Proxy Power Up: Blood Rites Precon Upgrade Guide (Calvileno, First of the Blessed)

Welcome, esteemed conquerors of the Ixalan frontier! 

In this edition of Proxy Power Up, where we’re delving into the heart of adventure with the Blood Rites commander precon deck. Leading this quest for untold treasures is the formidable Clavileno, First of the Blessed—a vampire conquistador with an insatiable thirst for exploration!

Straight out of the box, the Blood Rites deck exudes power, but even the most formidable vampires seek to enhance their dominion. Join us as we navigate the uncharted territories of Ixalan, spotlighting 9 cards that may not perfectly align with the deck’s theme and strategy. Fear not, we’ll also unveil the 9 cards from our “Blood Rites Proxy Precon Upgrade Pack,” destined to amplify your commander experience and lead your vampire conquistadors to new heights of power. Sharpen your fangs and ready your blades, for a thrilling journey of conquest and plunder awaits! 

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose: Vito is a must-include in any “life gain / Life drain” deck. Even without the combos that Vito enables, he serves as a powerful way to finish off opponents even through a board stall.

Veinwitch Coven: Another excellent life gain payoff that gives you a way to get back all your vampires you may have lost to enable Clavileno’s effect. 

Captivating Vampire: I love Captivating Vampire as a lord for this deck. Not only does it pump the team, including your 4/3 vampire demon tokens from Clavileno, but it also lets you steal your opponent’s threats in the mid to late-game. 

Queen’s Bay Paladin: The fact that this is an ETB instead of an attack trigger is great. It is basically a reanimation effect on a vampire. On theme. Great synergy. 

Beseech the Mirror: Not only is this a powerful tutor, but it also synergizes as an enabler for Clavileno’s ability by paying the “bargain” cost. I LOVE this card in this deck. 

Phyrexian Altar: A deck that actively wants to sacrifice its creatures? Phyrexian alter is usually an excellent fit and this deck is no exception. 

Skullclamp: *Copy and Paste reasoning for Phyrexian Altar*

Roaming Throne: Now THIS is a commander staple. Introduced in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan mina set, Roaming Throne has since become an auto-include in just about every typal deck. Throw this in and have some seriously fun turns. You can thank us later. 

Anguished Unmaking: An efficient removal spell that hits almost everything. 10/10. 

Village Rites: I like blood rites. With our upgrades, there simply just isn’t space for another one of these effects. 

Temple of the False God: There are VERY few (if any) decks that I’d be happy to run Temple of the False God. And with a relatively cheap mana curve and sac outlets that generate mana, we can probably get away with 36 lands here. 

Kindred Boon: This can be powerful, however, it is only powerful in SUUUUPER slow games and that’s not fun for anyone. Plus the potential to get blown out by this by mass bounce and exile effects makes it an easy cut. 

Mind Stone: Mind Stone is another card I don’t mind in casual/low-powered games. That said, after our upgrades, Mind Stone simply doesn’t make the cut.

Falkenrath Noble: This card is a case study on the MASSIVE difference in power and playability between cards that say “target player” vs “each opponent”.

Return to Dust: Another card that I don’t hate in low-powered matchups. After our upgrades, there’s no room for “meh” cards like Return to Dust. 

Sanctum Seeker: Even though Sanctum Seeker does hit “each opponent”, it’s too slow and telegraphed to close out unexpecting opponents. If you have a board big enough for this to be a true threat, it would be RARE for it to see your next combat phase. 

Vona, Butcher of Magan: Am I the only one that says “Megan” like Josh from Drake and Josh when reading this card? Maybe I’m just weird (I am), but Vona is just too slow to consistently make an impact. 

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad: As you probably already know, for a planeswalker to be viable in commander, it needs to be REALLY good and/or make an immediate impact on the board. I feel like Sorin will most commonly be 4-mana for a +1/+0 anthem emblem and then not see another untap step. 

For affordable mana base upgrades for this deck, make sure to check out our land packs HERE.

Pick up our Blood Rites Precon Upgrade Pack HERE.