Quick Answer
Grixis (blue-black-red) is one of the most powerful three-colour combinations in Commander. It combines blue's card draw and counters, black's tutors and removal, and red's speed and wheels. The weakness is no green ramp and no white removal. but the colour combination is deep enough that many tables consider Grixis to be among the strongest. See current prices at /cards/mtg.
Grixis (blue-black-red) is one of the most powerful three-colour combinations in Commander. It combines blue's card draw and counters, black's tutors and removal, and red's speed and wheels. The weakness is no green ramp and no white removal. but the colour combination is deep enough that many tables consider Grixis to be among the strongest.
What Grixis Does Best
Drawing cards through multiple vectors simultaneously. Wheels (Wheel of Fortune, Windfall, Narset's Reversal) refuel hands. Black tutors find combo pieces. Blue counters protect them. Red provides the speed to execute before opponents stabilise.
Top Grixis Commanders
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
Wizard tribal with a powerful trigger: whenever you cast a Wizard, you may pay 1 mana to create a hasty token copy of it until end of turn. In a deck full of powerful Wizards, this generates double the ETB triggers every turn.
Current AU price: approximately AU$3 to AU$8.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Every player draws an extra card each turn. Every player takes 1 damage for each card drawn. In a deck full of wheel effects, Nekusar rapidly deals lethal damage to the entire table.
Why it works: punishes card draw (which everyone does), scales with wheel density. Current AU price: approximately AU$4 to AU$10.
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
Exiles cards from the top of each player's library when she enters the battlefield, and allows you to cast opponent's instants and sorceries for free when she attacks.
Current AU price: approximately AU$3 to AU$8.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator / Breeches, Brazen Plunder (partner pair)
A popular partner pairing for pirate tribal. Malcolm generates Treasure tokens when Pirates deal combat damage. Breeches lets you cast cards exiled from opponents' libraries. Together they create a fast, theft-based strategy.
Combined current AU price: approximately AU$4 to AU$10 total.
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
The strongest Grixis commander For raw power ceiling. Yuriko uses Ninjutsu (sneak past blockers) to enter unblocked, and deals damage equal to the mana value of the top card of your library to all opponents when she does. With high-mana-value cards at the top, this deals enormous damage to the entire table simultaneously.
Current AU price: approximately AU$15 to AU$30.
Budget Grixis Under AU$10
- Nekusar, the Mindrazer: wheel-based, AU$4 to AU$10
- Inalla, Archmage Ritualist: wizard tribal, AU$3 to AU$8
- Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge: spell theft, AU$3 to AU$8
Essential Grixis Cards
- Windfall (AU$6 to AU$12): wheel effect
- Demonic Tutor (AU$20 to AU$45): black tutor
- Cyclonic Rift (AU$25 to AU$50): blue removal
- Rhystic Study (AU$15 to AU$40): card draw
Use the C3 Random Commander Generator with U, B, and R filters for more Grixis options. Check prices at C3 Card Vault.
More Grixis Commanders Worth Considering
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
When Jeleva enters or attacks, exile the top X cards of each player's library, where X is Jeleva's power. You may cast one instant or sorcery exiled this way for free. A spell-slinging commander that steals your opponents' best instants and sorceries from their own libraries.
Current AU price: approximately AU$3 to AU$8.
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Commander Ninjutsu lets Yuriko circumvent Commander tax by returning an unblocked attacker to hand. When Yuriko deals combat damage, reveal the top card of each player's library: each opponent loses life equal to that card's mana value and you draw those cards. Works with high-mana-value instants and sorceries for massive damage.
Current AU price: approximately AU$12 to AU$25.
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Whenever another creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, return it to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step. Creates near-unlimited recursion for your own creatures while dethrone (gaining counters when attacking the player with the most life) protects your position.
Current AU price: approximately AU$5 to AU$12.
Grixis Upgrade Path
Priority 1. Card draw: Blue and black together have the best card draw in Commander. Rhystic Study, Phyrexian Arena (AU$8 to AU$15), Necropotence (AU$10 to AU$25), and Treasure Cruise (AU$1 to AU$3) cover different mana costs and playstyles.
Priority 2. Interaction: Counterspell, Force of Will (if budget allows, AU$60 to AU$100+), Lightning Bolt, Dreadbore (AU$2 to AU$5), Go for the Throat (AU$2 to AU$5). Grixis has the best interaction package in any colour combination.
Priority 3. Ramp: No green means no creature-based ramp. Artifact ramp is essential: Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Dimir Signet (AU$2 to AU$5), Izzet Signet (AU$2 to AU$5), Rakdos Signet (AU$2 to AU$5). Three signets are the bare minimum.
Priority 4. Win condition: Grixis wins through combat damage, combo, or control. Niv-Mizzet, Parun as a combo engine (AU$4 to AU$10), Thassa's Oracle for lab-man style wins (AU$12 to AU$20), or Kiki-Jiki recursion loops at higher power levels.
Browse all Grixis Commander options and staple prices at the C3 MTG card hub. Use the C3 Card Compare tool to compare staples across printings before purchasing.
The C3 Take
The decisions you make with your TCG collection matter more than most guides suggest. Whether you are buying, selling, or holding, the difference between a good outcome and a poor one almost always comes down to checking current AUD prices before you act. Use the live data at /cards/mtg to make price-informed decisions every time.
What to Read Next
- Browse MTG singles and prices at /cards/mtg
- Find your MTG colour identity at /quizzes/mtg-colour
- Calculate booster box expected value at /tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Commander deck for a new player in Australia?
Any Commander preconstructed deck from a recent set is a good starting point. Pick the theme or colour combination that appeals to you most. Current options from Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Lorwyn Eclipsed are available on Amazon AU.
Can I use a Commander precon in tournament play?
Commander preconstructed decks are legal for casual Commander play and official Commander events. The individual cards are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage. The precon as a whole is not competitive at high-level play but works fine for regular Commander nights.
Where can I find Commander singles in Australia?
Singles for Commander deck upgrades are listed at the C3 eBay store. Use the C3 Card Compare tool to check prices across specific cards you want.