Krosan Grip – Strixhaven
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2021
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 4.00
Limited: 3.25
Multiplayer: 3.00
Commander [EDH]: 3.38
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
David
Fanany
Player
since
1995
Even though the split second ability is out of favor for new cards, I actually don’t mind it. It does a good job of evoking the feel of interrupts as they existed in Magic’s early days, and they’re out in the wild now for eternal formats as extra options against counterspell-heavy decks. It does, however, make for some confusing moments when the cards can still be affected by Counterbalance!
Krosan Grip is very straightforward and very effective, though it is sometimes relevant that it’s a little more expensive than certain counterable alternatives. There are certain matchups in Legacy and Modern where that one extra mana makes a surprisingly big difference, particularly if Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is a factor. At the same time, there are other situations where you need to be sure the thing you’re gunning for is going to get destroyed, and that’s when you call on this card. It may not be exciting (though its art kind of is!), but it gets the job done.
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 3/5
For when you want that pesky artifact or enchantment gone, and you wanted it gone yesterday. Split second makes Krosan Grip nearly unanswerable, and it’s a good way to make sure that, in at least 96% of cases, that permanent is gone. It is more expensive than other alternatives (Naturalize, Disenchant), but whether or not it’s made up for by being far harder to stop is a judgment call one has to make in deck building: is reliability better than being cheap? The near-surety of being able to hit the target means that this has seen sideboard play in Modern and Legacy over the years, which is about right for this card.
Constructed: 3.5 (sideboard card, and not one for most decks, but a strong one)
Casual: 4
Limited: 3.5 (Time Spiral and Modern Masters were not heavy on permanents that needed this, but this is a strong sideboard option all the same)
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.75
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We’d be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
Click here to read over 4,000 more MTG Cards of the Day! Daily Since 2001.