Lorwyn Eclipsed spoiler season is right around the corner, and from what we’ve seen so far, the set looks like it could be a blast. Spoiler season kickoff is still about a week away, but some early spoilers have made it clear that -1/-1 counters will play a big part in the upcoming set.
This has caused some older, forgotten cards to gain extra utility, including a unique artifact creature from Shadowmoor. Despite not being an overly popular option in EDH as things currently stand, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of all that this Scarecrow has to offer.
Grim Poppet MTG
By itself, Grim Poppet may not look like anything special. While getting to distribute three -1/-1 counters among other creatures can be powerful, seven mana is a lot to pay for that effect. Luckily, when you pair Grim Poppet with some other cards, you can get additional value out of your artifact creature.
Right off the bat, this card works wonders alongside the Proliferate mechanic. Not only can you Proliferate any -1/-1 counters you put on opposing creatures but you can also put more -1/-1 counters on Grim Poppet itself to get additional uses out of its activated ability. In the process, cards like Nest of Scarabs and will generate a bunch of extra value.
With this in mind, Commanders that pay you off each time you put one or more -1/-1 counters on a creature, such as Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, make for great homes for Grim Poppet. Similarly, the newly leaked Auntie Ool, Cursewretch from the Lorwyn Eclipsed Blight Curse Commander precon becomes a card-drawing machine in conjunction with Grim Poppet.
Beyond the generic -1/-1 counter theme, Grim Poppet works nicely with legends like Maha, Its Feathers Night that reduce the toughness of opposing creatures to one. From there, cards that consistently blink out the Scarecrow, such as Conjurer’s Closet, let you start mowing down creatures turn after turn. By building around Grim Poppet, it’s easy to get your mana’s worth.
Grim Poppet Combos
As good as Grim Poppet can be as just a value play, it’s definitely at its best when being used as a combo piece. There’s a wide variety of three-card combos that can be executed, many of which are centered around specific Commanders.
One of the easier series of combos to pull off requires you to make a copy of Grim Poppet. Many options from Volrath, the Shapestealer to Heat Shimmer will suffice. With two copies of Grim Poppet in play, you’re able to remove a -1/-1 counter from one copy to put onto the other, then do it again in the opposite direction. Repeating this process over and over with Nest of Scarabs or Hapatra in play will net you infinite tokens. Alternatively, with Auntie Ool at the helm, you’ll be able to draw your whole deck in one turn.
Another combo you can pull off involves Grim Poppet, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, and a free sacrifice outlet like Ashnod’s Altar. After you remove all of Grim Poppet’s -1/-1 counters, you can sacrifice it, triggering Mikaeus’ ability to bring Grim Poppet back. Because it enters with three -1/-1 counters that successfully offset the +1/+1 counter from Undying, you’re free to repeat this process. The end result is infinite -1/-1 counters distributed how you feel, infinite mana, and infinite death triggers. Notably, the back side of the new Commander Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn lends itself to some similar combo lines so long as you have a Glorious Anthem-style effect to get you started.
An Underrated Asset
Between all of the legends that synergize with Grim Poppet, both from a thematic and combo standpoint, it’s easy to see why the card has lots of underrated Commander applications. As a colorless card, the door is wide open for you to play it in any deck you see fit, though the card is rather clunky outside of specific themes.
With Lorwyn Eclipsed bringing a heavy -1/-1 counter theme to the table, Grim Poppet should only grow in popularity. Despite its lack of reprints, it’s still worth under $2, so there’s no need to worry about breaking the bank to pick up a copy. That said, it’s always a possibility that the card gets a reprint in the Blight Curse precon. In case it doesn’t, though, make sure to keep Grim Poppet in mind when you’re looking to make your Commander deck upgrades.
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