I posted a Olivia Voldaren Control deck not too long ago and, while powerful, was mostly just some goof stuff and infinite tricks crammed together. It didn't feel unique or fun so I opted for a build-around commander in the form of Grenzo, Dungeon Warden. Many of the lists I have seen featuring Grenzo are either focused on goblin tribal or combo'ing out with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. I don't want to do either. While I want this to be as competitive as possible, it doesn't need to be broken since I plan on bringing it to the kitchen table more often than not (although I wouldn't mind a couple of backbreaking suggestions for when I DO pilot it for store credit).
About this list, I want to play off of both Grenzo's ability to cheat creatures into play on the cheap and his ability to fill up my GY with fat reanimation targets. There is also a discard theme I'm trying to push in here, which doubles as a powerful draw-engine in Words of Waste + Geth's Grimoire / Mindmoil / Teferi's Puzzle Box.Words is perhaps the strongest card in the deck.
DISCARD
Although the deck uses only a few discard spells, they are quite powerful. Other than Words, Sire of Insanity could potentially lock opponents out of their game. Fetch it with Buried Alive, Demonic Tutor or simply dig with Mindmoil, Teferi's Puzzle Box, Faithless Looting, Scry, draw, etc. Dragon Mage aka Mr. Wheel-on-a-Stick, further adds to the discard theme and both are particularly valuable with a Waste Not in play. I feel like Sadistic Hypnotist should be in here but I would have to shift a fair amount of space to token production. I'm open to suggestions and specific cuts should we decide to go that way. Also, Mindslicer?
I posted a Olivia Voldaren Control deck not too long ago and, while powerful, was mostly just some goof stuff and infinite tricks crammed together. It didn't feel unique or fun so I opted for a build-around commander in the form of Grenzo, Dungeon Warden. Many of the lists I have seen featuring Grenzo are either focused on goblin tribal or combo'ing out with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. I don't want to do either. While I want this to be as competitive as possible, it doesn't need to be broken since I plan on bringing it to the kitchen table more often than not (although I wouldn't mind a couple of backbreaking suggestions for when I DO pilot it for store credit).
About this list, I want to play off of both Grenzo's ability to cheat creatures into play on the cheap and his ability to fill up my GY with fat reanimation targets. There is also a discard theme I'm trying to push in here, which doubles as a powerful draw-engine in Words of Waste + Geth's Grimoire / Mindmoil / Teferi's Puzzle Box.Words is perhaps the strongest card in the deck.
REMOVAL
Since the deck plans on cheating 4+cmc cards into play early on, I opted for Void and Consume the Meek to fight off opposing weenie and token strategies in particular. Void doubles as artifact removal (and discard!). Bigger threats and single targets will be dealt with by Viashino Heretic, Kagemaro, First to Suffer, Big Game Hunter, and Jaya Ballard, Task Mage. Necrotic Ooze is amazing in this deck.
DISCARD
Although the deck uses only a few discard spells, they are quite powerful. Other than Words, Sire of Insanity could potentially lock opponents out of their game. Fetch it with Buried Alive, Demonic Tutor or simply dig with Mindmoil, Teferi's Puzzle Box, Faithless Looting, Scry, draw, etc. Dragon Mage aka Mr. Wheel-on-a-Stick, further adds to the discard theme and both are particularly valuable with a Waste Not in play. I feel like Sadistic Hypnotist should be in here but I would have to shift a fair amount of space to token production. I'm open to suggestions and specific cuts should we decide to go that way. Also, Mindslicer?
REANIMATION
I don't want to run too many of these since Grenzo is the general after all but Victimize, Living Death, Cauldron Dance, Doomed Necromancer, Chainer, Dementia Master and Dreadwing the Risen compliment the theme nicely. I also considered Grimoire of the Dead and Rise of the Dark Realms but figured I would be better served with Liliana Vess instead.
THE LIST (thoughts. critique much appreciated)
1x Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
Creature (30)
3 Viashino Heretic
3 Abyssal Nocturnus
3 Big Game Hunter
3 Bone Shredder
3 Burnished Hart
3 Doomed Necromancer
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
3 Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
3 Mogis's Marauder
4 Necrotic Ooze
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Anger
4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
4 Junktroller
5 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
5 Puppeteer Clique
5 Corpse Connoisseur
5 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
5 Thundermaw Hellkite
5 Chainer, Dementia Master
6 Godo, Bandit Warlord
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
6 Flayer of the Hatebound
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
7 Clockwork Dragon
7 Herald of Leshrac
7 Dragon Mage
7 Bladewing the Risen
1 Faithless Looting
2 Demonic Tutor
3 Buried Alive
3 Victimize
3 Read the Bones
4 Syphon Mind
5 Living Death
5 Void
Instant (3)
3 Chaos Warp
5 Consume the Meek
6 Cauldron Dance
Planeswalker (2)
4 Liliana of the Dark Realms
5 Liliana Vess
Artifact (13)
1 Tel-Jilad Stylus
1 Sol Ring
1 Thran Turbine
2 Darksteel Pendant
2 Rakdos Signet
2 Reito Lantern
3 Crystal Ball
3 Heartstone
3 Tenza, Godo's Maul
4 Geth's Grimoire
4 Trading Post
4 Teferi's Puzzle Box
7 Spine of Ish Sah
2 Waste Not
3 Words of Waste
3 Haunted Crossroads
3 Rain of Gore
4 Stranglehold
4 Mindmoil
Land (37)
1x Blood Crypt
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Command Tower
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Graven Cairns
1x Howltooth Hollow
12x Mountain
1x Opal Palace
1x Rakdos Carnarium
1x Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
1x Sulfurous Springs
13x Swamp
1x Temple of Malice
1x Temple of the False God