Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond series brought a fresh wave of excitement by introducing cards based on iconic franchises. One particularly interesting addition from the Lord of the Rings set isGríma, Saruman’s Footman. This legendary creature card captures the cunning and manipulative traits of the infamous Gríma Wormtongue from Tolkien’s world. In gameplay, Gríma offers a disruptive and unique tool that rewards politics, subtlety, and control. His ability to influence your opponents’ decisions and manipulate tempo makes him an excellent fit for decks that thrive on opportunism and incremental value.
Card Overview
Gríma’s Stats and Characteristics
Gríma, Saruman’s Footman is a legendary creature in black, typically costing three mana. He is more than just flavor his abilities create a gameplay identity that suits control players and tricksters alike.
- Mana Cost: {2}{B}
- Type: Legendary Creature Human Advisor
- Power/Toughness: 1/4
- Keywords: Menace (often associated with sneaky and hard-to-block creatures)
But the real value of Gríma lies in his triggered ability, which allows you to influence opponents’ plays. When he enters the battlefield or attacks, each opponent may sacrifice a creature. If they don’t, you can draw a card. This forces tough decisions, making him both a source of potential card advantage and a passive board disruptor.
Understanding Gríma’s Role in MTG
Political Pressure and Mind Games
Gríma, Saruman’s Footman shines in multiplayer formats like Commander, where politics matter just as much as board presence. His ability puts your opponents in a dilemma: either lose a creature or give you card draw. This can lead to players making choices that align with their short-term plans, but benefit you in the long term.
His threat isn’t direct aggression it’s psychological. With Gríma on the battlefield, opponents may hesitate to commit their best creatures or overextend, fearing the consequences of your passive card advantage.
Control and Value Generation
Gríma fits naturally into control decks that aim to grind out value over time. He discourages wide boards and puts pressure on token strategies. Every turn you swing with him, you gain potential card draw or force an opponent to shrink their board state. The longer he stays on the battlefield, the more value you accumulate without needing explosive plays.
Deck Building with Gríma, Saruman’s Footman
Ideal Commanders and Archetypes
Gríma isn’t necessarily a Commander himself in all formats, but he plays an essential role in several archetypes. Whether in the 99 or at the helm of his own mono-black deck, he offers great synergy with the following strategies:
- Aristocrats: Pair Gríma with cards that reward creature death, likeZulaport CutthroatorBlood Artist.
- Discard and Hand Control: Combine his disruptive nature with discard spells for a lockdown effect.
- Stax or Sacrifice Engines: Fit him into decks that already force sacrifices, using him as extra pressure.
Good commander pairings include:
- Teysa Karlov: Doubles Gríma’s death triggers and adds power to any creature-based strategy.
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed: Gríma survives longer and synergizes with undying effects.
- Marrow-Gnawer: In a Rat tribal deck, Gríma fits the theme and works well alongside constant token generation.
Key Support Cards
To make the most of Gríma’s unique value, consider cards that protect him, encourage combat, or benefit from your opponents’ losses:
- Whispersilk Cloak: Grants shroud and unblockable to ensure Gríma connects with ease.
- Dictate of Erebos: Forces more sacrifices when your creatures die amplifying Gríma’s impact.
- Phyrexian Arena: A consistent card draw source that complements Gríma’s conditional draws.
- Reassembling Skeleton: Reusable sacrifice fodder to help synergize with death-based effects.
Gríma in Commander Strategy
Multiplayer Political Play
In a four-player Commander pod, Gríma becomes even more dangerous. Each opponent must weigh the decision to sacrifice a creature or let you draw a card. With three opponents, that’s up to three draws per combat an enormous value engine if they decide not to sacrifice anything.
Gríma can also be used as a diplomatic tool. If you don’t attack me this turn, I won’t swing at you with Gríma becomes a valid negotiation. In this way, he transforms from a basic threat into a piece that warps the table’s social dynamics.
Board Presence and Threat Level
Despite only being a 1/4, Gríma’s menace ability makes him difficult to block effectively. He avoids chump blockers and often gets through unless players commit multiple creatures to block him something many players are reluctant to do, especially early game.
This evasiveness helps Gríma maintain pressure, drawing cards or forcing sacrifices with every successful attack, and works well with equipment or auras that boost his damage output or survivability.
Comparing Gríma to Other Disruption Cards
Subtle Control vs. Direct Threat
Unlike cards likeSheoldred, the ApocalypseorKokusho, the Evening Star, Gríma isn’t about immediate power or massive life swings. His effectiveness lies in long-term resource management and manipulation. Where other cards punish or crush, Gríma deceives and whittles down opponents in quiet but effective ways.
This makes him an excellent choice for players who enjoy subtlety and the mental game. He encourages interaction and shifts attention away from direct aggression making him a great fit for players who want to control the table without appearing as the largest threat.
Unique Identity Among Legends
In a world full of dragons, demons, and gods, Gríma stands out for being uniquely human and cunning. His power level may be modest, but his utility and narrative presence make him memorable. He reflects a niche style of play that values leverage, timing, and diplomacy.
Gríma, Saruman’s Footman brings a new kind of disruption to the MTG battlefield. He doesn’t overwhelm with sheer force but instead applies pressure through clever mechanics and strategic influence. Whether you build around him in a mono-black Commander deck or include him as support in a larger strategy, he will make your deck feel more cunning, resilient, and psychologically engaging. For those who appreciate characters with depth and gameplay that rewards manipulation and foresight, Gríma offers a powerful and flavorful choice that fits right into Magic: The Gathering’s evolving multiverse.