If this is what Avacyn was up against, I see why
they thought the Helvault was necessary. I know
people who have compared Griselbrand to
Yawgmoth's Bargain, and perhaps they have a
point. Some of the most powerful cards in the
game are those that let you pay life to draw
extra cards, and I think Griselbrand is one of
the most powerful of that subset of cards. Did
Phyrexian Arena hit as hard as Lord of the Pit,
and enable itself basically by existing? In the
"minimal" scenario, assuming no Essence Scatter
or an active Cavern of Souls, he's an eight-mana
seven-life cost sorcery that lets you draw seven
cards, and when combined with cards like
Unburial Rites, he's a whole lot better than
that. Griselbrand has the potential to become
the scariest card in Avacyn Restored, and
perhaps in places far beyond that.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
the baddest legendary demon ever and that’s
Michael Jackson Bad as this card is so
amazing. Being able to draw cards in exchange
for life has been a powerful strategy ever since
Necropotence decks and having the ability to
draw a ton of cards and have a 7/7 lifelink
creature to beat down with is amazing. In
standard this card has seen play in reanimate
style decks and is the most powerful card you
can reanimate aside from Elesh Norn. It is also
a combo with Necrotic Ooze allowing for all
sorts of shenanigans. In modern the same concept
applies decks want to get this creature out or
use its ability by unfair methods such as
reanimation or having it in the yard with ooze
to gain an insurmountable advantage. In legacy
this creature has seen a fair amount of play as
a reanimation target or in decks using Show and
Tell or Sneak Attack to once again get the card
advantage that will win the game, In vintage
this card also acts as a way to dig for combo
pieces or beat down making it a powerful choice
in every format.
In casual and multiplayer demons are a popular tribe
and have a little support, I am also obligated
to mention paying 21 life or more in commander
to dig for an answer is great as your high life
total allows you to abuse this cards ability and
three swings is lethal commander damage. This
card also lends itself to combo decks as it can
dig for piecies and can be blisteringly fast. In
limited this card is a bomb but requires a heavy
commitment to black but it owns the skies and
can possibly dig for an answer. Overall one of
the most powerful legends to be released in
recent times as it fuels combos and is seeing
play in every format.
Today's card of the day is Griselbrand which is
an eight mana legendary Black 7/7 with Flying,
Lifelink, and the option to pay seven life to
draw seven cards. Evasion and Lifelink
nicely provide fuel for the draw effect and the
large body prevents several removal methods.
The casting cost is a drawback that can be
bypassed with Black's graveyard to battlefield
options and as those work even without
Griselbrand the combo isn't as detrimental to
deck stability. Overall this is a strong
card with even minimal support that also greatly
benefits from higher life point formats where it
will likely see a great deal of play and some
attention in more traditional formats as well.
For Limited the high cost isn't as much of an
issue, but four Black will require a
predominantly Black mana pool to reliable when
the eighth or ninth mana source is played.
The size alongside evasion and Lifelink make
this a first pick in Booster even if it is a bit
riskier than some of the other high end cards,
though it can be followed with primarily same
color choices. In Sealed the Black pool
has to be very solid to consider running
Griselbrand and it may wind up being sidedecked
if the dedication isn't feasible.
Welcome to
another great card of the day review here at
Pojo.com! To close off our week we are looking
at Griselbrand from Avacyn Restored. Griselbrand
is a black mythic rare legendary creature demon
that costs four generic and four black mana for
a 7/7. Griselbrand has flying and lifelink.
Griselbrand has an ability of pay seven life:
Draw Seven cards.
While not the easiest card to get out at eight mana, it
is a devastating card once there. Flying
lifelink is sure to make your opponent cringe
unless they have removal ready to go. And with
Cavern of Souls, you should be able to get him
out uncountered, if you have the Cavern of Souls
and chose Demons, which would mean you are
likely running a Demon deck. Anyways, once out,
blocking or swinging could very well net you a
new hand. And at the stage in the game he comes
out, drawing up a new hand could be the game
changer. Late game card advantage almost always
seals a game. You are pulling cards, finding
what you need to win, simple as that.
The thing I love about Griselbrand is he is fun
to use. Swinging and blocking aren’t the only
ways to trigger his lifelink. One of my favorite
red cards is a perfect combination with
Griselbrand. That card is Soul’s Fire. Three
mana, two generic and one red, target creature
you control deals damage equal to it’s power to
target creature or player. So for just three
mana, you can gain a new hand!
Now the Soul’s Fire is fun, and you may notice
that black and red do work nicely together. So
for the full brunt of fun, I’ll let you in on
one of my favorite things you can do with your
Griselbrand. Once you have Grislebrand out,
quickly put a Unhallowed Pact on him. It says
that if the enchanted creature dies, return it
to the battlefield under your control. This is
just an insurance policy so to speak. But then
you can cast Blood Feud, target creature fights
another target creature. So you can kill
something large (hopefully) that an opponent
has, gain seven life, attack, gain another seven
life, if Griselbrand would die at any point, he
just comes back, and then you have some life to
spare to draw some cards!
