Grinning Demon MTG Card

Grinning Demon’s board dominance can give strategic card advantage and reduce the need for more creatures. The demon’s specific mana cost and discard requirement can limit deck versatility and hand strategy. Despite its drawbacks, Grinning Demon’s power makes it a meta-relevant addition to aggressive decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Demon
Abilities	Morph
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Power	6
Toughness	6
Number	153
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Zug

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 2 life. Morph o Bo B (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

It's drawn to the scent of screaming.

Cards like Grinning Demon

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Grinning Demon stands out as an alluring force of power among creatures that pack a significant punch. This creature bears similarity to Abyssal Persecutor, another formidable black creature card that provides a substantial beatstick for a relatively low mana cost. The Grinning Demon, with its impressive 6/6 stats, trades immediate battlefield presence for a gradually harmful drawback—losing life every upkeep. In contrast, Abyssal Persecutor also has a downside: it prevents opponents from losing the game, which requires strategic maneuvering to ensure it doesn’t backfire.

Desecration Demon is another card that comes to mind when considering the dynamics of black creatures with high power, low casting cost, and a drawback. While Grinning Demon’s compromise is life loss, Desecration Demon poses a choice for opponents to either sacrifice a creature or allow it to grow stronger. This dynamic gives the player an edge in games where opponents may not be able to afford such sacrifices. Ultimately, Grinning Demon’s role in the deck is to deliver overwhelming force while carefully managing the life loss to ensure victory before it becomes a liability.

Cards similar to Grinning Demon by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grinning Demon offers an impressive presence, demanding an immediate answer from opponents. When played strategically, the Demon can dominate the board, effectively reducing the need for additional creatures and bolstering your overall card quality.

Resource Acceleration: While the Grinning Demon itself doesn’t accelerate resources directly, its mere presence can allow for more efficient gameplay. By applying pressure, opponents are often forced to deal with it, possibly diverting resources that could have gone into their own board development.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant, the Demon’s impact is instantaneously felt on the battlefield. Deployed during your main phase, it forces opponents to act quickly or face devastating consequences, which can be akin to the tactical advantage of casting instants.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Grinning Demon demands a sacrifice upon entering the battlefield, compelling you to discard a card. This can be a substantial setback, especially when your hand is already depleted or when every card you hold is pivotal to your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning this creature requires an exact mana configuration which includes not just one but two black mana symbols. This requirement can be restrictive and makes the card less versatile, limiting its inclusion to decks heavily based on black mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and two black mana, Grinning Demon is a heavyweight on your mana curve. In situations where speed is of the essence or when facing mana constraints, its cost can outweigh its benefits, especially when other lower-cost creatures or spells could provide similar advantages without straining your mana resources.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grinning Demon offers an immediate impact on the battlefield with its substantial power level. It can be a game-changer in decks that are designed to mitigate its upkeep cost or use it as a powerful blocker or attacker early in the game.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy with life-gain strategies or sacrificial mechanics, where its drawback can actually fuel other aspects of your deck’s engine, turning a potential downside into an advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where the pace of play is faster and players can take advantage of aggressive starts, Grinning Demon’s impact can be significantly more profound, giving it a place in the current aggressive meta.

How to beat

The Grinning Demon presents itself as a formidable threat on the battlefield, with its impressive power and toughness suggesting an imposing presence in the game of MTG. Its drawback, however, lies in its upkeep cost, which requires a sacrifice of life points. Beating this creature demands strategic moves, leveraging its own strengths against it. Players can opt for removal spells such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares to deal with it efficiently before the life loss becomes unsustainable.

Another avenue is to use enchantments that neutralize creatures, like Pacifism or Oblivion Ring, which can effectively neutralize the Demon without engaging in combat. Playing cards that gain life can also help mitigate the life loss and buy time to establish board control. In multi-player games, diplomacy could be key—convincing other players to help manage the threat this creature poses before it overwhelms the board. Regardless of the chosen tactic, understanding the drawbacks of Grinning Demon is crucial to overcoming its raw power in play.

In the landscape of MTG strategy, foreseeing and undermining the advantages of heavy hitters like Grinning Demon can secure a player’s victory, turning the tides with well-timed control or removal tactics.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grinning Demon MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Grinning Demon and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grinning Demon has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal