The Controversial Philosophy of Grixis

[@DiceTry]

Do you think Grixis has the right idea?

[@TheJamesGamel]

Of course it does, White mana adds delusions to any mindset and Green adds restrictions disguised as acceptance of oneself.

[@lauralharris]

As a Jeskai person who was Grixis for a while, I can admire the constant urge to create and improve oneself, but oneself should not be your only focus. After all, what's the point of a legacy that doesn't help others, but only serves to make you look good? That's my two cents on the matter anyway

[@Ctrooper2011]

No, I agree with the Izzet part of Nightscape (Grixis/Maestro) for the creativity and the ability to mix action with forethought, but the Black part corrupts that by ignoring necessary boundaries. Human beings, by nature, are social beings. Even though we also have the sapience that separates us from animals, we should still also remember our innate need for solidarity and subsidiarity. Nightscape denies this and takes shortcuts which not only encourage relativism but also diminish intellectual thinking. Nightscape discourages the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence in both directions. For the perversion of virtue, it promotes False Prudence via utilizing creativity for amorality or immorality. For the absence of virtue, it encourages Imprudence by applying irresponsibility while being unopen to the sensibility of loving one's neighbor as oneself.

[@TheJamesGamel]

@@lauralharris I'd disagree with your assessment on Grixis's relationship with others. Grixis is also compassionate, empowered, and supported by others that are close to them who have earned their place in the Grixis person's life. Comparing to Jeskai, Grixis treats everyone equally until their actions dictate that they deserve to be treated differently when the Jeskai instead try to lead by example. Where Jeskai are likely to treat others how they want to be treated where Grixis instead treats others the way they treat the Grixis.

[@lauralharris]

@@TheJamesGamel I was largely talking about the artistic and the legacy part, but you are largely correct. My morals are largely faith-driven, but I can understand your reasoning, and it is a reasonable way to treat people.

[@lauralharris]

As someone who's been every three color combination with Izzet at some point or another, I can admire the unbridled urge to create and improve

[@XTempestBuster]

Are they REALLY evil? Yes. But who cares! Grixis is funny

[@zauvimoo]

I play izzet mainly but I live izzet and any other red or blue variant usually, big fan of jeskai, grixis and temur ^^'

[@dathore]

"Greatness at any cost, with the drive to achieve it, and the plan and patience to see it trough" that's how I've always seen Grixis, and it's my favorite shard since Alara itself.

[@Z3R0SAMA]

This was beautifully said, my brother in Grixis.

[@dathore]

@@Z3R0SAMA thank you

[@benjamintay9619]

Great interpretation, imo

[@Reluxthelegend]

I think a more positive representation of Grixis that you missed is the pirate coalition in Ixalan

[@skull4658]

the Brazen Coalition is still pretty bad though, they're explicitly pillagers who look out only for themselves and will turn on each other in a second, as can be seen with Pitiless Plunderer and Crafty Cutpurse

[@fulgerion]

I am still waiting for a grixis dragon pirate to put in my pirate deck.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

@@fulgerion unless it comes from another world, you may be waiting for a while. There are explicitly no dragons on Ixalan (a point which the flavor text on Dragonskull Summit makes clear)

[@neminem233]

@@anthonydelfino6171 correction: there is exactly one dragon, the Bonehoard Dracosaur in Lost Caverns of Ixalan

[@anthonydelfino6171]

@@neminem233 you're not wrong that is a card that exists... but I don't see any reason this card was typed as "dragon" beyond attempting to appeal to players. Would have preferred that more planes continue to not have specific creature types, and dragon is kind of played out IMO

[@zeropoint2594]

I think that Grixis might also be the colour of freedom since white and green wants you to be a part of something bigger eventualy to the point of your own self fading away so it´s not necassarily evil it´s just that Grixis don´t want to be held back

[@sintwelve]

Red is freedom.

[@lordmordor4805]

Thats just red in general, not grixis specifically....all colors can have their good and bad sides, just depends on how the individual expresses that color identify. When looking at the shards, you have to look what color they are centered in, because that helps inform how the other two will feed into it. Grixis is centered on black for generally being self-focused and being willing to pay any cost, adds reds passion, drive and desire for personal freedom and expression, and then also adds blues logic, reasoning, patience, and desire to achieve perfection. What results is a Grixis who wants no restrictions on itself, wants to become the best it can be...but thats all centered in blacks "greatness at any cost", which is an very short step to full on villain/evil. Which is why it generally the default color for narcissists, such as Bolas. Yeah you can have people in those colors who ARENT megalomaniacs, but the those tendencies at least are baked into to combo

[@Asidchild]

I don’t think green relates to this sentiment remotely as much as white does. If anything, green is collectivist and/or makes everything big, so there’s not as much chance to stand out individually. There is a lack of ego, but I wouldn’t say it’s a philosophy of subjugation.

[@_Ve_98]

It's not the "color of freedom" but rather the color of aspiration. It's not chaotic or careless about its limits like red, obsessed about perfection like blue or indulgently hedonistic like black. Red and black give it grandiose goals and a desire for self expression that then gets executed with the expertise and pragmatism of blue and black. It's desire and individuality filtered through careful rationality, not to suppress it, but to enhance it. That's why the Maestro's are artists, because Grixis perfectly embodies the artistic process.

[@the_puppeteer2136]

Im someone who sees myself mostly in the black focused version of this colour combo and i will say, you hit the nail right on the head

[@Noisius]

It's always the color combination of "ooooh look, it's the big bad evil guy" in commander precons

[@imaginationave3687]

Really? I thought that was Azban.

[@Noisius]

Abzan like any combination colors can be evil

[@TheKreve]

Cannot wait to hear the updated videos on Naya and Temur. Those 2 are my favorite 3 color combinations.

[@TheJamesGamel]

@@TheKreve They should be loads of fun!

[@flareneos]

Temur is such a weird combination. Like what is blue’s influence and purpose in that color combination?

[@TheJamesGamel]

@flareneos Imagine Gruul, but an innovative survivalist with a deeper understanding of the wilds around them. Green is representative of the past, Red of the present, and Blue is representative of the future. Think of your shamans who were guides, teachers, and seers. Imagine Simic with fiery passion, Gruul with foresight, and Prismari with who take inspiration from and have their roots in the natural world

[@Carlos-bz5oo]

@@flareneos Tarkir's Temur is a bad example because its Green focused. A Blue focused faction would seek perfection through harmony and passion, kinda of like a Prismari with Green added

[@adeadphish7931]

Grixis has always been the core of my playstyle and I see a lot of it in myself. Each color is an essential part of what makes us human. Blue: The Mind. Logic, reason, analysis, understanding, foresight. The cold calculation that comes with intelligence beyond simply knowing how to survive that has potential in all humanity. Red: The Heart. Emotion, passion, instinct, feeling. In addition to intelligence, humans are driven by their emotions. It can be the fire that compels action, and drives people to stimulate it. The two contrast each other which is how we get the enemy pairing that makes up izzet. Then we add the mediator between the two. Black: Will. Humanity has a free will that allows each to be unique and when fed with the other two colors, creates forces like impulse, creativity, ambition, desire, individuality and ultimately, what it means to live free and truly express oneself as an individual. None of these things are inherently bad in an of themselves, but as with anything, can go out of control if not controlled, a dampener Grixis lacks with control, unity, conformity and structure not being present due to lack of green and white. When these colors boil over, it can result in a wild and Eccentric free spirit at best, and something conniving, consuming and aggressive at worst. Someone in Grixis will move to their own controlled chaos and calculated madness in pursuit of the best lives they can make for themselves. While it can be skewed to a dark place, it is not an inherent evil series of traits

[@tuongpham7609]

Grixis in new capenna is the color of being eccentric.

[@_Ve_98]

Only in new capenna? When hasn't Nicol Bolas ever acted like a Hollywood diva trying to revive her glory days?

[@prophetisaiah08]

I'm an "old lefty" (to quote Green Arrow), and I'm an environmentalist, so you'd think I'd be somewhat Selesnya-inclined. Nope, I'm Grixis. Why? Because Grixis reflects what I understand about human nature. Green says that a person is who they were born to be by nature. White says people are who they are nurtured and socialized to be. Grixis rejects these ideas as definitive of human nature. While nature and nurture are influential on a person, who a person IS is fundamentally who they choose to be. The fundamental human trait in Grixis isn't nature or nurture, but *agency*. Through feeling (red), knowledge (blue), and will (black), a person has agency over their own actions and reactions to their environment. To Grixis, the greatest evil is the removal or denial of agency. In a villainous sense, this perception of evil is fundamentally selfish; I don't care about removing the agency of others, as long as no one stops me from doing whatever I want. But it can also be heroic, if the dedication to agency is universal, not solopsistic. Heroic Grixis will only allow limitations on agency when someone uses their agency to remove the agency from another individual or group of individuals. This actually represents the fundamental ideals of anarchosocialism that I believe in.

[@lainhikaru5657]

Good points

[@Sanbaddy]

This exactly. People often forget the world is full of nepotism. This is why I find White the color with the biggest lies. Because it robs people of their individuality and denies the existence of the self. Grixis teaches us our ambitions matter most. *Seek wisdom to outsmart those more clever than you. Seek power over those who would threaten yours. Seek rebellion against any and all who would oppress you. [Blue/Black/Red]* These are the fundamental truths of humanity even in modern day. You seek education so you aren't easily manipulated in the real word. You seek power in money so you can get the most out of your life. You seek art like video games and clothing so you can express yourself to the world. You are earning your place in the world. In truth, it is what it means to be human. The striving of strength.

[@tanwenwalters7689]

Grixis gives me Egoist vibes tbh. Rejecting both natural and societal orders to me sounds very much like how Egoists view spooks.

[@Sanbaddy]

@@tanwenwalters7689 You’re exactly right. We set ourselves above those orders. Both are just limitations; excuses at worst. We seek a better life for ourselves than that.

[@eyezerocool]

I didn’t ask to feel like a video essay had heavily analyzed my brain and put it on KZbin but here it is. Literally hit me hard. The one that was red heavy not so much. The one that black heavy got me. The one that was blue heavy was a gut punching the feels.

[@DiceTry]

That's awesome. It always feels good when people feel seen in one of these videos, it means I'm onto something.

[@eyezerocool]

@@DiceTry ty for sharing ether way.

[@TheGraphicOz]

The blue focus is pretty close to my own outlook. Introspection and Independence are very important to me. And as an artist, an inability to question and break down reality prevents you from genuinely expressing yourself.

[@eyezerocool]

@@TheGraphicOz i am mainly blue. Black must be my secondary. Some how black where i get my ideology. What gets me if I could drop one it would be black. I cannot do without blue or red. But some how do not see the red ideology as important. No clue why.

[@Spark-Gold]

I would love for you to make videos on the Strixhaven schools to highlight how they show a different interpretation of the same color combinations than their Ravnican counterparts

[@DiceTry]

Well you are in luck, a while back I did make a video on Strixhaven

[@kosmonaut5]

Glad this didn’t just talk about the plane of grixis. And discussed about how it was represented in other cards and sets

[@violetsunshine96]

You honestly changed my mind about Grixis in this video. Grixis is now officially my favorite shard in the game thanks to hearing all the good (and cool) stuff that its philosophy focuses on.

[@matthewsinclair4322]

As someone who identifies with Grixis, for me, Grixis is best summarised in the idea of jealousy. With Dimir, it strives to be better, both through self improvement and ambition. It doesn’t just want to reach it’s potential, it wants to be better than all that surrounds it. With Red, every failure, setback and insult stings profusely and refuses to fade. It provides the ceaseless motivation and sometimes desperation to reach the very top. Every moment that it hasn’t reached that goal or isn’t moving towards it is agony. With this goal rooted in Blue, it will happily reach this goal of superiority by simply improving and proving itself better. But with Black’s pragmatism and Red’s burning focus, it will do what it can to sabotage or eliminate it’s rivals and “betters” if need be. They may be higher for now, but Grixis’ jealousy tells it who truly deserves to be at the top of the ladder. It prefers to earn it’s place through merit alone, but as long as it’s at the top and stays there, does it really matter how it got there?

[@DavidArcher_]

When your example of a different view of a typically evil colour combination is a group of secretive, manipulating vampire assassins...

[@Sliverandzant943]

@@DavidArcher_ On the other part, when Elspeth had to work with them and stated she would not kill, the leader Xander respected her boundaries on the matter.

[@Carlos-bz5oo]

The Maestros are also sincere artists

[@opinionofmine3238]

One of your videos that I loved most in quite a while. It has given me new perspectives on Grixis, but what resonated with me the most was the perspectives on the component colors, specifically black. The idea of black's ambition for power being able to manifest as a desire for for leaving a mark and legacy has never really occurred to me, yet resonates with me so deeply.

[@Heleous281]

Dude, you have a gift with these videos! I'm thoroughly impressed with you delivery of these archetypes. I have to watch more 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽...hopefully there's a Jeskai one

[@DiceTry]

The Jeskai one will come in time, but I will be doing all the shards first then the wedges to it might be a bit

[@lilpoplil3942]

I love listening to this, especially since i have a grixis pirate deck and all i can think of was how all the descriptions about the philosophy of the colors nail what pirates are. Imprinting themselves unto their crew and fellow pirates with their legacy of their feats and plunder, their motivation to outdo every other captain and hunger to gain more treasure and reputation, and the desire of every pirate to become the greatest of the great, through any means necessary. Incredible video~

[@JusticeJanitor]

Grixis is the most selfish color combination. That's not necessarly a bad thing.

[@Itachi45481]

Considering how many times I took your quiz I always answered honestly and when I do I’ve often not answered the same each time and I’m always the most percentages evenly in Grixis so thanks for the vid to get me thinking about it again

[@TheJamesGamel]

YAS! HERE WE GO!

[@theShadowBolts20]

Highly disagree with the philosophy of grixis but really love this video. Super quality

[@fulgerion]

Would you mind elaborating? I was Interested in Magic strictly for Grixis. I was born and raised in Grixis. I live for it's philosophy. I follow Nicol Bolas extremely close and he has been a role model. I am highly interested in what you might offer as an argument. Because this video was spot on. I for one, am quite curious of your opinion. I find it strange why you would make an argument without presenting your argument. You now have the attention of the entire class. What about the essay do you disagree with, and why?

[@theShadowBolts20]

@@fulgerion not sure why youre doing this weird roleplay thing lmao. Didn't know "cold amoral action and spiteful deception" had a lot of fans aside from contratians who want to feel smug. I disagree with the desire to manipulate and control others for their own gain and destruction of others, its ontologically evil. Ones goals and motivation are not an excuse to trample everyone else and are a great way to get oneself to wither and rot alone. I agree that @DiceTry did a great job in capturing the essence of Grixis, but that philosphy is cancer if not tampered and regulated. It will ultimately stop the person from achieving their goals in the end.

[@ethangoodwin526]

This is fantastic, you should make one for the other color combinations

[@realhectorcastillo]

Very well written video essay! And well-spoken, too. And you are correct - my opinion changed at the end the video! As someone who is prone to extremes, this video really hit hard.

[@Spocklee]

Let's Go!

[@AnthonyDaFox]

I've always been Red green white myself.

[@jacopomirabella8148]

Thanks man, i waited this video for so long. Btw: i love your videos

[@jbpeony7872]

I love Grixis, you get the strategy and cunning you get from blue and black. The gravitas and dramatics or red and black making for flashy plays. And the freedom and combos from red and blue. Its just so fun! it demands so much mechanically from the player, you need to politic aggressively because you almost have no safety net. You need to be cunning cuz your game plans are always as risky as it is effective. And it will always interact with the board, i love that when i play Grixis, the game would never go the way everyone had planned. Atleast in my pod, it makes for a more reliable player. Cuz a liar will always lie, and a backstabber will always back stab, you become the devil they want to outsmart when they make deals with you. and its so satisfying to pull the rug from under them in a game of wits.

[@jamescaulpetzer3566]

Pretty cool video. I hope you'll do the rest of the 3 color combinations

[@GhostlyGhost333]

I’ll say you hit the nail on the coffin with this one. And I’m not saying this because Grixis is my favorite trio of colors. This video was spot on! In my opinion, Grixis the most human of the color trios.

[@tanwenwalters7689]

I feel Grixis could be taken as a very Egoist philosophy, rejecting the external structures of nature and society (spooks, as Egoists would call them). I think this can in turn, show some of the good sides of Grixis. Egoists can be some of the most caring and reliable people, especially because a core part of Egoism is that it applies to everyone, not just oneself. An Egoist will respect you for and even encourage you to do as your Ego desires without regard for Spooks. I also would argue it (again, following off the model of Egoism), can help show a counter to the worst parts of individualism that it already highlights. After all, it simply wants you to do what will truly please you, without regard for any Spooks. Think of all the people who feel fulfilled caring for others, being in love, helping the downtrodden. Think of how much good these people could do, if they saw no reason to let opportunities for that fulfillment slip them by. (Note, I'm not an Egoist myself and do have my issues with it as a philosophy, but I do see where it's coming from, and in my experience the vast majority of Egoists are great, if at times insufferable, people who I would gladly rely on and have a lot of respect for.)

[@BernardBronston]

I feel like black as a color ends up being a very egoist color and you're going to get some amount of egoism in almost any combination black appears in. But yeah I think you're right in that of the three color combinations Grixis does the best job of it and probably does round out the philosophy in a way that pure black just kinda doesn't. I think pure black tends to be okay with authority providing that you're the one at the top, so combining it with red tends towards pushing it in a that feels both more anarchistic and egalitarian. That you can still work for yourself just as long as you're not putting yourself above others. Then blue can round it out further by preventing some of the more thoughtless hedonistic tendencies that you'd probably expect from somebody who was red-black.

[@YaoBao1]

What a wonderfully thought provoking video! Very enjoyable to listen to your reflections on the philosophy of Grixis! As someone who enjoys the different components which make up the shard, it is rare that I engage with it in practice in the game, but this approach to it might help with that :) Now, as a definite Esper enjoyer, excuse me while I explore your video on that shard 😜

[@tyleryoung4890]

Love your videos! Excited for when you get around to revisiting abzan!

[@martinhennigan1113]

I've played Nekusar since 2013. My only Commander Deck. I love Grixis.

[@jtkconection]

Another banger

[@D.K.M.Espers]

This just convinced me to build a new Grixis deck.

[@lainhikaru5657]

Once I done those color identity tests and got rakdos but with a huge blue ammount, almost grixis. And yeah, I don't intellectually know what I want from my life, I know the physical things though.

[@lobes117]

13 years ago my first deck ever was grixis I’m *still* a diehard grixis player and only strayed from the path for jund for just a little short while Dr. Nicolas Bolas supremacy til the bitter end

[@thomasevans4578]

Grixis seems most visible today in movements that promote radical self-redefinition. Blue, Black, and Red are probably the most anti-establishment colors and also the most self-centered, so to me Grixis often reads as the power to define yourself independent of anyone else's categorizations, which can be a really good thing, in moderation. Unfortunately Blue, Black, and Red are also the three worst colors at moderating their desires.

[@XmortoxX1990]

Can you speak about Jund, Temur or Sultai next? They are my favorite triple color combinations.

[@Miner49er201]

I once created an NPC that was an artisan guild’s master who took the Blue/Red passion towards art shown in Prismari and exploited the workers under him with guild fees for his own benefit, turning their art into a commodity to line his own pockets.

[@hdafkaksbfabfbao77]

As a grixis player this introspective really made me think I’m not the bad guy but an ambitious one who seeks my own path through my own means

[@p2playing400]

Based on what I heard about Grixis, I think Ai Hoshino from Oshi No Ko is an interesting portrayal of a Grixis anime character. :)

[@DanielGalllego]

grixis is being impulsive yet calculative yet self centered in your goals, i can see why it's the color of most megalomaniac villains and all i wanted from this pie was a way to add most spellslinger support to a juddit carnage conosseur deck with stuff like the case of the ransacked lab but now artist talent make's it better. maybe if instead of burn i went more control with ral crakling wit i could make it work?

[@ThatHuedGuy]

I think or artists, entertainers, producers etc. If you're focused on improving a craft that values expression you may very well be Grixis

[@jseo0348]

Thinking on the warhammer precon decks. On chaos its grixis.

[@BernardBronston]

While not the most heroic character I think Gregory House fits the Grixis philosophy well and pushes in a less villainous direction. Somebody who hate authority, rules, combative, competitive, manipulative, ambitious. He praises intelligence and rationalism while still being indulgent and at the mercy of his own creative musings.

[@CutShort03]

Hell yeah, do Jeskai next!

[@dave_8600]

Eagerly awaiting Mardu

[@ngonimutezo6670]

Is marchesa of the black rose a good commander to build around

[@alrightyoreilly19]

I know that you are a huge fan of Rousseau's Social Contract, what do you think Rousseau would have to say about Grixis and Nicol Bolas? Also if Bolas is the worst of Grixis, who is the best and most well rounded Grixis character? Lord Xander before his untimely death?

[@Sliverandzant943]

@@alrightyoreilly19 Without leaving MTG, Tetsuo Umezawa.

[@xenathcytrin202]

Red always spoke to me, but seemed too impulsive and not very self reflective. I felt like blue was more how i lived and acted. However, the spelling out of the philosopy of grixis captured the ideals that i live by to a tee. Careful examination of myself and my desires to find what i truly want out of life. Desire as a fire to be stoked, never truly fulfilled, because it is not the fulfilment of desire that brings, well, fulfilment, but rather it is the reaching to desire that is life. I will fullfil desires, but this is merely incidental, i may revel for a time, but there will always be more to want for, more to reach for. This may seem selfish, but ultimately im of the opinion that there is no such thing as selflessness. All actions or inactions are done because the people that did them on some level wanted to. Even if only to avoid the alternatives. All actions are selfish somehow, and we all follow our desires. Most people simply follow what they think are their desires. They go after things that they believe will make them happy or fulfilled but only barely satisfy the need they actually have at their core. People strive for money, not simply as a useful tool, but rather as a goal in itself, as if nearly identical peices of paper or numbers on a computer are what they actually want. This is foolish, and their mistake is that they have most likely not thought through their desires, examined if it is something they want or simply something they were told to want.

[@TheUmbraSol]

thank you for this

[@ThatHuedGuy]

what's different about this new series over the others? I'll watch them all, but just curious.

[@Dokurider]

Anyone still working on the 4 color planes? I though they were super interesting.

[@Tierneil]

As a nuclear engineer wanting to rise to a director position to help move the world towards true energy freedom, Grixis has always spoken to me. Before i knew the colors, i took the test. Guess my 1, 2 and 3

[@fulgerion]

This is why I love Grixis, both good, and bad. I was born in Grixis, I will die in Grixis. I just wish it wasn't always represented as ugly, and evil.

[@brettpalmer1770]

I am still skeptical about black in general. The test has me most alined with Bant so maybe that to be expected but I do amire red postive and energic traits quite a bit, thier just qualities I don't experience much of. I just don't buy Blacks world view or the worth of its destructive persutes. I think there colour combinations that in clude black that I can live with but it also feels like black has been bent or taken a back seat for it to work.

[@ninjabreadman22]

Black is literally the color of evil, wickedness, cruelty, ambition, and tragedy. Don't let yourself be swayed by the moral relativism of this channel. Black is most definitely malignant and toxic in its philosophy.

[@_Ve_98]

Green tells you to embrace the world as it is. White orders you to make the world as it ought to be. They both forget a very fundamental question, the question at the root of Grixis: what do YOU want? Grixis doesn't have to reject goodness, order or tradition, but they will never be its goal. The motivation of an heroic Grixis character wouldn't be in "doing the right thing", but rather in WANTING to do the right thing, in CHOOSING to be the hero YOU aspire to be.

[@Morghast]

We need a Return to Alara

[@besteger]

“Nobody is more inferior than those content to be equal. It is the responsibility of the great to be great. Those who resent your determination will attempt to hobble you by imposing a morality upon you. Use every stumbling block in your path as a stepping stone.” Did I miss anything?

[@charleshammel8541]

Grixis is the villain who knows they are the hero. Jund is the villain who knows they're the villain

[@haydenstockwell252]

"That of."

[@deviousj5868]

Grixis: Bad For your Health. Good for scoundrels.

[@Sliverandzant943]

And ironically a counter to those scoundrels. As in, if they are self-centered narcissists, telling them "What's in it for me?" (or telling them "You are not the only one/s with ambitions of your own") will make them think twice about manipulating you.

[@lolitabowen7414]

Is the patreon link working for anyone else? I tryed it and it's coming up blank for me.

[@DiceTry]

Its down right now because I had taken a two month break, but I will be re-opening it soon with some restructuring, so look out for that. I will be sure to announce it when it goes live.

[@DiceTry]

Alright so I actually finished up putting it together, thanks for the push to remind me. Here is the link www.patreon.com/dicetry

[@TicuTK]

Becoming, possessing, and improving. That is the way of grixis. It is the deprivity of unified community. Greatness in the individual rather than the collective as white and green strive to do. Red leans into collectiveness but for the most part those tribes remain indiviated in their ways while white and green have unified approach. In commander, i play evelyn the covetous and have spent hours thinking of ways to build the deck and utilizing the philosophy of grixis ive come up with as a crutch. At first glance is seen as theft. Identity theft, property theft and methodology theft but from the perspective of grxis there is no real ownership. It is all up for grabs and someone who has something is merely the temporary beholder. Sooner or later it will end up in anothers hands, most likely ones of the grixis identity

[@BlueMage_08]

Why? Because I can. Is what I tell my play group.

[@Case2_0]

YAY

[@DareToWonder]

Yohohohoooo! Yohohoho

[@mibbzx1493]

We all know grixis is fun until you can’t remove an enchantment outside out Feed the Swarm 😢

[@MikaelVoldaren]

Gixis is knowing that you are a villain in someone's elae story. But you dont care.

[@frakfriki]

Grixis is the best ideologi

[@anthonydelfino6171]

A society only focused on the self and your own desires will inevitably fall apart. Grixis to me is Rapture from Bioshock. With no ethics, no morality, and no sense of obligation to your community (all concepts heavily anchored in white) people will be willing to come up with anything to get ahead of others, even if that short term self gain comes at the expense of society as a whole. A grixis aligned world is a world that is destined to die, which is fitting that the version we see of it on Alara and on New Capenna are both populated by the dead and undead. But since undeath isn't a thing in our world, adhering to grixis ideals will destroy us all. Permanently.

[@Carlos-bz5oo]

No love for Tetsuo Umezawa, the Grixis guy that saved Madara from Bolas?

[@Isaacreeper]

I am Grixis

[@Sanbaddy]

*Grixis is the best color combination.* Power is the most fundamental truth of mankind. Laws and traditions are just exercises in control of others, limitations; but power is the means to control the self in defiance of these things. It is humanity at it's best. Agency without ethics. It's who we all are deep down, a person without limitations. This is why I love Grixis. It teaches us to aspire to our dreams by any means necessary, because nobody will chase your ambitions for you.

[@TheJamesGamel]

The only criticism I have is that I would have liked to see the variations of Grixis like we saw with the most recent Esper shard video. Edit: I was wrong and misheard on my first 2 listens on this essay. My bad, and my gratitude to you Dice for returning to Grixis once more!

[@Magnivore519]

Mine is that the sections of just two words of text instead of pictures made it feel like a Tiktok or Short which was abnormal for DiceTry. I felt it broke the flow.

[@TheJamesGamel]

@@Magnivore519 I disagree. Listening again, the small pause with those text works to move from one point to the next, like chapters of a book

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

Soooooo Grixis= Sociopath?

[@Sliverandzant943]

Not strictly, considering Red still adds empathy to the mix (and lack of emotions being a key trait of sociopathy).

[@SeraSmiles]

The idea of rakdos + blue is honestly repugnant to me on like a basic moral level. It's like expecting people to throw a party every time you show up just because you think you're better than them. Maybe that's just the fact I personally hate blue but grixis is really tied with simic for color combos I cannot imagine people proudly claiming.

[@lercherthomas]

From a human perspective, it's funny that Grixis seems driven to achieve what the White/Green philosophy promises-peace in any form, whatever that means for oneself. Of course, this peace would be found in a different place and under certain conditions, which is where the restlessness of this shard's philosophy stems from. In my opinion, one of the main ideas behind Grixis is about unyieldingly shaping a vision into reality and the expectations that come with it.

[@mslabo102s2]

I had an idea: What if Mark Rosewater's words are not everything and they're biased? Are there something we can only pick up from cards or contradicts with MaRo's words? Because while he wrote a lot about Color Pie, he doesn't have a background in philosophy AFAIK: he's a writer-turned-designer. Harmony's flavor text from Garruk vs. Liliana agrees: “Words lie. People lie. The land tells the truth.” Well, the cards in this case.

[@Sliverandzant943]

I truly enjoy these kinds of analysis. Grixis reminds me of LaVeyan Satanism, Nietzsche's Übermensch, Randian Objectivism, and in terms of politics, Libertarianism and Anarchocapitalism; all of them misunderstood and vilified, yet quite reasonable when one takes the time to read about them.

[@GaioSamurai]

You will never convince me that Grixis has good people, Dicetry. Burning Impulse and Desire. Control and Manipulation. Sacrifice for Selfish Gain. Grixis is *the* bad guy combo. You will not convince me that "love and emotion, pursuit of knowledge, and whatever good comes from Black" are what came together for this Shard.

[@Case2_0]

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are probably Grixis

[@GaioSamurai]

@@Case2_0 That definitely doesn't help your case. Lol. I'm former Air Force. I know way too much about Lockheed. Lol.

[@Sliverandzant943]

@@GaioSamurai People tend to forget about Tetsuo Umezawa (acceptance of death as a part of life and use of Black mana as a test of his own honor, with the allure it offers being tempered by creativity and logic) in MTG. And outside MTG, we have Edward Elric (an alchemist with ambition and a prideful streak, yet ultimately respectful towards human life, and utterly unwilling to use Philosopher's Stones when he finds out they are made out of human souls) from Fullmetal Alchemist and Izuku Midoriya (Analytical to the point of overthinking, with ambitions to be a hero regardless of societal or natural limitations imposed on Quirkless people, and driven by empathy and emotion; while White or Green would disregard saving individuals in favor of the group, Izuku claims "If I cannot save a little girl in front of me, how can I call myself a hero who saves everyone?") from My Hero Academia.

[@GaioSamurai]

@Sliverandzant943 1, really great breakdowns for these characters. 2, There's almost no way Izuku isn't WUBRG. I will definitely accept Girxis, but his goal was to protect EVERYONE. He just saw "Everyone" as a whole lot of individuals. His goal wasn't to protect Humanity, but Everyone. A very strong argument could be made for Jeskai, instead of Grixis. At the least, he is Artifice/Yore. Gerard Capashen is White, and he believes very heavily in protecting individuals. Feather and Agrus Kos, both Boros, defend individuals. White doesn't dismiss the individual to serve the collective. If anything, that is more a Flanderization of Selesneya, which is all about serving the whole through individual contribution. Izuku is absolutely Red, because his impulsiveness is his core character trait. He tempers that with knowledge and a growing level of self-control. Red->Izzet->Jeskai->Artifice. Self-sacrifice *for protection of others* is a White trait, not Black. I can't remember the card name, but there's a White Knight that can sac herself to give all your creatures indestructible for a turn. 3, I'll give you Edward, but let's be honest... the 4 color combo is literally "Artifice," and Breya has the same machine arm as Tezzeret and Edward. Edward, as a child trying to resurrect his mom, would be Grixis. Edward, as he is in the vast majority of the story, is Artifice. He plays 100% within the rules of alchemy. He works within the military command structure, even after seeing it is infiltrated (at the top) by the Homunculi. He has one of the strictest codes of conduct in anime. Edward Elric 100% is White, regardless of what else he has.

[@Sliverandzant943]

​@@GaioSamurai Thank you for the feedback (in fact, Edward Elric was deemed Artifice by the Tumblr user LoreleyWrites). Come to think of it, I also forgot Patrick Jane from The Mentalist, the Blue/Black private detective archetype with a dash of Red adding an eccentric approach to both the detective work and interactions with people, and impulsiveness, and Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones (his lack of Green/White traits is cemented by his lack of loyalty towards his family and to his noble house (although considering who the rest of the Lannisters are, it is not hard to see why)).

[@dyne313]

The greatest part of humanity is our community. Grixis lacks THE VERY BEST part of humanity.

[@TheJamesGamel]

What is your community without the passion and heart of Red? What is your community without the expansionist mind of Blue to continue to improve the lives of your community? What is your community without those who will do anything to survive and protect those who matter to them, by crossing lines like only Black can? How does your community thrive without the reckless human celebrations fueled by the debauchery of Rakdos? How does your community survive when others plot against you without the tactician of Dimir? How does your community flourish without the artistry and chaos of those who live life moment to moment like the Izzet? How does a community survive, thrive, flourish, have overflowing hearts, boundless creativity, and live life truly free, without Grixis?

[@andresmarrero8666]

​​​@@TheJamesGamelpretty well because Grixis is not free and Grixis does not care. It seeks to fulfill its selfish desires that will never be fulfilled and will never make it whole. You bring up the manipulations of Dimir and in response there is the duty of Azorius. You bring up the debauchery of Rakdos and in response are the hearty celebrations of Boros. You bring up the need to protect yet Gruul brims with that instinct to protect what we hold dear. You bring up the Izzit, but community is filled with them in the form of culture. Grixis rejects what we need, it rejects our nature and so ends up sad and destructive. Humanity needs community for we hate being alone and alone we will fall.

[@dyne313]

I never said it did. I wasn't excluding the grixis colors. I'm rejecting ONLY the Grixis colors as lacking community, the very best part of humanity.

[@TheJamesGamel]

​@@dyne313Grixis is made of 3 very social colors. Every angle you look at Grixis, where that be Rakdos, Red, Izzet, Blue, Dimir, and yes even Black, are all social philosophies that actively engage with others. Grixis, as the culmination of all of these philosophies, is a social philosophy that has its own community. Is it as large as others, maybe not. Is it a "normal" community, not at all. Is it odd, unique, with people who the Grixis find intriguing, reliable, entertaining, is in unconventional? Absolutely, and just because it's not what most people would want does not dismiss it as community

[@TheJamesGamel]

@@andresmarrero8666 How is Grixis not free? It sees how others would enslave, drug, and abuse them and responds in defiance by choosing to shrug off these unnecessary obligations and authorities. You say that Grixis cannot be fulfilled, that it will never be whole. Where you see a hole, a void, an absence, we see a space to fill with experiences, to flood with thrills and risks, to explore and discover as we pour endlessly into ourselves. We seek knowledge, power, to elevate ourselves to our potential, to have the people who complete us, who have earned their place with us, rise up with us. The Azorius are ever hungry in their need for control, to make others submit to their designs, to kill all that is human in a society. We see this in every government or company that loses sight of their function and becomes oppressive to the society. Whereas Dimir are surgical, precise in their efforts. You do not need to control everything, only respond in kind to correct where needed. One should never seek to become the oppressive force that ruins societies. The Boros are a bad example, but staying true to the colors I would instead point you to Axgard of Kaldheim. To this I would say Axgard is a great example of the point you make, and I'm willing to say that while the Axgard aren't my kind of society or celebration, they are something I would agree with you on being a good influence on a society. I would still argue Rakdos is much needed in a society. I would point you to Angrath, a father willing to destroy an entire plane of existence to get back to his daughters. Is it reckless, volatile, insane, with the potential for devastating consequences ABSOLUTELY, but that's the kind of love you want to foster in any society. If your people aren't willing to do anything to save or to return to their loved ones, then you are cultivating a society that may sacrifice those loved ones if push came to shove. With the Gruul, I'd agree they have the heart, the vigor, the determination to see things through to the end in order to protect their community, however even the Gruul have limits. I'd concede that the Gruul probably come the closest to Black's willingness to do anything for those they care about, to accomplish their objectives. I'd still choose Black over Gruul if the task at hand requires any tactical skill or needs ammorality. Black in general can be more socially surgical than Gruul. I'm not going to respond to Izzet as we appear to agree on them being needed in society. Grixis does reject imposed nature, oppressive systems, and unnecessary requirements put on them by others. Grixis, when being true to itself and not imprisoned by its environment or the people around them, are some of the most free of all. We can be destructive, and creative. We are much more than just frenzied, we can also be sad, joyful, grief stricken, vengeful, and every other emotion thanks to our deep connection to Red. Grixis does not demand that you be alone, it instead says keep those who are true to themselves and do not deny yourself close, for you cannot trust those who would lie so easily to themselves.

[@andresmarrero8666]

Sorry DiceTry but this combination is just a bad one. You have the selfish immorality of black paired with the cold perfectionism of blue, and the chaotic impulse of red. This is the combination of monsters, of those who do not care about the harm they inflict. Even with the paths you highlighted all Grixis offers is bloated ego, ambition, obsession, unending voids, and delusion. Grixis is very much anti-human and its core black stands in opposition to humanity's nature.

[@TheGraphicOz]

Cool Argument. Did your hive mind make it up for you?

[@andresmarrero8666]

​@@TheGraphicOzNo, all me.

[@Sliverandzant943]

Interestingly, Nietzsche's Übermensch could be derived from Black’s rejection of traditional values of morality such as good and evil (amorality, rather than immorality?) and exalting the value of the individual, with Red adding emphasis on emotion and self-expression, and Blue's desire to innovate and improve. On the other hand, the Last Man seems virtually crafted from the worst parts of White (emphasis on conformity and lack of personal ambitions) and Green (dislike towards thought and creation), providing a being utterly devoid of any will or vision to improve or stand out.

[@stevenhuntley8706]

When I was being abused as a child I has a strong AMBITION to get out of my abusive household, the only way I could do this was by gaining KNOWLEDGE both about the world and myself so that I could go out and be FREE and live an EMPATHETIC life, black blue red. Grixis may be bad guys do bad things for you, but for me it's rejecting the shackles of an abusive family to choose to be the best version of myself, with or without my family. It's rejecting who I've been told I need to be so I can be who I want to be. I'm aware this quote is edgy as fuck, but I think it sums it up. "It's not who you are when no one is looking, it's who you are when no one can stop you." That can be good or bad. some people left to their own devices are awful, but some just get on with their lives. Choosing to take the worst possible interpretation is your choice, but just don't be surprised when someone responds asking how you feel about bant being war drunk maniacs who only live to kill and demand of others.

[@Sliverandzant943]

@@stevenhuntley8706 I will not lie, the moment I saw the notions of "abusive family" and "evil Bant", Sofia Lamb from Bioshock 2 came to mind.

[@orgorlorgthereaper7902]

Nicol bolas ! All I think off

[@jasongalloway4645]

Let's Go!