Muldrotha, the Gravetide (60-80%) [[Primer]]

Commander / EDH BUG (Sultai) Lands Midrange Reanimator Value Engine

darksilver

Land (37)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Blooming Marsh
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Botanical Sanctum
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Darkslick Shores
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Drownyard Temple *f-pre*
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Field of the Dead *f-pre*
• 3x Forest
• 1x Glacial Chasm
• 3x Island
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nephalia Drownyard
• 1x Nurturing Peatland
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Strip Mine
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Waterlogged Grove
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Woodland Cemetery
• 1x Yavimaya Coast

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Ashiok, Dream Render
• 1x Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
• 1x Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Traverse the Ulvenwald

Creature (27)

• 1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Caustic Caterpillar
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x Forgotten Creation
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Hermit Druid
• 1x Laboratory Maniac
• 1x Millikin
• 1x Mulldrifter
• 1x Nyx Weaver
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Ramunap Excavator
• 1x Ravenous Chupacabra
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Satyr Wayfinder
• 1x Shriekmaw
• 1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Spore Frog
• 1x Tatyova, Benthic Druid *f-pre*
• 1x The Gitrog Monster
• 1x Underrealm Lich
• 1x Void Winnower

Instant (6)

• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Entomb
• 1x Grisly Salvage
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Sultai Charm

Commander (1)

Artifact (13)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Birthing Pod
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Claws of Gix
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Executioner's Capsule
• 1x Golgari Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mox Diamond
• 1x Perpetual Timepiece
• 1x Possessed Portal
• 1x Simic Signet
• 1x Sol Ring

Enchantment (10)

• 1x Exploration
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Necromancy
• 1x Oppression
• 1x Pernicious Deed
• 1x Seal of Primordium
• 1x Search for Azcanta  ^Flip
• 1x Secrets of the Dead
• 1x Sultai Ascendancy
• 1x Vessel of Nascency

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So You Want to Play Muldrotha

Part 1: Philosophy

Muldrotha, the Gravetide is somewhat of a special deck to me. When I first saw her spoiled, I knew that I had to build it, for it truly encapsulated everything I love doing in magic onto one card in my favorite colors. So here is the disclaimer: THIS DECK IS NOT MEANT TO BE CEDH TIER but it is meant to be powerful. The 1-10 scale tends to be somewhat unreliable, but this list tends to fit most neatly into the 7-8 category. It can defeat cEDH decks that stumble a turn, and can grind harder than any deck in the format that I am aware of. Before we get into the list itself, we need to address the construction of an EDH deck. I see a lot of decks that are constructed by throwing a bunch of cool creatures together, but unfortunately, that doesn't win games of EDH. Games are, typically, won by overwhelming force or card advantage. This means that our plan isn't to get some dudes to beat with, but to generate such incredible value that our opponents have no chance. Fortunately, Muldrotha, the Gravetide (and BUG in general) exceeds at generating value.

Muldrotha Herself

Let's start by unpacking the general Muldrotha, the Gravetide .

• Cost: . Muldrotha, the Gravetide ain't cheap. Fortunately we run 36 effective lands and a fair amount of ramp to mitigate that cost.

• Oracle Text: During each of your turns, you may play up to one permanent card of each permanent type from your graveyard. In case it wasn't obvious, Muldrotha is absolutely nuts. Once she is out, you will typically never be wont for more cards. You can keep looping sac effects, can recover from board wipes quickly, and are unlikely to miss land drops.

The Game Plan

Early Game (Turns 1-3ish)

This stage of the game is pretty straightforwards. You want to try and ramp as hard as you can, and remember that all your creatures make great chump blockers, as they can be replayed later. You'll want to look for hands with 3-4 mana sources, as you are likely to draw the last few you need relatively quickly.

Mid Game (Turns 4-6ish)

Ideally, you will be able to get Muldrotha, the Gravetide out on turn 4, at which point you can enter your mid game. This is the stage in which you will begin amassing card advantage. In general, some mana should be dedicated to ramping more each turn (such as replaying Sakura-Tribe Elder ), but your priority should be to have answers ready. A good start to this segment is Pernicious Deed . You can wipe most of your opponent's boards, but without removing Muldrotha, the Gravetide . However, don't get greedy! it is more important to stay alive than to generate value, even if it means holding up mana for interaction rather than playing things from your bin. Content goes here

Late Game (Turn 7ish+)

At this point, you should have far more available mana and cards than your opponents. There are several ways of capitalizing on this, but you will want to be aware that you are likely to be considered the main threat at this point. Try and put a stranglehold on the game via repeated Plaguecrafter s, Pernicious Deed s, Strip Mine s, or have no mercy with Possessed Portal . Pretty soon you will be essentially unbeatable, facing a board of empty-boarded, empty-handed, sufficiently defeated enemies.

Card Choices

Creatures

-Dorks: Birds of Paradise , Deathrite Shaman , Elves of Deep Shadow , Millikin . Not much to say here, except that Millikin is replaceable with Elvish Mystic , if you are finding the ramp to be more important than card advantage in your meta.

- Azusa, Lost but Seeking : seeing as, for a large segment of the game, we are essentially a lands deck, Azusa is a no-brainer. Notably, Muldrotha, the Gravetide only lets you play one land a turn from your graveyard, so to get max value you'll want Ramunap Excavator .

- Caustic Caterpillar : Repeatable removal that's incredibly cheap and can be used before your command is out? Sounds good to me.

- Eternal Witness : This staple of EDH is pretty good at combating Muldrotha, the Gravetide 's one shortcoming by grabbing back your instants and sorceries. Combine with a sac outlet, and cast Cyclonic Rift every turn! E Wit also makes milling your non-permanent cards feel a lot less bad.

- Fleshbag Marauder and Plaguecrafter : Yet another way to bully Voltron decks. Both of these are absolutely devastating against decks that don't run very many creatures, but running the both of them is 100% a meta-call. Often they will feel like a Sheoldred, Whispering One by making your opponents slowly sack their entire boards.

• Forgotten Creation : This is probably one of the sketchiest includes in the deck. is a lot of mana for a 3/3 "do-nothing". However, this guy will net you a stupid amount of value, especially in games with slower starts. Because Muldrotha, the Gravetide makes your graveyard a secondary hand, Forgotten Creation can be essentially drawing you 4+ cards a turn.

• Glen Elendra Archmage : it's a repeatable counterspell twice a turn cycle. Instants and sorceries are the things this deck is the worst at interacting with, and the Archmage is amazing at covering your bases. It can single-highhandedly win the game against some decks, and serves as great backup when you try to stick a threat.

- Hermit Druid : So, once you've gotten your overwhelming card advantage, and your opponents are so far behind you that they might as well concede, what do you do? Win. Hermit Druid is typically played in decks that run zero basics, but we instead can use him for repeatable, insane card advantage. In the late game, once your basics are out of your library, he can steal games in tandem with Lightning Greaves and/or Glen Elendra Archmage .

- Laboratory Maniac : This should be pretty self-explanatory. This is how we win games, sometimes with Hermit Druid , and sometimes just by drawing a whole lotta cards. Either way, this is our primary wincon, but it is not our path to victory.

- Mulldrifter : Nothing much to say, repeatable card draw is solid and it can help you find mana sources in the early game. Nice.

- Nyx Weaver : Repeatable self-mill which is almost the same as "draw two cards" every turn. In addition, being an enchantment creature is incredibly useful, as you can choose which type to play it as. Nyx Weaver also has its relatively niche activated ability, which is most often used to grab a Cyclonic Rift in emergencies.

- Ramunap Excavator : As mentioned previously, this card is necessary to play extra lands from your bin. Works especially well with The Gitrog Monster , but is also a solid early game play that makes self-mill more reliably useful and guarantees land-drops in tandem with fetch lands.

- Ravenous Chupacabra : Straightforward and simple. You don't like a creature? Chups has got you covered. Combine with a sac outlet for consistent, solid removal. A great early-game play to stave off threats until you can land Muldrotha, the Gravetide .

- River Kelpie : Do you like card advantage? Do you like drawing cards whenever you play cards (including lands) from your graveyard? River Kelpie can turn a game around by refilling your hand again, and again, and again.

- Sakura-Tribe Elder : Pretty good in most commander decks, Very Good in this one. Replayed every turn with your commander, this is a chump blocker, a whole lotta ramp, and a good way to accelerate the thinning of your deck for Hermit Druid wins.

- Satyr Wayfinder : Arguably one of the weaker links of the deck, this dude is great when you really need to hit that third or fourth land-drop, but once you get past turn four you will probably forget this card exists. He makes a great chump blocker, however.

- Shriekmaw : More creature removal! This one is far more efficient than Ravenous Chupacabra in some match ups, but not hitting artifact or black creatures is a significant downside.

- Sidisi, Undead Vizier : A repeatable tutor on a solid body? Nice. Great at finding that Hermit Druid , and works very well with Living Death . Tutors should speak for themselves.

- Solemn Simulacrum : Another commander all-star, Sad Robot finds a solid home within this deck too. Being two permanent types is really convenient, ramping is always good, and drawing cards is always solid. Nice.

- Spore Frog : Now this is a very popular inclusion that can be either SPECTACULAR or useless. Fogging only one player a turn is pretty situational in some pods, as many decks look to win with creatures. Typically, this serves best to serve as a safety net against really aggro go-wide or Voltron decks.

- Tatyova, Benthic Druid : She draws cards and gains life. Nuff said.

- The Gitrog Monster : This card is amazing at everything this deck wants to do. It ramps and draws cards. And at the end of the day, isn't that what magic is all about? Its "downside" is negated by Muldrotha, the Gravetide and Ramunap Excavator , making it all upside.

- Underrealm Lich : A very weird card, Underrealm Lich is something I've been testing out. It can do silly things with The Gitrog Monster by binning lands with every "draw", "drawing" you more cards, binning more lands, etc. In general, I would recommend this guy, as he can turn "some card advantage" into "unbeatable card advantage" real quick.

- Void Winnower : This absolute unit is here to make our opponent's lives miserable, because unlike most decks that feature this WINnower, we can keep replaying it over and over again. A surprisingly high number of decks simply can't win with this lad out, and combined with our handy-dandy Glen Elendra Archmage , you can put a massive stranglehold on your opponents.

Sorceries

-Final parting: It's a double tutor. You can play really any tutor in this slot, Demonic Tutor likely being the best, but in a deck that ramps a lot, the extra card advantage is often more relevant. Hermit Druid + Lightning Greaves and Bojuka Bog + Living Death are both very solid two card packages to choose. This is really personal preference, and depends on how competitive your playgroup is.

- Living Death : Sometimes it's a boardwipe, sometimes it's a huge tempo reanimation swing, and sometimes it's both. Combine with Bojuka Bog or Ashiok, Dream Render for a fully one-sided effect that leaves opponents creatureless.

- Traverse the Ulvenwald : Great at finding Glacial Chasm , Bojuka Bog , or Spore Frog when in trouble. You can also play it early game to find basics to stay on tempo, this card is incredibly efficient for only one mana.

Instants

- Crop Rotation : Who doesn't like instant speed Glacial Chasm s or Bojuka Bog s? This card, similar to traverse, can be great when in a pinch, or simply be used for ramp by finding another land and replaying the one you sacked. Be Carfeul though, because it is easy to forget you've already milled Glacial Chasm , which makes for a really awkward moment when you thought you had a great blow-out play.

- Cyclonic Rift : Arguably ban-worthy. Certainly more ban-worthy than Iona, Shield of Emeria . Regardless of your (or your playgroup's) opinions on this card, it is undeniably powerful. It really doesn't need an explanation.

- Entomb : for an unconditional tutor? Great, sign me up! Now technically, this isn't quite that good, as it can only efficiently grab things once Muldrotha, the Gravetide is on the battlefield, and even then it will only really grab permanents, unless you have an Eternal Witness at the ready. But again, tutors are tutors.

- Grisly Salvage : See Satyr Wayfinder . A solid card that makes sketchy hands a whole lot better, it lacks any really value past turn four.

- Sultai Charm : Lots of utility on this. Removal, even with the somewhat annoying condition, is still removal. An instant-speed removal spell for artifacts and enchantments is also great, and the card draw is nice in a pinch, or to win with Laboratory Maniac / Jace, Wielder of Mysteries .

Artifacts

-Rocks: deck:Chrome Mox, Commander's Sphere , Signets, Mox Diamond , and Sol Ring . Chromatic Lantern could easily replace Commander's Sphere , I've simply found the card advantage to be more relevant than the fixing, but that's simply personal preference. There is a notable absence of Mana Crypt and Mana Vault , for the simple reason of maintaining a power level within the ~7 range. Additionally, Mana Crypt becomes far worse in a deck looking to play the endgame as the damage really does add up over time.

- Birthing Pod : Great value with our commander, Pod lets us find relevant creatures, or any card in our deck via Sidisi, Undead Vizier . It's pod.

- Claws of Gix : This card is criminally underplayed in Muldrotha, the Gravetide decks. It might seem somewhat weak initially, but the ability to sack any permanent is far stronger than it seems. If anything is targeted by exile removal? Sack it for life, and to send it to the bin. Want to replay that creature for its ETB effect? Sack it to Claws of Gix . In more competitive builds, you can sack Stasis on the opponent's end step, to lock the rest of the table out of the game. You can sack lands to draw cards with The Gitrog Monster , and it gives you a way to gain a surprisingly high amount of life, which is handy because you're likely to get smacked once or twice, and we use a somewhat painful mana base. In summary, a very good card, even if it doesn't look like it.

- Executioner's Capsule : Repeatable removal. See Shriekmaw , this effect is quite potent in many metagames.

- Lightning Greaves : While mentioned mostly in relation to Hermit Druid , these fancy shoes do a great job of protecting our value engines, or our big chonkers like Void Winnower .

- Perpetual Timepiece : Repeatable card advantage, combined with protection against grave hate? I'm sold. This funky little uncommon does WORK. If you're wary of graveyard hate (as you should always be), Perpetual Timepiece is a great safety device.

- Possessed Portal : Likely the meanest card in the deck, perhaps tied with Pernicious Deed , this card is another good way to secure a win. The notable thing is that it triggers every end step for everyone, which will cut opponent's boards and hands down REAl quick. Fortunately for us, Muldrotha, the Gravetide lets us replay anything we sacrifice. If you pull this on a table of more casual players, get ready for some hate.

Enchantments

- Exploration : It's an extra land every turn. Play this.

- Mystic Remora : Often for 3+ cards, this is definitely a staple of EDH. We would play this even if we couldn't keep recurring it, which is really just icing on top. The only exception would be if you happen to be playing against three elfball style decks, and even then it'll usually get you a card or two.

- Necromancy : Often replaced by Animate Dead , this card is great at throwing a wrench in other reanimator decks, or for powering out early card:Void WINnowers. I find the instant speed potential worth the extra mana, but it's dealer's choice between these two.

- Oppression : Title says all. This is one of our best ways at combating storm or control strategies, although it can be a double-edged sword, as being forced to pitch your Cyclonic Rift really hurts. However, you will typically find yourself immune to its ill-effects.

- Pernicious Deed : It may not look it, but this card will wipe the smiles of the faces of your opponents. Wiping their entire board, at instant-speed, every cycle, is no joke. Muldrotha, the Gravetide being CMC 6 feels very convenient when playing with Deed, as you can typically wipe everything sans Muldrotha, and typically your opponent won't be able to get most of that stuff back. This card is absolutely nuts.

- Seal of Primordium : See Caustic Caterpillar . Repeatably destroying permanents is always good.

- Search for Azcanta  : Card advantage and ramp, all in one. Another great way of making sketchy hands amazing.

- Secrets of the Dead : So much card draw for only , it's unbelievable. You'll be many, many cards ahead of the table after only one turn with this, as with River Kelpie .

- Sultai Ascendancy : Worst case, it bins you two cards a turn. However, it is also great at making sure you hit land drops early game, and get your non-permanents into your hand.

- Vessel of Nascency : Pretty similar to Satyr Wayfinder , but with somewhat more late-game utility.

Planeswalkers

- Ashiok, Dream Render : This card can be nuts. At higher power levels, shutting down tutors and fetches, and being pretty solid graveyard hate, AND being able to mill yourself, is insane. However, as with many cards in the deck, it's a bit of a meta call. Often lower power level decks utilize the graveyard less, and feature fewer tutors and fetches.

- Jace, Wielder of Mysteries : Our redundancy for Laboratory Maniac . He draws a card himself, but also costs one more mana, and can't be given shroud via Lightning Greaves . He does make for a great value play, effectively getting you three cards a turn.

- Kiora, the Crashing Wave : She draws cards, shuts down pesky damage-dealing permanents, and her emblem makes solid fodder for Claws of Gix or Possessed Portal .

Lands of Note

- Bojuka Bog : Graveyard hate is 100% required in most decks nowadays. It's almost rare to find a deck that doesn't us its bin. Being able to grab this at instant speed with Crop Rotation is just gravy.

- Field of the Dead : A good alternate wincon, a source of food for Claws of Gix and Possessed Portal , all around solid value. Notably, you can play and crack fetches a bunch to repeatedly get zombies, even if you;ve already played all your other lands (which happens more than you might think).

- Drownyard Temple :Sort of ramp, can be grabbed with Entomb if you are desperate for that last land drop.

- Evolving Wilds : an efficient way of clearing basics out of the deck, that doesn't cost life.

- Glacial Chasm : Damage got you down? Play Glacial Chasm and watch decks without land removal cry. Be warned, it doesn't stop an Atraxa player from proliferating you to an Infect death, or another Labman win.

- Nephalia Drownyard : The least useful of our utility lands, this is a good way to recover from having your bin wiped, or to get the mill train going in a slow hand.

- Strip Mine : With all our lands pieces out, you can be destroying 5+ lands a turn. That'll end most games pretty fast. Great at blowing up that freshly tutored Gaea's Cradle .

Notable Exclusions

Going off of EDHrec.com, there are a lot of pretty bad choices made when Muldrotha, the Gravetide decks are constructed, so I'll try to address some common ones.

-card:Worldshaper: Look, you aren't reliably going to get very many, if any, attacks off this guy. And once he dies, he gets you the same thing that your deck already gets: lands from the bin. Not awful, but definitely not great.

- Acidic Slime : Apopular EDH card, the slime just isn't efficient enough. Just use Caustic Caterpillar .

- The Eldest Reborn : Why people ever think this card is remotely playable is beyond me. It isn't. Don't play this card. for worse Plaguecrafter , then a discard, and then an effect you already have? Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't play this card. Even like another basic would probably be better.

- Sheoldred, Whispering One : This is an iffy one. This card can be nuts in REALLY casual tables, but you'll quickly notice that it is closer to a single edict, as it has no immediate effect. It also doesn't really help you that much, as you can already play the creatures from your bin that you care about, and if you want the sacrifice effects you can just replay Fleshbag Marauder for less mana. This could be personal taste, but I've found she simply doesn't DO enough to make her worth it.

- Fact or Fiction : You know, this card is incredibly popular for being so bad in this deck. Instant speed doesn't matter as Muldrotha, the Gravetide only applies on your turn, and four mana "mill five" kinda isn't great. I know this is plenty of people's favorite card, but it is hilariously inefficient, especially in a deck trying to minimize its instants and sorceries.

- Nevinyrral's Disk : Just play Pernicious Deed .

- The Mending of Dominaria : Why? Why would anyone play this? It gives you a bit of mill, but not enough to justify , and it shuffles away your bin! This is bad. If you want a way to shuffle away the bin, play Elixir of Immortality .

- Deadbridge Chant : I really wanted to like this card. But it's just not good enough. Mill 10 is nice, but for six mana, with no way to sacrifice it to replay it, it just isn't great. There are better things to be playing.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	3 years
Exclude colors	WR
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 48 - 0 Rares 23 - 0 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.75
Tokens	Emblem Kiora, the Crashing Wave, Kraken 9/9 U, Zombie 2/2 B
Based on	Muldrotha (Current) darksilver EDH