MTG Salvation

After trying out other budget decks like: Esper, Bant and Azorius I want to see what could be done with Grixis.

Here is what I came up with (for about 120$):



Some of my main payoffs in this deck are:
# Kess, Dissident Mage - a continous source of card advantage and a budget replacement for Snapcaster Mage
(another option could be Chandra, Acolyte of Flame but seems better suited for faster decks).
# Ral, Izzet Viceroy - a good value engine (like a budget Teferi) and has a great Ult' ability to close out games.

you sir read my mind.
i've been trying a kess control list for a couple of weeks (mines a little more snow based but similar) i've found that kess needs a more proactive controlling strategy than deck like esper as she doesnt have much synergy with counterspells
some cards i've found that work well

Bedlam Reveler, as the list tends to have a lot of proactive control spells (i also run 3 inquisitions and 2 brutalities as they both work really well with kess) reveler is easy to turn on and is solid for refilling hands and adds another wincon to the deck.

iva also become a Angrath's Rampage convert, as being able to hit planeswalkers as well as killing swords and batterskulls has been pretty useful (i do run more proactive removal so the sac is creature is a bit better than i would be in a more counter based strategy)


a card im really interested to try is Drown in the Loch as it a counter spell when you first use it and the a removal spell when you get down a kess or similar. they also seem to need some turn 1 targeted discard spells and possibly another thought scour type effect to be able to deal with tron a titan decks. (trying to avoid out right mill spells for now until i've had a chance to properly test it.

I've also considered using discard spells but the good ones are rather pricey so the best budget option is probably Thought Erasure and I'm not sure if it's better in the deck than the cheap counterspells (Prohibit/Leak).

Another card I considered for the deck is Rise // Fall which I really like but it probably needs more creatures in the deck and more of a midrange approach rather than control.
Some potentially playable creatures I came across were:
Nimble Obstructionist, Young Pyromancer (Murmuring Mystic/Talrand, Sky Summoner), Torrential Gearhulk
Champion of Wits, Thief of Sanity, Cryptic Serpent/Gurmag Angler, Enigma Drake/Crackling Drake,
Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Sphinx of Foresight/Curator of Mysteries, Glyph Keeper, Demigod of Revenge
Stormbreath Dragon, Thundermaw Hellkite, Glorybringer and Skarrgan Hellkite.

Reveler doesn't seem like a control card to me and it needs a really low curve and a deck that quicly empties its hand to work.
Also, without Faithless Looting it is much harder to turn on (though you still have:
Izzet Charm, Discovery // Dispersal, Strategic Planning/Ransack the Lab ,Chart a Course/Thrill of Possibility, Forbidden Alchemy and Champion of Wits.

I also like Rampage but can't bring myself to play it over the safer options Terminate/Dreadbore but it can probably take the flex slot of Abrade.
Bedevil is also a decent flexible removal card though a bit slow at 3-mana (and color-intensive).

I'm not sure what to think of Drown, it is seems really conditional and not reliable enough to me though I haven't tried it yet.
It's home is probably "UB Mill" though and not "Grixis Control".

I dismissed Into the Story at first (as it reminded me of Scour the Laboratory) but it might be potentially playable in the deck, thanks to Thought Scour powering it up.
This might also make Drown worth trying out, maybe as a 2x-of in the Mana Leak slot.


It is also possible to switch to a more flash-type deck by replacing the PW's (and Tasigur) with finishers like:
Torrential Gearhulk and Lochmere Serpent.

It would look like this:


I wonder if 6x 6-drops isn't too much though the deck should hit its land drops with the amount of cantrips and draw spells and Search.
Another idea I have is to include a copy of Mystical Teachings over one of the creatures as it can find them as well as spells.

Unmoored Ego might be a better SB card than Pillage as it can be used against Tron as well as combo decks so maybe switching them is an improvement though it leaves the deck with only 1x Abrade as artifact removal so I'd probably replace Nihil Spellbomb with Rakdos Charm.

i think on into the story its best compared to fact or fiction in a mill build, but i think i still prefer f&f for the fact that it can still function through some hate and just general clunkiness from the deck.
i think 6 6 drops is a little much and also not having due effect spells for gearhulk to hit could be an issue.
i think i'd still include tasugar as is main job is mid game blocker against aggro, early pressure against control while still having mana up for counterspells and providing a card advantage engin when needed.

although i do like the serpent. and think 1-2 of is the right number for it hear.
i think i'll personally be continuing with the kess build (i proxyed up and tested with some friends, its not refined yet but its pretty solid, and late game kess is basically a gearhulk that gets multiple uses

after a little testing i've found that i really like Chandra, Acolyte of Flame as a 1-2 of in the deck, as its pressure, it doesn't die to bolt and can use the gy pretty effectively. the list feel like i wants k command but that a bit pricy



its still only a ruff out but id be interested in thoughts