Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru | Art by Yamada Rokkaku

Welcome once again to Fire and Ice! After a break last week, I'm excited to be back. This is the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and talk about why they may be gaining or losing popularity. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article!

EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. We'll draw conclusions from that data about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.

Today, we'll be focusing our analysis on Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru. This Grixis () commander wants to go fast and make Dragons, a super fun game plan, so it's no wonder that this pairing has found itself as the #241 commander on EDHREC. Let's see what this Goblin-Human combo can do!

Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru

What's Hot and What's Not for Goro-Goro and Satoru

For , we get a 3/4 creature that makes us a 5/5 Dragon Spirit creature token when one or more of our creatures that entered the battlefield this turn connects with an opponent in combat. And, to help that process along, we can also pay into Goro-Goro and Satoru's activated ability to give all of our creatures haste.

Whether we're quick-acting making creature tokens, ninjutsu-ing creatures onto the board, or just giving other creatures haste, we've gotta go fast.

Among this commander's most popular cards are Loyal ApprenticeLoyal Apprentice (in 79% of decks), Phoenix ChickPhoenix Chick (in 68% of decks), and Grazilaxx, Illithid ScholarGrazilaxx, Illithid Scholar (in 64% of decks).

What's Fiery for Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru?

Fire Navy TrebuchetFire Navy Trebuchet - Fire Score of 6.70

This is the latest in a long line of cards that make creature tokens that enter tapped and attacking. My mind immediately goes to Kari Zev, Skyship RaiderKari Zev, Skyship Raider as an example. The Trebuchet, though, is a nice upgrade for a few reasons.

First of all, it has reach. This makes it an effective blocker, allowing us to swing out with our 5/5 flying Dragon Spirits without as much fear of retribution. The Ballistic BoulderBallistic Boulder token it makes also has flying, meaning it can more easily connect with opponents.

Finally, and most importantly, this card doesn't need to attack in order to make its creature token; it triggers whenever we attack with any creature.

Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel - Fire Score of 5.31

This land is useful for two main reasons. First, our commander is a Goblin Human. Those two creature types are quite common among creatures, so there's a decent chance we can make our commander and another relevant creature unblockable.

Second, all of the Dragon Spirit creature tokens we make will share a type line. That means we can make two 5/5 flying creatures even harder to deal with, and end games quite quickly.

Feed the SwarmFeed the Swarm - Fire Score of 3.12

This color combination has a difficult time dealing with enchantments. There's counterspells, bounce spells, and the occasional Chaos WarpChaos Warp, but there's very few ways for a Grixis deck to permanently get rid of a bothersome enchantment that an opponent has on the battlefield.

This two-mana sorcery remedies those concerns, but doesn't do so super well. It's not the mana cost that's the issue - two mana is a fine rate to get rid of a creature or an enchantment - it's the sorcery speed stipulation. I'd rather play Withering TormentWithering Torment, as I'm absolutely willing to pay more for the ability to cast my removal spell at any time.

Feed the Swarm is far from a bad card, but it's slowly being outclassed.

Waterbender AscensionWaterbender Ascension - Fire Score of 2.97

This cheap enchantment pulls double duty. It lets us draw cards when our evasive, hasty creatures connect with our opponents, keeping our hand full throughout the game, and also lets us give evasion to a creature of our choosing, allowing us to more easily deal combat damage to other players.

Notably, we can make any creature unblockable, not just creatures we control. That might not come up in a game, but it's a nice political tool to have access to.

Orthion, Hero of LavabrinkOrthion, Hero of Lavabrink - Fire Score of 2.75

This Human Soldier provides hasty creatures every single turn, which means potential new 5/5 Dragon Spirits every turn. If we can make copies of creatures that have powerful abilities, like the aforementioned Loyal ApprenticeLoyal Apprentice, that's even better.

Orthion's second, more costly, activated ability can even end the game. If we make five copies of something like Terror of the PeaksTerror of the Peaks, which sees play in 24% of Goro-Goro and Satoru decks, our opponents might as well concede, if they're not already dead to the damage from all the Terrors entering.

Grim HirelingGrim Hireling - Fire Score of 2.07

Grim Hireling is one of the best cards for casual decks. It routinely makes four TreasureTreasure tokens per turn, and can even sacrifice those Treasures for on-demand removal.

This creature does so much for just , and I'd try to find a slot for it in most every deck that can play it in Bracket 4 and below.

Takenuma, Abandoned MireTakenuma, Abandoned Mire - Fire Score of 2.00

I love the Neon Dynasty channel lands! While they don't make sense to include in every deck, they're individually powerful cards that provide a significant amount of utility at a very low deckbuilding cost. They can be added in place of basic lands, providing flexibility at the most crucial points of the game.

Imagine drawing this land instead of a Swamp on turn nine, when you're in top-deck mode. Imagine drawing this land after your powerful, high mana cost creature got removed. Takenuma may not be as powerful as Otawara, Soaring CityOtawara, Soaring City, but it's still a fantastic include for Goro-Goro and Satoru pilots.

What's Icy for Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru?

CounterspellCounterspell - Ice Score of -3.99

In spite of its age, Counterspell is still one of the most powerful cards in Magic. It's possible that its cost is proving too steep for this deck's three-color mana base, and pilots are looking towards less color-intensive interaction. It would make sense to swap this spell for, say, Arcane DenialArcane Denial. Having consistent access to the right colors of mana at the right times can be a struggle without Fetch lands, which may be out of some players' budgets.

That doesn't take away from the power of Counterspell, though. It still rocks.

Silver-Fur MasterSilver-Fur Master - Ice Score of -3.48

As we'll see with some of the other icy cards, it appears that the ninjutsu subtheme that some pilots have employed is falling out of favor. It is still the most popular subtheme for Goro-Goro and Satoru decks, with more than 1,700 decks tagged as ninjutsu-focused, but it appears that players are looking elsewhere.

It's possible they're looking towards commanders better suited for ninjutsu, like Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow and Satoru UmezawaSatoru Umezawa, to fulfill their Ninja needs. Some creatures with ninjutsu are individually powerful enough to still see play, but there's just not enough of them for this Rat Ninja to merit a slot in this list.

Tempt with VengeanceTempt with Vengeance - Ice Score of -3.18

Giving opponents choices in Commander is never a good idea. And, given the construction of this deck, they will almost certainly decline to create the 1/1 creature tokens that Tempt with Vengeance makes.

In that case, a spell like Song of TotentanzSong of Totentanz would be more efficient.

Tormented SoulTormented Soul - Ice Score of -2.96

While it's difficult to claim that any one card is strictly better than any other card due to the complexity of Magic, I feel comfortable saying that Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast is a better version of this creature. Especially as typal synergies like Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel find their way into more deck lists, I expect Tormented Soul's popularity to drop even further.

Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker - Ice Score of -2.62

I'm shocked to see this card declining in popularity. It's an evasive creature that provides mana advantage and card advantage at a very effective mana cost. I can't really think of an explanation for Professional Face-Breaker's presence on our Icy list, other than perhaps a desire to play creatures with better evasive keywords like flying.

If there's a reason I'm missing, please do let me know in the comments below.

Satoru, the InfiltratorSatoru, the Infiltrator - Ice Score of -2.58

This is part of the ninjutsu package decline I spoke of earlier. If we're not putting creatures onto the battlefield with ninjutsu abilities, Satoru's basically just a vanilla creature. It's hard to justify including him in a list that isn't built to maximize the card advantage he can provide.

NegateNegate - Ice Score of -2.35

Wizards of the Coast has been putting more and more powerful effects onto creatures these days. You like TrickbindTrickbind? Let me show you Tishana's TidebinderTishana's Tidebinder. You like Survival of the FittestSurvival of the Fittest? Let me show you Formidable SpeakerFormidable Speaker.

Point is, there's a diminishing incentive to include counterspells that can't hit creatures in the 99 of casual deck lists. For as long as this design trend continues, Negate will see a lowered play rate.

Reinforced RoninReinforced Ronin - Ice Score of -2.14

This creature sounds good in theory. It's a hasty, 2/2 creature for just that we can recast every single turn to make creature tokens with our commander. And, when it's outlived its usefulness, we can discard it to draw a card for .

Unfortunately, a 2/2 creature can be outclassed as soon as turn three in most Commander games. That's likely when we're casting our commander, meaning that this card is useless by the time we can extract any value out of it.

Thousand-Faced ShadowThousand-Faced Shadow - Ice Score of -2.12

This creature, cool as it may be, is still a part of the ninjutsu subtheme. This Human Ninja just isn't individually powerful enough to justify including without surrounding synergies, so its Iciness makes sense.

If I really need a clone that can connect with an opponent right away, I'd rather play Dack's DuplicateDack's Duplicate. It costs the same amount of mana, can gain +1/+1 counters, and can enter as a copy of any creature (not just an attacking creature).

Kaito, Dancing ShadowKaito, Dancing Shadow - Ice Score of -2.07

Kaito does a little bit of everything that we want in this deck. He lets us bounce our own creatures to recast them, provides some nice board control, and can even draw up to two cards per turn. Sadly, though, he lacks a true ultimate ability.

This deck makes enough creatures to effectively defend his loyalty counters, yet we don't receive a reward for that protection. Newer iterations of Kaito, like Foundations' Kaito, Cunning InfiltratorKaito, Cunning Infiltrator seem better suited for this sort of deck.

What's In a Goro-Goro and Satoru Deck?

Here's a list for this Commander, with all of their Fiery cards included and all of their Icy cards excluded!

Conclusion

That's all for this week! I've thought about building this commander many, many, many times. But, as I try to get away from building exclusively combat-focused decks, I find that Goro-Goro and Satoru just don't fit my Commander needs.

Are there any interesting takes on this Grixis legend that I'm missing? Any secret tech that you find useful in your own Goro-Goro and Satoru deck? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you next week for another edition of Fire and Ice!