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Main » Articles » All About that Grixis

All About that Grixis

Mike Likes
Posted on July 27, 2018
 Reddit

When preparing to write my weekly column, I'll typically take a look at the past few weeks' worth of Magic Online (MTGO) decks that have gone 5-0 in leagues in order to see if I notice any trends or unique lists. While doing so this past week, I noticed an abundance of Grixis (Blue, Black, and Red) decks. Because of that, for my article this week we'll be taking a look at various Grixis builds that all went 5-0 on MTGO, so that you can find your perfect Grixis deck to play.

Grixis Midrange

The first style of Grixis deck we'll look at is Grixis Midrange. Here's an example of this type of deck.

Grixis Midrange -- Magic 2019 Standard | TEMPO, (5-0) MTGO

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Let's start off by talking about the card that is single-handedly responsible for the prominence of Grixis decks, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager. As much as I hate to hype him up (mainly out of fear that his price will go up before I manage to get the last two I need for my playset), Nicol Bolas, the Ravager is the real deal. For four mana, you not only get a 4/4 flying creature, but you also cause your opponent to discard a card. And let's not kid ourselves that Nicol Bolas is difficult to cast even with having a requirement of 1 Blue, 1 Black, and 1 Red mana in his cost. In our current Standard environment, being able to cast Nicol Bolas on turn four isn't much of a hindrance thanks to the numerous dual lands we have access to. Maybe once rotation happens this fall it could be another story, but for now enjoy the ease in casting this Elder Dragon.

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager also just happens to be a Dragon, which conveniently can't be the target of Glorybringer's exert ability. And with this deck, if your opponent does happen to attack with their Glorybringer, you can easily block it and trade. This deck runs a full playset of the Elder Dragon, so it's easy enough to draw another copy or to bring back one from the graveyard with either Liliana, Death's Majesty or The Scarab God.

This midrange deck has a fairly large number of removal spells which are useful in the early stages of the game to manage the threats your opponent can bring to bear against you. That's good since there aren't many creatures in your deck costing three mana or less. Once you get to the stage of the game where you have 4-6 mana is where this deck really shines. At that point, you should feel at least at parity with your opponent and can begin to overpower them. This is a nice example of a typical midrange deck and how it should perform.

Grixis Energy

The next deck I have for you is a variation of a Grixis midrange deck. It's a deck that won't survive past rotation this fall, but is a good choice to play until then. Let's take a look at Grixis Energy.

Grixis Energy -- Magic 2019 Standard | _BATUTINHA_, (5-0) MTG

This deck is very similar to the Grixis Midrange deck from above. It includes many of the same cards and has the same game plan. The main difference is that this deck includes three copies of Whirler Virtuoso. This allows for an additional way for you to spend the energy you get, other than Harnessed Lightning and Glint-Sleeve Siphoner. By creating additional flying threats, you're able to attack with impunity more often, closing out the game faster than you could with just a ground attack. And let's not forget just how much better Whirler Virtuoso is when returned to the battlefield with The Scarab God.

Grixis Control

The next version of Grixis decks I have for you focuses on the controlling nature of its colors. Let's look at Grixis Control.

Grixis Control -- Magic 2019 Standard | ISHUL, (5-0) MTGO

This is a control deck at its finest. It has multiple cards that halt an opponent's progression early in the game, from spells that counter an opponent's spells to low-costing creature removal. It also includes cards such as Hour of Devastation and Sweltering Suns which are mass removal spells that can wipe the battlefield clean. These spells allow you to get through the early and mid-game stages to the late game where this deck can really shine.

As is typical for Grixis decks, the creatures in the deck include Torrential Gearhulk and The Scarab God. Both are great late-game creatures that can halt an opponent's progression and allow you to finish off the game quickly.

This deck doesn't run any copies of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, but does include a single copy of Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh. Costing seven mana is quite a cost, so by only playing one copy you're not as likely to draw this in your opening hand. If there weren't two copies of Search for Azcanta in this deck which can help you find Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh faster, I would recommend adding a copy of the planeswalker. That goes to show how powerful the card filtering ability of Search for Azcanta can be.

Grixis Dragons

The final deck I have for you this week is probably the most aggressive of these Grixis builds. Let's take a look at Grixis Dragons.

Grixis Dragons - Magic 2019 Standard | ASTRALPLANE, (5-0) MTGO

When Sarkhan, Fireblood and Chandra, Torch of Defiance come together in the same deck, you have the possibility of some explosive turns. If both are in play, you can potentially reduce the cost of any dragon you might play by four mana. That means, if you have Sarkhan, Fireblood in play on turn three, you can play Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Nicol Bolas, the Ravager on your next turn. That sounds pretty hot to me.

This deck also runs a full playset of Glorybringer and a couple of copies of Demanding Dragon. We already know just how amazing Glorybringer is, as it has been in copious amounts of winning decks for the past year. Demanding Dragon is the latest in the line of "punisher" effects on cards, which are cards that offer two different choices that punish your opponent in different ways. Usually these cards aren't great since the choice of which effect happens goes to the opponent to decide, allowing them to choose whichever is least disadvantageous for them. In the case of Demanding Dragon though, unless they have a creature they have no use for, the choice will likely be difficult. Is this the best "punisher" card to see print? Time will tell.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are many different ways to build a Grixis deck for success. Whether you prefer the aggression of the Grixis Dragons deck, the inevitability of the Grixis Control deck, or one of the more in-between decks (Grixis Energy or Grixis Midrange), there's likely a Grixis build for you. Which one is your favorite? You can let me know by leaving a comment below or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

-- Mike Likes

Magic Core Set 2019 is Now Available!

TAGS articles, metagame, constructed, standard, decklist, grixis, mike likes, magic 2019 standard, 07272018

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