Grimgrin Zombie-Combo/Control (Commander / EDH MTG Deck)

Grimgrin Zombie-Combo/Control

Commander / EDH Infinite Combo Reanimator Storm UB (Dimir) Zombie

Kingcutlass79

Land (34)

Sorcery (8)

Enchantment (3)

Creature (22)

Artifact (12)

Commander (1)

Instant (16)

Planeswalker (4)

Sideboard

Artifact (1)

1x Elixir of Immortality

looking to make this deck as powerful as possible without being CEDH single combo-driven win.

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Updates Add

HUGE SUPERMASSIVE update! — Aug. 21, 2020

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This will be the biggest deck restructure since I changed commanders several years ago from Gisa and Geralf to Grim himself.

I've always loved that this deck is a toolbox, and I always played in the same pods mostly with it, so I tailored it to pretty much any mid-range deck that I could face. (Which has been a lot) But since changing LGS's to a large pond, i've come across a much tougher section of opponents. The mid-range is upper-mid range here walking the line to competitive.

Having had playtest success with the Altar of the Brood and Undead Alchemist, I've decided to take out all the sandbagging cards that have been naturally replaced by better tutors and more efficient lines for control magic and combo enablers. I still have the option to go combat if things go awry, but I'm leaning on streamlining this deck to make it as efficient as possible now, while still holding that sweet, sweet tribal zombie flavor.

Some of these cuts were REALLY HARD, and i still have them as potential add-ins later....

Additions to the land base - Increase

Out:

Bojuka Bog Bolas's Citadel Sensei's Divining Top Sunken Ruins

In:

Shizo, Death's Storehouse Minamo, School at Water's Edge Fabled Passage Underground Sea

Already this is a controversial upgrade since both Top and Citadel are massive value in this style of deck, however I wanted to focus on the most efficient combos possible that would guarantee a more consistent game end, so I needed to increase the land count by 2 since the Citadel/Flux/Top combo was being removed for curve trimming. I was running 35 lands before, although technically 34 because Maze of Ith isn't a viable land unless Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is out. I wanted to throw in some extra land fetches and since I managed to pick up both specialty lands in foil for this deck that will interact fantastic with my commander, I had to make the cut. Top is such a good card, it's obviously side board, but if my deck is efficient enough, I shouldn't need it to smooth my draws and ramp.

Card;Shizo, Death's Storehouse will provide that much needed damage should all else fail while Minamo, School at Water's Edge is just the best way to untap Grimgrin when I can't afford to sac my utility creatures. This allows him to be an early board disruption AND damage threat to an opponent.

Sunken Ruins was removed for Underground Sea for obvious reasons....I finally got my hands on a copy after 5 years and outside of maybe adding a few more fetch lands to hit colors, I think it's pretty solid where it's at.

Additional Ramp - Increase

Out:

Gilded Lotus Aetherflux Reservoir Vedalken Orrery

In:

Bontu's Monument Phyrexian Altar Dimir Signet

While trimming the cmc of my creatures down, I felt it was important to upgrade my ramp. I've had turns in this deck where i've landed 5 on turn 1-2, but also games where I've dropped land an passed.

Gilded Lotus is a favorite card of mine, and since I have the V20 version, i think it's just a pretty card in general. It's been crucial in past plays for holding up enough mana for a Sudden Spoiling to surprise an opponent who thinks they have a Craterhoof Behemoth win in the bag. It's also been stolen and blown up on more occasions than I can remember which really sets me back on turns 5-7, especially if I was waiting to drop a big bomb down on the next round. (Like Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or In Garruk's Wake) It's being trimmed for Dimir Signet, it's just more mana efficient and will help scale all my plays, not just 6+.

Aetherflux Reservoir is being pulled for Bontu's Monument. Scaled ramp plus combo piece replacement if I get a Rooftop Storm combo set up. It's also not NEARLY the target that Flux is at the table, should go unnoticed until it's too late.

Vedalken Orrery is another controversial cut, but I'm replacing it with Phyrexian Altar for yet another combo piece for Storm. It will still stay on side board as the deck gets tuned for a potential add in later.

Sorcery Speed - Lowering the Curve

Out:

In Garruk's Wake Rite of Replication

In:

Grim Tutor Toxic Deluge

This should be pretty self explanatory, Deluge replaces Wake simply for speed and efficiency, while I've wanted to get my hands on a Grim Tutor for years and was glad to see a reprint, so I snagged one in foil for FAR less than the original. Rite of Replication was just too slow and the targets were never really worth holding the card in hand. Using it on Gray Merchant of Asphodel is a kill shot to the table, but having that much mana on board getting shut down by all of the free counterspells that have been released in the last commander sets is really a feels-bad moment if it happens. Even a single target never really has that much "punch", so it's usually a dead card.

Instant Speed - Control

Out:

Venser, Shaper Savant Tomebound Lich Sudden Spoiling Gravespawn Sovereign Corpse Harvester

In:

Counterspell Soul Manipulation Countersquall Fierce Guardianship Drown in the Loch

Corpse Harvester was removed in favor of a counter magic slot because I have numerous mana efficient tutors that do what he does WAY cheaper and way sooner. It also doesn't have to sit an entire round at the table threatened by removal before his first activation, as well as having Gravecrawler or a token as setup. Usually if he comes out, it's either early luck or mid-late desperation. Bumping the mana base should compensate for this.

Venser, Shaper Savant and Gravespawn Sovereign were cut for more efficient counter magic slots that didn't require as much setup while still having similar board control. I don't have the mass-recursion with Sovereign that I used to, but it was a cute combo that won occasionally, so having used it numerous times, i'm ok with dropping the curve. Venser is simply unusable in my tribe after he is dropped. My anti-zombie effects will nuke him off my board and make it very difficult to recur. A straight counter is better to stop a problem spell/permanent than holding up 4 mana.

Sudden Spoiling was another hard cut to make. It's a staple in my deck and has pulled off more work than most other cards. Going full aggro against a bigger opponent who might have a titan or even a wall of dino's has been left jaw agape as I turn them into powder during damage step. It has stopped combos from going off and aristocrats from draining the table. However I need slots to put at least 5 counter magic slots in for it to be effective, so this is shelved for now. I might find a way to slot it back in later.

Tomebound Lich is actually a good card. Deathtouch and lifelink is a great combination combined with a loot effect. The problem with that is that it forces discard more often when I'm not ready for it than when I am. I might throw this back in at some point if I need to, but it's shelved for now in favor of counters.

The various control spells I've chosen are mostly for flavor and not necessarily for maximum effect. I have all the most powerful counters in Magic, but they are all in my CEDH Sultai deck, so acquiring foil copies for this deck is purely situational. If i find one at the right price, i'll pick it up, otherwise, finding a foil Mana Drain is not high on my priority list.

Creatures - Modifying what's left

Out:

Cavern Harpy Erebos, God of the Dead Graveshifter The Scarab God

In:

Plague Belcher Gravedigger Grave Defiler Phyrexian Crusader

Cavern Harpy was no longer needed since Venser, Shaper Savant was pulled, so it was subbed for Plague Belcher as an additional life drain combo-piece. It's not bad to get a 5/4 body with menace on the field either. The down side is not really that bad since this is a recursion deck. Win/Win.

Erebos, God of the Dead has been a great draw engine and definitely a great card to tutor vs. life gain decks, but i've never drawn enough cards with him, nor used him as a creature on board enough to warrant keeping in the deck. One niche effect doesn't get around my Noxious Ghoul killing him in one turn. Grave Defiler is a new zombie to me that should give me some good card advantage, especially if I have Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on board.

Graveshifter was replaced with Gravedigger, going back to the old foil version I used to run simply because it dies to Zombie Apocalypse and doesn't work quite the way I wanted with Faces of the Past.

The Scarab God is a temporary cut. I subbed in Phyrexian Crusader because he used to be in the first version of the deck and I removed him because people were afraid of the word "Infect." Well, having run multiple infect decks in multiple colors, this card could use a revisit as a potential aggro / removal target. Scarab god is a great card, but he dies to Noxious Ghoul and is a big mana sink that could be held up for counters. His scry ability is great, but only mid game when the board is established. With the deck leaning into more efficient combo lines, this might end up being "win more" rather than value. Testing will see if he needs to return to his place in the deck, Crusader is always expendable, it's just an old favorite of mine.

Enchantments - Reduce costs

Out: Dictate of Erebos In: Grave Pact

Simple math here. I preferred running dictate in the past because of the flash, so the extra mana didn't bother me, but having established this deck in the area regularly, i'm not really fooling anyone with five black mana open. So Pact is replacing it for efficiency.

It's going to take some serious playtesting to get used to this deck, but I will update with the new combo lines as soon as possible. As always, suggestions are always welcome, plus ways to really trim the fat here and make it as fast as it is aggressive.

Somehow my CMC average went from 3.00 to 3.24 while cutting the biggest cards, i'm not sure how that happened...I'm determined to break into the 2.90's with this deck at some point.

Additions / Subtractions for Playtesting — March 18, 2020

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Additions / Subtractions — March 14, 2020

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Casual

90% Competitive

Date added	4 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	22 - 0 Mythic Rares 39 - 0 Rares 13 - 1 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.91
Tokens	Emblem Liliana, Waker of the Dead, Zombie 2/2 B, Zombie 2/2 B w/ Decayed
Folders	Undead
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