Recently I sold off the bulk of my collection and decided to only keep a couple of decks. I wanted one of those to be as strong enough to hold out against Tier 1 decks, but not be so ridiculously overpowered that casual players would not want to play against it. I figured that Grimgrin was the perfect general for this. He has always had lots of penitential and I would get to keep some of my best foils.
Although I feel very confident about this list, I still have questions that are digging at the back of mind. I also always open to suggestions for improvement. I may not be collecting on the same scale anymore, but I am still willing to invest some more money in this deck as needed.
Lifegain is best on cards that do something else, like Loxodon Warhammer (which I don't think is good enough if you're going to be very competitive - I would go with the Jitte). I also really like Suffer the Past as instant graveyard hate. Withered Wretch is a very solid option for that too.
I'd definitely put Cabal Coffers back in, 17 swamps seems enough for it to be reliable enough to ramp a little, and if you get Urborg out it's great.
You seem to be running a little light on mana - 4 rocks and 37 lands? I'd up the land count to at least 38, and you could try Thran Dynamo.
I think I would cut Pilgrim's Eye for Keiga, it seems pretty weak and doesn't even put the land into play. Since you're running more than half basics, I would add Terrain Generator.
Thank you for the input. I have made a second list that shows many of the updates you recommended. I want to spend sometime looking at the list before I squeeze in another land and some grave hate. (thanks for pointing out that oversight!)
Now I have more questions.
1) If this deck is running enough basics to justify Terrain Generator, is there enough for me to incorporate my Thawing Glaciers? Also, should I use both or should I choose one?
EDIT: I have tried out both and I do not want to run either in this deck. Terrain Generator spends allot of time unused because I have other places I need my mana. At best it is a colourless source. It might be more useful with Vedalken Orrey, but in the 10 games I played with it in the deck I never drew Terrain Generator.
Thawing Glaciers posed an entirely different set of problems. While it was in the deck I always had good early turn play's in my hand. When I did use it in the late game, I found that it was actually slowing my tempo. I honestly feel that this card is more at home in a mono-coloured deck.
2) I have been very tempted to buy one of the Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed judge reprints to replace Hell's Caretaker. Is he worth the 60$ investment or should I keep that money earmarked for better non-basic lands?
Whew allot of changes have been made. I now feel very confidant that I have plugged all of the strategy holes. I can now recur everything outside of my 5 enchantments, and I think I have a card to get me out of most situations. I am still open to hearing more suggestions though.
I know that Pawn offers me allot of combo potential, but I just do not feel he was doing enough on his own. I have been trying to ask myself what a card can do for me at a late turn when the board is wiped and I am top decking. Ideally I want my cards to all help me regain the board, and Pawn won't do that without support. He started to feel like a win more card.
In his stead I am using Suffer the Past. I didn't have any main deck grave hate (excluding Bojuka Bog) and the life loss / life gain aspect can help me regain tempo. I am still wondering about Tormod's Crypt because I can recur it allot easier. Something to think about anyway.
This change hurt me emotionally. Dead Mikaeus is such a fun card but nevertheless requires support to do his thing. If I have a sac outlet and creature worth killing for effect, I should already be ahead on the board. His limited recursion does not buy enough tempo to be worth the slot. Does not work on Grimgrin.
Harvester will make better use of non-token creatures dying and he is not limited to cards on my side of the board. Deathtouch means he can trade with larger creatures. I wouldn't be sorry to topdeck this guy after a board wipe.
Kelpie and Harvester both preform an identical function and without Mikaeus, kelpie is no longer part of an infinite draw engine. Mnemonic Wall takes his spot so that I now have a means to recur my Instants and Sorceries.
The deck now has more artifacts in it and I wanted to step up my ability to re-use them. I only needed one land smasher making Tec Edge the obvious choice to be cut.
How often does a leyline show up in an opening hand in this format to be relevant? Orrey has the same overall cmc, does not require UU, and I can recur the heck out of it.
This change may not be permanent. I am worried about having reduced my creature recursion options. I know I needed another source to bring back artifacts but I am still uncomfortable. I choose diver over Myr Retriever because I feel that flying is worth the extra colorless. I also needed to increase my 3cmc count because 2cmc was getting cluttered. I do not feel like cutting Sygg.
Time to incorporate some cards that slipped through my net. I want to put in Opposition and Arena of the Ancients, but I need some help choosing what to cut.
I also want to put in Minamo, School at Water's Edge. I'll just swap out an Island for it, but I'll list that in formal update later.
And one last quandry to solve. I have gotten an income tax check back and I feel like buying a flashy card for the deck. What should it be, Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed or a foil Tamiyo, the Moon Sage?
EDIT: This is the second time I have placed a $100 order for cards to put in this deck, once again Xiahou Dun was not put on the list. At this point I have already found other replacements for cards that he could take the place of. I will not purchasing him for this deck. As good as his ability is, other cards either more synergic with or get me to my goals faster.
More sweeping changes today. I have officially reached the end of what I want to spend on this deck. I was not able to get Minamo, School at Water's Edge or Arena of the Ancients which are still on my watch list and may be worth forking over for if I ever find them. Until then I cannot think of anything else this deck needs for the moment.
This deck was not built around utilizing Sygg's ability. At most I would get 2 or 3 cards from him before he was caught in a wrath and I never went out of my way to reanimate him. I have high hopes for Gilded Drake because I have never played with him before. I have a Sakashima's Student that wants his spot though, so I will have to see how he preforms.
Paying life to use abilities has always made me a little paranoid. So when I can cram in life gain it makes me happy. In this case that life gain also comes with a recurring way to get creatures back into my hand and a protection bonus. This sword has already proved its worth to me while equipped to a Nether Traitor. In the next game, I look forward to Giggles swinging with it.
The only reason a Cryptic Command was not on this decks original list was the UUU. In the first draft there was not much blue and I was concerned about being able to cast it. Now that I have re-balanced the mana base to accommodate other blue cards, I feel safe including it.
Removing a nice foil from a deck is always hard for me, particularly if I have had the card in question for years. I finally swapped out cemetery because crossroads can be used in response to grave hate, potentially saving an important creature. It also walks around Grafdigger's Cage very nicely.
Increasing Ambition was proving itself to be a very bad tutor for this deck. Since this deck does not focus on combo's the flashback ability is not very helpful, and the main ability is over costed. Tamiyo was going to be put in this deck regardless and I was prepared to kick out Liliana, but when I sat back and looked at the cards I knew which "slow" tutor truly deserved the boot.
I wanted Tamiyo because of past experiences I have had with Ajani Vengeant's +1 ability. Using him I was able to lock down a Maze of Ith for several turns which prevent my opponent from being able to disable key creatures in my attack force. In a later game I used him to keep a Crypt of Agadeem from being able to help a player with Iname, Death Aspect as general, thus saving the board from a mass Exsanguinate. Since Tamiyo has a better -2 and ultimate ability I expect her to outshine Ajani.
There is nothing wrong with Fleshbag in this deck. This change was motivated by my need to tutor for grave hate in every game I have played. Skullclamp, Expedition map, and Sol Ring are never unwelcome either.
Without fail I always encounter one player who needs to have their graveyard hated, and it usually needs to be done a couple times every game. Suffer the Past provided a great tempo boost with grave hate but it was difficult to reuse. I normally prefer to use my Mnemonic Wall to get back a tutor or Living Death. Tormod's Crypt is much simpler to use and I have a new promo to add to my collection.
I do not normally play with blue so Opposition never entered my radar until recently. I wish I had know about it sooner. If you can mix this with Gravecrawler and Grimgrin, you get to tap allot of stuff. Probably one of the best ways in this deck to make sure Giggles connects with an opponent. Jin-Gitaxias was never more than a flashy Reanimate target.
Sheoldred is hit or miss as a reanimator because she hasn't been sticking on the board as well as I would like. The butcher does a better job at thinning my opponents battle fields because I can control when he triggers.
I like your idea behind the deck, plan on posting my own Grimgrin list soon. Playing the deck for months, I have several ideas you might be interested in. Mind Slash: Combined with Nether Traitor, Gravecrawler, or Reassembling Skeleton, I've entirely emptied peoples hands. Combines excellently with Rooftop Storm and Gravecrawler(assuming you don't mind people hating you) Amulet of Vigor: Works with Grimgrin, turns Reassembling Skeleton into a last minute blocker, and makes all your lands frosty fresh, especially yummy with Thawing Glaciers Wonder:Entomb target, sac fodder, and gives Grimgrin flying? Grade A material Jar of Eyeballs: With the number of creatures this deck sacrifices, this thing can get alot of counters, and quickly. Also helps you rebuild quite quickly after a board wipe Buried Alive: Dump your 3 best sac fodders to the grave? Awesome. Already have them there? Dump some fatties in there for reanimating them. Feldon's Cane: As you've said before, people like to keep cards to mess with us graveyard based decks, and leaving mana open for Elixir of Immortality can be inconvenient. Blood Artist: Fun 2 drop, works well with Grimgrin, and sacrifice fodder in a pinch.
Sorry for the massive delay in response. I thought that I had subscribed to this thread and I have not checked it in a while.
You have some solid suggestions and many of them were in the pre-posting version of the deck.
Mind Slash: Great card. I have used this a few different decks, my favorite being Nath of Guilt Leaf. In this deck it got cut early on for efficiency reasons. Grimgrin is the most important card to make use of my sacrificial toys. Anything else that uses a sac effect is there for backup redundancy. Mind Slash was not cut because of the effect it provides, but rather because of it's mana cost and the fact that it is an enchantment which I cannot recur. I only wanted to keep enchantments that had effects that I could not live without.
Amulet of Vigor: I would recommend this card to anybody running Grimgrin with a budget land base (Jwar Isle Refuge/Salt Marsh ) or if they are running Army of the Damned. On its own I cannot justify it for just giggles or Reasembling Skeleton.
Wonder: I have not used this card yet, and I might not. Right now I have a good selection of flyers in deck. I also rarely mind when giggles gets blocked. Using him as crowd control until your board position is superior is the best way to avoid getting hated early. When I do need him to connect Opposition and Cryptic Command tend to pave the way.
Jar of Eyeballs: I <3 this card. I really do. I just think that it belongs in creature heavy white or red decks. In blue/black I have not shortage of options for card advantage and the jar can appear slow in comparison. Now if a builder is on a budget, that opinion changes. Not everybody is willing/insane enough to spend the money on the best CA these colours offer.
Buried Alive: There is plenty of reanimation going on in this build, but not enough to justify this card. It's usefulness depends on the specific build of the deck it. Dumping 3 things into grave feels like over committing to me because I am only using one mass reanimate card.
Feldon's Cane: Yes this card is darn useful to avoid the imitate destruction of ones graveyard. I have been able to get by just being careful what I leave in there, but if the hate ever increases I have one of these at the ready. (On a another note, I should really build a sideboard for this deck)
Blood Artist: This is very much a combo tool. You need allot of creatures going into the bin, even by Grimgrim's standards, for this card to be worth protecting. My negativity may also have something to do with this deck containing allot of 2 drops, and I am fond of most of them. I would really hate to think about cutting something again.
Aura Thief was intended as a toolbox option, but I rarely if ever used it. One game I threw in Sakashima's Student for giggles. It was an over-glorified clone all game, but I will be damned if that wasn't useful. I can always seem to find something worth copying.
I never seemed to spend the mana on equipping Deathmantle, or rescuing anything with it. I have either been OK with the stuff that has died, or I have had another plan to use. I had been wanting to find a spot for Time Warp anyway.
I got hard up for cash and Crucible was quick and easy to sell. It was useful in this deck, but far from essential. Darksteel Plate is the same. Useful, but I could live without it. Anyone have a suggestion for a new 3 drop?
I'll get this out of the way; I bought the ninja planechase pack and I want to play with the cool stuff I got. Vela is also far better at closing games. She makes Grim-Grin harder to block, works with tokens, I can benefit from all forms of board wipe (Not just killing my stuff) and combo's with Rite of Replication. Much better option for my deterrent slot.
My witch gets fed to Phyrexian Tower or Giggles most of the time. I can only think of one occasion in which I have activated her ability. With Harvester gone, I needed another source of card advantage. The strix may not draw as many cards in one go, but being both an artifact and a creature makes it very easy to re-use. It also fly's, that allows me to trade against more creatures with the deathtouch.
EDIT: Holy Schnikes! How and when did Baleful Strix become a $20 card!?
I have not had the Coffers + Urborg combo active. I always seem to have something better to tutor for. Coffers has been a liability on many occasions. Underground River and Temple of the False god are both trusted staples.
keep hell's caretaker; he chooses what you sac, you HAVE to sac xiahou dun, not other creatures. plus good idea for your card switching. for a new 3 drop? i don't have one, but i would add filth on sideboard and wonder in main, it makes everyone get swampwalk(filth) or flying (wonder), and can make grim grim a win condition.
good idea with switching out coffers and tomb, tomb is only useful in a deck with 3+ colors to fix black. and the combo you used is used for x/ really expensive mana cost EDH that's either golgari, jund, bug, simic, ect. because it can be backed up with ramp(sylvian scrying, expedition map ect)
lim dul's vault is great card advantage.
phyrexian vault might be good, it's card advantage, but you sac a creature and you tap 2
Although I feel very confident about this list, I still have questions that are digging at the back of mind. I also always open to suggestions for improvement. I may not be collecting on the same scale anymore, but I am still willing to invest some more money in this deck as needed.
The Deck:
1 Viscera Seer
1 Gravecrawler
2 Baleful Strix
2 Gilded Drake
2 Reassembling Skeleton
2 Nether Traitor
3 Trinket Mage
3 Junk Diver
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Sakashima's Student
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
5 Havengul Lich
5 Bloodgift Demon
5 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
5 Puppeteer Clique
5 Mnemonic Wall
6 Vela the Night-Clad
6 Steel Hellkite
6 Grave Titan
6 Consecrated Sphinx
6 Keiga, the Tide Star
7 Butcher of Malakir
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
5 Liliana Vess
5 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
2 Mind Stone
2 Dimir Signet
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Umezawa's Jitte
3 Darksteel Plate
3 Sword of Vengeance
3 Sword of Light and Shadow
3 Worn Powerstone
4 Thran Dynamo
4 Vedalken Orrery
2 Bitterblossom
3 Haunted Crossroads
4 Grave Pact
4 No Mercy
4 Opposition
5 Black Market
1 Entomb
2 Countersquall
3 Undermine
4 Cryptic Command
5 Pact of Negation
1 Reanimate
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Profane Command
2 Black Sun's Zenith
3 Beseech the Queen
4 Rite of Replication
5 Time Warp
5 Beacon of Unrest
5 Living Death
8 Decree of Pain
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Temple of the False God
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Strip Mine
1 Academy Ruins
1 Underground River
1 River of Tears
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Tainted Isle
1 Watery Grave
1 Darkwater Catacombs
1 Command Tower
04 Island
16 Swamp
4/29/2012
-1 Ivory Tower // +1 Phyrexian Metamorph
-1 Crystal Vein // +1 Cabal Coffers
-1 Pilgrim's Eye // +1 Keiga, the Tide Star
5/12/2012
-1 Pawn of Ulamog // +1 Suffer the Past
-1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed // + 1 Harvester of Souls
-1 River Kelpie // +1 Mnemonic Wall
-1 Tectonic Edge // +1 Academy Ruins
-1 Night Dealings // +1 Thran Dynamo
-1 Leyline of Anticipation // +1 Vedalken Orrery
-1 Hell's Caretaker // +1 Junk Diver
-1 Negate // +1 Countersquall
-1 Command Tower // +1 River of Tears
6/4/2012
-1 Sygg, River Cutthroat // +1 Gilded Drake
-1 Cadaver Imp // +1 Sword of Light and Shadow
-1 Cancel // +1 Cryptic Command
-1 Oversold Cemetery // +1 Haunted Crossroads
-1 Increasing Ambition // +1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
-1 Fleshbag Maurder // +1 Trinket Mage
-1 Suffer the Past // +1 Tormod's Crypt
-1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Auger // +1 Opposition
6/19/2012
-1 Sheoldred, Whispering One // +1 Butcher of Malakir
10/26/2012
-1 Aura Thief // +1 Sakashima's Student
-1 Nim Deathmantle // +1 Time Warp
-1 Crucible of Worlds // +1 Darksteel Plate
-1 Thoughtpicker Witch // +1 Baleful Strix
-1 Cabal Coffers // +1 Underground River
-1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth // +1 Temple of the False God
-
Lifegain is best on cards that do something else, like Loxodon Warhammer (which I don't think is good enough if you're going to be very competitive - I would go with the Jitte). I also really like Suffer the Past as instant graveyard hate. Withered Wretch is a very solid option for that too.
I'd definitely put Cabal Coffers back in, 17 swamps seems enough for it to be reliable enough to ramp a little, and if you get Urborg out it's great.
You seem to be running a little light on mana - 4 rocks and 37 lands? I'd up the land count to at least 38, and you could try Thran Dynamo.
I think I would cut Pilgrim's Eye for Keiga, it seems pretty weak and doesn't even put the land into play. Since you're running more than half basics, I would add Terrain Generator.
Now I have more questions.
1) If this deck is running enough basics to justify Terrain Generator, is there enough for me to incorporate my Thawing Glaciers? Also, should I use both or should I choose one?
EDIT: I have tried out both and I do not want to run either in this deck. Terrain Generator spends allot of time unused because I have other places I need my mana. At best it is a colourless source. It might be more useful with Vedalken Orrey, but in the 10 games I played with it in the deck I never drew Terrain Generator.
Thawing Glaciers posed an entirely different set of problems. While it was in the deck I always had good early turn play's in my hand. When I did use it in the late game, I found that it was actually slowing my tempo. I honestly feel that this card is more at home in a mono-coloured deck.
2) I have been very tempted to buy one of the Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed judge reprints to replace Hell's Caretaker. Is he worth the 60$ investment or should I keep that money earmarked for better non-basic lands?
EDIT: This will be answered below.
Pawn of Ulamog becomes Suffer the Past
I know that Pawn offers me allot of combo potential, but I just do not feel he was doing enough on his own. I have been trying to ask myself what a card can do for me at a late turn when the board is wiped and I am top decking. Ideally I want my cards to all help me regain the board, and Pawn won't do that without support. He started to feel like a win more card.
In his stead I am using Suffer the Past. I didn't have any main deck grave hate (excluding Bojuka Bog) and the life loss / life gain aspect can help me regain tempo. I am still wondering about Tormod's Crypt because I can recur it allot easier. Something to think about anyway.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed becomes Harvester of Souls
This change hurt me emotionally. Dead Mikaeus is such a fun card but nevertheless requires support to do his thing. If I have a sac outlet and creature worth killing for effect, I should already be ahead on the board. His limited recursion does not buy enough tempo to be worth the slot. Does not work on Grimgrin.
Harvester will make better use of non-token creatures dying and he is not limited to cards on my side of the board. Deathtouch means he can trade with larger creatures. I wouldn't be sorry to topdeck this guy after a board wipe.
River Kelpie becomes Mnemonic Wall
Kelpie and Harvester both preform an identical function and without Mikaeus, kelpie is no longer part of an infinite draw engine. Mnemonic Wall takes his spot so that I now have a means to recur my Instants and Sorceries.
Tectonic Edge becomes Academy Ruins
The deck now has more artifacts in it and I wanted to step up my ability to re-use them. I only needed one land smasher making Tec Edge the obvious choice to be cut.
Night Dealings becomes Thran Dynamo
I needed another mana rock and Night Dealings was a pet card because I <3 the Nezumi. Change made with only the slightest hint of regret.
Leyline of Anticipation becomes Vedalken Orrery
How often does a leyline show up in an opening hand in this format to be relevant? Orrey has the same overall cmc, does not require UU, and I can recur the heck out of it.
Hell's Caretaker becomes Junk Diver
This change may not be permanent. I am worried about having reduced my creature recursion options. I know I needed another source to bring back artifacts but I am still uncomfortable. I choose diver over Myr Retriever because I feel that flying is worth the extra colorless. I also needed to increase my 3cmc count because 2cmc was getting cluttered. I do not feel like cutting Sygg.
I also want to put in Minamo, School at Water's Edge. I'll just swap out an Island for it, but I'll list that in formal update later.
And one last quandry to solve. I have gotten an income tax check back and I feel like buying a flashy card for the deck. What should it be, Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed or a foil Tamiyo, the Moon Sage?
EDIT: This is the second time I have placed a $100 order for cards to put in this deck, once again Xiahou Dun was not put on the list. At this point I have already found other replacements for cards that he could take the place of. I will not purchasing him for this deck. As good as his ability is, other cards either more synergic with or get me to my goals faster.
Sygg, River Cutthroat becomes Gilded Drake
This deck was not built around utilizing Sygg's ability. At most I would get 2 or 3 cards from him before he was caught in a wrath and I never went out of my way to reanimate him. I have high hopes for Gilded Drake because I have never played with him before. I have a Sakashima's Student that wants his spot though, so I will have to see how he preforms.
Cadaver Imp becomes Sword of Light and Shadow
Paying life to use abilities has always made me a little paranoid. So when I can cram in life gain it makes me happy. In this case that life gain also comes with a recurring way to get creatures back into my hand and a protection bonus. This sword has already proved its worth to me while equipped to a Nether Traitor. In the next game, I look forward to Giggles swinging with it.
Cancel becomes Cryptic Command
The only reason a Cryptic Command was not on this decks original list was the UUU. In the first draft there was not much blue and I was concerned about being able to cast it. Now that I have re-balanced the mana base to accommodate other blue cards, I feel safe including it.
Oversold Cemetery becomes Haunted Crossroads
Removing a nice foil from a deck is always hard for me, particularly if I have had the card in question for years. I finally swapped out cemetery because crossroads can be used in response to grave hate, potentially saving an important creature. It also walks around Grafdigger's Cage very nicely.
Increasing Ambition becomes Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Increasing Ambition was proving itself to be a very bad tutor for this deck. Since this deck does not focus on combo's the flashback ability is not very helpful, and the main ability is over costed. Tamiyo was going to be put in this deck regardless and I was prepared to kick out Liliana, but when I sat back and looked at the cards I knew which "slow" tutor truly deserved the boot.
I wanted Tamiyo because of past experiences I have had with Ajani Vengeant's +1 ability. Using him I was able to lock down a Maze of Ith for several turns which prevent my opponent from being able to disable key creatures in my attack force. In a later game I used him to keep a Crypt of Agadeem from being able to help a player with Iname, Death Aspect as general, thus saving the board from a mass Exsanguinate. Since Tamiyo has a better -2 and ultimate ability I expect her to outshine Ajani.
Fleshbag Maurder becomes Trinket Mage
There is nothing wrong with Fleshbag in this deck. This change was motivated by my need to tutor for grave hate in every game I have played. Skullclamp, Expedition map, and Sol Ring are never unwelcome either.
Suffer the Past becomes Tormod's Crypt
Without fail I always encounter one player who needs to have their graveyard hated, and it usually needs to be done a couple times every game. Suffer the Past provided a great tempo boost with grave hate but it was difficult to reuse. I normally prefer to use my Mnemonic Wall to get back a tutor or Living Death. Tormod's Crypt is much simpler to use and I have a new promo to add to my collection.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Auger becomes Opposition
I do not normally play with blue so Opposition never entered my radar until recently. I wish I had know about it sooner. If you can mix this with Gravecrawler and Grimgrin, you get to tap allot of stuff. Probably one of the best ways in this deck to make sure Giggles connects with an opponent. Jin-Gitaxias was never more than a flashy Reanimate target.
Sheoldred is hit or miss as a reanimator because she hasn't been sticking on the board as well as I would like. The butcher does a better job at thinning my opponents battle fields because I can control when he triggers.
Mind Slash: Combined with Nether Traitor, Gravecrawler, or Reassembling Skeleton, I've entirely emptied peoples hands. Combines excellently with Rooftop Storm and Gravecrawler(assuming you don't mind people hating you)
Amulet of Vigor: Works with Grimgrin, turns Reassembling Skeleton into a last minute blocker, and makes all your lands frosty fresh, especially yummy with Thawing Glaciers
Wonder:Entomb target, sac fodder, and gives Grimgrin flying? Grade A material
Jar of Eyeballs: With the number of creatures this deck sacrifices, this thing can get alot of counters, and quickly. Also helps you rebuild quite quickly after a board wipe
Buried Alive: Dump your 3 best sac fodders to the grave? Awesome. Already have them there? Dump some fatties in there for reanimating them.
Feldon's Cane: As you've said before, people like to keep cards to mess with us graveyard based decks, and leaving mana open for Elixir of Immortality can be inconvenient.
Blood Artist: Fun 2 drop, works well with Grimgrin, and sacrifice fodder in a pinch.
Standard
Jund Midrange
EDH
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund: Big dragons!
Omnath, Locus of Mana
You have some solid suggestions and many of them were in the pre-posting version of the deck.
Mind Slash: Great card. I have used this a few different decks, my favorite being Nath of Guilt Leaf. In this deck it got cut early on for efficiency reasons. Grimgrin is the most important card to make use of my sacrificial toys. Anything else that uses a sac effect is there for backup redundancy. Mind Slash was not cut because of the effect it provides, but rather because of it's mana cost and the fact that it is an enchantment which I cannot recur. I only wanted to keep enchantments that had effects that I could not live without.
Amulet of Vigor: I would recommend this card to anybody running Grimgrin with a budget land base (Jwar Isle Refuge/Salt Marsh ) or if they are running Army of the Damned. On its own I cannot justify it for just giggles or Reasembling Skeleton.
Wonder: I have not used this card yet, and I might not. Right now I have a good selection of flyers in deck. I also rarely mind when giggles gets blocked. Using him as crowd control until your board position is superior is the best way to avoid getting hated early. When I do need him to connect Opposition and Cryptic Command tend to pave the way.
Jar of Eyeballs: I <3 this card. I really do. I just think that it belongs in creature heavy white or red decks. In blue/black I have not shortage of options for card advantage and the jar can appear slow in comparison. Now if a builder is on a budget, that opinion changes. Not everybody is willing/insane enough to spend the money on the best CA these colours offer.
Buried Alive: There is plenty of reanimation going on in this build, but not enough to justify this card. It's usefulness depends on the specific build of the deck it. Dumping 3 things into grave feels like over committing to me because I am only using one mass reanimate card.
Feldon's Cane: Yes this card is darn useful to avoid the imitate destruction of ones graveyard. I have been able to get by just being careful what I leave in there, but if the hate ever increases I have one of these at the ready. (On a another note, I should really build a sideboard for this deck)
Blood Artist: This is very much a combo tool. You need allot of creatures going into the bin, even by Grimgrim's standards, for this card to be worth protecting. My negativity may also have something to do with this deck containing allot of 2 drops, and I am fond of most of them. I would really hate to think about cutting something again.
Aura Thief becomes Sakashima's Student
Aura Thief was intended as a toolbox option, but I rarely if ever used it. One game I threw in Sakashima's Student for giggles. It was an over-glorified clone all game, but I will be damned if that wasn't useful. I can always seem to find something worth copying.
Nim Deathmantle becomes Time Warp
I never seemed to spend the mana on equipping Deathmantle, or rescuing anything with it. I have either been OK with the stuff that has died, or I have had another plan to use. I had been wanting to find a spot for Time Warp anyway.
Crucible of Worlds becomes Darksteel Plate
I got hard up for cash and Crucible was quick and easy to sell. It was useful in this deck, but far from essential. Darksteel Plate is the same. Useful, but I could live without it. Anyone have a suggestion for a new 3 drop?
Harvester of Souls becomes Vela the Night-Clad
I'll get this out of the way; I bought the ninja planechase pack and I want to play with the cool stuff I got. Vela is also far better at closing games. She makes Grim-Grin harder to block, works with tokens, I can benefit from all forms of board wipe (Not just killing my stuff) and combo's with Rite of Replication. Much better option for my deterrent slot.
Thoughtpicker Witch becomes Baleful Strix
My witch gets fed to Phyrexian Tower or Giggles most of the time. I can only think of one occasion in which I have activated her ability. With Harvester gone, I needed another source of card advantage. The strix may not draw as many cards in one go, but being both an artifact and a creature makes it very easy to re-use. It also fly's, that allows me to trade against more creatures with the deathtouch.
EDIT: Holy Schnikes! How and when did Baleful Strix become a $20 card!?
Cabal Coffers & Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth become Underground River & Temple of the False God
I have not had the Coffers + Urborg combo active. I always seem to have something better to tutor for. Coffers has been a liability on many occasions. Underground River and Temple of the False god are both trusted staples.
good idea with switching out coffers and tomb, tomb is only useful in a deck with 3+ colors to fix black. and the combo you used is used for x/ really expensive mana cost EDH that's either golgari, jund, bug, simic, ect. because it can be backed up with ramp(sylvian scrying, expedition map ect)
lim dul's vault is great card advantage.
phyrexian vault might be good, it's card advantage, but you sac a creature and you tap 2
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)