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Grixis Midrange sideboard guide by Mogged
Mogged 28/02/2023 · 8 min read
Grixis Midrange in the current metagame
Grixis is back on top, not a surprising twist since Grixis has had a significant upgrade to its mana base with ONE and Blue Sun's Twilight.
0.12 Tix
$0.99 
$0.62 In this article, I will go over the updated version of Grixis, as well as a sideboard guide for the 10 most popular matchups. As a side note, the sideboard guide is aimed at answering the most popular configurations of lists in a metagame that is still popping up with new variations of lists or even new decks.
So, in order to adapt, you shouldn't always follow the sideboard guide word for word; sometimes, making small adjustments is necessary. For example, you don't need Go for the Throat against Grixis if your opponent isn't running Sheoldred, like me, or Jaberwocki; thus, you would be better off sideboarding in Duress rather than removal against my specific version of Grixis.
66.2 Tix
$79.99 $78.33 
0.04 Tix
$0.99 $0.77 
0.03 Tix
$0.25 $0.2 My current version of the deck
$436/389.78 Tix| Creature [13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Bloodtithe Harvester | $0.39 | |
| 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $29.99 | |
| 4 Corpse Appraiser | $0.25 | |
| 1 Bladecoil Serpent | $1.29 | |
| Artifact [3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Reckoner Bankbuster | $4.99 | |
| Instant [13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Spell Pierce | $0.25 | |
| 2 Abrade | $0.25 | |
| 1 Negate | $0.25 | |
| 1 Abrade | $0.25 | |
| 2 Make Disappear | $0.79 | |
| 2 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 1 Scatter Ray | $0.25 | |
| 3 Go for the Throat | $0.79 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Invoke Despair | $1.49 | |
| 1 Blue Sun's Twilight | $0.99 | |
| Planeswalker [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Liliana of the Veil | $20.99 | |
| Land [26] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Darkslick Shores | $3.49 | |
| 4 Blackcleave Cliffs | $4.49 | |
| 2 Shipwreck Marsh | $4.49 | |
| 2 Stormcarved Coast | $16.99 | |
| 2 Haunted Ridge | $14.99 | |
| 1 Otawara, Soaring City | $19.99 | |
| 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $7.99 | |
| 4 Xander's Lounge | $12.99 | |
| 2 Shivan Reef | $0.99 | |
| 2 Sulfurous Springs | $4.99 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Underground River | $4.49 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Duress | $0.25 | |
| 1 Disdainful Stroke | $0.25 | |
| 1 Whack | $0.25 | |
| 2 Unlicensed Hearse | $14.99 | |
| 1 Negate | $0.25 | |
| 2 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $79.99 | |
| 1 Go for the Throat | $0.79 | |
| 2 Brotherhood's End | $8.99 | |
| 1 Saheeli, Filigree Master | $1.79 | |
| 1 Blue Sun's Twilight | $0.99 | |
$390.38 Tix @cardhoarder
$9.76 / Week @cardhoarder
$396.38 @tcgplayer
$503.97 @cardkingdom
Visual View
Similar Decks
Proxies
Archetype Analysis
Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
https://mtgdecks.net/Standard/grixis-control-decklist-by-mogged-1565508
How Grixis changed with ONE
Most of these changes are due to the fact that we have transitioned from slowlands and painlands to fastlands.
0.6 Tix
$6.49 $6.58 
0.5 Tix
$9.99 $12.86 1. BETTER VS AGGRO DECKS
Grixis is now better against aggro, takes less damage from painlands, and is able to play everything as soon as possible thanks to the fastlands.
2. SMOOTHER HANDS AND LESS MULLIGANS
Having more untapped early sources allows us to play fewer lands since we are not mulling based on having a number of lands AND an untapped turn 2 source, but just mulling by targeting a number of lands enough for us to play the game. I went down from 27 to 26, and even going to 25 might be okay.
3. THE BEST CARDS ARE NOW EVEN BETTER
Easier access to blue and red makes the following cards better: Counters, Brotherhood's End, and Blue Sun's Twilight.
4. MORE EFFICIENT TURN 1 PLAYS
Easier black access on Turn 1 makes Duress and Cut Down a lot better, and I consider this a very big deal since you usually had to start with a tapped black source on Turn 1 in order for the rest of your turns to work.
0.03 Tix
$0.25 $0.2 
0.01 Tix
$1.49 $0.75 5. OUR LATE GAME IS NOW A BIT WORSE
We are now a bit worse in the late game; four drops are more awkward than before, as twelve of our lands enter tapped on turn four.
6. FABLE IS STILL A KEY CARD
Fable is more important than ever since the 2nd mode does so much for the narrow one's I play and discarding tapped lands.
49.02 Tix
$29.99 $23.73 7. BLUE SUN'S TWILIGHT IS ONE OF THE BEST CARDS IN MANY MATCHES
Blue Sun's Twilight functions as an expensive go-for-the-throat, but this is the first time since the printing of Fable that there is a play to put you ahead of Fable by targeting the token. Blue Sun's is the second-best card in the mirror and another narrow but critical option that fits the deck so well. Also, having double-blue access is easy with this new manabase.
8. SHEOLDRED IS NO LONGER WHAT IS WAS
Sheoldred is now officially the worst card in the 75, having to face black decks most of the time loaded with answers and not doing anything for your plan really except being good against aggro. As I mentioned above, casting 4-drops is sometimes an issue.
66.2 Tix
$79.99 $78.33 Sideboard Guide
Remember that you don't always have to follow the sideboard guide word for word; sometimes it's better to make small adjustments, as I said at the beginning of the article.
MIRROR
MONOWHITE
AZORIUS SOLDIERS
5 COLOR INVOKE REANIMATOR
5 COLOR CRUELTY OF GIX REANIMATOR
ESPER MIDRANGE
MONORED AGGRO
MONOBLUE
JUND MIDRANGE
MONOBLACK MIDRANGE
Final Words
The updated version of Grixis is a powerful and versatile deck that can adapt to a variety of popular matchups. A well-thought-out sideboard, paired with the many options available to fine-tune the deck, makes it one of the best choices for the current metagame .
In the right hands, Grixis can be a formidable opponent for anyone.
Until next time!
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MTGO Grinder
Mogged is one of the MTGO grinders behind many of the top winning decks across formats. He has the most Challenge top8s and wins in 2021, and is currently leading in Challenge wins in 2022. His articles show a deep understanding of the MTG theory and are great for those looking to improve their gameplay, better understanding the game, and learning how the metagame evolves over time.
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Published: 2023-02-28 00:00:00
