Grindstone
Artifact
, 
: Target player mills two cards. If two cards that share a color were milled this way, repeat this process.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Judge Gift Cards 2023
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #6284
Grindstone is a one-card mill engine the moment Painter's Servant hits the table — tap three mana, mill your opponent's entire library, win on the spot. Outside that combo, it's a slow two-mana artifact that needs repeated activation investment, but Bruvac the Grandiloquent turns even incremental activations into library-halving threats.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Bruvac the Grandiloquent
Bruvac the Grandiloquent shows up in nearly a third of all Bruvac decks because the doubling effect makes every Grindstone activation twice as punishing — what would shave four cards instead mills eight, and with Painter's Servant online it's an unconditional one-shot kill.
Phenax, God of Deception
Phenax, God of Deception lists run Grindstone as a reliable activated-ability mill piece that operates independently of combat, giving the deck a pressure vector that doesn't require tapping creatures and can close games when the board stalls.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Grindstone earns its slot almost exclusively on the back of Painter's Servant — that two-card instant-win is compact, resilient, and fits into any artifact-heavy or mono-blue shell. Legacy is where Grindstone built its original reputation, serving as the combo half of the Painter's Servant package in Prison and combo decks that can find both pieces consistently. Vintage is legal but the format is too fast for a three-mana activation to matter outside of dedicated combo shells. Modern, Pioneer, and Standard are all off the table, so competitive paper play is limited to eternal formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Painter's ServantGrindstone
Infinite self-mill; Infinite mill for target opponent
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Grindstone at this moment, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for a current number. Given its Legacy and Commander demand as the combo half of one of the most well-known two-card wins in the game, expect it to carry a premium over a purely casual card of similar function.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.