{"product_id":"grindstone","title":"Grindstone (Original Sketch)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrindstone\u003c\/em\u003e is a one-mana artifact with an activated ability for (3), tap: target player mills two cards. If they share a color, repeat the process. When printed in \u003cem\u003eTempest\u003c\/em\u003e (1997), \u003cem\u003eGrindstone\u003c\/em\u003e was part of a cycle of artifacts with “repeatable” effects (e.g. \u003cem\u003eDistorting Lens\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTorture Chamber\u003c\/em\u003e). The original design intent was grinding against multicolor decks – sometimes milling 3-4 cards, but nothing like its current combo role. Its life changed dramatically after the release of \u003cem\u003ePainter’s Servant\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eShadowmoor\u003c\/em\u003e, 2008). The two cards together form a one-card kill. \u003cem\u003ePainter\u003c\/em\u003e paints your opponent’s deck a single color, meaning \u003cem\u003eGrindstone’s\u003c\/em\u003e “repeat” clause loops until the entire deck is milled. This catapulted \u003cem\u003eGrindstone\u003c\/em\u003e from bulk rare to one of the most iconic Legacy combo win conditions. Legacy is the primary competitive home for Grindstone. The deck that made this card relevant is a red combo \/ control deck called Painter. \u003cem\u003ePainter’s Servant\u003c\/em\u003e is key to making the combo function – it makes all cards, including lands, have a chosen color (often blue). Legacy Painter uses \u003cem\u003ePainter’s Servant\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGrindstone\u003c\/em\u003e as its main combo kill – and plays cards like \u003cem\u003eGoblin Engineer\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGoblin Welder\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eUrza’s Saga\u003c\/em\u003e to assemble these pieces. \u003cem\u003eUrza’s Saga\u003c\/em\u003e also serves as an alternative win condition, creating large construct tokens. The deck also plays 5-6 maindeck copies of \u003cem\u003eRed Elemental Blast \/ Pyroblast\u003c\/em\u003e which can destroy any permanent once \u003cem\u003ePainter’s Servant\u003c\/em\u003e is in play naming blue. Fast mana sources like \u003cem\u003eAncient Tomb\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCity of Traitors\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSimian Spirit Guide\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eMox Opal\u003c\/em\u003e help the deck get its combo pieces and prison tools like Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon into play ahead of the opponent’s actions. Some versions of this deck are blue based for cards like \u003cem\u003eEmry, Lurker of the Loch\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eKappa Cannoneer\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePinnacle Emissary\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThoughtcast\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eForce of Will \u003c\/em\u003e(Blue Painter). In cEDH \/ Commander, Grindstone is not widely used outside of Painter Combo, but it does see play with commanders like \u003cem\u003eEmry, Lurker of the Loch\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOswald Fiddlebender\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBruvac the Grandiloquent\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eGrindstone\u003c\/em\u003e is not on the Reserved List, it has a few reprints. Of course, there's nothing like the og Tempest version featured here in this preliminary sketch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"artwhirled","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44762024247341,"sku":null,"price":0.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/8000\/6957\/files\/Grindstone_Original_Sketch_front_a_white.jpg?v=1775127037","url":"https:\/\/artwhirled.com\/products\/grindstone","provider":"Art Whirled","version":"1.0","type":"link"}