Cruel UltimatumCruel Ultimatum | Art by Ralph Horsley

Hey, everyone! We're now more than halfway through the most played three-color cards in Commander! Last week, the spotlight was on Temur. Today, we're looking at what is probably my second-favorite group after Esper: Grixis ().

Before diving in, I did want to address some feedback I've gotten: These three-color lists tend to be dominated by legendary creatures. I think that's just how three-color groups work in Magic. There aren't actually that many cards under each color trio, and many of them are simply legends. Excluding them would let us look at more interesting, less-played cards, but then that would be something pretty different from my goal of breaking down the most-played cards in the format.

To mitigate the saturation of legends, however, I will write a list at the end of this series looking at only nonlegendary three-color cards. But do let me know what you think!

Onto the Grixis cards!

10. Sauron, Lord of the RingsSauron, Lord of the Rings - 18,956 decks, 4,066 as commander

The eponymous villain from J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series and hit Magic crossover isn't pulling up trees us a commander, though he is a neat option in a Reanimator deck that can make good use of his enters ability.

Where he's currently making an impact is largely in decks led by his MTG alter-ego Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord. It makes a lot of sense. You probably want as many ways to get tempted by the Ring as possible to trigger the draw-four ability, and the eight-mana Sauron comes with significant upside as well.

A 9/9 trampler isn't anything to scoff at either.

While not nearly as common, you can also play this Sauron in a multicolor legends deck as a sort of luxury finisher that also puts multiple bodies into play.

9. Admiral Beckett BrassAdmiral Beckett Brass - 18,495 decks, 5,150 as commander

I really enjoyed how the Ixalan sets supplemented existing creature types like Vampires and Merfolk with powerful cards and alternate angles of attack, while also introducing new options for kindred decks in Dinosaurs and Pirates.

Admiral Beckett BrassAdmiral Beckett Brass is the perfect Pirate commander, both boosting your motley crew of freebooters and tying together one of the type's themes: stealing stuff! The pilferage is permanent as well, so building around Brass will often entail creature-heavy, combat-focused decks.

Pirates also love Treasure, so a lot of your team will have abilities that play into one theme or the other.

There really are a ton of fun options, including: one of my favorite cards Hostage TakerHostage Taker (I do love me four-drops with ETBs); Zara, Renegade RecruiterZara, Renegade Recruiter, who helps augment your attacking force to make it more likely to trigger the Admiral's payoff; and Warkite MarauderWarkite Marauder, who can make combat much more favorable for you than expected.

And, like Vampires, Pirates have some fun in-theme combos, including the slightly-delayed win with Brass's BountyBrass's Bounty + Revel in RichesRevel in Riches:

This damage-based winning combo is also super cool and Piratey:

8. Nicol Bolas, the RavagerNicol Bolas, the Ravager - 16,428 decks, 8,094 as commander

The origin story of Nicol Bolas on a card is sort of like a reverse-Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation, so predictably I was in love with it from the start.

While not exactly game-breaking, attacking opponents' hands can be decently disruptive and is deliciously mechanically Grixis. Black also gives you a lot of ReanimateReanimate spells, and while you'd hope to target something better, Nicol Bolas does the job, especially when you have seven mana lying around to transform him.

Once you do that, you get a planeswalker that will threaten to dominate the board, whether through card advantage, or removing, or creating a new threat.

His typing also makes him surprisingly flexible for a three-color card. Dragons wants him as a cheaper threat that does different things in the late game than simply attack for damage. Legends can use as many haymakers as possible, while discard decks like Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage also appreciate building up a critical mass of discard effects, since they stack very well together.

As a commander, he's a popular option for planeswalker theme decks alongside Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice, Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree, and Commodore GuffCommodore Guff.

7. Marchesa, the Black RoseMarchesa, the Black Rose - 15,519 decks, 11,440 as commander

This is a really cool alternative take on the monarchy commander Queen MarchesaQueen Marchesa. In my Mardu top 10 list, I discussed some of that mechanic's issues, including that it's not good when you're behind, and can actually be detrimental when an opponent has the monarchy and you're struggling to catch up.

Dethrone attacks the format from the opposite angle: It's better when you're behind, at least in terms of life total! Beyond that, the mechanic is pretty much just a twist on a +1/+1 counter mechanic, which means the Black Rose is a nice option to lead a counters deck, with the reanimation ability adding that Grixis flavor to shenanigans you would normally associate with the color green.

This color identity also lets you blend counter effects like Uncivil UnrestUncivil Unrest and Unspeakable SymbolUnspeakable Symbol, which I didn't even know existed, with a sacrifice theme powered by Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder and Viscera SeerViscera Seer. Marchesa ties the room together by ensuring your buffed sacrifice fodder comes back for more, while Flayer of the HateboundFlayer of the Hatebound, Thran VigilThran Vigil, and Grim HaruspexGrim Haruspex provide additional payoffs and synergy.

The whole package ends up being familiar, with twists provided by some lesser-played cards and meshing of themes.

6. Nicol Bolas, Dragon-GodNicol Bolas, Dragon-God - 29,913 decks

Here is Nicol Bolas at the height of his powers, at the end of a story arc culminating in Gideon's SacrificeGideon's Sacrifice and the MTG big bad's exile in the Prison RealmPrison Realm. Flavorfully tasty and mechanically powerful to boot!

Given his ability to copy other planeswalkers, this Bolas figures into several combos that you can read more about on his Commander Spellbook page. The most popular one requires three cards, draws your deck, and exiles all your opponents' stuff.

Bolas' combo synergy and restrictive mana cost means he's well-suited to a multicolor PW deck where he has access to any number of juicy loyalty abilities, and to enablers like Oath of TeferiOath of Teferi, Ichormoon GauntletIchormoon Gauntlet, The Chain VeilThe Chain Veil, and more.

Even when you're not going off, Bolas is like his other incarnations in that he provides both card advantage and removal effects. And, while it's a little difficult to maneuver into a spot where his ultimate would win you the game, it's something to work towards, and is also helped along some by all-inclusive sweepers like Ruinous UltimatumRuinous Ultimatum.

5. Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer - 7,676 decks, 23,634 as commander

In his Grixis Commmander fun review Benjamin Levin called this the "former boogeyman of the format." It's still among the top 20 most played commanders overall on EDHREC.

The 2/4 demands that you play effects that draw your opponents cards and rewards you handsomely in the process. Most popular in a Wheels deck where you're giving your opponents whole new grips in exchange for fat bonks to the dome, Nekusar gives you several combo options.

For example, Peer into the AbyssPeer into the Abyss becomes a lethal fireball for an opponent.

The combo also works with Peer and Psychosis CrawlerPsychosis Crawler, Underworld DreamsUnderworld Dreams, and a bunch of other cards by taking advantage of the format's inflated deck size.

In any case, you want to be combining enablers like Teferi's Puzzle BoxTeferi's Puzzle Box, Howling MineHowling Mine, and the original Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune with payoffs and damage dealers like Fate UnravelerFate Unraveler, Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse, and Razorkin NeedleheadRazorkin Needlehead. It seems more difficult not to assemble a combo kill with Nekusar in play.

4. In the Darkness Bind ThemIn the Darkness Bind Them - 30,035 decks

After a Sauron and two Bolases, I'm here for a lovely noncreature Grixis card - and a Saga, too! In the Darkness Bind ThemIn the Darkness Bind Them creates three 3/3 Wraiths and then turns each of your opponents' best creatures against them. It also tempts you a whopping four times, making this ideal — both mechanically and lore-wise — in a deck led by Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord.

Its card type also makes it attractive for Tom BombadilTom Bombadil and Terra, Magical AdeptTerra, Magical Adept, two commanders from different IPs that both love an engrossing Saga.

While not available as a commander option, you can also speed up the ThreatenThreatens by combining this with Sigurd, Jarl of RavensthorpeSigurd, Jarl of Ravensthorpe, though you wouldn't be getting much utility out of Chapter IV.

3. Saruman, the White HandSaruman, the White Hand - 24,520 decks, 8,113 as commander

Adding to Lord of the Rings' presence on this list is nasty old Saruman, who forsook his oath to challenge Sauron and connived (not mechanically though) to gain the Dark Lord's power for himself. He intended to do this by amassing an army of homebrewed Man/Orc hybrids.

The White Hand is a wonderfully flavorful take on the character, utilizing War of the Spark's amass mechanic with a type change and channeling Saruman's magical powers into a protective ward effect on your hopefully giant token.

He features most prominently in Sauron, the Dark Lord decks, which may be a little bit off, lore-wise, but I'll allow it because of how effective he is at producing a threat in that deck.

It says a lot about how popular the LTR sets are that you really don't tend to find this Saruman frequently hanging out in the 99s of other commanders. He and Anhelo, the PainterAnhelo, the Painter work together on occasion, perhaps owing to a shared affinity for noncreature spells. Isengard needed a little interior design, to be honest.

2. Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord - 9,265 decks, 28,626 as commander

Here he is! I've spoken of him thus far in hushed tones, fearful of drawing his eye towards me in my Back to Basics list-writing corner of Middle-earth. He is virtually inevitable, being currently the 7th most popular commander on the site.

Sauron is most often built around using various amass effects with ring tempting cards to back them up. In case you didn't know, amassing Orcs is backwards compatible with cards from WAR that amass Zombie tokens, like Gleaming OverseerGleaming Overseer and Lazotep ChancellorLazotep Chancellor.

If you start with a Zombie Army and amass Orcs, that token also becomes an Orc. If you did it the other way around, then Overseer and company can simply put counters on the Orc Army you already had.

When Sauron is in play and you're running a bunch of LTR cards, it's trivially easy to get value out of his abilities, whether it's getting an extra ring temptation in, getting the ball rolling with your Army, or absolutely churning through your deck in concert with a card like In the Darkness Bind Them.

You're happy to play even middling cards just because they tempt you or say amass on them, like Saruman's TrickerySaruman's Trickery, Orcish MedicineOrcish Medicine, and Treason of IsengardTreason of Isengard.

1. Kess, Dissident MageKess, Dissident Mage - 31,077 decks, 7,531 as commander

Sauron and Bolas may have sunk their claws, teeth, and spiky armor plating into this list, but none of that was enough to dislodge Kess, the Snapcaster MageSnapcaster Mage-iest commander, from the top spot on this Grixis list.

The Izzet color pair is pretty fertile ground for a Spellslinger concept, with access to cheap spells like PonderPonder, BrainstormBrainstorm, and Faithless LootingFaithless Looting that trigger your Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist, Archmage EmeritusArchmage Emeritus, and GuttersnipeGuttersnipe.

Disruption like Swan SongSwan Song and Chaos WarpChaos Warp back you up and solve problems thrown at you by opponents.

What does adding the color black get you? Well, with Kess, you can expand your suite of answers to virtual catch-alls like Toxic DelugeToxic Deluge and Feed the SwarmFeed the Swarm, because sometimes Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act and Lightning BoltLightning Bolt aren't enough.

You also get Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor, which makes comboing off so much easier and supplies potent redundancy, if you have room for the Game Changer tutors. Fast mana, too, becomes more plentiful than what red can offer, with spells like Dark RitualDark Ritual and with Nightscape FamiliarNightscape Familiar doing a great Goblin ElectromancerGoblin Electromancer impression.

The recent printing of Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3 gives you an extra GuttersnipeGuttersnipe, while Sedgemoor WitchSedgemoor Witch is a redundant Young PyromancerYoung Pyromancer.

Clearly, black brings a ton of upsides to an Izzet spellslinger deck, and getting to reuse spells for free thanks to Kess makes for a really fun, resilient decklist.

I'm Bored With NowI'm Bored With Now

Wow, Nicol Bolas and villains from Lord of the Rings certainly have their hold over this color identity. It makes sense though; Bolas and Sauron simply exude Main Character Energy. Isn't that was Grixis is about, though — dominating the battlefield, mowing down opposing creatures, and unraveling the sanity of any mages that dare challenge you?

What's your favorite Grixis card that missed the list? Let us know!

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