Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and today, in honor of Tarkir: Dragonstorm releasing, we're taking a look at my personal deck: GruulStuffInc. I'll go over why I chose the commander, break down the deck as a whole, and dig into the stats. Let's get started!

The Commander

For this deck, I wanted to build a Dragon typal list aimed at a more mid-power table. Naturally, the first thought is to go with the top two Dragon commanders: The Ur-Dragon and Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm. I've already covered both of these in my Commander Kryptonite series, and while they're undeniably powerful, I wanted something with a more limited card pool and a bit less raw power in the command zone.

From there, I landed on Gruul Dragons, since nearly all the cards I wanted to use fell into red or Green. With that in mind, I decided to go with Ganax, Astral Hunter, paired with the Acolyte of Bahamut Background.

What I love about this combination is that it speeds up my ability to get Dragons onto the battlefield without being so essential that I can't function without it. There have been games where I lost Ganax a couple of times and didn't even bother recasting him -- and that flexibility is huge. Having a deck that doesn't rely entirely on its commander helps keep you in the game no matter what.

The Deck

The plan is pretty straightforward: keep cards in hand and Dragons on the battlefield as often as possible, then use that overwhelming power to close out games. Building up a pile of Treasure is a bonus, and we have plenty of ways to put it to good use.

Ideally, we're ramping on turns two and three and saving Acolyte of Bahamut for later, since it doesn't do anything without Ganax. That said, there are games where playing it early makes sense to set up bigger turns down the line.

One of the deck's sneaky strengths is its ability to deal non-combat damage through cards like Dragon Tempest and Scourge of Valkas. If left unchecked, the damage output gets out of control fast.

Here's the full decklist:

Ganax EDH | Commander | Levi Perry

• Commander (1)
• 1 Ganax, Astral Hunter

• Background (1)
• 1 Acolyte of Bahamut

• Creatures (34)
• 1 Ancient Copper Dragon
• 1 Atarka, World Render
• 1 Balefire Dragon
• 1 Beast Whisperer
• 1 Cavern-Hoard Dragon
• 1 Disciple of Freyalise
• 1 Draconic Muralists
• 1 Dragon Broodmother
• 1 Dragonborn Champion
• 1 Dragonlord's Servant
• 1 Dragonmaster Outcast
• 1 Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
• 1 Fanatic of Rhonas
• 1 Goldspan Dragon
• 1 Hellkite Charger
• 1 Hellkite Igniter
• 1 Hellkite Tyrant
• 1 Knollspine Dragon
• 1 Lathliss, Dragon Queen
• 1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
• 1 Nesting Dragon
• 1 Old Gnawbone
• 1 Professional Face-Breaker
• 1 Scaled Nurturer
• 1 Scourge of the Throne
• 1 Scourge of Valkas
• 1 Skyline Despot
• 1 Steel Hellkite
• 1 Swashbuckler Extraordinaire
• 1 Terror of the Peaks
• 1 Twinflame Tyrant
• 1 Ulvenwald Tracker
• 1 Utvara Hellkite
• 1 Xorn

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Domri, Anarch of Bolas
• 1 Sarkhan, Fireblood

• Instants (8)
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Heroic Intervention
• 1 Hull Breach
• 1 Valakut Awakening
• 1 Sarkhan's Triumph
• 1 Tibalt's Trickery
• 1 Vandalblast

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Finale of Devastation
• 1 Nature's Lore
• 1 Return of the Wildspeaker

• Enchantments (9)
• 1 Dragon Tempest
• 1 Garruk's Uprising
• 1 Greater Good
• 1 Kindred Summons
• 1 Rhythm of the Wild
• 1 Shared Animosity
• 1 Sunbird's Invocation
• 1 The Great Henge
• 1 Tribute to the World Tree

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Coat of Arms
• 1 Crucible of the Spirit Dragon
• 1 Dragon's Hoard
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Roaming Throne
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Urza's Incubator

• Lands (32)
• 7 Forest
• 5 Mountain
• 1 Arch of Orazca
• 1 Arena of Glory
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Cinder Glade
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Copperline Gorge
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 1 Game Trail
• 1 Hanweir Battlements
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run
• 1 Mossfire Valley
• 1 Mosswort Bridge
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Rootbound Crag
• 1 Shifting Woodland
• 1 Spinerock Knoll
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Wooded Foothills

Buy This Deck Export text

The Stats

GruulStuffInc is loaded with value to help offset the high mana costs of Dragons. Here's the breakdown:

• 19 ramp pieces
• 14 card advantage cards
• 10 spot removal options
• 4 board wipes
• 28 Dragons

A lot of the spot removal comes from repeatable damage effects, keeping with the fire-breathing Dragon theme. And while this deck technically sits in the bracket two power level, it can absolutely hold its own at a bracket three table.

Let's highlight some standouts from each category:

Ramp

• Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient - In a finishing position, Klauth practically lets you cast your entire hand. Generating red or Green mana equal to your attacking power in a Dragon deck is absurd.
• Scaled Nurturer - A cute little inclusion. It's a mana dork that also happens to be a Dragon, meaning it works with Ganax and nets you a Treasure. Plus, the incidental lifegain can add up over time.
• Urza's Incubator - Paired with Acolyte, this can discount Dragons by up to four mana. That's a serious threat on its own.

Card Advantage

• Dragon's Hoard - Early on, it's a solid mana rock. Later, it pivots into card draw. A versatile piece that always feels useful.
• Knollspine Dragon - After a big attack, this can easily draw 20+ cards in one shot. Massive upside.
• Greater Good - When our Dragons inevitably get targeted with removal, sacrificing them to draw cards in response keeps us ahead. Plays like this pile up and bury opponents in card advantage.

Spot Removal

• Dragon Tempest - We mentioned this one earlier. It's both spot removal and a way to push lethal damage. Left alone, it dominates.
• Domri, Anarch of Bolas - I'll never stop hyping this card. It buffs all your creatures, ramps, protects your spells from counters, and gives repeatable creature removal. Incredibly underrated.
• Hull Breach - Why settle for one removal target when you can hit both an artifact and enchantment? A classic, efficient answer.

Board Wipes

• Blasphemous Act - A Red staple. With a card like Coat of Arms, you can sometimes make your Dragons big enough to survive it.
• Vandalblast - Every red deck should run this. There are just too many artifacts running around not to.

Dragons

• Utvara Hellkite - The best Dragon in the deck. Getting a 6/6 Dragon for each attacking Dragon is absurd. And with Ganax, those tokens also make Treasures. It snowballs into total dominance fast.
• Dragon Broodmother - Since Ganax cares about Dragons entering the battlefield (not just being cast), this card shines. It pumps out a 1/1 Dragon every turn with Devour 2, and each one brings a Treasure along for the ride.
• Twinflame Tyrant - A newer addition, but doubling your damage output on a 3/5 flying Dragon is exactly the kind of finisher this deck loves.

Other Notable Cards

• Magda, Brazen Outlaw - This works a bit differently than in cEDH. Magda can cheat in a Dragon like Utvara Hellkite or Old Gnawbone right before combat, adding a surprise threat that pushes your board over the top.
• Sunbird's Invocation - A personal favorite. Most decks can't afford to take a turn off to cast this and hope to untap, but this deck has enough mana to make it work. Casting this and following up with multiple spells can absolutely take over a game.
• Kindred Summons - If Utvara Hellkite is the best Dragon, this is the best card. Casting this on an opponent's end step and dropping 5-10 Dragons onto the battlefield is game-ending. With cards like Scourge of Valkas or Lathliss, Dragon Queen, this can end the game immediately. This card deserves way more love than it gets.

And that's the deck! I hope you've enjoyed the list. I'm sure GruulStuffInc will pick up some fun new upgrades when Tarkir: Dragonstorm releases. In the meantime, it's a fantastic choice if you enjoy casting Dragons and making Treasure while you do it. Until next time, happy gaming!