an increased focus on X-spells, and it has become a blue and green deck with a light red splash. I wanted to keep the upgrade list on a budget, so that limits what I’ve suggested.

The Swarmlord is a powerful commander as well, and you can focus on more creatures that enter with +1/+1 counters and more counter synergies, or even proliferate. Some cards in this precon want you to make a lot of tokens and go wide with tyranids, so maybe throw in an Edric, Spymaster of Trest and some ways to double tokens and counters (yep, Doubling Season works wonders).

As usual, let me know what you think about this list in the comments section below, or over in our Draftsim Discord. And for more on Commander precon tips, follow our YouTube channel, The Daily Upkeep.

Until next time!

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