Grixis Control Finisher
Standard forum
Posted on June 18, 2017, 9:06 a.m. by Zaueski
I'm going to build a Grixis spells deck for HOU. Obviously that whole set has not been spoiled as of yet but I wanted to organize my thoughts on the top end creatures and then hear your replies...
Torrential Gearhulk vs. The Scorpion God
Pros:
Flash
Super strong etb ability
Psuedo-Haste for an extremely fast clock.
Cons:
Requires an Instant themed deck
Puts me solidly in blue and counterspells making red and black splash colors
Is a well known entity and people know how to hate him out.
Pros:
Cheaper
Has an amazing engine if you can untap with him
Blocks well with everything while mana is open
Recursive because he comes back to hand
Cons:
1.Requires tapping out on my turn
Requires a lot of kill spells instead of counterspells
Weak to noncreature decks
Draw engine can be a little bit clunky.
Torrential Gearhulk doesnt, but Overlord Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh does. And good catch on the legendary part
June 18, 2017 9:19 a.m.
You wrote this "Puts me solidly in blue and counterspells making red and black splash colors".
That's what I was responding to.
I disagree that you will need to "splash"
I haven't with Destroy the Gatewatch. I chose to splash instead.
I mean REALLY splash it. No until Turn 5 and onwards.
June 18, 2017 9:23 a.m.
Either way, which do you prefer? I might just build both and see which one looks better.
June 18, 2017 9:50 a.m.
It's hard for me to say as your link above doesn't link to the "Scorpion God" card.
Try this, for the moment.
Now that I can see it, it's pretty hard to go past the Flashback ability of Torrential Gearhulk. Getting an extra chance to play a spell in a Control deck is pretty hard to beat.
Also, if they Exile the God, that pretty much shuts it down. Declaration in Stone is rampant in my local meta.
June 18, 2017 10:28 a.m. Edited.
In my humble opinion, BOTH cards are perfect. One BIG pro to 
, is the SICK shenanigans it can do with Hazoret's Favor xD
June 18, 2017 5:08 p.m. Edited.
pumpkinwavy says... #8
The Scorpion God is unplayable garbage. Torrential Gearhulk is the reason the deck sees any play.
June 18, 2017 9:04 p.m.
pumpkinwavy Why would you state something like this and not give some pros or cons? Sure gearhulk is a sick card, but we haven't got any ful spoilers yet. Wait till they drop. TRY to bre a deck and then talk. ok?
June 19, 2017 2:10 a.m.
I always find statements that "this card is unplayable", without any explanation to back that up, hilarious.
It's often said about a card that is found to be strong, once people start brewing with it.
The best example for me is Archangel Avacyn Flip. Then she went on to win the Pro Tour.
June 19, 2017 4:06 a.m.
I've seen more articulate and well thought out statements from presidential twitter pages pumpkinwavy.
Don't sling the "that card is trash" nonsense around on a site that is literally founded on people trying new decks ideas and cards.
It's pretty damn useless effort.
June 19, 2017 7:34 p.m.
Well ignoring pumpkinwavy's useless interjection... Does anyone have a serious rundown of why to play one or the other? Like I'm hesitant to run Torrential Gearhulk because of how much it restricts deck building by not letting you run as many sorceries or creatures... is its power level worth that sacrifice? And is The Scorpion God good enough to bridge the gap for a stronger build around with sorcery kill spells and wraths?
June 19, 2017 9:08 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #13
I've been out of mtg for a while, so its funny to see how the conversations are still exactly the same (even if the cards being discussed change). I'll be honest, my favorite wins as a Magic player have been against people who considered any card that isn't in a Tier 1 netdeck to be "unplayable garbage."
Anyways, I do like The Scorpion God, but probably more as a secondary finisher due to its vulnerability against Exile effects & counterspells as well as lack of evasion. You'll still need a top-end finisher for control & a lot of midrange matchups. Unfortunately I need to do my homework on the new cards so that's all I got haha.
June 19, 2017 10:16 p.m.
Zaueski imo in the long run Torrential Gearhulk will give you better value.
Getting the chance to recast spells from the Graveyard is brilliant for Control decks, in the long run.
If you are worried that you will lose two Control spells, do what I did with Destroy the Gatewatch and don't use a playset of the Gearhulks.
June 20, 2017 1:46 a.m.
Hazoret's Favor , Fling , Altar's Reap, Bontu the Glorified, Heart-Piercer Manticore , Kari Zev's Expertise , Supernatural Stamina , Wrangle, Bone Splinters , Eliminate the Competition , Indulgent Aristocrat and vampires, like Voldaren Pariah , Morbid Curiosity, Start / Finish. These are an example, of cards, that interact really good with
June 20, 2017 8:05 a.m.
Torrential Gearhulk On the other hand, is a 5/6 Disallow This is game changing for a control player. They are both good cards, i totally agree with Argy, that the value of the gearhulk, will remain high, BUT i am rooting for the outsider . It is more fun this way xD
Argy says... #2
I don't see why Torrential Gearhulk requires you to "splash"
I've made a Grixis shell with it in and it can let you recast lots of great cards like Murder.
A Con you've left off against the God is that it is Legendary.
June 18, 2017 9:12 a.m.