How to beat Grixis Control in Legacy
Over the last 90 days of recorded Legacy matches, the decks with the best results against Grixis Control are Lands (54% over 13 matches), Sultai Tempo (57% over 7 matches) and Eldrazi (60% over 5 matches). Lands's 54% sits in a 95% range of 29%–77%, which is the range a 13-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Disruptor Flute, Force of Vigor and Dismember in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Grixis Control
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Grixis Control | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lands | 53.8% | 7-6 | 13 | Medium sample | 29%–77% |
| Sultai Tempo | 57.1% | 4-3 | 7 | Low sample | 25%–84% |
| Eldrazi | 60.0% | 3-2 | 5 | Low sample | 23%–88% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
35 further pairings (65 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Grixis Control's archetype page and in the Legacy matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Grixis Control bring
Sideboard cards run by Lands, Sultai Tempo, Eldrazi. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Grixis Control, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disruptor Flute | 2 of 3 | 2.7 | Lands, Eldrazi |
| Force of Vigor | 2 of 3 | 2.2 | Lands, Sultai Tempo |
| Dismember | 2 of 3 | 1.7 | Lands, Eldrazi |
| Leyline of the Void | 1 of 3 | 3.1 | Eldrazi |
| Endurance | 1 of 3 | 2.5 | Lands |
| Choke | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Lands |
| Carpet of Flowers | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Sultai Tempo |
| Consign to Memory | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Sultai Tempo |
| Force of Negation | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Sultai Tempo |
| Massacre | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Sultai Tempo |
| Null Rod | 1 of 3 | 2.0 | Eldrazi |
| Pernicious Deed | 1 of 3 | 1.7 | Sultai Tempo |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Grixis Control beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Grixis Control with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Grixis Control | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doomsday | 33.3% | 2-4 | 6 | Low sample | 10%–70% |
| Tron | 40.0% | 2-3 | 5 | Low sample | 12%–77% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Grixis Control in Legacy?
Across the last 90 days, Lands (54% over 13 matches), Sultai Tempo (57% over 7 matches) and Eldrazi (60% over 5 matches) hold the best recorded results against Grixis Control. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Grixis Control?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 3 decks with the best records against Grixis Control — Lands, Sultai Tempo and Eldrazi — most commonly run Disruptor Flute, Force of Vigor, Dismember, Leyline of the Void and Endurance in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Grixis Control beat?
Grixis Control's best recorded matchups over the same window are Doomsday (67% across 6 matches) and Tron (60% across 5 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Grixis Control with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Legacy matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 35 of those for Grixis Control right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Legacy metagame are excluded from the ranking — their historical records are still on Grixis Control's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.