Grist, the Hunger Tide 
Legendary Planeswalker — Grist · Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander
As long as Grist isn't on the battlefield, it's a 1/1 Insect creature in addition to its other types.
+1: Create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token, then mill a card. If an Insect card was milled this way, put a loyalty counter on Grist and repeat this process.
−2: You may sacrifice a creature. When you do, destroy target creature or planeswalker.
−5: Each opponent loses life equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Plays well with: Tokens, Graveyard, Sacrifice, Grist tribal, Removal, Multiplayer
Buy this card: TCGplayer · Cardmarket
Decklists on EDHREC View on Scryfall More Golgari commanders
📖 How to build Grist, the Hunger Tide
Grist, the Hunger Tide is a Golgari planeswalker that wins by flooding the board with small creatures and grinding through its abilities over several turns. Its +1 creates a 1/1 black and green Insect token and mills a card. If the milled card is an Insect, Grist gains a loyalty counter and the process repeats. The -2 lets you sacrifice a creature to destroy target creature or planeswalker, so your tokens serve as both defense and removal fuel. The -5 eventually drains each opponent for the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Build around cheap token generation, sacrifice outlets, and ways to fill your graveyard with creatures. Ramp like Cultivate, Farseek, Rampant Growth, Kodama's Reach, and Nature's Lore can get Grist onto the battlefield quickly, while Birds of Paradise and Llanowar Elves add early bodies. Dark Ritual can speed up an early Grist, and Reanimate can return a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. Beast Within can answer problem permanents, and Heroic Intervention can protect your board.
Watch Grist's loyalty and your board. While it isn't on the battlefield, Grist is a 1/1 creature, so it can be attacked or removed before it starts working. The mill is random, so Insect hits aren't guaranteed, and the -5 depends on how many creature cards you actually have in your graveyard, which can take time to build. The -2 needs a creature to sacrifice, so keep a token in reserve rather than attacking with everything. Your 1/1 tokens are fragile against blockers and sweepers.
Deck guide written with AI assistance based on the card's rules text.
🔗 Tokens synergy
$38.15
$12.92
$0.33
$33.17
$3.81
$3.25
$3.60
$1.71🔗 Graveyard synergy
$1.39
$10.31
$1.87
$1.59
$0.41
$7.40
$12.27
$1,119.70🔗 Sacrifice synergy
$38.15$1.59$0.33
$15.78
$32.30
$0.45
$3.31$3.60🧩 Top staples for this deck
✔️ Auto-includes (you probably already run these): Sol Ring, Command Tower, Arcane Signet, Exotic Orchard, Reliquary Tower, Swiftfoot Boots, Lightning Greaves, Path of Ancestry.
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$9.91
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$10.74
$8.06
$9.05
$1.89
$5.27$10.31
$0.29⚙️ Colorless all-stars
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$4.93
$11.44
$105.01
$49.25
$33.79🪙 Budget picks (under $2€2)
$1.39$1.89$0.29
$0.58
$0.22
$0.76
$0.39$1.87👑 Other Golgari commanders
Golgari · $0.59
Golgari · $9.15
Golgari · $0.92
Golgari · $1.44
Golgari · $2.66
Golgari · $0.28Staples are based on how often cards are played in Commander overall (popularity data via Scryfall/EDHREC) and filtered to this commander's colors. Synergy picks match the commander's rules text.