Grinning Demon
Onslaught 153 • rare
- Set
- Onslaught
- Collector number
- 153
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- 2 generic mana black mana black mana
- Type
- Creature
- Colors
- Black
- Artist
- Mark Zug
- Market price
- $5.64
What it does
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 2 life.
Morph 2 generic mana black mana black mana (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3 generic mana. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
It's drawn to the scent of screaming.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Grinning Demon was released in 2002 as part of the Onslaught expansion for Magic: The Gathering. As a black-aligned creature with significant power balanced by a recurring life-cost mechanic, it represents a classic design philosophy from that era of the game, emphasizing aggressive stats that require careful management from the player. It emerged during a period where Wizards of the Coast was focusing heavily on creature-based combat and tribal synergies.
The card features art by the illustrator Arnie Swekel, who contributed extensively to the visual identity of early 2000s Magic. Swekel’s design focuses on the visceral, imposing nature of the demon, leaning into the darker aesthetic tropes of the game’s black mana color pie. Upon release, the card was noted for its efficiency in aggressive deck archetypes, reflecting the set’s broader goal of empowering powerful, high-risk creature cards to influence the board state.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Grinning Demon
Grinning Demon is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Onslaught 153 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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