MTG Gruul gets needed 3-drop in Migloz, Maze Crusher

Gruul Magic: The Gathering builds in Standard have a new threat through Migloz, Maze Crusher, a Phyrexian beast that uses Oil counters to add power, and keywords like Vigilance and Menace.

Wrapping up the Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE) spoilers today was a legendary Red and Green creature that may have potential within the MTG Standard format. The only solid three-drop aggressive option Gruul decks have had was through Reckless Stormseeker from MID. It’s a fine three-drop but another powerful option that can disrupt early board states could push the deck back into top-tier meta status. Potentially filling that capacity was the ONE spoiler revealed today, Migloz, Maze Crusher. 

Migloz, Maze Crusher

• Mana cost: 1RG
• Type: Legendary Creature—Phyrexian Beast
• Rarity: Rare
• Stats: 4/4
• Passive: Migloz, Maze Crusher enters the battlefield with five Oil counters on it
• Pay one: Remove an Oil counter from Migloz. It gains Vigilance and Menace until end of turn.
• Pay two: Remove two Oil counters from Migloz. It gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Pay three: Remove three Oil counters from Migloz. Destroy target Artifact or Enchantment.

The use of Oil counters on Migloz, Maze Crusher provides the flexibility that Gruul decks want. Players can opt to remove only one counter on turn four depending on the board state, or swing in with a 6/6 creature with Vigilance and Menace. 

Migloz, Maze Crusher is packed with value and may have a significant impact within Standard Gruul decks. The Phyrexian beast is also a bomb in the ONE LImited format, where acquiring more Oil counters is easy to do in the color Red through creatures like Magmatic Sprinter. 

The only downside that Migloz, Maze Crusher has is having to spend mana in order to activate the removal of Oil counters. This does slow the beast down slightly but shouldn’t be too much of an issue as multiple Red and Green Magic cards provide GR mana as one of their abilities.

Players can test out the power of Migloz, Maze Crusher through ONE prerelease events that start on Feb. 3 or through the digital launch of Phyrexia: All Will Be One on Feb. 7.