Gonti, Canny Acquisitor costs {2}{B}{G}{U} and is a 5/5. Spells you cast but do not own cost {1} less. Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you look at the top card of that player's library, exile it face down, and may play it for as long as it remains exiled, spending mana of any type. Every hit is a card.
The precon already has the thieves and the unblockable creatures, including Thief of Sanity, Slither Blade and Felix Five-Boots. Each swap below pairs a cut with an add, and every card is scored with the same numbers the Oracle uses to build decks: synergy and inclusion from the Gonti decks, plus lift, which shows how much more often a card turns up in Gonti decks than in decks that could play it.
Looking for the unmodified list first? Read the Grand Larceny precon guide.
What is holding the deck back
Not enough cheap unblockable creatures
Invisible Stalker, Mist-Cloaked Herald, Silent Hallcreeper and Changeling Outcast cannot be blocked and cost one or two mana, so Gonti's trigger happens every turn. They are among the top-scoring cards the precon leaves out.
Cards that do not appear in the lists
Bladegriff Prototype, Diluvian Primordial, The Mimeoplasm and Void Attendant are not cards Gonti, so almost nobody plays them in the deck decks usually play.
Ramp, sweepers and a heavy top end
Prismatic Lens is a rock in a deck that already has Sol Ring and Arcane Signet, and Curse of the Swine, Oblivion Sower and Thieving Amalgam are expensive cards that do little for a combat damage plan.
The 12 swaps
Each pair shows the numbers for the card coming out and the card going in. Click a card image to zoom.

Bladegriff Prototype is a five-mana 3/2 flier that destroys a permanent your opponents choose. It is not a card Gonti decks usually play.
Gonti, Night Minister is a 3/4 for {2}{B}{B}. Whenever any creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents, its controller exiles the top card of that opponent's library face down and may play it, spending mana of any type, and a player who casts a spell they do not own creates a Treasure. A second Gonti is the highest-scoring card the precon leaves out.

Diluvian Primordial is a seven-mana 5/5 flier that casts an instant or sorcery from each opponent's graveyard. It is not a card Gonti decks usually play.
Rogue Class costs {U}{B}. Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player you exile the top card of that player's library face down, at level 2 your creatures have menace, and at level 3 you may play those exiled cards with mana of any color. A cheap enchantment that does Gonti's job again.

The Mimeoplasm is a five-mana 0/0 that copies a creature card from a graveyard, and needs two creature cards there. It is not a card Gonti decks usually play.
Gríma, Saruman's Footman is a 1/4 for {2}{U}{B} that cannot be blocked. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card, and you may cast it for free. An unblockable body that casts a free spell.

Void Attendant is a 2/3 for {2}{G} that turns your exiled cards into Eldrazi Scions. It is not a card Gonti decks usually play.
Invisible Stalker is a 1/1 for {1}{U} with hexproof that cannot be blocked. Cheap, hard to remove, and it triggers Gonti every turn.

Prismatic Lens is a two-mana rock, in a deck with Sol Ring, Arcane Signet and other rocks. It is played in about one Gonti deck in seven.
Mist-Cloaked Herald is a 1/1 Merfolk for {U} that cannot be blocked. A one-mana body that triggers every card Gonti steals.

Curse of the Swine exiles X creatures and gives each controller a 2/2 Boar. It is played in about one Gonti deck in five.
Outrageous Robbery costs {X}{B}{B} at instant speed: an opponent exiles the top X cards face down, and you may look at and play them, spending mana of any type. The instant-speed version of Gonti's steal.

Oblivion Sower is a six-mana 5/8 that exiles the top four cards of an opponent's library and lets you take their lands. It is played in about one Gonti deck in six.
Silent Hallcreeper is a 1/1 for {1}{U} that cannot be blocked. When it deals combat damage to a player, you choose one that has not been chosen: two +1/+1 counters, draw a card, or become a copy of another creature you control. A cheap unblockable creature that gets bigger or draws every hit.

Plasm Capture is a {G}{G}{U}{U} counterspell that adds mana next turn. It is played in about one Gonti deck in five, and its mana cost is hard to meet in three colours.
Bident of Thassa costs {2}{U}{U}: whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card, and for {1}{U} and a tap, creatures your opponents control attack if able. Every unblockable hit is a second card, on top of Gonti's.

Thieving Amalgam is a seven-mana 6/7 that manifests an opponent's top card each upkeep. It is played in about one Gonti deck in four.
Changeling Outcast is a 1/1 for {B} that cannot block and cannot be blocked. A one-mana body that gets a Gonti trigger on the turn after it lands.

Whirler Rogue is a 2/2 for {2}{U}{U} that makes two Thopters and gives unblockable by tapping artifacts. It is played in about one Gonti deck in seven.
Tasha, the Witch Queen is a five-mana planeswalker. Whenever you cast a spell you don't own, you create a 3/3 black Demon, and her +1 draws a card and exiles an instant or sorcery from an opponent's graveyard. Every spell Gonti steals is a 3/3 Demon.

Darksteel Ingot is a three-mana indestructible rock. It is played in about one Gonti deck in six.
Dauthi Voidwalker is a 3/2 shadow creature for {B}{B}. Cards that would go to an opponent's graveyard are exiled with a void counter instead, and you can sacrifice it to play one of them for free. Another source of cards you do not own, and it is nearly unblockable.

Chaos Wand is a three-mana artifact that casts an instant or sorcery from an opponent's library for {4}. It is played in about one Gonti deck in five.
Tinybones, the Pickpocket is a 1/1 deathtouch Skeleton Rogue for {B}. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, you may cast a nonland permanent card from that player's graveyard, spending mana of any type. A one-drop that steals a permanent from the graveyard.
The full swap list
Cut
- Bladegriff Prototype
- Diluvian Primordial
- The Mimeoplasm
- Void Attendant
- Prismatic Lens
- Curse of the Swine
- Oblivion Sower
- Plasm Capture
- Thieving Amalgam
- Whirler Rogue
- Darksteel Ingot
- Chaos Wand
Add
- Gonti, Night Minister
- Rogue Class
- Gríma, Saruman's Footman
- Invisible Stalker
- Mist-Cloaked Herald
- Outrageous Robbery
- Silent Hallcreeper
- Bident of Thassa
- Changeling Outcast
- Tasha, the Witch Queen
- Dauthi Voidwalker
- Tinybones, the Pickpocket
What to keep
These cards are doing the deck's heavy lifting. Do not cut them.
- Thief of Sanity$0.38
Played in 84% of Gonti decks. A flier that steals one of the top three cards of a player's library whenever it deals combat damage. - Slither Blade$0.36
A one-mana creature that cannot be blocked, the cheapest way to trigger Gonti. - Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius$0.36
Spells you cast from your graveyard or from exile cost {2} less, which includes every card Gonti steals. - Felix Five-Boots$4.83
Makes any trigger caused by a creature dealing combat damage to a player happen an additional time, so Gonti steals two cards. - Brainstealer Dragon$10.76
Exiles the top card of each opponent's library at your end step so you can play them.
If you want to spend more
These are strong but sit outside a budget upgrade. Prices are the cheapest paper printing.
- Xanathar, Guild Kingpin$2.11
Lets you play an opponent's top card each upkeep and spend mana as though it were any type.
Grand Larceny already has the thieves. The upgrade is cheap unblockable creatures and enchantments that make every attack steal a card, in place of cards almost nobody plays and expensive ones that do nothing for a combat damage plan. These twelve swaps cost about $25 in total.
Want a full 100-card list built around Gonti, Canny Acquisitor from today's data?
Build with The Oracle →Frequently asked questions
What are the best upgrades for the Grand Larceny precon?
Using data from 11,385 Gonti decks, the highest-scoring additions are Gonti, Night Minister (for Bladegriff Prototype), Changeling Outcast (for Thieving Amalgam) and Tasha, the Witch Queen (for Whirler Rogue). The full list has 12 swaps, each scored with synergy, inclusion and lift.
How much does it cost to upgrade Grand Larceny?
All 12 swaps cost about $24.99 at the cheapest paper printings (TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, 2026-10-27). If you want to spend more, the guide also covers Xanathar, Guild Kingpin ($2.11).
What should I cut from Grand Larceny?
The weakest cards for this commander are Bladegriff Prototype, Diluvian Primordial and The Mimeoplasm. The guide explains the reason for every cut, and swaps each one for a card that scores higher.
Which cards should I keep in Grand Larceny?
Keep Thief of Sanity, Slither Blade, Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius, Felix Five-Boots and Brainstealer Dragon. These are the cards doing the deck's heavy lifting.
What does Gonti do?
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor costs {2}{B}{G}{U} and is a 5/5. Spells you cast but do not own cost {1} less. Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you look at the top card of that player's library, exile it face down, and may play it for as long as it remains exiled, spending mana of any type. Every hit is a card.
More Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander upgrade guides
How the numbers work
Inclusion is the share of Gonti, Canny Acquisitor decks (11,385 of them when this was written, 2026-10-27) that play the card. Synergy is how much more often they play it than other decks in the same colours. Oracle score is synergy × 0.6 plus inclusion × 0.4, the same blend The Oracle uses to rank cards for a deck. Lift compares how often the card appears in these decks with how often it could, capped at 8× here; it is shown for context and does not change the score.
Two cautions. Players who run the precon unmodified count as Gonti decks, which flatters every card the precon contains. Lift is high for the unblockable creatures because few decks play them outside this kind of deck, so use lift to compare cards, not to judge one in isolation. A card the commander's decks do not usually play counts as 0 in the average score. Prices are the cheapest non-foil paper printing on TCGplayer (via Scryfall), in USD, and move daily.











