Grenzo, Casino Warden [Primer WIP]

Commander / EDH* BR (Rakdos) Multiplayer Primer

BerryFrost

Creature (45)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Body Snatcher
• 1x Canal Dredger
• 1x Clone Shell
• 1x Crypt Ghast
• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Duplicant
• 1x Emrakul's Hatcher
• 1x Epitaph Golem
• 1x Faceless Butcher
• 1x Furystoke Giant
• 1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Herald of Leshrac
• 1x Judith, the Scourge Diva
• 1x Junktroller
• 1x Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip
• 1x Marionette Master
• 1x Master of Cruelties
• 1x Meteor Golem
• 1x Mindclaw Shaman
• 1x Murderous Redcap
• 1x Nekrataal
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Phyrexian Delver
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Priest of Gix
• 1x Priest of Urabrask
• 1x Puppeteer Clique
• 1x Ravenous Chupacabra
• 1x Raving Dead
• 1x Shriekmaw
• 1x Siege-Gang Commander
• 1x Soldevi Adnate
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Tuktuk Scrapper
• 1x Twilight Prophet
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Whisper, Blood Liturgist
• 1x Workhorse
• 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan
• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
• 1x Zealous Conscripts
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Land (34)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Blast Zone
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crypt of Agadeem
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 1x Madblind Mountain
• 1x Maze of Ith
• 5x Mountain
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Rakdos Carnarium
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Strip Mine
• 11x Swamp
• 1x Temple of the False God

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Black Market
• 1x Dictate of Erebos
• 1x Grave Pact

Instant (1)

• 1x Chaos Warp

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Black Sun's Zenith

Commander (1)

Artifact (15)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Heartstone
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Panharmonicon
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Reito Lantern
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Teferi's Puzzle Box
• 1x Tel-Jilad Stylus
• 1x Thran Turbine
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

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Sideboard

Creature (4)

• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Iron Myr
• 1x Leaden Myr
• 1x Palladium Myr

Land (1)

• 1x Swamp

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Introduction

"Hey bud, been told ya'd be comin'. Grenzo be waitin' for ya'. 'parently, a big tourney s'about to start and y'are both the bouncer and the price."

After being the head of a riot in Paliano, Grenzo had to hide his identity from the queen to prevent any undesired death that could be brought upon him. Thus, in a far away land, he opened a humble casino. Of course, it's a cesspool of illegal activities and debauchery, but hey, it's still a casino and, if you have the funds, you're welcome to try your luck.

This is a somewhat janky take on a deck that abuses Grenzo, Dungeon Warden 's ability. I want to make something absolutely clear though. Although Grenzo is a good cEDH deck, this is not competitive in any way, shape or form. In fact, I purposefully limit aspects of deck-building in order to make the deck fun rather than oppresive.

Here are the limitations used to make this deck :

1. No tutors.
2. No utility artifacts that doesn't help Grenzo or my win conditions (like Top, Paradox, Orrery).
3. Somewhat budget, with the more expensive cards being ones I already have or that can be switched easily.
4. As few instants / sorceries as possible. Almost all utility must be done through creature ETB unless impossible.
5. Finally, creatures must be spawnable with a 2 or 3 power Grenzo (so power 3 or lower).

Some might disagree with my methods, but it made the deck building experience more entertaining.

Despite that, there is a lot of fun to be had there. If you like :

• Chaotic and randomized gameplay.
• Every games being different.
• On-the-fly problem solving.

You've come to the right casino.

Primer still WIP.

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Why Grenzo?

In terms of gimmick, Grenzo is quite special. The bottom of one's deck is rarely useful in most situations, so adding a focus onto it forces the player into thinking outside the box, even more when adding the power restrictions that comes with his ability. While his power has already been used in competitive settings, I haven't seen many casual takes on a Grenzo deck that came with a good explanation for everything, so I've really wanted to provide some kind of baseline for others.

General Strategy

The general strategy is very simple to understand. Use. Grenzo's. Ability. While random, the deck is mostly built to improve your chances of finding a solution to any problem you are faced. The deck itself rarely plays cards from hands, minus the small amount of non-creature cards or your lands. If you can pump mana in the effect you might just find what you need. If not... well, a bit of politics never hurts.

Early game is similar to most decks. An emphasis on ramp and early plays. However, the moment you can, play your Grenzo for X=0. If you got early ramp, maybe push it to X=1. This will allow you to immediately use his ability the turn after and start the engine.

Mid game, you want to assemble some of the tools that will allow you to help your Grenzo ability. Of course, you want to protect Grenzo. If you can't cast him, your deck is heavily crippled. Cards like Swiftfoot Boots , Lightning Greaves or even Whispersilk Cloak will help with that. Other cards like Teferi's Puzzle Box or Tel-Jilad Stylus Will give you increased control over your deck's bottom.

Late game, despite being a gimmicky deck, you still have ways to win. Some cards like Master of Cruelties or Raving Dead can quickly kill your opponents with the help of Whispersilk Cloak or Rogue's Passage . Other cards like Herald of Leshrac or Gray Merchant of Asphodel can burn your opponent quickly if unopposed.

Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 36 - 0 Rares 38 - 2 Uncommons 5 - 2 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.73
Tokens	City's Blessing, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Emblem Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Goblin 1/1 R, Servo 1/1 C, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B
Based on	Bottom decking? Limo EDH