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Ghalta doesn't need help being huge. Ghalta, Primal Hunger is already a 12/12 trampler that costs less mana with every big body you control. What the Tramplesaurus Rex precon needs is help getting her out sooner, keeping your hand full while you do it, and surviving the table's answer once she lands. So we upgraded it twice: an affordable Budget upgrade of 14 swaps, and a premium Baller upgrade of 15. Both keep the deck's big-creature identity, and every addition was checked against the official decklist so we never recommend a card you already own.
Price date: Budget and Baller picks are based on card prices recorded October 19, 2026, when the video was made (the video was published October 21, 2026). Prices change, so check current prices on the store.
Shop the cards: we put the Budget and Baller cards from this guide in one place. Shop the Tramplesaurus Rex upgrade cards at Arcane Arena. Cards we have in stock are linked below. We ship to US addresses only.
What Tramplesaurus Rex already does well
Watch this part of the video (0:40)
Ghalta costs X less, where X is the total power of creatures you control. The stock deck understands that. It's full of mana creatures, big green bodies and cards that reward high power, so a normal game ends with a 12/12 trampler arriving for a fraction of her printed cost. We keep that core. The upgrades don't change what the deck does. They make it do it more reliably: ramp earlier, turn power into cards, and protect the big threats once they're down.
Budget upgrade: 14 swaps
Watch this part of the video (1:10)
Each card replaces a specific stock card. The exact pairings are on screen in the video, and every addition is listed below.
Start sooner
- Arbor Elf · untaps a Forest. On a Forest enchanted with Wild Growth, that's two extra mana on turn two.
- Wild Growth · one mana for a permanent extra green every time the enchanted land taps.
- Topiary Stomper · fetches a basic land when it enters. It can't attack or block until you have seven lands, but its 4 power counts toward Ghalta's discount from the moment it lands.
- Selvala, Heart of the Wilds · pay one green and tap her for mana equal to your greatest power. With Ghalta or any fatty out, that's a huge burst. She also lets a player draw whenever a creature enters bigger than everything else, and in this deck that's usually you.
Make power pay
- Greater Good · sacrifice a creature to draw cards equal to its power, then discard three. If someone points removal at your biggest threat, cash it in first.
- Return of the Wildspeaker · an instant with two modes: draw cards equal to your greatest non-Human power, or give your non-Humans +3/+3 for a surprise lethal swing.
- Outcaster Trailblazer · adds a mana when it enters, and draws a card whenever another creature with power 4 or greater enters. In this deck that's most of them.
Keep the hand moving
- Monstrous Vortex · whenever you cast a creature spell with power 5 or greater, discover X, where X is that spell's mana value. Ghalta's mana value is still 12 even when you pay almost nothing, so she discovers off her full mana value.
- Surrak, Elusive Hunter · can't be countered, has trample, and draws you a card whenever an opponent targets one of your creatures or creature spells. Removal gets more costly for the table.
Connect and protect
- Lightning Greaves · equip for zero: haste and shroud. Ghalta swings the turn she lands, and spot removal can't target her.
- Tyvar's Stand · instant-speed hexproof and indestructible, plus +X/+X when you need the extra damage.
- Fireshrieker · double strike on a trampler. First-strike damage and regular damage both trample over.
The last two slots
- Ghalta the Unstoppable · a second Ghalta that costs less by your greatest power and gives every other creature you control trample.
- Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks · a modal double-faced card: a pump-and-fight removal spell, or a green land (untapped if you pay 3 life) when you need one more land drop.
Budget honorable mentions
Watch this part of the video (4:32)
These are substitutions, not extra buys. Swap one in for a Budget pick if it fits your table better:
- Spry and Mighty · draws cards equal to the power gap between two of your creatures and pumps both with trample.
- Garruk, Primal Hunter · 3/3 Beasts every turn, or draw cards equal to your greatest power.
- Vines of Vastwood · one-mana protection from opposing targeted spells, and +4/+4 when kicked.
Budget: every card in and out
Watch this part of the video (5:08)
In (14): Arbor Elf; Wild Growth; Topiary Stomper; Selvala, Heart of the Wilds; Greater Good; Return of the Wildspeaker; Outcaster Trailblazer; Monstrous Vortex; Surrak, Elusive Hunter; Lightning Greaves; Tyvar's Stand; Fireshrieker; Ghalta the Unstoppable; and Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks.
Out (14): each addition replaces one stock card. The full in-and-out screen is in the video at 5:08. Pause it there for the exact cuts, and keep the cards you take out, because some come back if you move to Baller later.
Baller upgrade: 15 swaps
Watch this part of the video (5:24)
Six Budget upgrades worth keeping
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds; Greater Good; Return of the Wildspeaker; Outcaster Trailblazer; Monstrous Vortex; and Lightning Greaves all stay. They do the same jobs at the premium level, so a Budget build is never wasted.
The mana engine
- Fanatic of Rhonas · taps for one green, or four once you control a creature with power 4 or greater. Its own power is 1, so it needs a friend, and this deck always has one.
- The Great Henge · costs X less, where X is your greatest power, so with Ghalta out it's close to free. Then it taps for two mana and 2 life, and every nontoken creature enters with a +1/+1 counter and draws you a card.
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · a land that adds green equal to your devotion. A board of green creatures turns it into a second Selvala.
- Boseiju, Who Endures · a green land that doubles as instant-speed removal for an artifact, enchantment or nonbasic land.
Make removal less effective
- Heroic Intervention · two mana at instant speed: everything you control gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. Board wipes and spot removal both fizzle.
- The Skullspore Nexus · when your nontoken creatures die, you get a Fungus Dinosaur token with their total power. A wrath that kills Ghalta leaves you a giant token. It also doubles a creature's power for a lethal swing.
- Vaultborn Tyrant · draws a card and gains 3 life whenever it or another power-4+ creature enters. When it dies, it comes back as a token copy.
Finish with purpose
- Finale of Devastation · tutors any creature straight onto the battlefield. At X of 10 or more, your whole team also gets +X/+X and haste.
- Craterhoof Behemoth · haste, trample, and +X/+X for every creature you control. The classic green ending.
Baller honorable mentions
Watch this part of the video (7:52)
- Cactus Preserve · a land that taps for any type your lands could produce, and can become an X/X reach creature where X is your commander's mana value. With Ghalta, that's a 12/12.
- Majestic Genesis · reveals cards equal to your commander's mana value (12 with Ghalta) and puts every permanent among them onto the battlefield.
- Smuggler's Surprise · a one-green spree instant: mill four and keep creatures or lands, put two creatures from hand onto the battlefield, or give your power-4+ creatures hexproof and indestructible.
Baller: every card in and out
Watch this part of the video (8:27)
In (15): Selvala, Heart of the Wilds; Fanatic of Rhonas; The Great Henge; Greater Good; Return of the Wildspeaker; Outcaster Trailblazer; Monstrous Vortex; Lightning Greaves; Heroic Intervention; The Skullspore Nexus; Vaultborn Tyrant; Finale of Devastation; Craterhoof Behemoth; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; and Boseiju, Who Endures.
Out (15): the matching cuts from the stock list are on screen in the video at 8:27.
Upgrading in stages: from Budget to Baller
Watch this part of the video (8:42)
If you build Budget first, six cards carry straight over. The other eight Budget picks come out, and you add nine new Baller cards. Some of your original stock cards also go back in, so don't throw your cuts away. These are two complete packages built from the stock list. Don't just stack them together. Follow the swap screen at 8:42.
Which build fits your table?
Watch this part of the video (9:13)
Budget makes Ghalta arrive earlier, refills your hand and gives her real protection, and it's an easy weekend project. Baller adds a genuine mana engine and makes removal far less effective, with Craterhoof and Finale to close. If your table answers every big threat on sight, Baller's resilience is where the upgrade really shows.
A note on prices
We keep prices off this guide on purpose, because singles move constantly and any number here would be stale within a week. The Budget package is built to be genuinely affordable and the Baller build is the premium version. For current, live prices on any of these cards, check them at the store. The Budget and Baller picks reflect prices recorded October 19, 2026.
Build it
Want the full walkthrough with the reasoning on every card? Watch the video here. When you are ready to build, shop the cards: every upgrade from this guide at Arcane Arena. We ship to US addresses only.
More Budget vs Baller upgrade guides
Each one has a Budget upgrade and a Baller upgrade for a Commander precon, with every swap explained.
- Quandrix Unlimited Upgrade Guide (Zimone, Infinite Analyst)
- Reign of Dragons Upgrade Guide (Lathliss, Dragon Queen)
- Wretched Ranks Upgrade Guide (Ghoulcaller Gisa)
- Multiverse Reforged Upgrade Guide (Jace, Multiverse Architect)
Earlier Budget & Baller guides: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Budget & Baller and Draconic Destruction.
Which precon should we upgrade next? Tell us, and we will put it on the table.
Unofficial fan content. Magic: The Gathering is © Wizards of the Coast. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Card and synergy data from EDHREC and Scryfall.