Me Grimlock No Like You

The last run of games finally broke me: I hadn't been playing Wave of Vitriol, so I could run Rishkar's Expertise. I'd taken out Tooth and Nail.

But over the course of three games, against Commanders like Edgar Markov, Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper, Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, The Scarab God, and Kaervek the Merciless, I came to the inescapable conclusion that there is a way for Grimlock to thrive against this field, ONLY if I am playing Wave of Vitriol and Tooth and Nail.

On the upside, I have better targets than I did before. One of the recommendations I got last night was Verdant Sun's Avatar, a card I had dismissed early on: 5/5s with that gain me 5 life when they enter the battlefield and then just sit there aren't useful.

My opponents helpfully pointed out that I had not read the complete text of the card: "Whenever Verdant Sun's Avatar or another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain life equal to that creature's toughness." (Emphasis mine, because that's what I missed).

Lifegain in Commander-even just a little bit-can be extremely helpful. This might just be the card that helps give me the time I need to establish a boardstate I can compete in.

I still think Rishkar's Expertise will be useful: it easily combines with Grimlock, Ferocious King to draw eight cards. Something in that eight is bound to be playable, or at least reload my hand when the Wrath effects have blown through. Drawing cards is still one of the most powerful things you can do in Magic.

Here's the final list (excepting Verdant Sun's Avatar which I'll jam in there somehow):
Grimlock, Dinobot Leader

1 Savage Stomp 1 Thunderherd Migration 1 Cultivate 1 Lay of the Land 1 Frenzied Tilling 1 Star of Extinction 1 Shamanic Revelation 1 Explosive Vegetation 1 Commune with Dinosaurs 1 Hull Breach 1 Wave of Vitriol 1 Tooth and Nail	1 Sol Ring 1 Sensei's Divining Top 1 Untethered Express 1 Aradara Express 1 Sky Skiff 1 Darksteel Ingot 1 Traveler's Amulet 1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 1 Commander's Sphere 1 Vanquisher's Banner 1 Conqueror's Galleon/Conqueror's Foothold 1 Cultivator's Caravan 1 Belbe's Portal
1 Raging Regisaur 1 Zacama, Primal Calamity 1 Trapjaw Tyrant 1 Sun-Crested Pterodon 1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn 1 Temple Altisaur 1 Majestic Heliopterus 1 Imperial Ceratops 1 Thrashing Brontodon 1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger 1 Silverclad Ferocidons 1 Needletooth Raptor 1 Etali, Primal Storm 1 Charging Tuskodon 1 Sky Terror 1 Raging Swordtooth 1 Wakening Sun's Avatar 1 Kinjalli's Sunwing 1 Bellowing Aegisaur 1 Snapping Sailback 1 Thundering Spineback 1 Ranging Raptors 1 Grazing Whiptail 1 Colossal Dreadmaw 1 Thrash of Raptors 1 Raptor Hatchling 1 Charging Monstrosaur 1 Gishath, Sun's Avatar 1 Polyraptor 1 Goring Ceratops 1 Regisaur Alpha 1 Regal Behemoth 1 Pygmy Allosaurus	7 Plains 8 Mountain 9 Forest 1 Boros Guildgate 1 Gruul Guildgate 1 Selesnya Guildgate 1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits 1 Stone Quarry 1 Blossoming Sands 1 Timber Gorge 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 1 Rugged Highlands 1 Tranquil Expanse 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Naya Panorama 1 Shivan Oasis
1 Consign to Dust	1 Pyrohemia 1 Asceticism 1 Mana Flare

Should've Done This Long Time Ago

I finally conducted this search. For those who don't want to hit the link, I'll just tell you: I'm looking for dinosaurs not printed in Ixalan block.

Turns out, there's 20, with every color but blue represented! I didn't see that coming but I definitely should've looked for this a lot sooner because of two cards:

Pygmy Allosaurus and Regal Behemoth.

Pygmy Allosaurus is cheap, useful, and could definitely replace a less than awesome minor dino. Regal Behemoth does two things that I want Grimlock to do: boost my mana and draw me cards.

Potentially. Unlike Matt's Queen Marchesa spikey fort deck using the monarch mechanic, I don't have a way to keep the crown for very long. On the other hand: I've learned that introducing the monarch mechanic to a game of Commander is an excellent way to kickstart it and getting these games going is a Good Thing in my opinion. Last Monday I played a game went for over three hours and that is just. too. long. Especially since I lost-but even winning would've been a huge drain on my energy.

I've also decided, after multiple games with Conqueror's Galleon, that the mana ramp might need a bigger push. Seven mana to bring a card from my graveyard back to hand is expensive and that's on top of dinosaurs that are expensive.

Mana Reflection would be a fantastic card-the ramp I have in the deck means I think I'd get to play it more often than not-but I'm not sure I have one and the card is $30.

That's bonkers. Plus, Mana Flare, while serving a similar role, also, like the monarch ability, has the ability to kickstart commander games and people tend to like that. In addition, the cheap casting cost means that if I draw Mana Flare in the late game (which is just as likely as anything), I can cast the Flare and still get a lot of value out of it. It also means I'm less of a target.

Though if I do have a Mana Reflection, I will probably run it...

No One Controls Grimlock

What the heck do you do when Tooth and Nail is a questionable card in a giant monsters deck?

Seriously. Nine mana to just drop to giant monsters into play, or seven to get them either into or out of my hand? How is that bad?

It's bad because two of my best answers to problems, Wakening Sun's Avatar and Zacama, Primal Calamity both hinge on being cast from hand. Is it worth keeping a seven mana tutor for two cards? Or would it be better to just draw cards, period.

Also, why is Carnage Tyrant $20. The card is good. It is not worth that much, is it? It's not making an appearance in Standard champion decks that I know of...(Short research later-yes, it is).

But I am getting off track; the point is that T&N doesn't do what I hope it will. Belbe's Portal might be the better option, especially when it comes to rebuilding after the inevitable board resets.

So would Darksteel Plate.

But I just went over these things last week. What's the difference? Well, in one of my last commander games, Sydri just took over the game-despite an Aura Shards on the table.

This is partly my fault: I thought the Sydri player might be problematic but with the Shards in play, I didn't worry about it. Also, my commander-and lesser extent, deck- is vulnerable to that form of removal so now I was holding onto vehicles I couldn't play and a commander that couldn't boost my creatures.

But I didn't push the advantage when I had it and I should have. Eventually, a Darksteel Forge appeared and after that it was just a matter of time. The Sydri player didn't push the advantage I thought they could, which gave me time, but I didn't have any outs.

Which brings me to the next piece of business: I should get outs. Rogue's Passage and (sigh) Wave of Vitriol are heavy contenders.

I've been cold on the Wave because it has a significant impact on Grimlock. But if I win a game where I cast Wave, then who cares? Because I already know I'm losing games where I can't cast Wave.

However, I am starting to think that what I really need is some form of card draw. Because one card that has been absolutely killing it for me is Conqueror's Galleon.

Of course, one of the things that I did with that Galleon was recur Thrashing Brontodon over and over again...

I swear I'm going to figure this out.

Coming For You, Shockwave

I have been able to play a bunch of games with Grimlock, Dinobot Leader and...they've been pretty good! Mana has been remarkably stable, Grimlock presents a pleasantly aggressive mode that can help other creatures or, after a board wipe, appear on the battlefield as an 8/8 trampler for six mana. That's a pretty good deal, too.

Everybody loved dinosaurs, and everybody hated dinosaurs. So that was positive, too!

Hoooooooowever. I lost games, lots of them, and it was because I could not handle artifacts or enchantments.

Humility, Hammer of Nazahn, Wound Reflection, Mirari's Wake; my losses have come not at the hands of creatures-although they were the finishing blow-but instead because of the added value of these permanents and others like them.

I need a way to deal with them beyond Zacama. Which is a bummer because the mana ramp is there! I can do a lot of giant dino things!

But I get my ass kicked by the ephemeral and tools. Which makes some sense, thematically, but there's got to be a way to fix this. I hate having to sit there paralyzed and there's 99 freakin' slots in this deck. There must be room to make this better.

The problem is, I'm starting to run out of cutable creatures. I don't want to axe the cheap commons because they help give me something to do in the early game. Similarly, I don't want to get rid of the vehicles: They've been all-stars when it comes to making use of big creatures who would just stand there, otherwise.

However, there is a good question about where to go with it? Should I just be looking to overwhelm with card draw? Do I go for a more utility approach? Sweeping effects like Shatterstorm or Wave of Vitriol (both cards I adore) really put a cramp on what I want to do.

One suggestion I got from a player at the Tonic was Rogue's Passage. That is something I hadn't even considered! But if I can make a 14/12 monster on turn 5 (Ghalta + Grimlock), why not attack with it for the full amount of damage? Whispersilk Cloak might be even better: less mana investment over time and better protection for a creature like Gishath, Sun's Avatar. The advantage of having the unblockable effect come from a permanent type that isn't easy to destroy might not be worth it. I suppose I could try both...

It wouldn't be an answer so much as a workaround but maybe a workaround is all I need.

Finally: It's my birthday this week, so there won't be a Thursday post. Back on next week. Cheers!

More Ex...Experiments

If the post titles look goofy, that's because I'm going to try and take them from Grimlock's dialog in games and shows and that dialog is frequently...stilted.

A solid weekend of goldfishing made one thing perfectly clear: I needed more mana. Not more lands, so much as ways to get mana into play.

Yeah, I wanted to keep all the dinosaurs in but 40 creatures is too many if I cannot actually play them.

So cards like Relentless Raptor, Imperial Aerosaur, Belligerent Brontodon, Ancient Brontodon, Burning Sun's Avatar, Dissension in the Ranks (which I love but not here) and Dusk Legion Dreadnought had to go.

Removal:
Star of Extinction
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
Pyrohemia

Card draw:
Vanquisher's Banner
Shamanic Revelation
Tooth and Nail

Mana:
Comander's Sphere
Explosive Vegetation

Of these, Star of Extinction is definitely 'the glory of cool things'. The rest I think can be justified: synergies with the other cards in deck, card draw and lifegain, mana fixing. All of these things help with the 'create giant monsters' plan.

Of the notable cuts, Burning Sun's Avatar just doesn't do enough. If it hit every creature for 3 or every opponent for 3, or had ANY static abilities (first strike, trample, hell even a Pyrohemia on a stick would be OK) then I'd consider it. But the enter the battlefield effect isn't strong enough without some kind of flicker effect and there just isn't room in the deck. Imperial Aerosaur I hated cutting because flyers are always solid but again, the ETB effect isn't strong enough and paying four mana for a 2/2 flyer isn't worth it.

I really want to use Dissension in the Ranks. A LOT. It's so perfect for Commander, as it can really bork someone's combat. But it's expensive and requires me to leave mana up to do...what? No, I'm already attacking with giant lizards. Hence, Pyrohemia: it does something similar in terms damaging creatures and it works well with the Enrage mechanic.

There are some better dinosaurs to consider acquiring: Goring Ceratops creates problems for opponents but at 7 mana...yike. Regisaur Alpha is also a card that should make it: five mana is incredibly reasonable and the static ability is huge, because it means that my future investments in Large Monsters might have a chance to do something before a sorcery level boardwipe prevents it.

But, it's time for some real world testing, don't you think?

Grimlock, Dinobot Leader

I told everyone I was going to do this: Grimlock, Dinobot Leader.

1 Savage Stomp 1 Commune with Dinosaurs 1 Thunderherd Migration 1 Cultivate 1 Caravan Vigil 1 Lay of the Land 1 Frenzied Tilling	1 Sol Ring 1 Sensei's Divining Top 1 Sleek Schooner 1 Dusk Legion Dreadnought 1 Bomat Bazaar Barge 1 Untethered Express 1 Peacewalker Colossus 1 Consulate Dreadnought 1 Renegade Freighter 1 Aradara Express 1 Sky Skiff 1 Cultivator's Caravan 1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Relentless Raptor 1 Raging Regisaur 1 Zacama, Primal Calamity 1 Trapjaw Tyrant 1 Sun-Crested Pterodon 1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn 1 Temple Altisaur 1 Majestic Heliopterus 1 Imperial Ceratops 1 Imperial Aerosaur 1 Thrashing Brontodon 1 Overgrown Armasaur 1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger 1 Crested Herdcaller 1 Cacophodon 1 Silverclad Ferocidons 1 Frilled Deathspitter 1 Needletooth Raptor 1 Etali, Primal Storm 1 Charging Tuskodon 1 Sky Terror 1 Raging Swordtooth 1 Belligerent Brontodon 1 Shining Aerosaur 1 Wakening Sun's Avatar 1 Kinjalli's Sunwing 1 Bellowing Aegisaur 1 Snapping Sailback 1 Thundering Spineback 1 Ravenous Daggertooth 1 Ranging Raptors 1 Grazing Whiptail 1 Colossal Dreadmaw 1 Ancient Brontodon 1 Thrash of Raptors 1 Sun-Crowned Hunters 1 Raptor Hatchling 1 Burning Sun's Avatar 1 Charging Monstrosaur 1 Gishath, Sun's Avatar	7 Plains 8 Mountain 9 Forest 1 Boros Guildgate 1 Gruul Guildgate 1 Selesnya Guildgate 1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits 1 Stone Quarry 1 Blossoming Sands 1 Timber Gorge 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 1 Rugged Highlands 1 Tranquil Expanse 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Naya Panorama 1 Shivan Oasis
1 Pit Fight 1 Dissension in the Ranks

This is clearly a very early build. I basically threw every dinosaur from the Ixalan block in, a few cool vehicles from Kaladesh and called it good. It's going to need some work. Probably a LOT of work. The mana curve is weird, and I probably need to work on ensuring I'll have enough mana to pay for what I want to do.

But I'm good with this as a starting point. I was just excited to get this deck off the ground so I could practice with it in the real world. I'm going to bring a little Transformers toy with me so I can use Grimlock's ability and have some fun!

Grimlock, Dinobot Leader

I don't have many places to show off this kind of cool stuff but here:

A friend went to Hascon and picked these up for me. Just lucky to have friends who think of me, I am. Here's a link to some better shots, so you can read what they say.

But what this really means is that I need to make a Grimlock, Dinobot Leader Commander deck, as soon as Ixalan block is complete.

Because there is no way I'm going to miss out on that.

Also, I'm headed out of town this weekend, so I'm hoping regular posts will go up a week from today, Sept 28th. Cheers!