RedLegendary Creature — Goblin SoldierGrishnákh, Brash Instigator
Mana value3Rank#5,896
The Commander
When Grishnákh enters, amass Orcs 2. When you do, until end of turn, gain control of target nonlegendary creature an opponent controls with power less than or equal to the amassed Army's power. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Grishnákh is a mono-red Threaten engine: each time he enters he amasses Orcs 2 and steals an opponent's nonlegendary creature with power up to your Army's power, untapping it and giving it haste. You build an Army token large enough to grab huge threats, swing with the stolen creature, then sacrifice it for value or aristocrats payoffs. Blink and recur Grishnákh to repeat the heist every turn.
Strengths
- Turns opponents' best creatures against them at instant speed of sorts (on ETB)
- Synergizes perfectly with sacrifice outlets to keep stolen creatures permanently
- Builds a growing Army token that determines how big a creature you can steal
- Cheap 3-mana commander that generates repeatable value when blinked or recast
Weaknesses
- Theft is only until end of turn unless you sacrifice the creature
- Fails in creature-light pods or against decks with only legendary creatures
- Army power can be too small to grab the biggest threats without setup
- Mono-red lacks reliable card advantage and struggles against heavy enchantment/control hate
- Relies on Grishnákh sticking and re-entering, vulnerable to removal and graveyard hate
Key Cards
- Goblin Bombardment — Free sacrifice outlet to permanently consume stolen creatures and deal damage.
- Ashnod's Altar — Sacrifices borrowed creatures for mana while keeping them from returning to owners.
- Conjurer's Closet — Blinks Grishnákh each end step to retrigger amass and steal another creature.
- Skullclamp — Draws cards off sacrificed tokens and stolen creatures, fixing red's card disadvantage.
- Goblin Engineer — Tutors and recurs key artifacts while supporting the goblin/sacrifice shell.
- Caged Sun — Doubles red mana and pumps your Army's power to steal larger creatures.
Upgrade Path
Add more blink and recursion (Conjurer's Closet, Thousand-Year Elixir-style untappers, Phyrexian Reclamation) to retrigger Grishnákh consistently, and prioritize free sacrifice outlets like Goblin Bombardment, Ashnod's Altar, and Viscera Seer to lock down stolen creatures. Lean into fast mana (Ruby Medallion, Jeska's Will, Treasure makers) and Army pumps so you can steal the biggest threats, and include aristocrats payoffs like Bastion of Remembrance to turn the heists into a kill.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Sacrificing stolen creatures to Goblin Bombardment or Blood Artist effects to drain the table
- ▸Beating down with stolen threats plus a growing Army token
- ▸Goblin aggro swarm backed by anthem and haste effects
Archetypes
- Threaten/Theft — His ETB repeatedly steals opponents' creatures, the core of a borrow-and-swing strategy.
- Aristocrats — Sacrifice outlets convert stolen creatures and tokens into damage and value.
- Goblins/Tribal — He's a Goblin Soldier that slots into aggressive goblin shells with lords and recursion.
- Blink — Flicker effects retrigger his amass and steal ability every turn.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
