Grand Larceny Precon Upgrade Guide: Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
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OTC precon
Grand Larceny
- Commander
- Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
- Colors
- Blue, Black, Green
- Released
- 19 April 2024
- Card value
- ≈ $164.89
- Key cards
- Brainstealer Dragon, Orochi Soul-Reaver, Three Visits
Grand Larceny is a Sultai theft deck: connect with creatures, exile the top card of an opponent’s library, and cast their cards at a discount. These upgrades add more ways to exile and steal, better mana, and evasive pressure so Gonti keeps the stolen goods flowing.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($1.91), mid-range ($27.29), premium ($39.60). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
- 1Gonti, Canny Acquisitor$1.58
Creatures (36)
- 1Baleful Strix$6.66
- 1Bladegriff Prototype$0.36
- 1Brainstealer Dragon$12.03
- 1Cazur, Ruthless Stalker$0.37
- 1Cold-Eyed Selkie$0.33
- 1Dazzling Sphinx$0.66
- 1Diluvian Primordial$0.56
- 1Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius$0.43
- 1Edric, Spymaster of Trest$3.08
- 1Fallen Shinobi$7.09
- 1Felix Five-Boots
- 1Ghostly Pilferer$2.59
- 1Gonti, Lord of Luxury$0.37
- 1Hostage Taker$0.34
- 1Nashi, Moon Sage’s Scion$3.57
- 1Oblivion Sower$0.68
- 1Ohran Frostfang$7.54
- 1Orochi Soul-Reaver$9.69
- 1Sage of the Beyond$2.20
- 1Savvy Trader$3.75
- 1Shadowmage Infiltrator$0.71
- 1Silent-Blade Oni$6.25
- 1Silhana Ledgewalker$0.33
- 1Slither Blade$1.52
- 1Smirking Spelljacker$3.62
- 1The Mimeoplasm$0.31
- 1Thief of Sanity$0.84
- 1Thieving Amalgam$0.99
- 1Thieving Skydiver$0.39
- 1Thieving Varmint$3.71
- 1Tower Winder$8.83
- 1Triton Shorestalker$0.46
- 1Trygon Predator$0.32
- 1Ukkima, Stalking Shadow$0.41
- 1Void Attendant$0.30
- 1Whirler Rogue$0.22
Instants (4)
- 1Baleful Mastery$2.54
- 1Plasm Capture$0.39
- 1Putrefy$0.28
- 1Siphon Insight$0.39
Sorceries (12)
- 1Arcane Heist$4.02
- 1Culling Ritual$1.57
- 1Curse of the Swine$0.31
- 1Extract Brain$0.37
- 1Feed the Swarm$0.35
- 1Heartless Conscription$2.38
- 1Kodama’s Reach$2.50
- 1Predators’ Hour$0.38
- 1Rampant Growth$0.70
- 1Stolen Goods$0.37
- 1Three Visits$8.84
- 1Villainous Wealth$0.39
Artifacts (7)
- 1Arcane Signet$0.87
- 1Chaos Wand$0.40
- 1Darksteel Ingot$0.45
- 1Dream-Thief’s Bandana$2.10
- 1Fellwar Stone$1.61
- 1Prismatic Lens$0.41
- 1Sol Ring$2.41
Enchantments (2)
- 1Cunning Rhetoric$3.64
- 1Mind’s Dilation$4.85
Lands (38)
- 1Access Tunnel$2.79
- 1Command Tower$0.34
- 1Darkslick Shores$2.49
- 1Darkwater Catacombs$0.35
- 1Dimir Aqueduct$0.38
- 1Drowned Catacomb$3.64
- 1Exotic Orchard$0.30
- 1Fetid Pools$0.35
- 1Flooded Grove$0.34
- 2Forest$0.21
- 2Forest$0.29
- 1Hinterland Harbor$0.35
- 3Island$0.19
- 2Island$0.14
- 1Llanowar Wastes$2.56
- 1Opulent Palace$0.55
- 1Overflowing Basin$0.34
- 1Reliquary Tower$4.55
- 1Sunken Hollow$0.37
- 3Swamp$0.29
- 3Swamp$0.21
- 1Temple of Deceit$0.36
- 1Temple of Malady$0.35
- 1Temple of Mystery$0.26
- 1Twilight Mire$0.57
- 1Underground River$2.60
- 1Viridescent Bog$0.33
- 1Woodland Cemetery$1.04
- 1Yavimaya Coast$0.72
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- Gonti exiles an opponent’s top card for you whenever your creatures deal combat damage to them, and spells you don’t own cost one less.
- Plenty of cheap evasive creatures like Slither Blade, Triton Shorestalker and Baleful Strix help Gonti trigger.
- Strong theft pieces such as Hostage Taker, Thief of Sanity and Villainous Wealth make for memorable turns.
Where it struggles
- Cunning Rhetoric only works when opponents choose to attack you, and Chaos Wand costs four mana every activation.
- Cazur, Ruthless Stalker and Cold-Eyed Selkie are underwhelming bodies that rarely steal anything meaningful.
- Darksteel Ingot and Culling Ritual are clunky picks; Culling Ritual even kills your own cheap evasive creatures.
Recommended upgrades
Pick a budget tab. Every row tells you which card to take out and what to put in.
Cheap swaps (under $2 each) that fix the biggest problems first.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oblivion Sower | Wasteland Strangler | $0.25 €0.15 | A cheaper body that turns an unwanted card an opponent owns in exile into -3/-3 removal. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Temple of Mystery | Rogue’s Passage | $0.35 €0.24 | Makes any creature unblockable late in the game, guaranteeing a Gonti trigger. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Darksteel Ingot | Talisman of Dominance | $0.49 €0.58 | A two-mana rock that comes down a turn earlier and still makes blue or black. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Cold-Eyed Selkie | Gonti, Night Minister | $0.82 €0.45 | Steals an opponent’s top card whenever one of your creatures hits them, and casting stolen spells gives you a Treasure. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $1.91 | |||
Stronger synergy pieces and better interaction ($2–$8 each).
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cazur, Ruthless Stalker | Ashiok, Nightmare Muse | $3.35 €2.13 | Makes 2/3 blockers that exile opponents’ cards, bounces threats, and its ultimate casts up to three of their exiled cards for free. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Void Attendant | Dauthi Voidwalker | $3.36 €5.31 | Shadow makes it nearly unblockable, and cards going to opponents’ graveyards are exiled so you can later play one for free. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| The Mimeoplasm | Agent of Treachery | $3.54 €4.27 | Permanently takes any permanent and draws three cards each end step once you control three things you don’t own. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Bladegriff Prototype | Bribery | $4.10 €2.77 | Puts the best creature from an opponent’s library onto your battlefield for five mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Culling Ritual | Court of Locthwain | $6.33 €5.28 | Makes you the monarch and exiles an opponent’s top card each upkeep for you to play, free while you stay monarch. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Chaos Wand | Tasha, the Witch Queen | $6.61 €5.92 | Draws a card each turn, steals instants and sorceries from graveyards, and makes a 3/3 Demon whenever you cast a spell you don’t own. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $27.29 | |||
Premium upgrades. None of these are on the official Game Changers list, so the deck stays friendly for most casual tables.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extract Brain | Praetor’s Grasp | $10.29 €8.76 | Takes the best card from an opponent’s library for three mana and lets you play it yourself. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Plasm Capture | Thada Adel, Acquisitor | $10.60 €9.58 | Islandwalk often makes it unblockable, and each hit steals an artifact from that player’s library to play this turn. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Temple of Deceit | Polluted Delta | $18.71 €18.58 | Fetches Sunken Hollow, Fetid Pools or a basic untapped, replacing a land that always enters tapped. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $39.60 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Grand Larceny on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
Grand Larceny is one of the most flavorful precons in the set, but too many cards sit around waiting for value. Swap in proactive exile engines and better evasion and it plays like a true heist every game.
