Golgari Grind with a Twist!

StandardBest of 3CompetitiveMetagame
Updated:
Explore an innovative twist on the classic Golgari Grind in Standard MTG. Dive into unique strategies and deck-building tips to outlast your opponents.

Welcome Мagic lovers!

Ah, Golgari midrange, the deck known in years past as the 'Rock' for its plodding, grindy yet inexorable gameplay, has floated in and out of Tier 1 in Standard for months now. Its latest reincarnation began with the printing of Mosswood Dreadknight in Wilds of Eldraine, followed by Deep-Cavern Bat in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, which suddenly gave the deck the foundation it lacked, creating space for other, powerful black and green midrange creatures that weren't seeing any play, like Glissa Sunslayer, to thrive.

However, it was a tumultuous ride for Golgari Midrange during the last Standard Regional Qualifier Championship season earlier this year, when its archnemesis, Domain Ramp, made up nearly 20% of the metagame. Golgari's poor matchup against Domain meant that, despite having a solid matchup against the aggressive decks and an acceptable win rate against control, Glissa and company languished in Tier 2, struggling to keep up with the 5-color ramp menace. Only 2.4% of the field at Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction opted to sleeve up Golgari, despite new tools like Caustic Bronco being great additions to the deck, and now with Bloomburrow and the Standard rotation having changed the landscape yet again, the Rock deck is well-positioned once again.

The Tech

This is due in no small part to one of the new, powerhouse enchantments in Bloomburrow, Innkeeper's Talent.

Magic the Gathering Card - Innkeeper's Talent - MTG Circle

This insanely potent level-up card is injecting new life into Golgari, as it's a difficult-to-interact-with engine that fills so many roles in the deck that it almost seems like it was designed specifically for this shell.

For only two mana, it sits on the battlefield and passively provides a steady stream of +1/+1 counters for all of the small creatures in the deck, of which there are many. Caustic Bronco can suddenly attack into larger and larger creatures with impunity, in order to keep the gas flowing. Deep-Cavern Bat having lifelink means the steady drip of increasing power and toughness makes it impossible to race, as it will be padding its controller's life while taking larger and larger chunks out of the opponent's. Mosswood Dreadknight is already a creature that one doesn't mind throwing into combat so that it can die and be recast from the graveyard, which incentivizes opposing players to not kill it. However, having trample means that if it gets continually pumped by Innkeeper's Talent, it can't be effectively chump-blocked with small creatures and therefore must be dealt with via cards in the opposing player's hand, forcing them to spend resources while the Dreadknight keeps drawing more action for its controller.

The second stage of Innkeeper's Talent is only one mana to activate, but don't let its mana cost fool you. This seemingly subtle effect is extremely effective at keeping the Golgari deck's threats alive. When removal spells end up costing more than the creature they're trading with, they become much less potent, as the Golgari player can spend their mana more effectively than the opponent who is trying to kill their creatures. When opposing players are not able to kill more than one creature in a turn cycle because each one costs an additional mana to target, it quickly snowballs into an insurmount mana advantage for the Golgari deck. Setting up this cascading mana advantage for the low cost of just one green pip is criminally cheap.

However, it's the third and final level of this incredible enchantment that really brings the hammer down on unsuspecting opponents. For four mana, the Golgari pilot can level up the Innkeeper's Talent to provide an effect that many Magic players fondly refer to as the 'Doubling Season' ability, which allows one to effectively double the number of counters on a permanent or player. It doesn't care about what type of counters they may be, or what kind of permanent they are being placed on. This opens up some very interesting, and incredibly powerful, lines of play to simply steal the game outright.

Naturally, the +1/+1 counters that the Innkeeper's Talent is already providing get doubled, making every creature terrifyingly large in short order. However, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Magic the Gathering Card - Bristly Bill, Spine Sower - MTG CircleMagic the Gathering Card - Liliana of the Veil - MTG Circle

A single copy of Bristly Bill, Spine Sower is a cute addition that is now seeing play in Golg to really capitalize on the extra +1/+1 counters, while also providing a ton of counters itself when making land drops. Ramping into a Liliana of the Veil ultimate has never been easier, as she enters the battlefield with six loyalty counters if a fully leveled-up Innkeeper's Talent is in play.

Magic the Gathering Card - Vraska, Betrayal's Sting - MTG Circle

That said, the biggest haymaker the deck can muster is by running a copy or two of the forgotten Phyrexian planeswalker, Vraska, Betrayal's Sting. While Vraska hasn't seen any play in the top echelons of Standard since it was printed, it now has a very compelling reason to earn its spot in the list it can instantly win the game if it comes down with a fully upgraded Innkeeper's Talent on the board. This is because it will enter with a full twelve loyalty, allowing its pilot to immediately use Vraska's -9 ability to give the opponent nine poison counters, which the Innkeeper's Talent will double to eighteen, instantly killing them.

The Deck

Total Cards:

This powerful 'oops, I win' button that the deck now has access to has really given Golgari a boost, enabling it to perform a lethal strike almost out of nowhere. Once an Innkeeper's Talent that's been upgraded to level three is on the battlefield, opponents must be extremely cautious about tapping out if they have counter magic. In fact, for any deck not running counterspells or Duress effects, removing the Innkeeper's Talent becomes priority number one as soon as it reaches maximum level, otherwise any top-decked Vraska becomes instantly lethal.

Now opponents have to play cautiously throughout the game by actively managing any Innkeeper's Talent that the Golgari player draws, as letting it sit in play is a slowly ticking time bomb that will inevitably end in victory for the green-black deck.

Is the printing of this one, powerful enchantment enough to keep Golgari Midrange in Standard Tier 1 going forward? Many believe that it is, so make sure to pack plenty of sideboard, or even main-deck, enchantment destruction in any Standard decks you build!

Rate this article
Hi, I'm Damien! I'm a Canadian television and voice actor turned streamer! I've been playing Magic: the Gathering since the early 1990's when the game first released, and was heavily involved in competitive Magic for many years.

Check out more content by DamienF16

Explore the hottest Pioneer decks and their impact on Magic Arena's Explorer format. Discover top strategies and deck lists from the Regional Championship.
From Pioneer to Explorer: Hottest Decks!
Welcome Magic lovers! Today we embark on a bit of a detour from our usual focus on the Standard format in order to take a look at the landscape of the Pioneer metagame, now that the massive 1800+ player Regional Championship Washington D.C. has concluded, and how it may impact players who are engaging with the as-yet-unsanctioned Explorer format on Magic Arena. Regional Championships are massive affairs these days, with attendance and level of competition landing somewhere between a Pro Tour and the old Grand Prix system that many players enjoyed. With 1817 players enrolled in the tournament, it was one of the largest competitive events of the year, and thus yielded a ton of data, deck lists and direction for the Pioneer format moving forward. For Magic Arena players who aren't actually able to play Pioneer yet, there may yet be some interesting things to glean which could be applied to the pseudo-format that is Explorer.
Explore the dynamic Duskmourn Standard meta in Magic: The Gathering, with insights on decks like Gruul Aggro and Mono-white Control for competitive play.
Top
The State of Duskmourn Standard
Welcome Magic lovers!   What a week! As Duskmourn spreads its shadow across Standard, Pioneer and even Modern, it's fascinating to watch each format warp and buckle under the weight of the dual cycles of powerful Overlords and Leylines. Today, let's focus on Standard, as the Regional Qualifier Championship season is just over the horizon and approaching rapidly.
Discover how Domain Ramp remains dominant in Standard Magic: The Gathering with new Duskmourn cards, enhancing strategies for competitive play.
Popular
Dominating Duskmourn with Domain
Welcome Magic lovers!   As Duskmourn Standard continues to take shape, with many players trying and testing new strategies and sideboards built around the pile of shiny, new toys we've just received, many others are sticking with proven decks and simply looking for ways to slot in some spicy new additions.
Explore the power of Azorius Flash Enchanties in Duskmourn Standard! Uncover top strategies, key cards, and tips for competitive Magic: The Gathering play.
Popular
Azorius Flash Enchanties in Duskmourn Standard!
Welcome Magic lovers!   With the spoiler released, and our descent into Duskmourn only one week away, the competitive Magic community is turning their sights back on Standard, as it will be the featured format of the next cycle of Regional Championship Qualifier tournaments.
Explore the top ten Standard cards from Duskmourn! Learn how these cards can enhance your deck and improve your gameplay strategy in the latest MTG set.
Popular
Top Ten Standard Cards from Duskmourn!
Welcome Magic lovers!   Ah, yes, it's that glorious time of the…month when the Magic: the Gathering world is buzzing with excitement about all the new toys they'll soon be tinkering with and trying to determine which formats and deck archetypes will be most affected, as the upcoming Duskmourn: House of Horror set release is now less than a week away.
Discover the top aggressive decks in MTG Standard. Learn key strategies and how to counter fast-paced opponents in the current metagame.
The Aggressive State of Standard
Welcome Magic lovers! With Bloomburrow barely a month old, and new Duskmourn spoilers already flooding the Magic: the Gathering sphere, it's safe to say that Standard is anything but stable. The evolution of the metagame over the past month has been interesting to watch unfold, and with no serious competitive play happening, aside from the odd Magic Online Showcase Challenge or real-life tournament in Japan, it's difficult to pin down exactly which decks are leading the charge. Today, we will cover the current state the Standard format, which decks are seeing the most play online, and which decks can be expected to get better with the release of Duskmourn in just a few short weeks.
Explore the hottest Pioneer decks and their impact on Magic Arena's Explorer format. Discover top strategies and deck lists from the Regional Championship.
From Pioneer to Explorer: Hottest Decks!
Welcome Magic lovers! Today we embark on a bit of a detour from our usual focus on the Standard format in order to take a look at the landscape of the Pioneer metagame, now that the massive 1800+ player Regional Championship Washington D.C. has concluded, and how it may impact players who are engaging with the as-yet-unsanctioned Explorer format on Magic Arena. Regional Championships are massive affairs these days, with attendance and level of competition landing somewhere between a Pro Tour and the old Grand Prix system that many players enjoyed. With 1817 players enrolled in the tournament, it was one of the largest competitive events of the year, and thus yielded a ton of data, deck lists and direction for the Pioneer format moving forward. For Magic Arena players who aren't actually able to play Pioneer yet, there may yet be some interesting things to glean which could be applied to the pseudo-format that is Explorer.
logo

By joining our community, you can immerse yourself in MTG Arena gameplay. Watch matches, engage with content, comment, share thoughts, and rate videos for an interactive experience.

Follow Us

LATEST VIDEOS