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Commander Nexus
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  3. Gríma, Saruman's Footman

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Gríma, Saruman's Footman

Gríma, Saruman's Footman

Legendary Creature — Human Advisor

Gríma wants a deck that wins by emptying its opponents' decks. It also suits a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck.

  • Mana cost2 genericblueblack
  • Blue, Black ()
  • Power / toughness1 / 4
  • RarityRare

Gríma can't be blocked.

Whenever Gríma deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then that player puts the exiled cards that weren't cast this way on the bottom of their library in a random order.

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Cards That Fit Gríma, Saruman's Footman

Picked for what they do in Gríma's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Gríma's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Gríma, Saruman's Footman

explain how Gríma works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

If that player exiles their entire library without exiling an instant or sorcery card, they will randomize the order of the exiled cards, and the cards then become that player's library, ending the effect. They will not continue to exile and randomize their library forever.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

If the spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

If you choose not to cast the card, it is put on the bottom of its owner's library in a random order along with the other exiled cards.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

The cards are exiled face up. All players will be able to see them.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

You cast the card while the ability is resolving and still on the stack. You can't wait to cast it later in the turn.

6 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Gríma, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryUBPlayers write colors as letters: U for blue, B for black. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.MillMill decks win by emptying opponents' libraries, the decks they draw from: a player who has to draw from an empty library loses the game. Milling means putting cards from the top of a library straight into the graveyard.Open the Mill pageMillPuts cards from the top of a player's library, the deck they draw from, straight into their graveyard. Aimed at opponents it can win the game, because a player who has to draw from an empty library loses.Open the Mill pageSaboteurTriggers when a creature deals combat damage to a player, so the reward comes from connecting rather than from the damage itself. Evasion makes these far more reliable. Ragavan, Nimble PilfererOpen the Saboteur pageCascade/Free CastCascade decks cast extra spells for free, straight from the top of their deck, every time they cast the right card. Cascade turns over cards from the top of your library until it hits a cheaper spell, which you may cast without paying for it.Open the Cascade/Free Cast pageFree CastCan be cast without paying its mana cost when a condition is met, often "if you control your commander". Because it costs nothing, you can still answer something after your mana is already spent. Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting SwatOpen the Free Cast pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation page