How does Grixis Control fare in Modern?
Modern forum
Posted on Aug. 15, 2014, 2:53 p.m. by slovakattack
I like the idea of Grixis Control. Does it have the capacity to be a T1 deck, or at least have the ability to compete?
I like Cruel Ultimatum as well, but it seems too slow, even for Modern Control :/
Also: Would Liliana of the Veil work in a Grixis Control deck? It seems like she'd combo better with Jund/Junk and their graveyard shenanigans, but the removal she has is pretty sweet.
slovakattack says... #3
CommanderOfBolas What's your take on Grixis Delver?
August 15, 2014 3:22 p.m.
Choke and Blood Moon make for a really bad experience.
August 15, 2014 3:54 p.m.
I've seen UWR control splashing black for Cruel Ultimatum at PTQ and it was pretty good
August 15, 2014 4:09 p.m.
Metroid_Hybrid says... #7
There's a guy who sports a Grixis Cruel Control deck that he regularly changes around, but he more often than not walks away with 1st place with it at the Saturday Night Modern at the LGS that I go to..
August 15, 2014 4:13 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #8
@slovakattack: I actually love grixis delver. Im still working on getting all the pieces, but I think it is really good. I run Young Pyromancer in my version along with a bunch of "free" spells like Gitaxian Probe , Slaughter Pact , etc. Again, though, it is a very meta dependent kind of deck. It can be outraced by decks like zoo, but it has a pretty good match up against most decks
August 15, 2014 4:55 p.m.
slovakattack says... #9
CommanderOfBolas: One of the reasons for the questions in the first place is that I actually have a set of Liliana of the Veil , but I don't have the money for your typical Bob/Goyf Junk/Jund build. I'm trying to see if she can be applied to control decks :x
August 15, 2014 5:45 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #10
ok. well, I don't think she belongs in an agro deck. she is really meant for an attrition type deck. I think Grixis has the potential to provide a good shell, but it would take some work to figure out
August 15, 2014 6:28 p.m.
slovakattack says... #11
CommanderOfBolas: Yeah, I was thinking more Cruel Control for her. The main issue I see is that it doesn't have white for Lingering Souls . It does have Think Twice though... hm. Makes me want to try something with Esper control...
August 15, 2014 7:19 p.m.
I played Grixis Control for a while. You get a ton of removal and countermagic, so your opponent really doesn't have much left.
What I'd do differently is play four Cryptic Command , backed up by Bitterblossom and Batterskull . I initially played with Dark Confidant , but he doesn't pose much of a threat. He also prevents you from going higher on the curve. Rise/Fall is one of the better cards available to Grixis, but you can't play a full set because Dark Confidant will hit you for four every time you flip one.
Both Batterskull and Bitterblossom also help you play Damnation , since you can just bounce Batterskull and Bitterblossom will keep churning out tokens each turn.
I think Liliana of the Veil is just too good not to play in black. After a while, your Mana Leak s, Thoughtseize s, and Inquisition of Kozilek s become dead cards. You start pitching those to Liliana of the Veil . Snapcaster Mage can get back important cards.
With Creeping Tar Pit , you can also just burn your opponent low enough and then attack.
I think the archetype is viable, so long as you play Cryptic Command for the hard counter and draw power. You also need Fulminator Mage in the sideboard, which can eat your budget. Phyrexian Arena may also prove to be a solid choice.
The real thing hurting the deck is not having Bloodstained Mire and Polluted Delta in the format to fetch up basics so the deck can play around Blood Moon and Tectonic Edge , while also not taking a bunch of damage from lands. The man lands available to Grixis are also in Lightning Bolt range. That's probably why American Control has been the go-to choice in Modern.
August 15, 2014 8:45 p.m.
slovakattack says... #13
sylvannos: That's pretty awesome advice, thanks! What do you think of throwing in 2x Elspeth, Sun's Champion and Thundermaw Hellkite in as finishers?
One of my issues is that, basically, I have a budget limit of about 8-900. The deck you suggested is entering the 1.5K range, probably, so as much as I'd love to run it, I may have to make, well, budget cuts :c
August 15, 2014 8:50 p.m.
slovakattack says... #14
And, apparently, I went, to, the Walken, school of, literacy. xD
August 15, 2014 9:20 p.m.
the problem with modern is money often needs to be of no object. Sure Grixis control is viable, but you'll need to mortgage your house and sell the naming rights to your first born child to pull it off. Everything in the format is too good to cut corners very often. Just make a mainboard Slaughter Games deck and troll for fun. Duress and Thoughtseize them the whole game till you figure out what they need to win, then take it away. Throw in some cheap win con and you should be good to go.
August 15, 2014 11:38 p.m.
@slovakattack: I think Thundermaw Hellkite is a fine finisher. I just like Batterskull because you can play boardwipes and not worry about losing your threat.
I wouldn't splash white for Elspeth, Sun's Champion . She's too slow and her -2 may not always do anything.
August 16, 2014 5:35 a.m.
slovakattack says... #17
I hear ya guys. I'm not really looking for 'budget' modern, I know that no such thing exists... but there is a big difference between 800 and 2K. I think I've kind of pidgeonholed myself into an uber-expensive deck by making Liliana a requirement (not that she herself is expensive, but that her shells usually are), but I'm experimenting with a few things.
CommanderOfBolas says... #2
Grixis is definitely viable, but you have to have a good understanding of the meta to be able to compete with it. the removal available is pretty sweet. I personally am not a huge fan of Lili in grixis because, as a blue player, you kind of want to have cards in hand. She could be used in conjunction with flashback cards, though. Or maybe you could do some sort of zombies deck with Bloodghast and Gravecrawler . anyways, Cruel Ultimatum is a great card if you build your deck right. lots of tempo cards and counterspells will make it great
August 15, 2014 3:15 p.m.