Grand Larceny Upgrade Guide: 10 Easy Changes You Can Make

Last updated on April 17, 2024

Gonti, Canny Acquisitor | Illustration by Anna Podedworna

New Magic set, new Commander precons… old faces? Gonti, Lord of Luxury was one of the first commanders I played with, so I was ecstatic to see that Gonti is the Sultai commander of the new Grand Larceny precon from Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

I’ve always enjoyed a good theft deck for the grindy midrange strategies they encourage. Grand Larceny hits all those notes with a few engaging twists. I don’t know that Gonti, Canny Acquisitor revitalizes the archetype, but it’s a fantastic take and I’m excited to play with this precon.

But there’s always room to improve! Let’s see how we can elevate this deck.

Deck Overview

Part the Waterveil | Illustration by Titus Lunter

Releasing in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, this deck considers all the theft and heists the Wild West setting brings and places Gonti, Canny Acquisitor at the forefront. It’s a natural extension of their character. As depicted on Gonti, Lord of Luxury, the aetherborn ran a crime syndicate on Kaladesh; imagine their joy at learning there was a previously uninhabited plane to spread business to!

The deck wants to deal damage and steal cards. The new Gonti’s combat damage requirement provides an interesting spin on this archetype. Many theft commanders like Sen Triplets and Xanathar, Guild Kingpin encourage a slow, controlling game plan; support cards like Cunning Rhetoric and Court of Locthwain reflect this. Tying Gonti’s theft ability to dealing combat damage to a player adds a proactive element to the strategy you usually only see with red-leaning commanders like Don Andres, the Renegade.

Despite the inclusion of aggressive creatures like Slither Blade and Triton Shorestalker, this list still falls under the purview of “grindy midrange” decks. It looks well-posed in a pod with four other precons thanks to the immense card advantage—all these theft effects are card-draw spells in disguise.

As far as reprint value, this is… eh. The most significant reprint is Mind's Dilation, which hadn’t seen a real reprint since Eldritch Moon. Twilight Mire and Brainstealer Dragon were also a couple bucks, but only the land really counts as a format staple. The deck also has a copy of Three Visits, which is always good to have on hand.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Writing these deck upgrades has taught me a lot about how WotC creates Commander precons. They’re slow on account of tapped lands and high curves, and they almost always include out-of-place cards that lack support or clash with the deck’s goals (seriously, who put Ox Drover in an aggro deck?).

I was really surprised to see this deck didn’t have any discordant cards (except The Mimeoplasm). There are weak cards to cut but everything makes sense. That makes this deck way more playable out of the box. I like its chances in a pod of precons; they tend to have slow games, so this deck’s intense card advantage should grind out other decks playing for the midgame. You have incredible card draw here thanks to all these theft effects and a solid, easily achievable game plan.

However, no deck is without weakness. This list has some questionable creature inclusions—I see the vision behind Oblivion Sower and Void Attendant, but don’t think you should pursue it—and it lacks cheap ramp despite a high curve and that abundant card advantage. When a deck draws this many cards, you want cheap acceleration to cast them.

My changes are gentle. You don’t need to revitalize anything here, just add a little grease and remove some awkward parts so the deck runs smoothly. It’s almost entirely ramp with some creature upgrades. The few changes are a testament to this deck’s base quality. These upgrades don’t come with a particular budget, but none of them cost more than $5.

Changeling Outcast

Suggested Cut: Cold-Eyed Selkie

Cold-Eyed Selkie does exceptional work in decks with +1/+1 counters and other buffs, but this deck does none of that. I’d prefer Changeling Outcast, which your opponents will never block, and it draws cards with Gonti.

Dimir Infiltrator

Suggested Cut: Void Attendant

I understand the goal of Void Attendant and Oblivion Sower. You can’t do much with lands exiled by your theft abilities. But I don’t think the deck wants slow, costly ramp; you want cheap ramp to cast expensive spells. As an unblockable creature, Dimir Infiltrator sneaks past blockers, but the transmute ability shines in a deck with a 2-mana wrath in Curse of the Swine, card draw in Siphon Insight, and value creatures like Baleful Strix and Thieving Skydiver.

Farseek

Suggested Cut: Oblivion Sower

Farseek is the kind of ramp I want in this deck. This green sorcery is efficient and effective without requiring additional mana or luck once you cast it. Perfection.

Court of Locthwain

Suggested Cut: Extract Brain

I don’t want to pump mana into Extract Brain. It’s a solid 2-for-1, but Court of Locthwain has a much higher ceiling at a lower mana cost, plus this deck’s evasive creatures make it easy to take the crown back.

Worn Powerstone

Suggested Cut: Darksteel Ingot

Worn Powerstone dies easier than Darksteel Ingot, but I’ve never been impressed by 3-drop mana rocks that tap for 1 mana. Worn Powerstone always hits the spot. You could also run a 2-mana rock if you prefer; just ditch the Darksteel.

Talisman of Curiosity

Suggested Cut: Sage of the Beyond

This mana-hungry deck wants cheap acceleration, so I’m adding all three on-color Talismans. They’re amazing; for the other entries, I’m going to focus on why I want to cut the card rather than exalting them further.

Sage of the Beyond has obvious synergy with the deck but Gonti, Canny Acquisitor, Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius, and Thieving Varmint seem like more than enough ramp that only works on your theft cards. I’m cutting the most expensive version of the effect to accelerate the rest of the deck.

Talisman of Dominance

Suggested Cut: Chaos Wand

I won’t deny that Chaos Wand is interesting and the chaotic element can add a lot to a game. It’s just so expensive to use repeatedly, and this deck doesn’t need help in the card advantage department. It just needs mana.

Talisman of Resilience

Suggested Cut: Dream-Thief's Bandana

Cutting Dream-Thief's Bandana might be a mistake. It’s great with your evasive creatures and doubles up on Gonti triggers. But it feels less necessary and more like a win-more card, and I’m uncertain enough of its potential to replace it with something I know will consistently perform well.

Counterspell

Suggested Cut: Plasm Capture

I’d play pretty much any countermagic over Plasm Capture. I favor the cheapness of Counterspell. If you want a big, splashy counterspell, Mystic Confluence or Desertion are respectively more impactful and more flavorful than Plasm Capture.

Part the Waterveil

Suggested Cut: The Mimeoplasm

The Mimeoplasm is a Commander classic, but this deck does nothing with it. This looks like an incredible deck to leverage an extra turn spell, and I have fond memories of Part the Waterveil. If your pod doesn’t enjoy extra turns, I’d suggest Elder Brain or Xanathar, Guild Kingpin as alternative large spells.

Round Up

Court of Locthwain | Illustration by Julie Dillon

The Grand Larceny precon has a lot to love. Theft effects are always interesting (provided you wash your hands first!) and Gonti, Canny Acquisitor adds a proactive spin to the very controlling archetype. This looks like it plays incredibly out of the box, and these upgrades make it even more consistent.

Which Outlaws of Thunder Junction precon are you most excited to play? How would you upgrade Grand Larceny? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe and thanks for reading!