Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and today we're looking at another problematic commander that we might be seeing a LOT more of very soon: Gary, also known as Toxrill. It's rather strange to see SpongeBob's pet snail attached to one of the top 50 saltiest cards in Commander, but alas, the Secret Lair gods have spoken, and we're in for a barrage of slime counters.

Today, we'll examine Toxrill as a commander, the deck's strengths and weaknesses, key cards to watch out for, and ultimately, how to take down Gary. Let's start with the commander itself.

Commander

Toxrill was a bit of a surprise addition to the vampire-themed set Innistrad: Crimson Vow. This is the definition of a monolith commander--one where the entire deck revolves around it. Toxrill operates as a borderline board wipe, token generator, and card draw engine all at once. Regardless of the rest of the deck, this commander is incredibly powerful despite its hefty seven-mana cost.

The Deck

This deck not only preys on creature decks but outright farms them for resources. Each turn, another slime counter is added to every creature your opponents control until there's nothing left of them. Some versions of the deck even explore cloning Toxrill to accelerate the slime counters and double the sludge output.

The card draw from sacrificing the slugs ensures that the Toxrill player's hand is always stocked with removal and counterspells, keeping their commander safe while spreading even more slime counters. It's a factory of destruction, turning opponents' creatures into fuel for its own engine.

Here is an example of a Toxrill deck you might see at your Local Game Store.

Average Toxrill | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Toxrill, the Corrosive

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Talion, the Kindly Lord
• 1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
• 1 Blood Artist
• 1 Clackbridge Troll
• 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
• 1 Flux Channeler
• 1 Maha, Its Feathers Night
• 1 Massacre Girl, Known Killer
• 1 Massacre Wurm
• 1 Mirkwood Bats
• 1 Morbid Opportunist
• 1 Opposition Agent
• 1 Orcish Bowmasters
• 1 Slaughter Specialist
• 1 Sludge Monster
• 1 Thrummingbird
• 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Vraska, Betrayal's Sting

• Instants (19)
• 1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Dark Ritual
• 1 Fierce Guardianship
• 1 Flatline
• 1 Flusterstorm
• 1 Force of Negation
• 1 Force of Will
• 1 Mana Drain
• 1 Mystical Tutor
• 1 Negate
• 1 Polymorphist's Jest
• 1 Reanimate
• 1 Sudden Spoiling
• 1 Swan Song
• 1 Windfall

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Imperial Seal
• 1 Mass Diminish
• 1 Tezzeret's Gambit
• 1 Toxic Deluge

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Inexorable Tide
• 1 Revel in Riches

• Artifacts (19)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Black Market
• 1 Bolas's Citadel
• 1 Dimir Signet
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Isochron Scepter
• 1 Karn's Bastion
• 1 Kormus Bell
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Mana Vault
• 1 Mystic Remora
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Talisman of Dominance
• 1 Thought Vessel

• Lands (32)
• 5 Island
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Cabal Coffers
• 1 Choked Estuary
• 1 Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Darkwater Catacombs
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Forbidden Orchard
• 1 Morphic Pool
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Shipwreck Marsh
• 1 Sunken Hollow
• 1 Tainted Isle
• 1 Underground River
• 1 Underground Sea
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Watery Grave

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Strengths

As I mentioned earlier, this deck absolutely devastates creature-based strategies. This is especially true for decks with a lot of smaller creatures, like Krenko, Mob Boss. The ability to convert slug tokens into card advantage also helps keep Toxrill safe from removal.

The deck excels at keeping players off balance, as the sheer rate of slime counters can be overwhelming for typal or aggro decks. It's an oppressive force that grinds down creature-heavy strategies over time.

Weaknesses

The deck's biggest weakness is its reliance on keeping Toxrill in play. Every single opponent will do everything they can to prevent that from happening. Since Toxrill costs seven mana, removing it just a few times can make it nearly impossible for the Toxrill player to recast their commander. At that point, they're left with a Dimir control deck filled with token-synergy pieces that don't do much without their commander.

Additionally, -1/-1 counters can sometimes be too slow. Against a Voltron deck like Uril, the Miststalker, Toxrill's effect might not kick in quickly enough to stop it. Superfriends decks, which rely more on planeswalkers than creatures, are also largely unaffected by slime counters.

Cards to Watch Out For

1. Maha, Its Feathers Night & Sludge Monster - Both of these cards drastically lower the toughness of opposing creatures, making them easy prey for Toxrill. This helps deal with larger creatures that would otherwise survive the slime counters.
2. The Meathook Massacre - This accelerates the board-sweeping effect while creating a flood of slug tokens. It also serves as an aristocrats support piece, draining life from opponents while gaining life for Toxrill.
3. Massacre Girl - While she's a solid 4/4, her ability allows each creature that dies to slime counters to trigger additional death effects, further fueling the deck.
4. Inexorable Tide - Since slime counters are, well, counters, they can be proliferated. Every spell cast by Toxrill speeds up the process, drowning the board in slime even faster.
5. Black Market - With so many creatures dying, this enchantment can generate absurd amounts of mana. If Toxrill can keep it safe, it becomes nearly impossible to keep Toxrill out of the game due to the sheer mana advantage.

Taking Down Toxrill

Beating this commander comes down to one strategy: Toxrill Whack-a-Mole. The goal is to make it as difficult as possible for the Toxrill player to cast or keep their commander in play. Since the deck is highly reliant on mana rocks, attacking those can be a viable strategy. If you can reach a point where the Toxrill player simply cannot generate enough mana to recast their commander, you've essentially neutralized the deck.

Most players will also view Toxrill as a major threat since it wipes out their creatures too. Use this to your advantage--convince the table to help keep Toxrill out of play. Once the Toxrill player is weakened, I'd recommend chipping away at their life total to eliminate them entirely. This is especially important if you plan to win with a big spell or combo, as Toxrill decks are often loaded with removal and counter magic.

Commander Kryptonite - Cards to Stop Toxrill

If you're still struggling against Toxrill, here are some powerful countermeasures:

1. Cathars' Crusade - In the right deck, you can outpace the slime counters and overrun the Toxrill player before they take control of the game.
2. Oko, Thief of Crowns - Turning Toxrill into a 3/3 Elk is devastating, especially if the Toxrill player skimps on creature removal.
3. Colossal Hammer - Any large buffing equipment or spells can help outpace the slime counters, buying you time to find removal or take out the Toxrill player.
4. Solemnity - This card, especially when paired with Phyrexian Unlife, completely shuts down Toxrill's entire strategy by preventing slime counters from being placed at all.

Conclusion

While I'm a little nervous to see this card tied to such a powerful effect, I do think it's a commander that can be dealt with fairly reasonably. Is it the most fun deck to face as a new player? Probably not. But can it be beaten? Absolutely.

If you have a commander you'd like to see featured in the next Commander Kryptonite, send us an email at thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com. Until next time, happy gaming!