Thriving Grubs
Creature — Gremlin
When this creature enters, you get 
(two energy counters).
Whenever this creature attacks, you may pay . If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Kaladesh
- Price
- $0.05
- EDHREC rank
- #24751
Thriving Grubs is a two-mana 2/2 that grows by one counter whenever you choose red in a Cleave or energy-adjacent context — serviceable stats, unremarkable ceiling. It earns a slot only in dedicated energy or +1/+1 counter shells; everywhere else, it's outclassed before it ever swings.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Thriving Grubs is a Pauper-legal common, and that's where it has the most plausible home — aggressive red or red-green energy strategies can use a cheap body that scales, even modestly. In Commander, the bar for a two-mana vanilla-adjacent creature is high, and Thriving Grubs doesn't clear it outside of narrow energy-matters builds like those led by Atraxa, Praetors' Voice or a dedicated counter-synergy commander. Competitive formats like Modern and Legacy have no interest — the card simply doesn't do enough relative to what those formats demand at two mana.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.05 bulk tier
At $0.05, Thriving Grubs is deep bulk — you're paying for the cardboard, not the effect. There's no pressure to buy in or cash out; pick up a copy if your deck calls for it and forget about it otherwise.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.