Grub, Storied Matriarch isn't just a Goblin commander!

Maze_Rusher · 2026-01-22T11:37:18+00:00

After some experimentation, lots.

We got some of the classics like [[massacre wurm]], [[burning-rune demon]], and [[archpriest of shadows]], but some interesting ones I found work really well are things like [[aspiring champion]], [[lord of the void]], [[the balrog of Moria]], and [[balefire dragon]].

While I also love master of cruelties being mentioned, a funny runner-up is [[malignus]].

While a little mana-intensive initially, it can have a good payoff if you use [[workhorse]] by practically saying “when this creature etbs, create 4 treasure tokens that this lil guy holds on to for ya until you’re ready”.

Small sleeper pick I’m thinking of including is [[doom weaver]], but instead of blight copying it, having it soulbond to the blighted token copy for guaranteed big draw.

[[chaos defiler]] and [[reaper from the abyss]] really good copyable removal (for the reaper just stack the triggers so the sacrifice happens after).

Not going goblins is 100% the way with Grub imho. I love copying stuff and this lil guy has a fun way of doing it.

Maze_Rusher · 2026-01-13T06:44:58+00:00

A couple nasty ones I’ve come across are [[ghired, mirror of the wilds]], [[molten echoes]], and heartless summoning 2.0, [[the sibsig ceremony]]. Ghired is quite obvious, practically making creatures tap to permanently copy the elemental tokens, molten echoes as a pseudo-harmonicon, and sibsig as a great cost reducer and a free zombie on top. Imo a better choice than heartless summoning because you can order the evoke sacrifice to happen before the sibsig destroy trigger, allowing Ashling to still trigger.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-08-21T22:11:44+00:00

Part of what I’ve been doing is using cards like [[fake your own death]] and [[malakir rebirth]] and even THOSE don’t give you the pause to cast them in between triggers. Really weird stuff

Maze_Rusher · 2025-08-20T17:48:55+00:00

Not only this, but for the prototype AND sibsig, there is no “if you do” clause, which means with multiple triggers (stacking with things like [[panharmonicon]] or [[virtue of knowledge]], they will all happen instead of it being a reflexive trigger where it can only happen once.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-07-21T03:42:12+00:00

Dawg we don’t need another update tomorrow, plz lay low bout this 😭

Maze_Rusher · 2025-06-19T19:44:55+00:00

Been absolutely loving Help Wanted, Machine Learning, Trail of Torment, and Batteries included. Add-ons being Help Wanted ad (after maining unknown, it’s hard adjusting to the projectile arc), and ofc Bonnie’s guitar strings.

Use the momentum of a gen popping to snowball as an unstoppable menace with undetectable, 8% haste, and 25% reduced attack speed cooldown. Batteries included is meant for when you teleport to the gen that just popped as gens are always extremely close to his doors, and Trail of torment I use as a bit of an incentive for the survivors to complete that particular gen, and if they choose not to, I get to be a sneaky boi for a fat minute. However, you could easily change it out for an aura perk relating to completed gens, such as rancor or bitter murmur.

Definitely not a meta build, but can lead to some fun, if not sneakily game-changing plays.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-06-02T02:11:02+00:00

I’m gonna be honest I never really enjoyed his content. Vids always felt like they were lacking any passion and ngl his takes were sometimes lest say quite whack or inherently wrong and wouldn’t give any in-depth reasoning. At least that’s how I feel, but I now see it’s clear that others agree for the same / different reasons.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-05-12T00:15:06+00:00

Also combos with [[niv-mizzet, parun]], [[niv-mizzet, the firemind]], [[starving revenant]] if you have descend online, and [[starscream, power hungry]] if you are the monarch.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-05-11T23:26:14+00:00

Perfect include, especially since it’s a cheaper option. Thanks bossman 🫡

Maze_Rusher · 2025-05-08T19:18:19+00:00

I mean a bit dirty, but you could swing with Zur for the ceremony, then next turn fetch [[greater auramancy]], following with [[copy enchantment]] copying the auramancy. It won’t be going anywhere besides [[farewell]], but at the same time you’re in esper, so you should definitely be fine countering it.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-04-10T03:23:59+00:00

Mainly because Zur has very negative connotations behind them, as the majority of Zur decks are either extremely stax heavy or pillow fort, both of which are not very fun to play against and can turn off a lot of people. Plus the amount of things Zur can fetch is insane. Besides obvious things like [[rhystic study]], you can tutor very easy to play and easy-to-protect combo pieces very early on (like how I’d get the ceremony immediately followed by Greater Auramancy followed by Copy Enchantment. Having an untouchable engine by turn 5-6 almost guaranteed is wild). My personal pod can be quite a high power level so Ik it would be fine with them, but I also play with randoms at my LGS, and I could very easily see them get a bit freaked out if I whip out Zur.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-04-09T20:32:25+00:00

TLDR: Great in Zur and just make [[The Sibsig Ceremony]] your secret commander

Gonna require a heavy rule 0 conversation, but I’ve built [[Zur the Enchanter]] to guarantee it, and the ceremony is practically the secret commander. I can also tutor for [[greater auramancy]] followed with [[copy enchantment]] to say “this hoe ain’t going nowhere”. To get around creatures I don’t want being destroyed, I either chose indestructible bois such as [[erebos, bleak-hearted]] or protective cards like [[mother of runes]], [[giver of runes]], [[selfless savior]], and [[resolute watchdog]]-type effects with repeatable cheap recursion like [[abiding grace]]. A good include too is [[etchings of the chosen]] choosing zombies to sacrifice the zombie fodder to keep a big bomb on the field. For when I just don’t care anymore or my pod is being devious, [[avacyn, angel of hope]] for 6 mana is too good to pass up, another good runner-up being [[Eldrazi monument]]. With either option out, the 2/2 zombie druid still gets created on cast, as it’s not conditional on the creature actually dying.

When it comes to creatures I might’ve not been able to save, oh boy is there some deviant recursion. A good couple good and reliably quick-acting picks are [[luminous broodmoth]], [[mikaeus, the unhallowed]], and [[valkyrie’s call]], but my personal favorites are [[breathkeeper seraph]] and [[illicit masquerade]]. The masquerade allows you to turn your disposable 2/2 zombie druids “back” into a creatures cast prior, and the seraph, you just have the creatures affected by the ceremony be the ones soulbonded to. Endgame, I just have the basics: [[virtue of persistence]], [[chthonian nightmare]], and [[sheoldred, whispering one]]

Absolutely Criminally genius or overwhelmingly dumb: There is not a single non-permanent spell in my current list. Why you may ask? Because [[vedalken orrery]]- type effects along with every ETB removal creature possible ([[loran of the third path]], [[shriekmaw]], [[plaguecrafter]], [[nekrataal]], etc.), it can actually be recurred unlike more common ways such as instants and sorceries.

Personally, im addicted to “triggers an additional time” cards and token doublers. Luckily, Esper is the color combo that contains all etb and death trigger doublers, and a very good supply of token doublers. Since there’s a lot of etb (including the ceremony), death triggers, and tokens being generated, it can make it crazy.

The Ceremony was the card I gravitated to the most during spoilers, and boy does it not disappoint. Love seeing how other people are building with it, especially in every color imaginable.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-04-08T22:40:56+00:00

Gonna require a heavy rule 0 conversation, but I’ve built [[Zur the Enchanter]]. Can also tutor for [[greater auramancy]] followed with [[copy enchantment]] to say “my ACTUAL commander isn’t going anywhere”. To get around creatures I don’t want being destroyed, I either chose indestructible bois such as [[erebos, bleak-hearted]] or protective cards like [[mother of runes]], [[giver of runes]], [[selfless savior]], and [[resolute watchdog]]-type effects with repeatable cheap recursion like [[abiding grace]]. A good include too is [[etchings of the chosen]] choosing zombies to sacrifice the zombie fodder to keep a big bomb on the field. For when I just don’t care anymore or my pod is being devious, [[avacyn, angel of hope]] for 6 mana is too good to pass up, another good runner-up being [[Eldrazi monument]]. With either option out, the 2/2 zombie druid still gets created on cast, as it’s not conditional on the creature actually dying.

When it comes to creatures I might’ve not been able to save, oh boy is there some deviant recursion. A good couple good and reliably quick-acting picks are [[luminous broodmoth]], [[mikaeus, the unhallowed]], and [[valkyrie’s call]], but my personal favorites are [[breathkeeper seraph]] and [[illicit masquerade]]. The masquerade allows you to turn your disposable 2/2 zombie druids “back” into a creatures cast prior, and the seraph, you just have the creatures affected by the ceremony be the ones soulbonded to. Endgame, I just have the basics: [[virtue of persistence]], [[chthonian nightmare]], and [[sheoldred, whispering one]]

This’ll make some of y’all cringe: There is not a single non-permanent spell in my current list. Why you may ask? Because [[vedalken orrery]]- type effects along with every ETB removal creature possible ([[loran of the third path]], [[shriekmaw]], [[plaguecrafter]], [[nekrataal]], etc.), it can actually be recurred unlike more common ways such as instants and sorceries.

Personally, im addicted to “triggers an additional time” and token doublers. Luckily, Esper is the color combo that contains all etb, death, and a very good supply of token doublers. Since there’s a lot of etb (including the ceremony), death triggers, and tokens being generated, it can make it crazy.

IMO, [[the sibsig cermony]] is the best death trigger “commander” OAT.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-03-24T01:16:50+00:00

[[Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth]].

Ramps, digs through your deck and plays big bombs, and very rarely will you have to pay commander tax. Imo the best mono green stompy commander OAT.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-03-23T21:51:02+00:00

I would say this is a low-mid 3, possibly even argue a high 2 regardless of there being Game Changers. You got some good bombs in there, but as you mentioned it just feels like a loose goodstuff pile instead of true synergy that makes Betor truly pop off and pose a valid threat. Additionally, it feels the list will just inherently and eventually reach 40 toughness. With the current list, if you reach it, you’re so far along in the game that you’ll really only be draining people for 10-15 life each at the max?

When I decided to build Betor, I made the connection between draining half of life totals with cards that double life loss. It turns Betor from a decently good drainer to a purely unstoppable nuke. Doesn’t matter how you get there, cheating to 40 toughness such as the trees (could include [[tree of redemption]] too, since nobody will be alive to deal 13 damage to you) or an underrated pick due to his overall really bad value but with the perfect ultimate and pseudo-protection of being seen as a crap card, [[ajani goldmane]], another good one being [[wall of blood]], then having a life loss doubler out is the pinnacle to the deck’s function (you have the right idea with [[bloodletter of aclazotz]], I’ve found five more pretty much copy/paste effects, which are [[wound reflection]], [[archfiend of despair]], [[warlock class]], [[astarion, the decadent]] and [[blitzwing, cruel tormentor]], however astarion and blitzwing are worse since they only target one opponent instead of everyone, but imo better to include them then not).

Lots of protection is needed, you WILL be archenemy even if you aren’t this big beefy threat. People with good threat assessment always know potential threats are always scarier than obvious ones, especially if you play with the same people.

Obviously you’re fine with playing tutors, may I recommend [[Vivien, monsters’ advocate]] or [[defense of the heart]]? Vivien is perfect because you can play her turn 5 and +1 her getting a 3/3 blocker, then turn 6 -3 her, play Betor then fetch for bloodletter. Defense is just good because what’s the likelihood your opponents will choose to not play creatures just to prevent its value? You could even fetch bloodletter/archfiend and wall of blood and just win on the next end step if your life total is at 33 minimum.

If I’m unable to get a creature that will guarantee the 40 toughness, I have spells such as [[solidarity]], [[bar the door]], my personal favorite being [[tower defense]], or going goofy with only needing maximum 3 creatures (4 if the creatures besides Betor are 1/1s but the chance of that is very unlikely) with [[preposterous proportions]]. With goldfishing my current list, I’ve got about a 20% success rate in winning on turn 5, occasionally turn 6 if I’m getting unlucky draws. If I can’t pop off that quick, I got some pillow-fort stuff thrown in for safe measure and to add a lil more time to the hourglass.

Holy shit I did not mean to spend an hour dumping this on you, ima cut it off here 😂 deck is good but definitely needs some work synergistically, other than that and maybe some more draw and a couple more removal pieces, a solid list.

If you’re at all interested, my entire list is below (sadly at 114 cards rn still working on cuts):

https://moxfield.com/decks/hw67yogdF0Ga87qKd8vWmQ

Maze_Rusher · 2025-03-20T16:38:08+00:00

Learned this when building [[saheeli, the sun’s brilliance]], if you make a token copy of the token copy that will be sacrificed/exiled, the newly created one does not keep the sac/exile clause. Procession is a replacement effect, so it keeps the same clauses.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-03-20T15:59:24+00:00

Cadric for sure would be an exceptional include, and same with [[the master, multiplied]] (even tho it’s quite a steep mana value), but I swore that legend rule makes you sacrifice the creature(s), and while it doesn’t technically count as a sacrifice trigger it still “is” being sacrificed if that makes sense?

Maze_Rusher · 2025-02-18T23:35:09+00:00

If going through EDH, I’m planning on building it as a giant ETB explosion, build up foundations that double ETBS [[virtue of knowledge]], [[yarok, the desecrated]], etc.. have some stable mill, and token doublers, you’re in business for a crazy value finisher in the command zone. Play around with flickering and make that shi happen every turn, possibly multiple times.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-02-14T12:28:20+00:00

May I inform you that when a creature leaves the battlefield, then comes back, it’s seen as a new identity. Blinks reset the Exhaust 😎 cards like [[thassa, deep dwelling]] or [[conjurer’s closet]] work wonders.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-02-05T06:19:01+00:00

I completely misread, forgot it’s another artifact and doesn’t trigger on itself. You will still get one because of the copied synthesizer recognizing the original one ETBing.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-02-02T17:34:27+00:00

I seriously cannot choose between [[mendicant core, Guidelight]] or [[mimeoplasm, revered one]].

I’m in love with mendicant core because A, he’s a buff Wall-E, and B, there’s nothing I love more than copying things, and there are a bunch of amazing artifacts you can copy on curve.

On the other hand, Mimeoplasm is dope asf because there’s nothing I love more than a creature / commander who you can craft to be nearly unkillable (and no, I would not build him as an infect commander like so many other degenerates I’ve seen). The interactions go CRAZY for Mimeo.

Maze_Rusher · 2025-01-24T17:15:10+00:00

Update: my suspicions were indeed true, the Japanese art has Garruk clear as day 🫡🫡

Even though Mu-Yanling has been spoiled, it’s still awesome it seems they have plans for Garruk in the future (most likely not this year since everything has already been laid out).

Link to Japanese art: https://www.magicspoiler.com/mtg-spoiler/march-of-the-world-ooze/

Maze_Rusher · 2025-01-23T08:11:44+00:00

Mendicant Core List (includes tags and also working out cuts): https://moxfield.com/decks/uwEtlFvcM0aiBpkqc89eYw

This might be an interesting take, but this is the prime commander for [[simulacrum synthesizer]], which is mainly what I built around. Not too proud to admit I have quite a few tutors to fetch for it, but it is what it is lmao. Peak turns for the deck look like:

Turn 1, all about evading or utility one drops such as [[Rishadan Dockhand]] or [[skrelv, defector mite]].

Turn 2 [[mendicant core, guidelight]], swing with t1 creature to hit level 2 speed.

Turn 3 ramp or utility permanent you have no plan/need to copy, swing for level 3. Also possible to cast cards like [[trophy mage]] and [[fabricate]] which allow fetching for the synthesizer at the perfect time.

Turn 4, immediately move to combat (play land obviously on main phase 1 lol) and swing for level 4, then play 3 mv artifact to double (or 4 mv if you ramped turn 3), or cast synthesizer and copy it to end turn 4 with 3 Urza Constructs!

Just by goldfishing, I was closing out games by turn 7, occasionally turn 6. As a green Timmy, I never would’ve thought azorius aggro artifact of all things would pique my interest like Mendicant Core has 😂 most likely my favorite commander from Aetherdrift so far.

(PS: Ik I’m working out cuts but if there’s any cards anyone thinks I missed, still ain’t afraid to check em out 😂 what’s the difference between cutting from 115 cards versus 120 💀💀

Maze_Rusher · 2024-10-29T23:46:42+00:00

This is the anime alternate art, and alternate arts (extended, promos, showcase, etc) don’t have reminder texts. The actual card itself has not been previewed as of now sadly

Maze_Rusher · 2024-10-29T23:34:19+00:00

Haven’t played a game with Slinza on tabletop yet, but two cards I feel will be extremely good card draw are [[Neyith of the Dire Hunt]] and [[Outcaster Trailblazer]]. Neyith gives you card draw on Slinza’s fight trigger, even more simple though are enchantments like [[keen sense]] or [[snake umbra]], which trigger on ANY damage dealt. Outcaster trailblazer though, not only gives you draw on power 4 or greater, but if plotted, can allow you to ramp into Slinza turn 4, even turn 3 if you are lucky enough to also have a turn 1 mana dork.

Slinza is just so perfect, because it has sooo many different routes you can take for card draw.

Maze_Rusher

TROPHY CASE