Arcane Foundry › Commanders › Preston, the Vanisher
Preston, the Vanisher
Legendary Creature — Rabbit Wizard · {3}{W} · White commander
Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, if it wasn't cast, create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a 0/1 white Illusion.
{1}{W}, Sacrifice five Illusions: Exile target nonland permanent.
Build a Preston, the Vanisher deck →
What Preston, the Vanisher actually does
Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.
- Triggered ability · etbWhenever another nontoken creature you control enters, if it wasn't cast, create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a 0/1 white Illusion.
- Activated ability{1}{W}, Sacrifice five Illusions: Exile target nonland permanent.
What a Preston, the Vanisher deck needs
Plays as copy engine. What the commander asks of the other 99 — read from the card and checked by hand.
- creatures and permanents entering every turn — cheap bodies, blink and recursion (its trigger fires on each one)
- high-value creatures and activated-ability creatures worth copying or borrowing
- token payoffs — anthems, sacrifice outlets and go-wide finishers (it makes tokens on repeat)
- reanimation, blink and free deploys (it pays off creatures that enter without being cast)
The Preston, the Vanisher deck plan
The roles the Forge fills for this commander, and how many cards of each.
- 8× Get your board back after a wipe
- 16× A permanent whose value is in its enter-the-battlefield trigger — the payload a blink deck reuses
- 12× Make creature tokens — a static anthem or a go-wide commander needs a board to be wide
- 6× Exile a permanent you control and return it — the button a value-ETB deck presses
- 4× A team pump that actually pumps tokens
- 5× Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- 9× Find the exact card the plan needs
- 1× Answer a whole board at once
- 7× Refill your hand
Best cards for Preston, the Vanisher
Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.
Get your board back after a wipe
- Resurgent Belief0 mana
- Mantle of the Ancients5 mana
- Dewdrop Cure3 mana
- Faith's Reward4 mana
- Grimoire of the Dead4 mana
- Replenish4 mana
- Brilliant Restoration7 mana
- Smile at Death5 mana
A permanent whose value is in its enter-the-battlefield trigger — the payload a blink deck reuses
- Knight of the White Orchid2 mana
- Spirited Companion2 mana
- Solemn Simulacrum4 mana
- Loran of the Third Path3 mana
- Ranger-Captain of Eos3 mana
- Helpful Hunter2 mana
- Loyal Warhound2 mana
- Wall of Omens2 mana
Make creature tokens — a static anthem or a go-wide commander needs a board to be wide
- Replicating Ring3 mana
- Elspeth, Storm Slayer5 mana
- Hero of Bladehold4 mana
- Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate0 mana
- Elspeth, Sun's Champion6 mana
- Andúril, Flame of the West3 mana
- Cosmogrand Zenith3 mana
- Twilight Drover3 mana
Exile a permanent you control and return it — the button a value-ETB deck presses
- Airbender Ascension2 mana
- Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd2 mana
- Eldrazi Displacer3 mana
- Flickerwisp3 mana
- Touch the Spirit Realm3 mana
- Conjurer's Closet5 mana
- Distinguished Conjurer2 mana
- Felidar Guardian4 mana
A team pump that actually pumps tokens
- Intangible Virtue2 mana
- Caretaker's Talent3 mana
- Inspiring Leader3 mana
- Prava of the Steel Legion3 mana
- Gideon's Memorial2 mana
- Mite Overseer4 mana
- Phantom General4 mana
- Flowering of the White Tree2 mana
Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- Path to Exile1 mana
- Swords to Plowshares1 mana
- March of Otherworldly Light1 mana
- Generous Gift3 mana
- Erode1 mana
- Unwanted Remake1 mana
- Angelic Ascension2 mana
- You Cannot Pass!1 mana
Find the exact card the plan needs
- Open the Armory2 mana
- Enlightened Tutor1 mana
- Templar Knight2 mana
- Idyllic Tutor3 mana
- Ranger-Captain of Eos3 mana
- Loyal Tutor1 mana
- Recruiter of the Guard3 mana
- Search for Glory3 mana
Answer a whole board at once
- Vanquish the Horde8 mana
- Wrath of God4 mana
- Day of Judgment4 mana
- Shatter the Sky4 mana
- Split Up3 mana
- Winds of Abandon2 mana
- Depopulate4 mana
- No Witnesses4 mana
Refill your hand
- Esper Sentinel1 mana
- Skullclamp1 mana
- Archivist of Oghma2 mana
- The One Ring4 mana
- Vexing Bauble1 mana
- Caretaker's Talent3 mana
- Enduring Innocence3 mana
- Mentor of the Meek3 mana
Combos with Preston, the Vanisher
Known combos from Commander Spellbook that Preston, the Vanisher is a piece of, and how many decks list them.
- Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Ephemerate20,365 decks
- Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Cloudshift15,854 decks
- Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Karmic Guide7,355 decks
- Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Flicker Of Fate6,706 decks
- Preston, the Vanisher + Ghostly Flicker + Felidar Guardian6,097 decks
- Preston, the Vanisher + Felidar Guardian + Essence Flux5,668 decks
Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →
Arcane Foundry is free to join and every tool is included: the Arcane Forge deck builder, the ARCANE Analyzer that scores a deck by simulating games rather than counting staples, a card scanner, a collection vault, and live webcam Commander tables.
Read the guide · Browse all commanders · Pricing