#grenzo

"You burn. I'll pillage." 

Do you like big strange effects? Value? Explosive turns? Affordable decks? Do you enjoy having the people at your table read every other card you bring out? Then Grenzo, Dungeon Warden might just be the commander for you.

This deck sets out to abuse Grenzo’s ability to it’s fullest, generating threat-after-threat out of nowhere at the cost of being filled with... Unconventional cards.

What’s Grenzo’s Taste?

Grenzo’s a simple goblin. Pay him two mana, he tries to pull out some value. If the card is a non-creature, or has more than two power, all he wound up doing is a one-card self-mill. That’s not value. Chaos Warp, Damnation, Phyrexian Arena- Phyrexian Arena??? Grenzo makes the hand obsolete, card draw’s almost useless! All of these cards that are usually auto-included for their color are thrown out because Grenzo doesn’t think they’re good enough.

Want to know what Grenzo thinks value is? It ain’t pretty.

The Brute Squad

Some cards lie to Grenzo about their real power. Personally, I forgive them. These are cards that technically are below Grenzo’s power-check, but are actually just... Huge.

There’s a certain point where a simple large body is good enough for EDH. Keeping in mind that Grenzo yanks them out for 2, a good starting point is a 6/6 with Flying. They aren’t flashy (aside from the fact that Grenzo runs them out at instant speed) but they’re threatening all the same.

Big names for this category also include Noosegraf Mob, Arcbound Overseer, and Pentavus.

Bring out the Dorks

Normal mana rocks are fine and dandy to draw, but they also represent dead Grenzo activations. Because of this, the deck’s ramp is going to be almost entirely in the form of mana dorks.

All Grenzo costs you to use is mana. This sounds obvious, but it’s important to note how the hand has ceased to be a resource. Because mana dorks never really cost you a card to create, they’re fully replacing themselves. I can’t stress enough how strong mana acceleration is because of this.

Honestly? Run every mana-producing Myr. At that point Myr Galvanizeris even worth running. Seriously; Grenzo makes Myr Tribal work.

Other notable dorks include Workhorse, Crypt Ghast, and Priest of the Forgotten Gods.

Value Town

Of course, Grenzo’s not just about mana and meatheads. The deck’s also lives for high rolls. The sort of cards that were not meant to be 2-drops with flash, and it shows.

I’d say about 80% of the time, Herald of Leshrac meets a kill spell in a turn cycle or two after coming down. That remaining 20% is a game that it he basically won by himself.

Other cards that can sink hearts as easily as Herald include Tree of Perdition and Master of Cruelties.

Bottoms-Up

In many cases, the bottom of the library feels like an afterthought of design. A place to tuck cards to be forgotten about until everything is shuffled. In our case, cards that treat this area so carelessly can turn our blind pulls into sure things.

Howltooth Hollow is a bad Magic card. It’s an even worse EDH card. The Hideaway goal is basically impossible. However, the power behind stacking the next three Grenzo activations and burning an otherwise cumbersome land makes it entirely worth running. I- can I be blunt about how relevant manipulating the bottom of the library is? The deck runs Howltooth Hollow.

Other cards that stack the bottom of the library include Soldevi Digger, Clone Shell, and Brass Herald.

Wait... Non-creatures?

Dead Grenzo activations bite. However, there are cards that are strong enough that the power they bring when drawn outweighs how much of a dud they are when trashed by Grenzo.

Insane acceleration like Heartstone and Carnival of Souls, combo pieces like Ashnod’s Altar and Soldevi Digger, and game-bending cards like Contamination are worth running- so long as they are ran in moderation.

Worth Keeping Around

Whether it’s a big threat being dealt with, or a high-value artifact winding up in the graveyard, there’s plenty of ways for this deck to dust those key cards off and send them back in for a second bout.

There’s a wide selection of creatures with reanimation tied to them, but Myr Welder is one worth a special mention. If one of the few key non-creature artifacts winds up in the bin, Myr Welder (which Grenzo is able to bring around just fine) can let that artifact live on as an imprint.

Other worthwhile cards that can make the board nice and sticky include Balthor the Defiled, Whisper, and Shirei.

Dig Dug

There’s more than a few ways that the cards in this deck can slide together to form a win out of nowhere. The most obvious ways include Soldevi Digger.

Soldevi Digger being in the deck is awkward, as it means you cannot legally move cards in the graveyard (hey there, Legacy Dredge players). There’s plenty of ways with other cards already mentioned for Grenzo can go infinite using Digger. A real basic one being Ashnod’s Altar and Murderous Redcap.

It’s not like taking the Digger out would entirely cut out the deck’s combo potential. To totally stop this deck from reaching any sort of infinite, a number of cards that are high-value worthy includes by themselves would need to be replaced. If your playgroup hates combos, this build won’t go over well.

Conclusion

Grenzo’s a funny commander. His ability is one of a kind. The interaction directly with the bottom of the library is an entirely unique use of the zone. He not only excuses playing otherwise unplayable cards- he can make them shine.

The God-Pharaoh has retired to a large ornate stone chamber beyond the city of Paliano.  He had exploited the Custodi priests to make his home in the jungle alongside Huatli.  The gods of Paliano knew he was still holding a ceremonial rug in his mouth, but there was no way to ask for the rest of his dining room to be drawn, and they both stood in silence for what happened that moment.