Forces of the Imperium Precon Upgrade Guide: 5 Best Cards and 5 Budget Picks

Forces of the Imperium is the white, blue and black (Esper) Commander precon from Warhammer 40,000, released October 7, 2022 at $59.99. The commander is Inquisitor Greyfax. It goes wide with Astartes tokens and squad creatures and draws cards with Clues, and it is the easiest of the four to pick up and play. This guide covers what the deck is, whether it is worth buying, the 5 best cards to add, 5 budget picks under $5, the $10 upgrade plan, and the stock 100 with the exact cards to cut. Prices checked October 11, 2026.

Part of our guide to all four Warhammer 40K precons.

Forces of the Imperium is an Esper (white, blue and black) tokens deck. Inquisitor Greyfax is a four-mana 3/3 that gives your other creatures +1/+0 and vigilance, and for {1} and a tap it taps an opponent's creature and investigates. Squad creatures (Zephyrim, Vanguard Suppressor, Space Marine Devastator, Ultramarines Honour Guard) copy themselves when you pay extra, Skullclamp and the Clues keep cards coming, and Marneus Calgar, the alternate commander, draws a card whenever tokens enter.

Yes, if you like going wide and drawing cards off a board of small creatures. The squad creatures scale with your mana and Greyfax makes every token hit harder, so it is a good first three-color deck. Skip the sealed deck at the $317.00 TCGplayer market price Spikey Bits reported on October 8, 2026; the singles add up to about $194.

None of the five below is in the stock list, and each one replaces a specific card named in the cut list further down. Prices are the cheapest printing on Scryfall as of October 11, 2026.

Every card here costs under $5 for its cheapest printing as of October 11, 2026. The five together run about $7.94.

Start with the Precon Upgrade Playbook: fifteen colorless cards, six cut rules, and a ten dollar mana base that work on every precon ever printed. Then make the five budget swaps above, about $7.94 in total. The exact cards to take out are in the decklist section below.

Wizards published the full 100 cards (official decklist). The commander is Inquisitor Greyfax. Cards in bold are the ten our upgrade cuts.

Creatures (30): Arco-Flagellant, Assault Intercessor, Bastion Protector, Belisarius Cawl, Callidus Assassin, Celestine, the Living Saint, Commissar Severina Raine, Company Commander, Cybernetica Datasmith, Epistolary Librarian, Grey Knight Paragon, Inquisitor Eisenhorn, Marneus Calgar, Neyam Shai Murad, Primaris Chaplain, Primaris Eliminator, Redemptor Dreadnought, Sanguinary Priest, Sicarian Infiltrator, Sister Hospitaller, Sister Repentia, Sister of Silence, Space Marine Devastator, Space Marine Scout, Thunderwolf Cavalry, Triumph of Saint Katherine, Ultramarines Honour Guard, Vanguard Suppressor, Vexilus Praetor, Zephyrim

Instants (6): And They Shall Know No Fear, Deny the Witch, Entrapment Maneuver, Mortify, Swords to Plowshares, Utter End

Sorceries (8): Collective Effort, Deploy to the Front, Exterminatus, Fell the Mighty, For the Emperor!, Hour of Reckoning, Launch the Fleet, Martial Coup

Artifacts (14): Arcane Signet, Commander's Sphere, Everflowing Chalice, Inquisitorial Rosette, Knight Paladin, Mind Stone, Reaver Titan, Skullclamp, Sol Ring, Talisman of Dominance, Talisman of Hierarchy, Talisman of Progress, The Golden Throne, Thunderhawk Gunship

Enchantments (4): Birth of the Imperium, Defenders of Humanity, Reconnaissance Mission, The Flesh Is Weak

Lands (37): Arcane Sanctum, Ash Barrens, Choked Estuary, Command Tower, Darkwater Catacombs, Dismal Backwater, Evolving Wilds, Exotic Orchard, Memorial to Glory, Path of Ancestry, Port Town, Prairie Stream, Scoured Barrens, Skycloud Expanse, Sunken Hollow, Terramorphic Expanse, Tranquil Cove, 5 Island, 8 Plains, 7 Swamp

What is the Forces of the Imperium precon?

Forces of the Imperium is the white, blue and black (Esper) Commander precon from Warhammer 40,000, released October 7, 2022, led by Inquisitor Greyfax. It goes wide with tokens and draws cards with Clues.

What is the Forces of the Imperium commander?

Inquisitor Greyfax, a four-mana Esper 3/3 that gives your other creatures +1/+0 and vigilance and can tap an opponent's creature to investigate.

What are the best cards to add to Forces of the Imperium?

Academy Manufactor; Bennie Bracks, Zoologist; Bitterblossom; Teferi's Protection; Kambal, Profiteering Mayor. None of them are in the stock list.

What are the best budget upgrades for Forces of the Imperium?

Intangible Virtue, Lingering Souls, Cathars' Crusade, Welcoming Vampire, Spectral Procession. All five cost under $5 for their cheapest printing as of October 11, 2026, about $7.94 together.

Is Forces of the Imperium being reprinted?

Yes. A Wizards representative confirmed a small reprint of all four regular Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks on October 8, 2026. Wizards has not announced a date or a price, and the Collector's Editions were not mentioned.

Who is the alternate commander in Forces of the Imperium?

Marneus Calgar. It has double strike, draws a card whenever one or more tokens enter under your control, and makes two 2/2 Astartes Warriors for six mana.

Or start with the full Warhammer 40K precon guide, or browse every precon upgrade guide.

Related: Warhammer 40K Commander precon reprint: decks, date and prices.

Decklist from Wizards of the Coast (official decklists). Card prices from Scryfall, cheapest non-foil printing, October 11, 2026.

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