Self explanatory query. This year I'm a senior at UNC and I thought I'd build an EDH deck to commemorate the 17 years spent on hopefully becoming not stupid. I'm looking for cards thematically related to educational environments in Blue, such as Academy Elite, Unifying Theory, Rhystic Study, etc. Any Ideas/suggestions for cards and/or a commander for said deck? Any powerful but thematic combos/interactions?
Queen Marchesa is the first RWB legendary to draw you cards. That's got potential. Most any deck wants cards. Good times with Solitary Confinement.
Conditionally. Furthermore, you're only drawing the extra one at best. Her token making ability is very ophiomancer-esque, but not absurd by any stretch. It's a slightly above-par band-aid for a historically shafted color combo (sans Kaalia).
Introducing the paragon of American patriotism, the patron saint of freedom and democracy, and your host on EDH Today!, give it up for the American Spirit!
{*cue appaluse*}
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Yes,yes, I love you all too. Honey, put your bra back on, you're too young for me. Haha, yes. I'm the American Spirit, and I'm here tonight in lovely San Diego to explain to you folks how to utterly emasculate and humiliate those corpulent, unbathed jerks at your local card-slinging cave with the sheer force of free stuff, all while remaining fiscally conservative and a gun-toting warmonger! You see, some players love to dump money into cardboard under the delusion that having $400 foils and binder full of various Jaces makes them "hot *****". Luckily, we Americans possess more valuable commodities than money: ingenuity and imagination. Over the course of this unofficial primer, I will demonstrate how you too can humble a money-spewing basement dweller without throwing your wallet to the wind.
First, the basics rules of constructing a decent EDH Deck:
1. The deck's colors must be RWU, or you're a damn commie.
2. The deck must work efficiently, or you're a lazy, free-loading welfare queen (Looking at you, Zedruu.
3. The deck must have a voltron win-con, or you're opposed to the fundamental virtue of individualism.
So who are our contestants for the future leader of the free world? Let's take a look.
Zedruu the Greathearted: A damn communist and a traitor. The Bernie Sanders of the Bunch. Ruhan of the Fomori: Sure, the guy's a frickin' tank stat-wise, but the dude's blind. Personally, I'm not going to put a blind guy in charge of leading an army. No insult intended to blind people (like they're reading this anyway), but leadership is a matter of vision. Numot, the Devastator: I like this guy. He's like a B-52 Bomber with biceps. But unfortunately, bopping lands two at a time is rather slow and costly (e.g. Iraq and Afghanistan). Pass. Shu Yun, The Silent Tempest: Meh. He's like Solid Snake combined with Marco Rubio. He packs a punch sometimes, but a stiff breeze will put him in his place. Resilience in the face of adversity is critical in good leadership and this guy ain't ***** for sausage in that category. Narset, Enlightened Master: Good gravy, she's beautiful! She swings! She gives you strait value off the top! She has HEXPROOF! Ah... I think I'm in love. The obvious choice.
So, now that we're chosen our fearless leader, let's get into specifics! How do we kill those fools with all the free value generated by our lady of liberty? Let's think: What was the cheapest deck in Theros standard? Arguably U/W Heroic. Why? Because enchantments cost $%#@&ing nothing.
I know what you're thinking, "But Spirit, which enchantments should I play? There are so very many!". Well, here's what I play, and if you have any brains or patriotism at all, you should too (Of course, you can always just call me a dumb prick and disregard it entirely. You do have a right to it). Try to think of our general as the quintessential American superhero; a daring, patriotic combination of Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, and George S. Patton, and all these auras are her various superpowers. Your enemies should crumble under the weight of any two or three of them, but who's playing EDH for modesty? Not America. We invented overkill (e.g. Nuclear weapons).
Portent: Cheap Ponder substitute. Sets up them flips, dawg. Brainstorm: Same as above. Sets up those flips. Preordain: Do you get the picture by now? There is a trend here. Disenchant: Classic removal. Negate: Never useless. Counters 70% of everything. Memory Lapse: A cheap counter, made even better by the fact that you can counter a spell cast by Narset to put it on top of your library for a later play. Dream Cache: A fair version of Brainstorm. Relentless Assault: What's better than one Narset trigger? Two of them. Divine Reckoning: For us, a wipe with almost no drawback. We have few dudes. Foresee: Strong, underplayed Magic card. Scry 4 is no joke. Fact or Fiction: Strong, overplayed Magic card. Fun with friends! Mystic Confluence: Almost always a 3 for 1. Great card, wish it costed 4. Volcanic Offering: guaranteed 4 for 1. Epic card. Tragic Arrogance: More severe Divine Reckoning. Razia's Purification: I've never resolved this card in any situation and subsequently lost. Very powerful, choose wisely. Temporal Cascade: Never draw 7, always choose option one. Your opponents ain't #%$@ on a stick without their precious hands, but we have Narset to cover our losses with card advantage. Blessed Wind: Diet Magister Sphinx and occasional lifesaver. Searing Wind: 10 damage always feels good. Hit them where it hurts with massive overkill.
There's another 18, so what's that total up to (Gosh darn common core education)? Ah, yes. 44. That's not enough, is it? Let's add some ramp then!
1. Play ramp and lands
2. Play Narset
3. Put auras on Narset
4. Swing at them until they die.
And there you are. 100 cards for a little under $60 that'll kick some ass at almost any table. If you don't believe me, give it a whirl and see for yourself what the free market can do for you.
I'm currently working on a 5 color control list for mtgo #$@%s and giggles.
The deck relies heavily on ETBT lands so it's going to be a slower deck, but I'm wondering what the best tools are to ramp, defend, and ultimately crush my opponents with, without shattering the wallet. I'm thinking Goodstuff as opposed to cards that require thematic support.
She's something completely different. She's not necessarily concerned with ramping insanely into fat like Maelstrom Wanderer or Animar, rather she exploits the field after the fat has come to rampage. She's meta for battle-cruiser playgroups and pretty weak elsewhere, certainly not going to be top tier like MW or Animar.
So she's essentially a fair deck. Something Animar and MW can't do.
He's not a combo engine. He's a value engine. Johnnys will always try to think of some crazy way to go infinite with every new thing, but IRL he will not be a huge must-deal-with-threat. People will not immediately waste a trinket mage to pithing needle when they could get a sol ring or mana crypt to fuel their own board position instead.
You're basically making the same arguments right back at me. B and R both supply ways to remove needle. U and W both supply ways to remove X. Ok, fine. But there's about a bajillion ways to stop brago whereas there's only a handful to stop Grenzo. Grenzo is also cheaper, he comes online faster and is more likely to get value before being locked down, if that's peoples' intent. Unless your meta is 99% pithing needles and no one runs removal or blockers or anything besides pithing needle, arguing that grenzo is more disruptable is demonstrably false.
And sure, they're both removable, but killing Grenzo doesn't stop him from activating his abilities like it does Brago. He's also 2 cmc cheaper and his colors have better recursion to avoid paying his tax. He's also much easier to tutor in his colors should he get tucked.
Grenzo needs no support. People running jank like darksteel pendant are bad at math. He's a value engine, plain and simple - he could run aggro or control but combo is not his bag. You run creatures with a reliable amount of power and then you eot them for CA. There might be a few cards worth running to give him more reliability but for the most part he works fine on his own, with a little consideration taken in deckbuilding.
Not to say that Brago is bad, they're both solid. Brago certainly has the potential to be very explosive. But what he's not is reliable. He costs a lot more, he has to attack, he has to get through, he has to deal damage....Grenzo is less powerful but he's extremely reliable. If you don't like Grenzo because he's not as potentially powerful, fine, cool, I can deal with that. But not liking him because he's easier to disrupt is just ridiculous. There's tons of reasons to like brago more than grenzo but disruptability is zero of them.
These are all fair points, and maybe my paranoia concerning his colors and the fact that Pithing needle is a staple where I play (Sydri, Derevi, Oona and Azami aren't going to stop themselves) may have colored my view. But I've yet to hear your input concerning the beards, a point which I consider paramount.
This strikes me as bizarre. Even if needle is ubiquitous:
1) it's 1 in 99 cards
2) there might be better targets
3) red can easily kill artifacts
4) black can easily tutor for artifact removal
5) he's still a very efficient hydra even if you ignore his ability entirely
Brago, by comparison, gets shut down by:
1) anything that prevents attacking, such as peacekeeper or ensnaring bridge.
2) anything that prevents HIM from attacking, such as bound in silence or forced worship.
3) anything that prevents his damage, such as angus mackenzie.
4) anything that can block him (at least, if everyone has something).
plus he's disrupted by:
5) anything that kills him at sorcery speed, unless he has haste.
6) anything that kills him at instant speed, regardless of haste.
7) anything that kills his blinkable buddies.
But Grenzo is vulnerable to 1 easily killable artifact so he's worse? what?
I'll grant you that, if Brago manages to connect with good stuff on the field, it's a more potentially dangerous (and less mana intensive) ability, but in terms of how disruptable they are, Grenzo is waaaaay harder to stop. So very, very much harder to stop. And less worthwhile to stop since he's still a good beater. Dislike him because he's sort of random, or because you don't like his colors, or because you don't like creatures, but not liking a 2 drop with a 2 mana activated ability that doesn't require tapping because he's too DISRUPTABLE is just bonkers.
Alright, you want to get into logistics then.
On needle:
"1) it's 1 in 99 cards Yes, but trinket mage exists. Blue has historically no issue tutoring for small artifacts, nor is there a dearth of recursive pieces (Auriok Salvagers, trading post, etc).
2) there might be better targets From how ludicrous a combo enabler everyone apparently thinks he is, I doubt there'd be many more pressing targets.
3) red can easily kill artifacts So what? If I'm running literally any color but black, I can either grab it back or protect much easier and more often than B/R will be able to kill it.
4) black can easily tutor for artifact removal See above points.
5) he's still a very efficient hydra even if you ignore his ability entirely This is true. But he can't be recurred directly with black or he's a 2/2. In addition, once he dies twice and costs BR4, he's not so efficient anymore.
Again, you seem to think I'm claiming Brago is better. Beard-wise, this is indisputable. Grenzo looks like a juiced-up hermit, while Brago's rocking the Santa Claus Chic. Overall though, I think they're both mediocre compared to Maelstrom Wanderer, Zur, or Derevi. If you want though, I can attempt to demonstrate Brago's aforementioned superiority in terms without facial hair aesthetics:
On Brago:
1) anything that prevents attacking, such as peacekeeper or ensnaring bridge. White and Blue are not lacking in removal, much like Grenzo with artifacts. Brago's colors (ie the presence of blue) give him the card advantage and counters to outpace these obstacles.
2) anything that prevents HIM from attacking, such as bound in silence or forced worship. See above
3) anything that prevents his damage, such as angus mackenzie. That's fair. Best we can do is try to kill him or counter the fog machine (Pithing Needle sure would be handy. Hm...)
4) anything that can block him (at least, if everyone has something). He has evasion, and not everyone always has fliers/reachers, especially with the downfall of Sylvan Primordial
plus he's disrupted by:
5) anything that kills him at sorcery speed, unless he has haste. ...Which he should if you're building him correctly, but you're right, everyone dies occasionally.
6) anything that kills him at instant speed, regardless of haste. This is flaw for all non-hexproof generals. Play counters, you've got blue
7) anything that kills his blinkable buddies. You say buddies as if he's limited to creatures, which would be the "Fair" way to play him. Blinking and Pseudo-untapping artifacts can generate green levels of mana, and we all know how many ETB effects there are.
Essentially, the difference between Brago and Grenzo is that Brago abuses known quantities in colors that are more advantageous in EDH. Grenzo needs support to stack your "dungeon" in colors that are not traditionally the strongest in tandem, while Brago just asks that you play things and swing. Grenzo is probably the best Rakdos Commander, hands down. Despite that title though, Grenzo is inherently never going to match the best Simic commander or the Best Azorius commander or the best RUG commander. His color combination is simply not good enough in this format.
But all of this is irrelevant because all I said was that I didn't like Grenzo for meta-related reasons. So please, let it go.
I don't know about this topic. I've had some sour experiences with players bringing metaphorical tanks to what amounts to a children's playground. Mind you, I'm a guy who loves combos and MLD, but I don't tolerate people who make themselves feel big through inflicting miserable experiences.
I don't agree that the format should be strictly "casual" as the OP claims, but I think that there should be more communication in situations like these and it's up to the veterans to make EDH enjoyable for everyone. New players should not have to enter a format designed to be fun by being baptized in fire.
Your reason for disliking him is because he gets blocked by a (in my experience) rarely used artifact, and he's in (1) the color arguably best at killing artifacts and (2) the color best at tutoring for things that kill artifacts? And even ignoring his activated ability he's still a very efficient hydra? Plus his ability can be activated as soon as he hits the table?
Brago is way, way easier to disrupt. He's more expensive, he's less efficient as a beater, and he does nothing until he attacks AND connects, AND he has to have good blink targets on the field or it's all for naught.
Your argument is ridiculous.
Whoa, whoa, whoa there, friend. No need to get up in arms! Maybe Pithing Needle is a rarity for you, and if so, more power to you, but I can't play a birthing pod without getting the needle, therein my dislike. I never said he was bad, in fact, I praised him in relation to the three most recent generals for that color combination! I simply said I was unimpressed because of a flaw that, while maybe not ubiquitous in your meta, is relevant in mine. Excuse me if that was unclear.
Brago, however, is the dream. Maybe not the best, nor the most unstoppable. BUT CAN YOU ARGUE WITH A BEARD LIKE THAT?!
I heard red has a lot of access to artifact destruction. I feel like Grenzo will be quite competitive and quite fun as well. He's a great commander.
Again, I never claimed he was bad or potentially not competitive. I simply said he loses to a single (well, ignoring functional clones) card, and with all these ideas flying around for these all-in decks, I'm not terribly sure I like him. Activated abilities are far easily to disrupt than triggered or cast abilities, so I never see this guy, while good, being a Maelstrom Wanderer-type scourge or ever having a beard as cool as Brago's.
I really want to like Muzzio, but I hate the stigma and ultra-reactive playstyle of Mono-U. At least Sydri, Galvanic Genius can beat down and preserve your life total. All Muzzio does is find mana rocks until you're ready to combo off with Scroll Rack and it's top-deck-manipulating ilk.
Grenzo's neat. I like that they're throwing Rakdos a bone after the underwhelming stream of Tymaret, the Murder King(Who is too small too be useful), Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch (who's great if you're a fan of essentially french Vanilla 4/4's), and Rakdos, Lord of Riots(Who can't decide whether he's weenie rush or a ramp deck?). Sadly, I see the poor fellow getting stomped by Pithing Needle, so I'm unimpressed.
Guess I'll just keep day dreaming of Brago, King of Blink.
You necromancing sonuva*****.
Conditionally. Furthermore, you're only drawing the extra one at best. Her token making ability is very ophiomancer-esque, but not absurd by any stretch. It's a slightly above-par band-aid for a historically shafted color combo (sans Kaalia).
Thread here
{*cue appaluse*}
Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Yes,yes, I love you all too. Honey, put your bra back on, you're too young for me. Haha, yes. I'm the American Spirit, and I'm here tonight in lovely San Diego to explain to you folks how to utterly emasculate and humiliate those corpulent, unbathed jerks at your local card-slinging cave with the sheer force of free stuff, all while remaining fiscally conservative and a gun-toting warmonger! You see, some players love to dump money into cardboard under the delusion that having $400 foils and binder full of various Jaces makes them "hot *****". Luckily, we Americans possess more valuable commodities than money: ingenuity and imagination. Over the course of this unofficial primer, I will demonstrate how you too can humble a money-spewing basement dweller without throwing your wallet to the wind.
First, the basics rules of constructing a decent EDH Deck:
1. The deck's colors must be RWU, or you're a damn commie.
2. The deck must work efficiently, or you're a lazy, free-loading welfare queen (Looking at you, Zedruu.
3. The deck must have a voltron win-con, or you're opposed to the fundamental virtue of individualism.
So who are our contestants for the future leader of the free world? Let's take a look.
Zedruu the Greathearted: A damn communist and a traitor. The Bernie Sanders of the Bunch.
Ruhan of the Fomori: Sure, the guy's a frickin' tank stat-wise, but the dude's blind. Personally, I'm not going to put a blind guy in charge of leading an army. No insult intended to blind people (like they're reading this anyway), but leadership is a matter of vision.
Numot, the Devastator: I like this guy. He's like a B-52 Bomber with biceps. But unfortunately, bopping lands two at a time is rather slow and costly (e.g. Iraq and Afghanistan). Pass.
Shu Yun, The Silent Tempest: Meh. He's like Solid Snake combined with Marco Rubio. He packs a punch sometimes, but a stiff breeze will put him in his place. Resilience in the face of adversity is critical in good leadership and this guy ain't ***** for sausage in that category.
Narset, Enlightened Master: Good gravy, she's beautiful! She swings! She gives you strait value off the top! She has HEXPROOF! Ah... I think I'm in love. The obvious choice.
So, now that we're chosen our fearless leader, let's get into specifics! How do we kill those fools with all the free value generated by our lady of liberty? Let's think: What was the cheapest deck in Theros standard? Arguably U/W Heroic. Why? Because enchantments cost $%#@&ing nothing.
I know what you're thinking, "But Spirit, which enchantments should I play? There are so very many!". Well, here's what I play, and if you have any brains or patriotism at all, you should too (Of course, you can always just call me a dumb prick and disregard it entirely. You do have a right to it). Try to think of our general as the quintessential American superhero; a daring, patriotic combination of Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, and George S. Patton, and all these auras are her various superpowers. Your enemies should crumble under the weight of any two or three of them, but who's playing EDH for modesty? Not America. We invented overkill (e.g. Nuclear weapons).
Faith's Fetters: Deals with Planeswalkers, creatures, and other troublesome permanents. All star.
Oblivion Ring: Good, cheap removal. A+
Banishing Light: See Oblivion Ring.
Volition Reins: I'll take that.
Confiscate: Yes, this too is mine.
Sphere of Safety: Good luck swarming me out, you dingus.
Sigil of the Empty throne: Why not generate an army doing what I was already planning to do? Your solid plan B.
Smoke: Again, screw your swarm. I only need one woman in my life.
Dream Tides: See Smoke, except an additional FU to green decks.
Spectra Ward: Can't touch this.
Ethereal Armor: Get big, son.
Jeskai Runemark: Cheap, evasive, buff. Why not?
Squee's Embrace: I'll be back.
Righteous Authority: Buff and Draw. Nuff' said.
Gift of Immortality: Squee's Embrace x100
Magefire Wings: Evasion, buff. Not great, but cheap.
Scourge of the Nobilis: Lifelink and fire-breathing. Ain't bad.
Holy Mantle: The superiority complex.
Hammerhand: Look, I know this isn't a "good" card or choice. But damn if it isn't badass.
Steel of the Godhead: The best Buffand evasion. Good to tutor for.
Shielded By Faith: contagious invincibility.
Sage's Reverie: Buff and Draw.
Aqueous Form: Very solid card. Scry prior to Narset trigger to maximize your chance of hitting non-creatures.
Auramancer's Guise: Big buff. Biggest Buff, in fact.
Wings of Hope: Magefire Wings, except better(?)
Vanishing: Broken AF. Know your phasing rules, kiddos.
So that's 26 cards, what about the other 73?
Portent: Cheap Ponder substitute. Sets up them flips, dawg.
Brainstorm: Same as above. Sets up those flips.
Preordain: Do you get the picture by now? There is a trend here.
Disenchant: Classic removal.
Negate: Never useless. Counters 70% of everything.
Memory Lapse: A cheap counter, made even better by the fact that you can counter a spell cast by Narset to put it on top of your library for a later play.
Dream Cache: A fair version of Brainstorm.
Relentless Assault: What's better than one Narset trigger? Two of them.
Divine Reckoning: For us, a wipe with almost no drawback. We have few dudes.
Foresee: Strong, underplayed Magic card. Scry 4 is no joke.
Fact or Fiction: Strong, overplayed Magic card. Fun with friends!
Mystic Confluence: Almost always a 3 for 1. Great card, wish it costed 4.
Volcanic Offering: guaranteed 4 for 1. Epic card.
Tragic Arrogance: More severe Divine Reckoning.
Razia's Purification: I've never resolved this card in any situation and subsequently lost. Very powerful, choose wisely.
Temporal Cascade: Never draw 7, always choose option one. Your opponents ain't #%$@ on a stick without their precious hands, but we have Narset to cover our losses with card advantage.
Blessed Wind: Diet Magister Sphinx and occasional lifesaver.
Searing Wind: 10 damage always feels good. Hit them where it hurts with massive overkill.
There's another 18, so what's that total up to (Gosh darn common core education)? Ah, yes. 44. That's not enough, is it? Let's add some ramp then!
Sol Ring: Come on, what format are we playing?
Boros Signet: Ramp.
Azorius Signet: Ramp.
Izzet Signet: Ramp.
Though Vessel: Ramp.
Fire Diamond: Ramp.
Marble Diamond: Ramp.
Sky Diamond: Ramp.
Armillary Sphere: Ramp.
Darksteel Ingot: Ramp.
Worn Powerstone: Ramp.
Omen Machine: Shuts down many strategies, but not ours. Good stuff.
Feroz's Ban: Because let's be real, creatures blow.
So that's 57. Just a few shy. What the hell, let's play some dudes.
Generator Servant: Ramp and haste on a stick.
Auramancer: Because sometimes, you have to do things twice to get them done.
Heliod's Pilgrim: Finds what you need.
Warden of the Eye: Bigger, badder, less picky Auramancer.
And there you go, a tight 61. Moving on to the heart and soul of any deck, the lands.
1. Play ramp and lands
2. Play Narset
3. Put auras on Narset
4. Swing at them until they die.
And there you are. 100 cards for a little under $60 that'll kick some ass at almost any table. If you don't believe me, give it a whirl and see for yourself what the free market can do for you.
The deck relies heavily on ETBT lands so it's going to be a slower deck, but I'm wondering what the best tools are to ramp, defend, and ultimately crush my opponents with, without shattering the wallet. I'm thinking Goodstuff as opposed to cards that require thematic support.
Any ideas?
She's something completely different. She's not necessarily concerned with ramping insanely into fat like Maelstrom Wanderer or Animar, rather she exploits the field after the fat has come to rampage. She's meta for battle-cruiser playgroups and pretty weak elsewhere, certainly not going to be top tier like MW or Animar.
So she's essentially a fair deck. Something Animar and MW can't do.
These are all fair points, and maybe my paranoia concerning his colors and the fact that Pithing needle is a staple where I play (Sydri, Derevi, Oona and Azami aren't going to stop themselves) may have colored my view. But I've yet to hear your input concerning the beards, a point which I consider paramount.
Alright, you want to get into logistics then.
On needle:
"1) it's 1 in 99 cards
Yes, but trinket mage exists. Blue has historically no issue tutoring for small artifacts, nor is there a dearth of recursive pieces (Auriok Salvagers, trading post, etc).
2) there might be better targets
From how ludicrous a combo enabler everyone apparently thinks he is, I doubt there'd be many more pressing targets.
3) red can easily kill artifacts
So what? If I'm running literally any color but black, I can either grab it back or protect much easier and more often than B/R will be able to kill it.
4) black can easily tutor for artifact removal
See above points.
5) he's still a very efficient hydra even if you ignore his ability entirely
This is true. But he can't be recurred directly with black or he's a 2/2. In addition, once he dies twice and costs BR4, he's not so efficient anymore.
Again, you seem to think I'm claiming Brago is better. Beard-wise, this is indisputable. Grenzo looks like a juiced-up hermit, while Brago's rocking the Santa Claus Chic. Overall though, I think they're both mediocre compared to Maelstrom Wanderer, Zur, or Derevi. If you want though, I can attempt to demonstrate Brago's aforementioned superiority in terms without facial hair aesthetics:
On Brago:
1) anything that prevents attacking, such as peacekeeper or ensnaring bridge.
White and Blue are not lacking in removal, much like Grenzo with artifacts. Brago's colors (ie the presence of blue) give him the card advantage and counters to outpace these obstacles.
2) anything that prevents HIM from attacking, such as bound in silence or forced worship.
See above
3) anything that prevents his damage, such as angus mackenzie.
That's fair. Best we can do is try to kill him or counter the fog machine (Pithing Needle sure would be handy. Hm...)
4) anything that can block him (at least, if everyone has something).
He has evasion, and not everyone always has fliers/reachers, especially with the downfall of Sylvan Primordial
plus he's disrupted by:
5) anything that kills him at sorcery speed, unless he has haste.
...Which he should if you're building him correctly, but you're right, everyone dies occasionally.
6) anything that kills him at instant speed, regardless of haste.
This is flaw for all non-hexproof generals. Play counters, you've got blue
7) anything that kills his blinkable buddies.
You say buddies as if he's limited to creatures, which would be the "Fair" way to play him. Blinking and Pseudo-untapping artifacts can generate green levels of mana, and we all know how many ETB effects there are.
Essentially, the difference between Brago and Grenzo is that Brago abuses known quantities in colors that are more advantageous in EDH. Grenzo needs support to stack your "dungeon" in colors that are not traditionally the strongest in tandem, while Brago just asks that you play things and swing. Grenzo is probably the best Rakdos Commander, hands down. Despite that title though, Grenzo is inherently never going to match the best Simic commander or the Best Azorius commander or the best RUG commander. His color combination is simply not good enough in this format.
But all of this is irrelevant because all I said was that I didn't like Grenzo for meta-related reasons. So please, let it go.
I don't agree that the format should be strictly "casual" as the OP claims, but I think that there should be more communication in situations like these and it's up to the veterans to make EDH enjoyable for everyone. New players should not have to enter a format designed to be fun by being baptized in fire.
Whoa, whoa, whoa there, friend. No need to get up in arms! Maybe Pithing Needle is a rarity for you, and if so, more power to you, but I can't play a birthing pod without getting the needle, therein my dislike. I never said he was bad, in fact, I praised him in relation to the three most recent generals for that color combination! I simply said I was unimpressed because of a flaw that, while maybe not ubiquitous in your meta, is relevant in mine. Excuse me if that was unclear.
Brago, however, is the dream. Maybe not the best, nor the most unstoppable. BUT CAN YOU ARGUE WITH A BEARD LIKE THAT?!
Again, I never claimed he was bad or potentially not competitive. I simply said he loses to a single (well, ignoring functional clones) card, and with all these ideas flying around for these all-in decks, I'm not terribly sure I like him. Activated abilities are far easily to disrupt than triggered or cast abilities, so I never see this guy, while good, being a Maelstrom Wanderer-type scourge or ever having a beard as cool as Brago's.
EDIT: Grammar fails me today.
Grenzo's neat. I like that they're throwing Rakdos a bone after the underwhelming stream of Tymaret, the Murder King(Who is too small too be useful), Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch (who's great if you're a fan of essentially french Vanilla 4/4's), and Rakdos, Lord of Riots(Who can't decide whether he's weenie rush or a ramp deck?). Sadly, I see the poor fellow getting stomped by Pithing Needle, so I'm unimpressed.
Guess I'll just keep day dreaming of Brago, King of Blink.