Welcome back to another precon guide here on EDHREC. Today we’re upgrading Grand Larceny, the Commander deck from Outlaws of Thunder Junction. In case you missed it, go check out my review, where we looked at what the deck does and how to play it.

This deck has some solid leaders and excellent synergy, but what it lacks is small critters to get in for damage. Which is kinda the whole point.

Lickety split, let’s tune up.

What’s in the Original Deck?

Grand Larceny is black, green, and blue (Sultai) and led by Gonti, Canny AcquisitorGonti, Canny Acquisitor. Gonti’s a 5/5 Aetherborn Rogue for five mana that makes spells you cast but don’t own cost one mana less, and whenever one or more of your creatures hit an opponent, you exile the top card of that player’s library. You can then play that card and use any color mana to do it. The backup commander is Felix Five-BootsFelix Five-Boots, a 5/4 Ooze Rogue for five mana who doubles all of your triggers from dealing combat damage to a player.

Here’s the original deck list:

What Budget Cards Can We Add to Grand Larceny?

As always, we’ll break this upgrade up into two parts, one for the budget-conscious ($5 or less per card) and one for the lavish spenders ($5 or more).

The deck needed more cheap creatures with evasion to bring out before Gonti hits the board, so let’s start our upgrade there. Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast, Tormented SoulTormented Soul, Dimir InfiltratorDimir Infiltrator, Invisible StalkerInvisible Stalker, and Cephalid FacetakerCephalid Facetaker all can’t be blocked, while Krydle of Baldur’s GateKrydle of Baldur’s Gate and Aqueous FormAqueous Form can give “can’t be blocked” to a creature. 

Okay, we’ve got more creatures swinging in. What else can this deck do? How about more mana? Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking seems like a good call here. Because let’s not forget, Gonti’s trigger allows us to play the cards exiled from opponents' decks, not just cast them. So we can potentially have a lot of lands exiled. Might as well play some extra lands, right? There’s also Druid’s RepositoryDruid’s Repository, which gets a charge counter for each of our attacking creatures, and those counters can be turned into mana of any color. There’s also Nature’s WillNature’s Will, which untaps all lands we control when we hit a player with combat damage. So all those cards we just exiled? Yep, we can now afford to cast them. Heck, let’s even get a free creature each turn with Tlincalli HunterTlincalli Hunter.

How about some more exile effects? We can add Outrageous RobberyOutrageous Robbery and Nightveil SpecterNightveil Specter for that. Or if we want to just draw a bunch of cards after casting stuff from exile, we can run Surge of BrillianceSurge of Brilliance.

If exiling and casting someone else’s cards isn’t rude enough for you, how about killing them with one shot? That’s where Vorpal SwordVorpal Sword comes. Eight mana with this attached to an Invisible StalkerInvisible Stalker means lights out for one opponent.

Lastly, I want to talk about first strike and double strike. With these abilities on creatures, we can get a lot more triggers off of Gonti, because it counts as a different set of damage from regular damage. Sadly, we’re not in the right colors for these abilities, but a good one I found is Mirri, Cat WarriorMirri, Cat Warrior. Not only does it have first strike, it also has Forestwalk, meaning it’s basically unblockable by green players. Nice, right?

Of course, to make room for these new cards, some cards have to go to the bone orchard: Baleful StrixBaleful Strix, Extract BrainExtract Brain, Thieving SkydiverThieving Skydiver, Tower WinderTower Winder, Chaos WandChaos Wand, Void AttendantVoid Attendant, Arcane HeistArcane Heist, Gonti, Lord of LuxuryGonti, Lord of Luxury, Plasm CapturePlasm Capture, Stolen GoodsStolen Goods, Whirler RogueWhirler Rogue, Smirking SpelljackerSmirking Spelljacker, The MimeoplasmThe Mimeoplasm, Diluvian PrimordialDiluvian Primordial, Sage of the BeyondSage of the Beyond, Silent-Blade OniSilent-Blade Oni

Here’s the budget upgraded deck list:

And some more cards worth considering: Blade of SelvesBlade of Selves, Drana, Liberator of MalakirDrana, Liberator of Malakir, FireshriekerFireshrieker, Marang River ProwlerMarang River Prowler, Whispersteel DaggerWhispersteel Dagger, Notorious ThrongNotorious Throng, Schema ThiefSchema Thief, Marcus, Mutant MayorMarcus, Mutant Mayor, Tasha, the Witch QueenTasha, the Witch Queen, Urban EvolutionUrban Evolution, Caller of the PackCaller of the Pack, Elder BrainElder Brain

What Are Some Good Expensive Cards We Can Add to Grand Larceny?

I’m glad you asked. Here’s where we start getting into more Rogue-based strategies. We’re adding BitterblossomBitterblossom for a new flying Rogue each turn, Dauthi VoidwalkerDauthi Voidwalker, because we weren’t already rude enough, Thada Adel, AcquisitorThada Adel, Acquisitor to steal some artifacts directly from opponents’ libraries, Grim HirelingGrim Hireling for some extra cash, and Agent of TreacheryAgent of Treachery for some more card draw.

We’ll even throw in a Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery to get those Rogues filling our hands, plus a Roaming ThroneRoaming Throne to double all our Rogue triggers.

ExplorationExploration will take Azusa’s place in this upgrade, since it’s cheaper and less killable. Gix, Yawgmoth PraetorGix, Yawgmoth Praetor gives a nice damage trigger, plus a hefty activated ability that suits our strategy. Court of LocthwainCourt of Locthwain brings the Monarchy into the mix, which we’re likely to have often with our unblockable creatures, and gives us more exiled loot to play with. And last is Praetor’s GraspPraetor’s Grasp, which just yanks any card out of an opponent’s library.

We’re showing these cards the door: Krydle of Baldur’s GateKrydle of Baldur’s Gate, Outrageous RobberyOutrageous Robbery, Siphon InsightSiphon Insight, Surge of BrillianceSurge of Brilliance, Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking, Cazur, Ruthless StalkerCazur, Ruthless Stalker, Dazzling SphinxDazzling Sphinx, Oblivion SowerOblivion Sower, Orochi Soul-ReaverOrochi Soul-Reaver, Thieving AmalgamThieving Amalgam, and Tlincalli HunterTlincalli Hunter

Here’s the upgraded non-budget list:

And some more cards to think about: Tinybones, the PickpocketTinybones, the Pickpocket, Sword of Feast and FamineSword of Feast and Famine, Toski, Bearer of SecretsToski, Bearer of Secrets, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre StraitAesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait

Burn the Breeze

That’s it for the Upgrade Guide for Grand Larceny. We added more unblockable creatures, more mana to play with, and even a one-shot killer to make sure our opponents die standing up. So what do you think? Did I make this deck better? Any cards I missed? Let me know in the comments. And don’t go anywhere. We got plenty more precon fun coming at ya, here on EDHREC.

More Precon Fun:

Quick Draw - Thunder Junction Precon Upgrade Guide

Desert Bloom - Thunder Junction Precon Upgrade Guide

Heavenly Inferno - Kaalia Precon Upgrade

Andy Zupke

Andy's been playing Magic on and off since Fallen Empires. He loves to travel, drink, eat, and spend time with family and friends.