<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/tots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Valeza</a></em></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/sos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Secrets of Strixhaven</em></a> is packing a lot of power in the command zone, with perhaps no color identity gaining more than <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/golgari?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golgari</a> (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>).</p>
<p>First, we had <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witherbloom, the Balancer" href="#" target="_blank">Witherbloom, the Balancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and its <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-witherbloom-the-balancer-for-cedh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infinite token shenanigans</a>. Now, it's time for a much cheaper commander - one that enables a plethora of two-card combo kills thanks to the persist mechanic. Here's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: cEDH's newest and coolest Frog.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gorma, the Gullet"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Gorma, the Gullet is a legendary 1/1 Pest Frog creature with lifelink and "Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Gorma." Additionally, nontoken creatures you control enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on them for each creature that died under your control this turn.</p>
<p>At <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lower Brackets</a>, Gorma would get up to some crazy shenanigans as a +1/+1 counters deck. Not so here; in cEDH, this card's ability granting your other creatures +1/+1 counters effectively translates to "Creatures with <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Persist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">persist</a> you control are infinitely loopable."</p>
<p>What do I mean by that? Well, when a creature with persist dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it. Thanks to a rules quirk of <em>Magic</em>, if a creature would have both a -1/-1 counter on it and a +1/+1 counter on it, both of those counters are removed, since they effectively cancel out.</p>
<p>With Gorma in play, this means that a creature with persist will die, come back with a -1/-1 counter as well as some number of +1/+1 counters based on however many creatures died this turn (including the creature with persist itself), then the -1/-1 counter and one +1/+1 counter will immediately disappear, freeing up persist to trigger again the next time that creature dies. All you need is a sacrifice outlet, and Gorma, of course.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Aside from the combo pieces enabled by Gorma (persist creature + sacrifice outlet), this deck is essentially completely commander agnostic. That's a huge boon; rather than running any particular synergy pieces, Gorma, the Gullet is effectively a Golgari good-stuff pile.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demonic Tutor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Green Sun&#039;s Zenith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deathrite Shaman"></div></div>
<p>Every good black tutor? Check. The best green to-field creature tutors? Check. All the mana a ball of Elves could generate? Triple check.</p>
<h2>How Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Win?</h2>
<h3>Persist Loops</h3>
<p>Alrighty, on to the closing packages. At its simplest, Gorma can win with any persist creature (this deck runs <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Putrid Goblin" href="#" target="_blank">Putrid Goblin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lesser Masticore" href="#" target="_blank">Lesser Masticore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rendclaw Trow" href="#" target="_blank">Rendclaw Trow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the three options) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of Dementia" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of Dementia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Putrid Goblin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of Dementia"></div></div>
<p>Assuming Gorma's in play, simply cast these two cards, then sacrifice the persist creature to Altar of Dementia, targeting any opponent. That player will mill some number of cards (dependent on the sacrificed creature's power), then persist will trigger, resurrecting the creature. Thanks to Gorma, it will enter with at least one +1/+1 counter, thus negating the -1/-1 counter persist places. Rinse and repeat, milling out each opponent's entire library.</p>
<p>Alternatively, this combo also works if you target yourself with the Altar of Dementia's mill ability, or if you use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Umbral Collar Zealot" href="#" target="_blank">Umbral Collar Zealot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the sacrifice outlet instead. However, in doing so, the combo closeout involves an extra step.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Umbral Collar Zealot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dread Return"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walking Ballista"></div></div>
<p>If you mill your entire library by repeatedly sacrificing a persist creature (either with Altar of Dementia as self-targeting or by surveilling it away with Umbral Collar Zealot), eventually you'll mill two cards: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Return" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Provided that you've sacrificed a creature enough times (which you will have, since you can sacrifice a persist creature an infinite number of times), you can then flashback Dread Return by sacrificing three creatures (any three except for Gorma), targeting Walking Ballista. It'll enter with a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the number of times you've sacrificed creatures this turn, which you can then remove in order to kill the rest of the table through Walking Ballista's activated ability.</p>
<h3>Wither Chain</h3>
<p>As a backup to all the persist loop goodness, Gorma also runs the classic Golgari combo of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witherbloom Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Witherbloom Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chain of Smog" href="#" target="_blank">Chain of Smog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Witherbloom Apprentice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chain of Smog"></div></div>
<p>Just cast Chain of Smog targeting yourself while Witherbloom Apprentice is in play, then infinitely loop it via Chain of Smog's copy effect (still targeting yourself each time). Each copy will trigger Witherbloom Apprentice's <em>magecraft</em> trigger, draining the table for one life per opponent and gaining you one life.</p>
<p>Do that enough times and the game's yours.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorma, the Gullet" href="#" target="_blank">Gorma, the Gullet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cEDH Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Gorma cEDH" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Gorma, the Gullet
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Allosaurus Shepherd
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Badgermole Cub
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blood Pet
*1 Deathrite Shaman
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Dosan the Falling Leaf
*1 Elves of Deep Shadow
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Elvish Reclaimer
*1 Elvish Spirit Guide
*1 Endurance
*1 Enduring Vitality
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Lesser Masticore
*1 Opposition Agent
*1 Orcish Bowmasters
*1 Priest of Titania
*1 Putrid Goblin
*1 Quirion Ranger
*1 Rendclaw Trow
*1 Six
*1 Sowing Mycospawn
*1 Sylvan Safekeeper
*1 The Cabbage Merchant
*1 Umbral Collar Zealot
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Witherbloom Apprentice
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Defense Grid
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Vexing Bauble
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Abrupt Decay
*1 Ad Nauseam
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Autumn&#039;s Veil
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Culling the Weak
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Deadly Rollick
*1 Imp&#039;s Mischief
*1 Rain of Filth
*1 Summoner&#039;s Pact
*1 Tainted Pact
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Safekeeping
*1 Vampiric Tutor
*1 Veil of Summer
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Carpet of Flowers
*1 Earthcraft
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun
*1 Survival of the Fittest
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chain of Smog
*1 Culling Ritual
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Dread Return
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Grim Tutor
*1 Imperial Seal
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Reanimate
*1 Sylvan Scrying
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Bayou
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Temple
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Forest
*1 Gaea&#039;s Cradle
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Nurturing Peatland
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*1 Phyrexian Tower
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Shifting Woodland
*2 Swamp
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
*1 Underground Mortuary
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>Gorma, the Gullet is a deck that runs only the best of Golgari's card pool, then rounds it out with seven total commander-specific cards, enabling a diverse suite of compact two-card combos. Only time in the tournaments will tell if it's better than fellow <em>Secrets of Strixhaven</em> commander <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witherbloom, the Balancer" href="#" target="_blank">Witherbloom, the Balancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but one thing's for certain: this Frog's got promise.</p>


gorma

Building Gorma, the Gullet for cEDH