(Graaz, Unstoppable JuggernautGraaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut| Art by Nestor Ossandon Leal)

The Graaz is Always Greener on the Other Side

Greetings and salutations, from a place I returned to after getting third-degree burns due to snow and snowballing. I'm Arnaud and I'm delighted to take you on a journey made of shades of grey, colorless attributes and bleakness all around.

Last time, we parted ways with the usual choice of commanders for you to choose from, with an additional twist. Last spot went to Niv-Mizzet, VisionaryNiv-Mizzet, Visionary, with 32 votes (13%).

I get it, you want either challenging or uncanny commanders, and this one just didn't scratch your itch. Third place was awarded to none other than Killian, Ink DuelistKillian, Ink Duelist with a decent bump, at 59 votes (25%).

That's more than many options I offered in the past, and I trust we might see some more of the Silverquill prodigy sometime in the future.

The potential surprise gained some traction, with 69 votes (29%). For those discovering this series with this article, this is a special one, as it marks my second anniversary here among the EDHREC crew.

Last year I had already gone sideways with another uncanny brew. Let it not be said I won't ever take that route again! To those who chose this option, my heartfelt thanks, that trust really means a lot.

Which leaves the top rank, earned high and wide with 79 votes (33%) by none other than Graaz, Unstoppable JuggernautGraaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut.

In hindsight, I was probably asking for it. This is a decent challenge for a normal build already, so with our budget constraints it's going to be even more interesting.

Graaz comes with a few hurdles: it's colorless, and it costs a hefty to cast. In exchange, it turns all of your creatures in big 5/3s that should, in theory, overwhelm each and every defense.

In a way, this is not that different from big Eldrazi decks, with a glorified pump spell in the command zone.

Oh, and it also lends itself pretty well to all sorts of silly puns. Allow me to thank my wife here, a bottomless well of wit. She's my snuggly-wobbly-lovely Pun-da, my Holy Graaz.

Ahem. Let's dump each and every card from Graaz's EDHREC page in Archidekt, including those in the budget filter. 316 cards. Yummy.

First Trim - The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

316 cards might seem a lot, but we're going to scissor that down by a lot. Our main premise here is playing cards worth $1.10 and under, keeping that 10 cents margin to account for price variation (although this seems less and less relevant these days).

After chopping down anything above the $2 mark, we're at a more reasonable 234-cards threshold.

Let's have a look at the nice stuff between $1.10 and $2:

• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: This regularly hops above and below our set mark, and remains to this day one of the best ways to protect your commander.
• Phyrexian WalkerPhyrexian Walker: Costs absolutely nothing to cast, and as such is a solid asset.
• Plague MyrPlague Myr: 2 mana for a dork/rock is what we're looking for here. And you never know, that infect could theoretically become a two-hit win condition.
• Thought VesselThought Vessel: I'm mourning this more for the 2 mana rock than its inherent ability.
• Semblance AnvilSemblance Anvil: It's a shame we can't play this. A reduction of is nothing to scoff at.
• Blinkmoth UrnBlinkmoth Urn: It may speed your opponents up a little, but it will speed us up by a lot.
• Retrofitter FoundryRetrofitter Foundry: Delightful way to pop tokens on the field.
• Echoes of EternityEchoes of Eternity: Double my yum for double the fun
• Desecrate RealityDesecrate Reality: Removal is hard to find in our colorless build, so we're going to wave a sad goodbye to that one as well.

Which leaves us with a decent number of spells between $1 and $1.10:

• Adaptive AutomatonAdaptive Automaton: A nice anthem for Juggernauts
• Skyclave RelicSkyclave Relic: Manaaaaaaaaaa
• Gilded LotusGilded Lotus: See above
• Geier Reach SanitariumGeier Reach Sanitarium: I'll never scoff at card selection, especially with our color constraints
• Myr RetrieverMyr Retriever: Worst case scenario it will swing with its friends. If not, it's a chumper which will return something more worthwhile to your hand.

Aaaaah, can you feel the fresh, stale air of the Phyrexian plane? Now that we've done our spring cleaning, we're down to 216 cards. An average figure at this point, which we're about to savagely chop down.

Second Trim - Cardward Scissorhands

In the past couple of years since I've started this column, I don't think I've ever had the chance to build another colorless deck. This comes with several major limitations, ties mostly to card draw and removal.

As things stand though, I have to admit I'm actually pleasantly surprised. See for yourself:

When I started this brew, I really thought I'd struggle more with the vegetables. And while none of the spells here are top notch, they should be good enough for our purposes.

Given our commander's massive mana cost, I'm going to keep a high count of ramp spells, probably in the 18-20 range. Yes, that's huge, but since several of these are actually creatures, they should help us propel our plan forward.

I'm also going to keep the land count fairly high, in the 37 range. More than anywhere else, it's absolutely crucial here not to miss a single land drop, else we lose way too much tempo to become a serious threat.

Finally, card draw is going to bear significant importance if we want to avoid running out of gas. I can't bring myself to playing less than 12 spells here. Bear in mind that some draw spells act as ramp and vice-versa.

Let's get rid of the following:

With a decent trim given to the land base (seriously, stop playing Myriad Landscape in colorless decks!), we're down to a more reasonable 145 cards. And not the trouble begins.

Third Trim - Cutting Off the Rough Edges

Here we are at last, the place you can call home, the one spot where you can express your inventiveness and your creativity. It's time we talked about which direction we want to take the big boy.

Here's the $1,000,000 question: what does this deck want to achieve? Answer: pound and pound, when the time is ripe.

The game plan is quite straightforward: play a ton of ramp, try creating a decent army of either tokens or puny creatures, slam your commander on the table, overrun your opponents. And pray that they cannot kill your Juggernaut. Simple, fun, efficient.

Just bear in mind that with your main menace visible in the command zone, your opponents may keep a trump up their sleeve to prevent their untimely death.

At the moment, there are a few various categories we need to consider.

First, creatures, far and wide. There's a slew of various colorless critters, some thematic (hello JuggernautJuggernaut!), some evasive, some bacterial... sorry, some coming with germs. We're probably cutting deep here, as there are a few that seem a tad underwhelming.

Second, stuff related to +1/+1 counters. There's a bunch of fun creatures that scale with the mana you're pouring into them, which could turn into big fatties with a nudge from our commander.

Third, recursion. There are a few trinkets that allow you to get some stuff back and keep on pounding.

Fourth, Token makers. This is probably where we'll get the best value, especially if these allow us to make multiple creatures at once.

Finally, there's... well, the rest.

To be honest, my preference clearly goes to the token-makers and the few evasive creatures. The rest will have to be either extra efficient or in line with our main plan to stay. Let's get to it.

And just like that, we're in the final stretch. Only 10 cards to go.

Final Trim - Heart-Wrenching Choices

Well, it's been painful to get here, and it's only going to get worse.

Let's get this over with, here are my final 10 cuts. Bear in mind that no choice is inherently bad at this stage, it's all a matter of personal taste.

• Guardian IdolGuardian Idol, Sonic ScrewdriverSonic Screwdriver and Automated ArtificerAutomated Artificer: Let's face it, I may have overdone it a bit with ramp. So let's trim this down ever so slightly
• Dissection ToolsDissection Tools: While I quite like the perks it provides, 5 mana is quite a lot to pay for this, not to mention the steep equip cost.
• Arcbound WorkerArcbound Worker: Cute, but too weak.
• Arcbound SlithArcbound Slith: I'm having doubts on its ability to truly grow big.
• Thopter AssemblyThopter Assembly: A bit too expensive mana-wise, and your opponents will see you coming from miles away. Much as I love this card, it's just too slow and telegraphed.
• Null Elemental BlastNull Elemental Blast: I'm all for keeping Warping WailWarping Wail to counter a pesky Vandalblast, but this one I'm not so keen on keeping.
• Dragon Throne of TarkirDragon Throne of Tarkir: Much as I would have loved to keep this till the very end, to cast plus to equip and another to activate makes it a cost too steep for what it truly achieves.
• Ichorclaw MyrIchorclaw Myr: I like the idea to infect our opponents to death, but let's face it, it's a bit magical-Christmasy-wishful thinking here.

And with that, I present to you...

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

With all that major face-bashing out of the way, let's take a look at a prior trim and see how it fares a year and a half later.

This time, it's all about Liesa, Forgotten Archangel. And the least we can say is that time has not been kind to the beauti-mournful lady.

See for yourself:

• Sejiri ShelterSejiri Shelter: $1.11
• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: $1.13
• Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares: $1.18
• Valkyrie HarbingerValkyrie Harbinger: $1.19
• Grim HaruspexGrim Haruspex: $1.21
• Eradicator ValkyrieEradicator Valkyrie: $1.34
• Sorin, Vengeful BloodlordSorin, Vengeful Bloodlord: $1.60
• Sanguine BondSanguine Bond: $2.44
• Sephara, Sky's BladeSephara, Sky's Blade: $3.89 (!!)
• Oketra's MonumentOketra's Monument: $5.28 (!!!)

10 cards, worth almost 40% of all the deck's worth. Inflation definitely took its toll here. Let's fix this.

• Selfless SaviorSelfless Savior and Benevolent BodyguardBenevolent Bodyguard: A little more protection is always nice.
• Path to ExilePath to Exile: Can't have Swords? Have the second best for !
• Syr Konrad, the GrimSyr Konrad, the Grim: How about one of the best pingers out there?
• Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute: It's good, it's affordable, it's in.
• Plumb the ForbiddenPlumb the Forbidden: You have no idea how underrated I believe this to be.
• Debt to the DeathlessDebt to the Deathless: Let's bring back another finisher
• Life InsuranceLife Insurance: Extort and ramp all in one
• Fanatical DevotionFanatical Devotion: Not only a fantastic sacrifice outlet, it will also save your bacon more often than you can imagine
• Accursed MarauderAccursed Marauder: Another sacrificer joins the crew!

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

It's been a fun Trim folks! And while I didn't get to surprise you as I had planned to, rest assured I have some more shenanigans up my sleeve.

Now it's your turn. Do you like the build? Any hidden gems I forgot? Let me know in the comments (I almost always answer) and I'll see you in two weeks!

Oh, and you might want to take a second look, there might be a hidden list lurking in here somewhere...

Arnaud Gompertz

Arnaud Gompertz has been playing Magic since 4th Edition, back in 1995. He's been an assiduous EDH enthusiast since 2012, with a soft spot for unusual and casual Commanders. He'll always favour spectacular plays against a boring path to victory. Aside from mistreating cardboard, he's a dedicated board games player, loves a challenging video game and occasionally tries to sing with his choir.