Greetings, Commander players and Goblin aficionados. Today, I want to share my favorite mono-red commander with you. While I'm fond of Krenko, Mob Boss and Zada, Hedron Grinder, there is another Goblin worth discussing. Grenzo, Havoc Raiser is a 2/2 Goblin Rogue first printed in Conspiracy: Take the Crown (CN2). Although Grenzo, Havoc Raiser is nowhere near the top rankings of red commanders on EDHREC, it can perform well with proper support.
Why Grenzo, Havoc Raiser?
Grenzo, Havoc Raiser's casting cost is excellent since you can play it on turn two. Also, having Grenzo, Havoc Raiser on your battlefield often is ideal because whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you get to choose one of the following effects:
- Goad a target creature controlled by that player. (It attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
- Exile the top card of that player's library. You may cast the exiled card this way until the end of the turn and spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast that spell.
Who doesn't love goading or playing their opponents' cards? The beauty of Grenzo, Havoc Raiser's ability is that you can choose which of the two effects triggers depending on the circumstances. Sometimes, you need to goad a threat; other times, you hope to reveal a Game Changer card. Likewise, the option to goad a creature or exile an opponent's card is why Grenzo, Havoc Raiser is an excellent commander for a Goad-themed deck.
Goad for Gold
Goad only works when you have more than one opponent, which is why Grenzo, Havoc Raiser shines above other goad commanders: its ability to exile the top card of a player's library means that Grenzo, Havoc Raiser can still be relevant, even when goading is not an option.
So what strategy should you employ when piloting a Grenzo, Havoc Raiser? I recommend focusing on goading your opponents' creatures early and often. You want opponents to attack each other and reduce their available blockers. Second, attack your opponents to exile cards from their libraries when defenses are down. Third, cast your opponents' best cards from exile while dealing combat damage to win the game.
Excitingly, red contains creatures like Komainu Battle Armor and Geode Rager. If you deal combat damage to a player with Komainu Battle Armor or a creature it's equipped to, all the creatures under that player's control become goaded! Playing a land with Geode Rager on your battlefield will also goad each creature a chosen player controls. I enjoy watching my opponents' faces when their team gets goaded in one swoop.
As creatures get goaded, cards such as Bothersome Quasit and Vengeful Ancestor become better. You may sneak a lethal attack from Bothersome Quasit's ability. In addition, obligating an opponent to attack with an army of creatures could become their downfall with Vengeful Ancestor. Pairing Vengeful Ancestor with any card that goads all of an opponent's creatures is outstanding. You can put goad in high gear by considering Death Kiss, Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer, or Agitator Ant in the 99.
Goad Support Network
There are noncreature spells capable of goading, too. Disrupt Decorum spreads chaos by goading all creatures you don't control. You can raise the stakes by casting an overloaded Spectacular Showdown, though you'll want to win off an overloaded Spectacular Showdown or prepare to fend off many double-striking creatures. If the game comes down to you and one opponent, slamming a copy of Hot Pursuit can help break a stalemate.
Don't leave home without your trusty Laser Screwdriver. A critical tool for any Goad deck, Laser Screwdriver has four activated abilities, including taping for mana of any color and goading a creature. Alternatively, you may deploy Bloodthirsty Blade. Repeatedly goading your opponents' most significant threats is handy.
Since we've covered so many goad cards, let's discuss what else to slot in the 99.
Keeping Goading
Consistently goading opponents' creatures every turn cycle can be challenging. Fortunately, you can lean on red's knack for small and evasive creatures to repeatedly trigger Grenzo, Havoc Raiser's ability. Two creatures I never cut are Tin Street Dodger and Yellow Scarves Cavalry. Tin Street Dodger can sneak through most defenses for one mana, but Yellow Scarves Cavalry almost always circumvents blockers at no extra charge. Moreover, no one expects you to throw down a card from Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK). Honorable mention goes to Gingerbrute, a colorless alternative to Tin Street Dodger.
When creatures don't have built-in evasion, you can turn to Goblin Tunneler, Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner, and Break Through the Line. Each card can send a creature with power or two or less (including Grenzo, Havoc Raiser) through a line of blockers. Alternatively, you have a few options to send through creatures with power three or higher. Bedlam prevents all creatures from blocking. For a less risky approach, you can use Goblin War Drums or War Cadence. The above cards help ensure Grenzo, Havoc Raiser and his friends deal damage to your opponents. Further, there are a few friends I would like to introduce to you.
Double Strike While the Iron's Hot
What's better than triggering Grenzo, Havoc Raiser's ability? Using double strike to activate it twice. Creatures possessing double strike, such as Lizard Blades and Warren Instigator, deal damage twice in combat. Wonderfully, there are some small-sized double strikers. Prophetic Flamespeaker, Moria Marauder, and Gimli of the Glittering Caves are three you may want to play. In particular, Gimli of the Glittering Caves is stellar because it creates Treasure tokens upon dealing damage, and you'll want plenty of Treasure tokens available when playing cards exiled from your opponents' libraries.
Mana Generation
There are other methods for generating Treasure tokens besides Gimli of the Glittering Caves. Curse of Opulence is only one mana and typically appears in aggressive red decks. Additionally, you can play the quintessential Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. If you want to close out games through Treasure tokens and damage, try running a copy of Descent into Avernus.
Excluding Treasure token production, you have plenty of mana production cards to consider. Any of the usual two-mana colorless mana rocks are reasonable choices. You could also play Fire Diamond or Cursed Mirror for red mana. Instead, land-fetching Equipment cards like Sword of the Animist and Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus may interest you.
Land Choices
I could tell you to run about 35 Mountains and call it a day, and while you can certainly do that, plenty of beneficial nonbasic lands do exist. It would be foolish to leave out Escape Tunnel and Rogue's Passage from a deck led by Grenzo, Havoc Raiser. Another required land to include is War Room. Since your commander only identifies with one color, you can draw a card with War Room for three mana and one life. Playing other staple utility lands, like Strip Mine, Scavenger Grounds, and Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance, can't hurt either.
Commander Brackets
Wizards of the Coast recently unveiled Commander Brackets to classify a game experience. There are a few main differences between brackets, including Game Changers, infinite combos, and tutors. Surprisingly, red only has two Game Changers: Jeska's Will and Underworld Breach. In addition, two of the most popular red, two-card infinite combos are Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker // Zealous Conscripts, and Dualcaster Mage // Twinflame.
You don't have to run Game Changers or infinite combos to make Grenzo, Havoc Raiser effective in battle, and moving from Upgraded to Core is relatively easy, though I recommend slotting Jeska's Will, Ancient Tomb, and Mana Vault in Upgraded decks since fast mana is terrific. Furthermore, including at least one two-card red infinite combo will suffice.
Here's a decklist for building an Upgraded Grenzo, Havoc Raiser deck.
Budget Cuts
Grenzo, Havoc Raiser can be a budget-friendly deck with a few modifications. Downgrade the deck's Commander Bracket by removing Game Changers and infinite combos. Next, swap Wasteland, Strip Mine, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle for affordable alternatives, like Demolition Field, Forgotten Cave, and Flamekin Village. You can consider cutting Dolmen Gate for Goblin War Drums and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer for a creature of your choice. For further cost savings, try replacing Valakut Awakening or Warren Instigator. Your revised decklist will maintain the key synergies and cards at a much lower price point.
Read More:
CUT #22 Finals - Okaun and Zndrsplt vs. Grenzo
Non-Removal Interaction: Goad
