is grim grin really that infeior of a genarel
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Aug. 17, 2015, 9:47 p.m. by xroli
so long story short, i went on a facebook page about edh tier lists and i checked it out, i noticed that grim grin wasnt on it even on the "Obsolete list" so i asked "why no grim grin ?" and then the owner of the page just kinda shitted on him, just started to talk on how slow,easy to beat and how he is a " inferior genarel " :(
dont get me wrong i liked the critisem so i can make my deck better but is grim grin really THAT BAD as a genarel ?
Epochalyptik says... #3
This thread was moved to a more appropriate forum (auto-generated comment)
August 17, 2015 9:52 p.m.
EDH tier list, although semi applicable, is a highly subjective thing. And just because some person says a commander is good or bad doesn't make it so. A lot of the time those websites (or facebook pages) that specifically focus on tier lists are highly opinionated.
That being said, in relation to Grimgrin, Corpse-Born he is an ok commander but nothing special. He's run as a tribal commander almost exclusively and while can provide a small amount of combo potential (in the form of making him really big) this is not a unique thing, and is relatively slow as you still can't kill multiple players at once with him.
August 17, 2015 10:33 p.m.
lemmingllama says... #5
In competitive, Grimgrin doesn't do a lot. In more social fun EDH, he is a good option that can do powerful things. The issue is that he needs other cards in order to actually do anything, and he only really helps you when you are already ahead. He also lacks evasion or any way to protect himself, so he is easily killed by spot removal.
Still, the tier lists are exclusively for competitive. You can play anything that you want with your playgroup, and have lots of success with it.
August 17, 2015 10:37 p.m.
PhyrexianScience says... #6
The only generals that are inferior are the ones that cannot be used. Any general can be built around, and that makes any general good in the right deck.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born can easily be built around. Zombie tribal is a very real thing, and there are even a few combos with Grimgrin. Rooftop Storm does particular work since Grimgrin is free at all times.
August 17, 2015 11:13 p.m.
That list is the competitive list. In competitive EDH, Grim Grin does nothing.
August 18, 2015 2:21 a.m.
NotSoLuckyLydia says... #8
So, a couple things. First, the most important thing about playing magic is that you enjoy yourself. If your ultimate factor in whether you enjoy yourself is that you're winning, then tier lists can be somewhat important. Otherwise, to hell with them. (I'm not saying that tier lists are a bad thing. I'm a competitive player through and through, and I have done a lot of playing with high tier decks, as well as helping with creating a tier list for Duel Commander)
Second, a tier list for EDH is very subjective. It's often the cards in the decks that matter more than what's the general. This is why 5 color combo-control decks do so well so often. They get to play 99 cards that are the exact best options for their decks, and often don't even touch their generals.
Third, Grimgrin has a fundamental issue of lending itself really well to infinite combos in a color combination that has another, typically better infinite combo based general. (oona) The other obvious option with GrimGrin is aggressive zombie tribal, but dealing 120 damage (The amount of life you need to beat in a typical 4 player pod) is very difficult, making aggro a typically less than ideal playstyle.
But again, and most importantly, any format is about you enjoying yourself playing the game. And if the way you enjoy playing magic is a 2 hour grindfest where you and your friends are just playing the decks you want to play, without any significant competition, then build whatever you want. If you like grimgrin, play grimgrin. Play it however you want to play it, too, because your enjoyment is, ultimately, what the game is about. Don't get discouraged because your deck isn't the most competitive option out there. If you want to improve it beyond the way you have it, feel free, but don't feel obligated to do so because of a tier list.
August 18, 2015 3:51 a.m.
thanks guys, really up'ed my spirits :D
though i will say my main magic dream is to make a competitive zombie tribel deck (or close to it) so if grim grin isnt the best zombie general i guess ill keep looking around testing out more and more zombies :D
August 18, 2015 4:30 a.m.
NotSoLuckyLydia says... #10
Try out some duel commander. Sidisi has done wonders as an all-in aggro deck. Plays lots of zombles.
August 18, 2015 4:41 a.m.
yeah just ordered both her forms, i really hope that i dont go to crazy out of zombie tribel but im fine throwing 5 or 6 non- zombies if they work with my combos
August 18, 2015 5:21 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #12
I think the reason he is seen as low tier is because too many people think he works for zombie tribal for some reason. If you did dimir control with him and used recurring creature or tokens to abuse him, you'd be set up for greatness :)
If you're really set on playing zombie tribal, you've got two options: Ghoulcaller Gisa and Sidisi, Brood Tyrant.
Epochalyptik says... #2
If you have a question about a particular format, please post in that format's forum rather than in General. General is for things that don't fit into other forums.
Also, link the cards in your post so that other people can reference them more easily.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born doesn't do anything outstanding, to be honest. Its abilities aren't highly abusable or very powerful in comparison to other cards in the format, so it isn't a powerful commander overall. But that, of course, does not preclude you from using it, nor does it preclude it from inclusion in a good deck.
August 17, 2015 9:52 p.m.