THIS IS GRIXIS
...or rather my take on Grixis control. I put this together because I love playing UB control and I've been wanting to add a third color into the mix. Esper is the obvious choice, but it's too boring. Just about all Esper decks are the same, and there's not a ton of room for fun stuff to be thrown in. So I decided to try building a Grixis control deck from scratch, and this is what I came up with.
The Goal
The goal of this deck is to control through damage and hand disruption. There's a fair amount of counter magic going on with Counterflux, Syncopate, and Izzet Charm, but the primary goal is damage and hand disruption.
The Cards
Instants
Counterflux - Just a good counterspell that Grixis has access to. I don't get the scry that I'd get from Dissolve, but in control match ups Counterflux can't be countered.
Syncopate - Been running this for a while now, and it almost never disappoints, despite what other people may think of it.
Izzet Charm - Great card for two mana. Either a turn two counter spell, weenie removal, or card cycling. Options are what I'm looking for, and this card gives them to me.
Turn / Burn - This card is just kinda fun. I'm not 100% sure I wanna keep this guy in here, but until I play test it, it's gonna stay.
Magma Jet - Two drop, two damage, scry 2. Fantastic card for this deck. Let's me ping a creature or the player and make sure I'm drawing what I need to keep up momentum.
Hero's Downfall - Just a fantastic card. Handles most threats I might face like a pro. And during my opponent's turn no less.
Cyclonic Rift - This card has dug me out of bad situations more times than I can count. Great early bounce spell that scales even better into late game.
Sorceries
Thoughtseize - My ideal one drop. Pick out the most immediate threat from their hand and buy myself some time to build up my board state.
Rakdos's Return - Encompasses exactly what I want to do with this deck. Deal damage and gain card advantage. Once I get some lands on the field, this card starts spiraling out of control (hah, puns).
Mizzium Mortars - Similarly to Cyclonic Rift this card provides me with excellent turn two removal that scales wonderfully into late game. Against a lot of decks, the overload is gonna be a board wipe.
Anger of the Gods - Good turn three drop to help clear the board and control the state of the game. I don't wanna take too much damage early on if I can help it.
Dreadbore - It's a cheaper, slightly slower Hero's Downfall. Hard to go wrong here.
Divination - Hey, it's a control deck. I've gotta have some card draw somewhere.
Creatures
Mogis, God of Slaughter - I never expect Mogis to become deified. However, his board presence is so massive, especially in a stalling control deck, that I have to run him. Mogis is one of my primary win conditions in this deck, and he also helps keep the board under control by giving my opponent the choice of how he'd like to lose all hope.
Master of Cruelties - Another solid win condition. Play this guy followed up by an overloaded Mizzium Mortars or Cyclonic Rift and suddenly your opponent doesn't have much chance left. If Mogis, God of Slaughter is on the field while they've got no creatures, then you just won the game.
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - I thought about running AEtherling instead of this guy, but like I said, I wanted to be different. This guy hits like a truck for 4 mana, and he can't be controlled like Desecration Demon can. If I've got Ral Zarek on the field, it's really easy to get around his cast condition without paying any additional mana.
Planeswalkers
Ral Zarek - I'm running one copy of this guy as a final win condition. His pop off is great, but the extra mana ramp and control is also fantastic. As an added bonus, his -2 allows me to play Rakdos, Lord of Riots and it's also a fine finisher after Master of Cruelties swings in.
Sideboard
is currently under construction and could probably use a ton of help!
That's about it! If you've got any questions about the deck, or how it's designed to work please leave a comment. More importantly if you've got suggestions or feedback about the deck, definitely leave a comment so I can fine tune this thing into a well oiled machine. As always, +1s are appreciated!
