Nice changes! I made very similar changes myself recently and I'm glad to see we seem to think alike regarding which direction to take the deck into. The only difference is that I chose to cut Tuktuk Scrapper instead of Goblin Trashmaster. They both cost 4, but the Trashmaster pumps your other goblins which is relevant and it can destroy more than one artifact if you have other goblins. I don't think that's worth the extra 1 damage of Tuktuk with him being the only ally in the deck. Also, you can flip the trashmaster and still benefit from the artifact removal ability even if there is no artifact to remove right when you flip it!
I checked your Whisper combo and I don't think it works, you'd need at least another creature. Unless I'm wrong, you can't reanimate one of the two creatures you sac as part of the cost of Whisper's ability because you have to choose a target that's in your graveyard before you actually pay the ability's cost, which means the two creatures you sacrifice are on the battlefield when you activate the ability and you can't return one of them.
- Furystoke Giant - Another card that I wasn't sure about initially, but has pulled massive weight for me. This deck naturally builds up a hefty board state with the amount of creatures, and giving 10+ creatures on the field the ability to tap for 2 damage can often mean a selective board wipe or an instant kill to a player. And since everything is typically done on the end of the opponent's turn, you can sac the Giant to do it all over again on your next untap step. I would highly recommend slotting him back in as he's highly effective, even with a small board state.
And the fact that he can be sacced twice to Ashnod's Altar is just an added bonus.
- Deathbringer Thoctar/Goblin Sharpshooter - With the amount of saccing I do with this list, these both have been absolutely insane, and I can't tell you how many times these two cards have won me the game. Deathbringer Thoctar especially has been one of my favorite powerhouses and my playgroup's most feared drops. Any creature that dies gives you a stored free ping to anything!!!! "Oh you played Avenger of Zendikar? Remove a counter, kill a plant, gain a counter, remove a counter, kill a plant, etc."
Token decks are crippled, and swinging in at a player with a 30/30+ Thoctar, killing that player, and then removing 27 counters to kill another player has happened more times than I can count.
This kinda makes me want to try those two cards out I'll see if I can make room to give them a chance!
I think Bog Witch is a really good idea. I've recently bought one and added it to my list for playtesting. Same with Isolated Watchtower. I can see it working in this deck, though it's kind of mana hungry so we'll see... I'll let you know how it goes when I get to test those changes!
Also, about Forge of Heroes, to me it just looks like mana you could spend on X anyway to make him enter with a counter right? Of course there is the very narrow case of if you protect him with Tel-Jilad Stylus or champion him with Lightning Crafter, but I'm not sure if it makes it worth it to add yet another colorless source of mana to the deck.
Speaking of lands, Drownyard Temple and Dakmor Salvage have been two incredible recent additions to the deck for me. Their respective abilities reduce the feelbad of flipping them with Grenzo. Drownyard Temple turns into some slow ramp if you need it, and Dakmor Salvage fills your graveyard with more stuff if you want to make sure to draw a land. I have also rencently replaced my Goblin Matron with an Imperial Recruiter and my Manakin with a Soldevi Adnate for some very, very good results!
This is an excellent primer and it's been a real pleasure to read it all. I'm also very flattered that your inspiration comes from my own list, it's always nice to see new ideas for the same commander and I think that's what makes this format so exciting.
Here are some thoughts and questions I have regarding your list:
How has Junktroller been working out for you? For me it's always been a disappointing-non-haste-one-use-per-turn-only Epitaph Golem and I was never really happy to flip him. I'd much rather play Whisper, Blood Liturgist as a (still non-haste) recursion engine because it doesn't require a Grenzo activation to bring the creature back. It also has built in sacrifice, which isn't even a downside in this deck most of the time.
About Tel-Jilad Stylus and Reito Lantern: Are the added ETB effects really worth the risk and mana investement of flipping them in the graveyard? I used them in early versions of my build but was always disappointed of playing them, whether it was from my hand or through recursion because even then I felt that I could have used my recursion effects on better artifacts such as Meteor Golem or Duplicant.
Have you ever been able to make an explosive play with Furystoke Giant? I cut it out of my list because I wanted to test some other cards but I never actually got to flip him and now I'm thinking about brigning him back. What are your thoughts on the card?
Goblin Sharpshooter and Deathbringer Thoctar: I've always hesitated about running both because they basically have the same effect. In the end, I chose the Sharoshooter because of the reduced cost and because it was a Goblin. Why did you choose to include both in your list?
Again, thank you for the amazing primer. It was a very interesting read!
Other cards I'm considering from the new set so far:
Custom set projects:
Aenyr: Art is Magic (100% done and fully draftable!)
Elestral: Astronomy, Weather and Duality (Currently in early design.)
Multiplayer commander decks
RGWU Bruse and Thrasios: Enchanted Alliance | BR Grenzo's Jail of Malevolence | RWU Shu Yun's Teachings | B Toshiro Umezawa's Eternal Journey | WU Ephara's City of Wonders
Avatar art by Stephan A. McGowan
I checked your Whisper combo and I don't think it works, you'd need at least another creature. Unless I'm wrong, you can't reanimate one of the two creatures you sac as part of the cost of Whisper's ability because you have to choose a target that's in your graveyard before you actually pay the ability's cost, which means the two creatures you sacrifice are on the battlefield when you activate the ability and you can't return one of them.
Custom set projects:
Aenyr: Art is Magic (100% done and fully draftable!)
Elestral: Astronomy, Weather and Duality (Currently in early design.)
Multiplayer commander decks
RGWU Bruse and Thrasios: Enchanted Alliance | BR Grenzo's Jail of Malevolence | RWU Shu Yun's Teachings | B Toshiro Umezawa's Eternal Journey | WU Ephara's City of Wonders
Avatar art by Stephan A. McGowan
I think Bog Witch is a really good idea. I've recently bought one and added it to my list for playtesting. Same with Isolated Watchtower. I can see it working in this deck, though it's kind of mana hungry so we'll see... I'll let you know how it goes when I get to test those changes!
Also, about Forge of Heroes, to me it just looks like mana you could spend on X anyway to make him enter with a counter right? Of course there is the very narrow case of if you protect him with Tel-Jilad Stylus or champion him with Lightning Crafter, but I'm not sure if it makes it worth it to add yet another colorless source of mana to the deck.
Speaking of lands, Drownyard Temple and Dakmor Salvage have been two incredible recent additions to the deck for me. Their respective abilities reduce the feelbad of flipping them with Grenzo. Drownyard Temple turns into some slow ramp if you need it, and Dakmor Salvage fills your graveyard with more stuff if you want to make sure to draw a land. I have also rencently replaced my Goblin Matron with an Imperial Recruiter and my Manakin with a Soldevi Adnate for some very, very good results!
Custom set projects:
Aenyr: Art is Magic (100% done and fully draftable!)
Elestral: Astronomy, Weather and Duality (Currently in early design.)
Multiplayer commander decks
RGWU Bruse and Thrasios: Enchanted Alliance | BR Grenzo's Jail of Malevolence | RWU Shu Yun's Teachings | B Toshiro Umezawa's Eternal Journey | WU Ephara's City of Wonders
Avatar art by Stephan A. McGowan
I just updated my list a few minutes ago and this time it was my turn to take inspiration from yours, especially for Body Snatcher, Pitiless Plunderer and Marionette Master!
Here are some thoughts and questions I have regarding your list:
Custom set projects:
Aenyr: Art is Magic (100% done and fully draftable!)
Elestral: Astronomy, Weather and Duality (Currently in early design.)
Multiplayer commander decks
RGWU Bruse and Thrasios: Enchanted Alliance | BR Grenzo's Jail of Malevolence | RWU Shu Yun's Teachings | B Toshiro Umezawa's Eternal Journey | WU Ephara's City of Wonders
Avatar art by Stephan A. McGowan