Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever another outlaw you control enters, Vial Smasher deals 1 damage to target opponent. (Assassins, Mercenaries, Pirates, Rogues, and Warlocks are outlaws.)
Complete guide
Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier is a low-cost legendary Goblin that turns your board presence into direct damage. By rewarding you for playing specific creature types, it provides a consistent way to chip away at your opponents' health while building your army. This Mercenary is a cornerstone for any deck focused on the more illicit side of the Magic multiverse.
Defining the Outlaws
The core of Vial Smasher's ability relies on the 'outlaw' classification. While 'outlaw' itself is not a creature type you can name for effects, it is a collective term for Assassins, Mercenaries, Pirates, Rogues, and Warlocks. If a creature you control enters the battlefield and possesses at least one of these types, Vial Smasher's ability triggers. It does not matter if the creature has multiple outlaw types; it still only triggers the ability once.
Triggering the Damage
When another outlaw enters the battlefield under your control, Vial Smasher's triggered ability goes on the stack. You must choose a target opponent at this time. When the ability resolves, Vial Smasher deals 1 damage to that opponent. This is a triggered ability that occurs for every individual outlaw entering, meaning if multiple outlaws enter at once, you get that many separate triggers.
Strategic Timing
Because Vial Smasher costs only two mana, it is best played early to maximize the damage from subsequent creature drops. It is important to remember that this ability only triggers for outlaws entering the battlefield, not for spells being cast. If Vial Smasher and another outlaw enter the battlefield at the same time, Vial Smasher will 'see' that outlaw and trigger accordingly.
Interaction examples
Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker is a Human Warrior. Since neither 'Human' nor 'Warrior' are part of the outlaw types (Assassin, Mercenary, Pirate, Rogue, or Warlock), Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier will not trigger when Professional Face-Breaker enters the battlefield.
Blood ArtistBlood Artist is a Vampire. Because it does not have any of the five outlaw creature types, its arrival on the battlefield will not cause Vial Smasher to deal damage. However, both creatures can exist on the board together to provide different types of life-total pressure as the game progresses.
Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier is a Mercenary, which makes it an outlaw. However, its ability specifically states 'Whenever another outlaw you control enters.' This means that when you cast and resolve Vial Smasher itself, it will not deal 1 damage because it only looks for other outlaws entering after it is already on the battlefield.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A card, spell, or permanent is an outlaw if it has the Assassin, Mercenary, Pirate, Rogue, or Warlock creature type. It doesn't matter if it has more than one of those creature types; as long as it has at least one, it's an outlaw.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Outlaw is not a creature type. If an effect asks you to choose a creature type, you can't choose outlaw.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If an ability refers to an outlaw or whether a player controls an outlaw, it's referring only to permanents with one or more of the creature types specified above. Notably, it's not referring to any spell or card not on the battlefield. However, other abilities may refer to an "outlaw spell" or "outlaw card" in a zone other than the battlefield. Those abilities refer to spells and cards with one or more of the specified creature types.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.