Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate has been released alongside four new preconstructed Commander decks, so we're going to look at several budget-friendly upgrades for the Dimir (black/blue) Horror tribal deck, Mind Flayarrrs.

RELATED: Magic: The Gathering - Best Backgrounds In Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate

Before we begin, we should note that our upgrade recommendations will be based on the assumption that players will be building their deck around Mind Flayarrrs' default commander, Captain N'ghathrod. Additionally, as we're keeping budget in mind, these cards can be obtained for under a total of 50 dollars!

10 Whispersilk Cloak

Whispersilk Cloak

Whispersilk Cloak is a useful piece of equipment for three mana with an equip cost of two, providing an equipped creature with shroud whilst preventing it from being blocked.

This equipment is a perfect addition to a Captain N'ghathrod deck as it helps utilize the commander's abilities whilst providing a much-needed layer of protection. Captain N'ghathrod states that whenever a Horror you control deals combat damage to a player, that player mills that many cards, a Whispersilk Cloak can ensure that the captain itself will be able to trigger this effect whilst allowing it to dodge an opponent's removal. As Captain N'ghathrod. also allows you to gain control of a card an opponent milled at the end of each of your turns, a Whispersilk cloak can help guarantee its controller gains access to powerful assets.

9 Reconnaissance Mission

Reconnaissance Mission

Printed in Ikoria, Reconnaissance Mission is a blue enchantment for four mana. Once this card is in play, whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you draw a card. As Captain N'ghathrod provides evasion to your Horrors in the form of menace whilst incentivizing you to damage opponents through its milling trigger, Reconnaissance Mission makes the act of damaging opponent's yet even more beneficial, with each individual Horror becoming a powerful value engine.

8 Kindred Discovery

Kindred Discovery

Recently reprinted in Battle for Baldur's Gate, the previously pricy Kindred Discovery is now a significantly cheaper, budget-friendly option. A blue enchantment for five mana, when this card enters the battlefield, you choose a creature type. In the case of a Captain N'ghathrod deck, we'll always be choosing Horrors. Whenever you attack with a creature of the chosen type or whenever one such creature enters the battlefield under your control, you draw a card.

RELATED: MTG: The Best Uncommon Commanders In Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate

As Captain N'ghathrod's most notable abilities are based around attacking and dealing combat damage to opponents, this provides a further benefit for doing so, even offering a reward if the attacking Horrors are blocked. With a Kindred Discovery in play, a Horror tribal deck will never be short on cards.

7 Cut Your Losses

Cut Your Losses Magic: The Gathering full card background

Cut Your Losses is a devastating blue sorcery printed in Streets of New Capenna. For the cost of six mana, this sorcery can mill half the cards in target player's library. However, due to having casualty 2, if a creature with power 2 or greater is sacrificed as this spell is cast, it's copied, meaning it can mill 75% of an opponent's deck. Captain N'ghathrod notably allows you to return a creature or artifact from an opponent's graveyard that was put there from their library at the end of your turn, meaning that by milling 75% of an opponent's deck, you're guaranteed access to a stellar option to steal.

6 Duskmantle Guildmage

Duskmantle Guildmage

Printed in Gatecrash, Duskmantle Guildmage is a Dimir Human Wizard for two mana. While this creature totes two activated abilities, the ability that's relevant for this deck is its first, which for the cost of three mana, states that whenever a card is put into an opponent’s graveyard from anywhere this turn, that player loses one life.

RELATED: MTG Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate: The Best Reprints In The Exit From Exile Deck

An important element of Captain N'ghathrod is that it causes opponents dealt combat damage by your Horrors to mill that many cards. This means that when paired with Duskmantle Guildmage's first activated ability, your horror will be able to deal twice as much damage as they would otherwise.

5 Syr Konrad, the Grim

Image of the Syr Konrad, the Grim  card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Anna Steinbauer

It's no secret that Syr Konrad, the Grim is a great inclusion in any mill deck with access to black mana. For five mana, this 5/4 Human Knight that states that whenever another creature dies or a creature is put into a graveyard from anywhere other than the battlefield (such as through milling) Syr Konrad, the Grim deals one damage to each opponent. As Captain N'ghathrod allows one's Horrors to mill through substantial portions of opponents' decks, Syr Konrad can cause this milling to deal additional damage to each other player at the Commander table.

4 Spoils of Blood

Spoils of Blood

An underrated and lesser-known card from Commander 2014, Spoils of Blood is an instant for one mana. Upon being cast, you're able to create an X/X Horror token where X is the number of creatures that died that turn. Once in your hand, by simply holding up a single black mana source, Spoils of Blood can allow you to capitalize off of an opponent's board wipe or make your own board wipes all the more beneficial.

3 Arcane Adaptation

Arcane Adaptation

Printed in Ixalan, Arcane Adaptation is a unique blue enchantment for three mana that allows you to name a creature type as it enters the battlefield, causing each creature you control to gain that creature type.

While Captain N'ghathrod provides two beneficial abilities to each of your Horrors, the creatures you steal from your opponent's graveyard using the captain's third ability most often won't benefit from these abilities as well. Thanks to Arcane Adaptation, regardless of what creatures you mill and gain control of from your opponent's library, they can access the same powerful Horror synergies as your own cards.

2 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

K'rrik Son of Yawgmoth MTG Card

K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth is a stellar Phyrexian Horror Minion for seven mana that can function as an excellent source of cost reduction for one's black spells. This is because K'rrik converts every black mana symbol in the costs of any mana cost you'd pay into a black Phyrexian mana symbol, meaning it can be paid with life rather than mana.

Though this payment of life can add up rather quickly, K'rrik has access to lifelink and the ability to quickly grow over the course of a game through +1/+1 counters. This means that K'rrik can easily serve as one of the most impactful Horrors in your deck, simultaneously functioning as a combative threat and a means of playing cards more quickly than you normally could otherwise.

1 Court Of Cunning

Court of Cunning

Appearing in Commander Legends, Court of Cunning is a blue enchantment for three mana with a lot going for it, especially in the context of a Captain N'ghathrod. deck. Upon entering the battlefield, you become the monarch, gaining access to additional card advantage. Most importantly, at the beginning of your upkeep, you can have any number of players mill two cards. However, those players instead mill a much more notable ten cards if you're the monarch.

As Captain N'ghathrod. allows its controller to gain control of an artifact or creature that was milled that turn and at the end of your end step, Court of Cunning essentially provides access to a staggering thirty additional cards to choose from when it comes time to figure out which card to pilfer from an opponent's graveyard!

Next: Magic: The Gathering - Best Cards For A Dragon Tribal Commander Deck