The best Avengers Assemble upgrades are Agent Phil Coulson (29 cents, and in 72% of Captain America, Team Leader decks on EDHREC), Captain America, Wings of Freedom and Captain America, Super-Soldier. All 10 adds in this guide cost about $17.59 together on TCGplayer, so the whole upgrade stays under $20. They replace the 10 precon cards Cap players cut most often, starting with Speed, Young Avenger and Love on the Battlefield.
Updated October 24, 2026 · Play rates from EDHREC (5,935 Captain America, Team Leader decks) · TCGplayer market prices checked October 24, 2026
Who this is for: You own the Avengers Assemble precon, or you’re about to buy it (about $49 on TCGplayer), and you want a cheap first round of upgrades that keeps the deck’s Avengers theme. Every swap below is one-for-one, so you can make them in any order. To see how it compares with the other three Marvel decks, read all 4 Marvel Super Heroes precons, ranked.
How does the Captain America deck win?
Captain America, Team Leader ({R}{W}{U}, 3/3) has one ability: whenever another Hero you control enters, it gains vigilance and haste until end of turn, and you put a +1/+1 counter on that Hero and on Captain America.
So every Hero you play can attack right away, bigger than its printed size, and Cap grows along with the team. The best upgrades are cheap Heroes that are good on their own, cards that pay you for creatures with counters, and protection for a board you’ve spent turns building. The alternate commander in the box, Director Nick Fury, makes your Hero spells cost {1} less and digs for a Hero every time you attack.
What are the best Avengers Assemble upgrades?
Here are the 10 cards to add, ranked by how many Captain America, Team Leader decks on EDHREC play them. None of them come in the precon, and eight of the ten are Heroes. Click any card to check its price on TCGplayer.
1. Agent Phil Coulson
What it does: Vigilance. Tap him to put a +1/+1 counter on each other Hero you control.
Why it fits Cap: Captain America gives every Hero that enters haste, so Coulson can tap the turn he comes down. After that he grows your whole team every turn, and vigilance means he can attack too. It’s the most-played card that isn’t in the box, and it costs less than a dollar.
Play rate and price: In 72% of Captain America, Team Leader decks on EDHREC. Market price $0.29 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
2. Captain America, Wings of Freedom
What it does: Flying, first strike, ward {1}. Whenever he attacks, each other Hero you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is his toughness.
Why it fits Cap: This is Sam Wilson’s Captain America, and the counters from Team Leader raise his toughness, so his pump keeps getting bigger. With Team Leader on the battlefield he enters as a 4/2, which already means +2/+2 for the rest of the team on every attack.
Play rate and price: In 66% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $0.37 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
3. Captain America, Super-Soldier
What it does: First strike. He enters with a shield counter, and as long as he has one, you and your other Heroes have hexproof.
Why it fits Cap: Your Heroes pile up +1/+1 counters, which makes them prime removal targets. Super-Soldier stops your opponents from targeting any of them, and the shield counter makes him hard to kill first.
Play rate and price: In 64% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $2.48 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
4. Spectacular Spider-Man
What it does: Flash. Pay {1}: he gains flying until end of turn. Pay {1} and sacrifice him: creatures you control gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Why it fits Cap: A two-drop that doubles as protection against a board wipe. When someone casts one, sacrifice Spidey and your whole team survives. Flash also lets him enter at the end of an opponent’s turn and still trigger Cap.
Play rate and price: In 57% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $4.69 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
5. Avengers Assemble!
What it does: Flash. Heroes you control get +2/+2. At the beginning of each end step, if you attacked with a Hero or a Hero entered under your control that turn, you draw a card.
Why it fits Cap: An anthem and a card a turn in one card, and in this deck the draw condition is almost always met. It’s also the card the deck is named after, which makes it hard to leave out.
Play rate and price: In 54% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $2.87 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
6. SP//dr, Piloted by Peni
What it does: Vigilance. When it enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Whenever a modified creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card. (Counters, Equipment and Auras make a creature modified.)
Why it fits Cap: Captain America puts a +1/+1 counter on every Hero that enters, so nearly your whole team is modified. Every one of them that connects draws you a card.
Play rate and price: In 51% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $0.31 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
7. Spider-Woman, Stunning Savior
What it does: Flying. Artifacts and creatures your opponents control enter tapped.
Why it fits Cap: Your opponents’ new creatures can’t block the turn they arrive, and their mana rocks come in a turn late. That keeps the way clear for a deck that wants to attack every turn.
Play rate and price: In 50% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $1.49 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
8. Daredevil, Man Without Fear
What it does: Vigilance, haste. You may look at the top card of your library any time. Whenever you attack, you may exile the top card of your library. If it’s a Hero card, Daredevil gets +2/+1 until end of turn. You may play that card this turn.
Why it fits Cap: An extra card every time you attack, and in a deck full of Heroes he gets bigger most of the time too. Since you can see the top card, you always know what you’re about to get.
Play rate and price: In 46% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $0.30 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
9. Hawkeye, Trick Shot
What it does: Reach, first strike. Whenever Hawkeye or another Hero you control enters, he deals damage equal to the number of Heroes you control to any target.
Why it fits Cap: Every Hero you play after him becomes removal or direct damage, and it scales with the size of your team. The precon’s own Hawkeye pings for 1. This one is a big upgrade.
Play rate and price: In 44% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $3.64 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
10. Path to Exile
What it does: Exile target creature. Its controller may search for a basic land and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Why it fits Cap: One mana to answer any creature at instant speed. It replaces Make Your Move, which costs three and only hits creatures with 4 or more power.
Play rate and price: In 44% of Captain America decks on EDHREC. Market price $1.15 (TCGplayer, Oct 24). Check today’s price on TCGplayer
How much does it cost to upgrade Avengers Assemble?
| Upgrade | What you get | Cost (Oct 24) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | The 6 cheapest adds: Agent Phil Coulson, Wings of Freedom, SP//dr, Daredevil, Path to Exile and Spider-Woman | $3.91 |
| Full list | All 10 adds above | $17.59 |
| Full list + lands | All 10 adds, plus Gleaming Bastion, Hallowed Fountain, Sacred Foundry and Steam Vents | $46.95 |
Prices move fast. Follow @HelloNerdsnack on X for price drops and new chase cards.
Prices are TCGplayer market prices for the cheapest English printing of each card. Add the deck itself at about $49, and a fully upgraded Avengers Assemble comes to roughly $96.
Which cards should you cut from Avengers Assemble?
These are the 10 precon cards that the fewest Captain America decks on EDHREC still play. Most of them don’t make your Heroes bigger, protect them or draw you cards.
| Cut | Still played in | Why it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Speed, Young Avenger | 17% | Needs you to cast noncreature spells, and this deck is mostly creatures. |
| Love on the Battlefield | 20% | Only works when you attack with exactly two creatures. This deck wants to attack with everything. |
| Patriot, Shield Wielder | 23% | Protects one creature for a turn. Captain America, Super-Soldier protects the whole team. |
| Captain Mar-Vell, Space-Born | 23% | Five mana for a 4/4 flier. Casting spells at instant speed is a nice bonus, not a plan. |
| Hero’s Blade | 23% | Attaches for free when a legend enters, but +3/+2 on one creature does less than counters on all of them. |
| Tome of Legends | 25% | Slow card draw that costs mana every time you use it. |
| Hawkeye, Avenging Archer | 28% | Pings for 1. Hawkeye, Trick Shot does the same job much better. |
| Vision, Synthezoid Avenger | 30% | Only grows when a player casts a spell during someone else’s turn. |
| Make Your Move | 31% | Three mana, and it only hits creatures with 4 or more power. Path to Exile replaces it. |
| Bastion Protector | 36% | Only boosts your commander, and Cap already grows on his own. |
“Still played in” is the share of Captain America, Team Leader decks on EDHREC that kept the card. A low number means most players took it out.
Which lands should you upgrade?
A three-color deck that wants to play a Hero every turn can’t afford many lands that enter tapped. These four swaps fix most of the mana:
| Add | Why | Price | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gleaming Bastion | Taps for white or blue as long as you control a basic land (or on the turn it enters). The cheap pick. | $1.65 | Scavenger Grounds |
| Hallowed Fountain | White-blue dual that can enter untapped. | $7.13 | Irrigated Farmland |
| Sacred Foundry | Red-white dual that can enter untapped. | $10.22 | Glittering Massif |
| Steam Vents | Blue-red dual that can enter untapped. | $10.36 | Coastal Peak |
Keep the Snarls. Frostboil Snarl and Furycalm Snarl enter untapped whenever you can reveal a matching basic land from your hand, and about two-thirds of Cap decks keep them.
What if you want to spend more?
- Captain America’s Shield (about $1.64, in 35% of Cap decks): equipped creature gets +0/+8 and vigilance, and taps a blocker when it attacks. Put it on Captain America, Wings of Freedom. His attack trigger uses his toughness, so with Team Leader’s counter on him, every other Hero gets +10/+10.
- King T’Challa (about $6.76, in 43%): a flash Hero that draws you a card whenever a player draws their second card in a turn. Later he transforms into Black Panther, a double striker that can’t be damaged.
Cut another low-play-rate card for each, such as Gift of Immortality (38%) or Rescue, Pepper Potts (39%).
Need the deck first? Check today’s price
More Marvel Commander guides
- Top 5 Jeskai commanders right now (Captain America, Team Leader is Jeskai too)
- The Fantastic Four upgrade guide: 10 cards to add, 10 to cut
- Wakanda Forever upgrade guide: 10 cards to add, 10 to cut
- Doom Prevails upgrade guide: 10 cards to add, 10 to cut
- Best budget upgrades for all four Marvel decks, under $30
- The 10 most valuable Marvel Super Heroes cards
- MTG Marvel: Darkhold Destiny, the next Marvel set
Sources: play rates from EDHREC’s Captain America, Team Leader commander page (5,935 decks) and its Avengers Assemble precon page, checked October 24, 2026; card text from Scryfall; TCGplayer market prices checked October 24, 2026. Card images: Wizards of the Coast and Marvel, via Scryfall.
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