Grimgrin, Corpse-Born MTG Card
2011-09-30 - Number 214
2012-11-02 - Number 5
2023-04-21 - Number 106
2023-04-21 - Number 171z
2023-04-21 - Number 171
2023-04-21 - Number 41
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Zombie Warrior |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Grimgrin provides card advantage by destroying creatures, thus enhancing your control over the game.
- Sacrificial mechanics enable resource acceleration and unlock graveyard synergies for strategic depth.
- Despite a high mana cost, Grimgrin’s potential combo plays make it a powerful collection addition.
Text of card
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born enters the battlefield tapped and doesn't untap during your untap step. Sacrifice another creature: Untap Grimgrin and put a +1/+1 counter on it. Whenever Grimgrin attacks, destroy target creature defending player controls, then put a +1/+1 counter on Grimgrin.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Grimgrin, Corpse-Born enables repeated advantage by destroying opposing creatures and thus potentially creating card advantage. Each time Grimgrin devours a creature to untap, you’re paving the way to maintain board dominance and influence.
Resource Acceleration: This fearsome undead can act as a resource accelerator in zombie-themed decks. By sacrificing another creature, you not only grow Grimgrin larger but also potentially unlock synergistic graveyard abilities from the sacrificed creature, providing a boost to your game’s pace.
Instant Speed: While Grimgrin itself does not operate at instant speed, it synergizes well with spells and abilities that do. For example, you can untap Grimgrin at instant speed with other cards to surprise your opponent by making him ready to block or by using his ability before your turn begins.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To unleash Grimgrin’s full potential, you must sacrifice another creature, which could deplete your board and leave you vulnerable to your opponent’s strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Grimgrin, Corpse-Born demands a strict casting cost including both blue and black mana, limiting deck-building flexibility and requiring a dedicated commitment to a dual-color mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, including three of any color plus one blue and one black, Grimgrin enters the battlefield later than some more cost-effective creatures, possibly setting you back in the early game tempo.
Reasons to Include Grimgrin, Corpse-Born in Your Collection
Versatility: Grimgrin, Corpse-Born serves as both an aggressive threat and an untapping engine. This makes it a powerful addition to various decks that emphasize creature synergies or require repeatable activations for their strategy.
Combo Potential: With Grimgrin’s capability to untap by sacrificing another creature, it can easily become the centerpiece of an infinite combo with cards that generate tokens or have undying/persist effects, leading to limitless power increases or game-ending plays.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state that’s densely populated by creature-based strategies, Grimgrin acts as a relentless eliminator of blockers and potential threat accelerators, giving it a significant edge in a range of matchups.
How to beat
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born is a formidable opponent in the MTG battlefield, acting not just as a powerhouse creature but also as an engine for sacrifice strategies. Facing this undead behemoth requires a strategic approach since simply blocking it in combat often isn’t sufficient due to its untap ability and potential growth in power.
Removal spells are your best friends here. Cards like Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile can exile Grimgrin before it becomes unstoppable. Counterspells are also effective, ensuring that Grimgrin never makes it to the battlefield in the first place. Should Grimgrin settle into play, transforming it with cards such as Darksteel Mutation can neuter the threat it presents. It’s essential to deal with Grimgrin immediately or maintain control of the board with cards like Rest in Peace to inhibit graveyard strategies that could bring Grimgrin back for another round.
Strategize carefully and prioritize removing Grimgrin, Corpse-Born quickly or prevent it from exploiting its strengths to lead your MTG deck to victory against this resilient zombie warrior.
Cards like Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born is a standout in the realm of zombie tribal commanders in Magic: The Gathering, bringing unique mechanics to the undead archetype. Among zombies, Grimgrin is often compared to other top-tier commanders like Rooftop Storm, with its potential for a zero-cost zombie army. While Rooftop Storm dramatically reduces casting costs for a horde of zombies, it lacks the direct board impact that Grimgrin provides.
Gisa and Geralf is another similar card that synergizes well with zombie decks, offering direct access to zombies from the graveyard. However, Grimgrin’s ability to continually untap by sacrificing another creature can generate a significant advantage over time, which Gisa and Geralf cannot. Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is an additional parallel; it provides unquestionable value in zombie decks due to the undying mechanic. Still, Mikaeus doesn’t offer the repeatable removal or the aggressive potential that comes with Grimgrin’s attack ability.
Assessing the capacities of these similar cards, Grimgrin, Corpse-Born holds a special place, thanks to its aggressive stat line and the sacrificial synergy that can be a game-changer for MTG players favoring a zombie-themed strategy.
Cards similar to Grimgrin, Corpse-Born by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Grimgrin, Corpse-Born MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Commander's Arsenal Oversized, 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 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Grimgrin, Corpse-Born Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011-09-30 | Innistrad | ISD | 214 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 2 | 2012-11-02 | Commander's Arsenal Oversized | OCM1 | 5 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Peter Mohrbacher | |
| 3 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 106 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Bartek Fedyczak | |
| 4 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 171z | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cabrol | |
| 5 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 171 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cabrol | |
| 6 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 41 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Cabrol |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Grimgrin, Corpse-Born has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Grimgrin, Corpse-Born card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-09-22 | If the defending player controls no creatures when Grimgrin attacks, the last ability will be removed from the stack and have no effect. |
| 2011-09-22 | If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time Grimgrin's last ability resolves, the entire ability doesn't resolve and none of its effects will occur. You won't put a +1/+1 counter on Grimgrin. |
| 2013-07-01 | If Grimgrin's last ability resolves, but the targeted creature isn't destroyed (perhaps because it regenerated or has indestructible), you'll still put a +1/+1 on Grimgrin. |
