Grist, The Plague Swarm is a black and green insectoid Planeswalker, introduced in July 2024 with Release 6.7.0 and the Puzzle Masters 2 card set.
She has a penultimate mana bonus total, even after it was reduced. Her positive bonuses total 9, which is one more than usual for a dual color walker. Saheeli Rai has a higher total of 11, in her primary colors, and-in the remaining colors. Grist has high gains in her colors, a small Red bonus, and neutral White and Blue (White was originally +1). She has very high health, high creature and spell limits, and a low support limit.
Her abilities are powerful, in part because many of them are dual purpose. She has a Passive ability-rare for a dual color Planeswalker, as Passives were introduced as a balance to make single color Planeswalkers more attractive. Synergizing with her first ability, it functions primarily as a mana source. Her first ability simultaneously feeds the graveyard and moves a creature if any from there, to play. Her second ability is similar to a lot of early Planeswalkers; destroying supports, but also Vanguards, while also creating 1/1 green and black Insect tokens. The ultimate Exiles all cards from all graveyards, creates Insects, and damages the opponent, gaining that much life.
Contents
Stats
' Mana Bonuses: White () Blue () Black (+4) Red (+2) Green (+3)
Total Leveling Cost: 160720
Deck Limits at Level 60: 07 Creatures, 08 Spells, 04 Supports
Abilities
Passive Ability - Swarm Form
When you cast a Creature card for the first time each turn: That creature gains the Insect subtype. Then: gain X mana. X is the number of Insect cards you control, including their reinforcements, up to 10.
Ability 1 - Maggot Feast (Cost 06)
Level 1: Destroy the top 2 cards of your library. Corrupt 2 gems.
Level 2: Destroy the top 2 cards of your library. Corrupt 2 gems. Then: Return the last Creature card from your graveyard to your hand. That creature gains the Insect subtype.
Level 3: Destroy the top 4 cards of your library. Corrupt 4 gems. Then: Return the last Creature card from your graveyard to your hand. That creature gains the Insect subtype.
Level 4: Destroy the top 4 cards of your library. Corrupt 4 gems. Then: Return the last Creature card from your graveyard to play under your control. That creature gains the Insect subtype.
Ability 2 - Termite Infestation (Cost 09)
Level 1: Destroy an opposing nonToken Support at random.
Level 2: Destroy an opposing nonToken Support at random. This effect can affect Vanguards. Then: Create a Golgari Insect token.
Level 3: Destroy an opposing nonToken Support at random. This effect can affect Vanguards. Then: Create 3 Golgari Insect Tokens. Insect tokens you control gain Deathtouch until the beginning of your next turn.
Level 4: Destroy up to 3 opposing nonToken Support cards at random. This effect can affect Vanguards. Then: Create 6 Golgari Insect Tokens. Insect tokens you control gain Deathtouch.
Ability 3 - Plague of Necrophages (Cost 15)
Level 1: Exile all nonCreature cards from your graveyard. Then: Deal X damage to your opponent's Planeswalker and you gain X life. X is the number of cards exiled this way.
Level 2: Exile all nonCreature cards from all graveyards. Then: Deal X damage to your opponent's Planeswalker and you gain X life. X is the number of cards exiled this way.
Level 3: Exile all nonCreature cards from all graveyards. Then: Create X Golgari Insect Tokens. Deal X damage to your opponent's Planeswalker and you gain X life. X is the number of cards Exiled this way.
Level 4: Exile all cards from all graveyards. Then: Create X Golgari Insect Tokens. Deal X damage to your opponent's Planeswalker and you gain X life. X is the number of cards Exiled this way.
Story
"Grist is a Black and Green Planeswalker from an undisclosed plane. She is an ever-hungry insect and one of the few non-humanoid Planeswalkers. Grist has the power to amass a swarm of insects that she can transform into a powerful body for herself. She is known for consuming vegetation until the land is barren."
Starting Deck
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Notes
Grist is humanoid. Humanoid universally means, two arms, two legs, torso, waist, shoulders, head on top..the shape of a human. Perhaps what they mean is, mammalian? She is an insect, rather than a mammal. Even if you were just using the word differently, if a Soratami or Merfolk or Gorgon or Minotaur is a humanoid, so is Grist.
The in-game text, as of near release, read amusingly differently than the forum listing:
- "Grist is a Black and Green Planeswalker from an undisclosed plane. She is an ever-hunger insect and one of the fewest non-humanoid Planeswalker. Grist has the power to ammas a swarm of insects that she can turn into a great body for her and she is known for consuming vegetal life until the land is dry."