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What do you get when you combine the unfettered life and growth of green with the destruction and rage of red? Very big, very angry monsters that love to smash everything in their path. InMagic: The Gathering, Gruul is all about aggressively playing creatures that come out swinging and don’t stop until they’ve crushed everything in their path.
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You’ve still got the burn and artifact hatred of red, and you’ve also got the ramp and enchantment hatred of green, which can lead to some spectacular synergies. There are loads of red/green cards you’ll want for your Gruul commander deck, so read on to see if you’re missing these Gruul commander staples.
Ramp
With green in the mix, Gruul has access to the best mana ramp around.Birds of Paradise,Rampant Growth, andSakura-Tribe Elderensures you’ll never be without lands to cast your big spells.
But Gruul has its own special flavor of ramp that (as you might have guessed) centers around aggression.Radha, Heir to Keld,Savage Ventmaw,Grand Warlord Radha, andKlauth, Unrivaled Ancientadd big mana whenever they attack, while other cards likeAtalan Jackalincentivize attacking to fish out basic lands from your deck.
Other cards encourage mana-generation as a form of damage dealing, such asZhur-Taa Druid, or land-drops as buffs for your creatures, such asMina and Denn, Wildborn. And don’t forget cards likeMana GeyserandBraid of Firefrom the red team for powering some truly huge hydras later on.
Removal
Lightning Bolt and Abrade are going to be two cards that’ll be near-instant picks, and don’t forgetChaos WarpandBeast Withinfor removing anything with more than three toughness. But there are a few Gruul-specific spells that definitely bear consideration.
Chief among them isHull Breach, which can hit both an enchantment and an artifact at once, andDecimate, which can throw in a creature and land as a four-for-one spell.Dire-Strain Rampageeventually reaches two-for-one status with a flashback, whileRoad/RuinandGround Assaultdeal damage based on the number of lands you control.
Artifact Mutationmight not have nearly as much card advantage asVandalblast, but getting an army of saprolings out of an opposing Wurmcoil Engine has value all its own.
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Card Draw
As you likely suspected by now, Gruul’s card draw mostly centers around aggression. But unlike blue and black, it’s usually not enough to merely do damage with a creature.Samut, Vizier of Naktamunrequires that damage to come on the first turn the creature entered the battlefield (necessitating haste), andDragonborn Championneeds you to deal five damage or more.
A few notable red/green card draw spells includeEscape to the Wilds,Signal the Clans, andReap the Past. Escape to the Wilds is notable for allowing an additional land drop, while both Signal the Clans and Reap the Past add an element of randomness to the cards you get.
If that doesn’t sound appetizing, there’s always the green standbys ofBeast Whisperer,Harmonize, andGuardian Projectto keep your hand full even as it keeps belching out giant monsters.
Board Wipes
Klauth’s WillandSavage Twisterare the two notable Gruul board wipes, although both have their limitations. Klauth’s Will is perhaps the better of the two as it also hits artifacts and enchantments, but both require a lot of mana to be effective.Firespoutis a cheaper option for those looking to stifle weenie or token strategies.
Beyond that, you’re largely going to rely on red spells likeBlasphemous Act,Chain Reaction, andStarstormto keep board states from becoming unreasonable, and artifacts likeNevinyrral’s Disk.
Small Creatures With Big Dreams
Before we get to the big monsters, Gruul has lots of little creatures that either help get those monsters into play or help make those monsters bigger and better.Hajar, Loyal BodyguardandHalana and Alena, Partnersare perfect examples. Other creatures, likeBurning-Tree ShamanandVexing Shusher, seek to stifle your opponents and ensure your big bads make it to the battlefield.
Others are simply growing threats.Ulrich of the Krallenhorde,Gimli, Mournful Avenger, andRadha, Heart of Keldare all powerful creatures that can become big problems later on.
Bloodbraid Elfisn’t exactly a threat on its own, but it can cascade into most of the aforementioned creatures. And don’t discount Jolene, thePlunder Queen. She can turn games all on her own.
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Big Beasts
One should never discount the power ofWoodfall Primus, but with red in the mix, Gruul has a lot of options when it comes to gigantic, aggressive creatures.
Omnath, Locus of RageandPhylath, World Sculptorare great at turning late-game lands into game-ending threats.Ruric Thar, the Unbowedcracks non-creature Commander decks.Dragonlord Atarkais both a giant flying beast and a five-damage burn spell in one. AndSavageborn Hydrais a double striking threat that grows larger as the game goes on.
You’ve got plenty of options in Gruul, so consider this merely a few suggestions.
A Few Fun Tricks
It’s hard to categorize these cards, but they’re definitely worth mentioning.Atarka’s CommandandGruul Charmare both situational, but potentially game-saving or game-ending, depending on how they’re employed.Tamiyo’s SafekeepingandHeroic Interventionare good tricks for keeping your big beasts alive and swinging.
But it’sTreacherous Terrainthat really deserves the most attention. Eight mana is a lot, but players can wind up with a lot of land in casual commander games, and this spell can single-handedly win games. And if you draw it early, you can just cycle it.
Enchantments
They might not be creatures, but these Gruul enchantments are just as aggressive.
Rhythm of the Wild,Fires of Yavimaya, andInvigorating Hot Springbasically all do the same thing: get your creatures swinging as soon as they hit the board.Xenagos, God of Revelsdoes it too, but he eventually turns into an indestructible god once your devotion ramps up.
Cindervinescan rack up a surprising amount of damage, whileArni Slays the Trolloffers a lot for very little mana.Shadow in the Warpis technically ramp for you, but also direct damage for opponents whenever they play a non-creature spell–something that stacks neatly with Cindervines.
Lands
As always, red/green decks should try and use as many red/green-producing lands as you may find, but there are a few other non-basic lands that Gruul mages should consider.
Kessig Wolf Runis late-game firebreathing that pairs well withRogue’s Passageto ensure your commander gets in those last few points of damage.Skarrg, the Rage Pitsoffers a smaller boost, but is certainly worthy of consideration.Mosswort Bridgeis often easily achieved with the power of Gruul.
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