Hello everyone! I'm Levi from the Thought Vessel, and welcome back to Commander Kryptonite, the series that looks at some of the strongest commanders in the format--how they work, their strengths, weaknesses, and ultimately, how to beat them. This week, we have a commander that, not too long ago, was the most popular on EDHREC. I'm not speaking of Atraxa, Grand Unifier, but rather an expert in the graveyard: Muldrotha, the Gravetide. What made this commander so popular and strong? Let's find out!

The Commander

Muldrotha came to us in Dominaria and quickly rose in popularity for its versatility. Each turn, you can play one of every permanent type from your graveyard. If the deck's built correctly, you can really take advantage of all that card recycling. It also benefits from the Sultai color trio--Blue, Black, and Green. This allows for the best cards from Dimir and Golgari graveyard decks to be played in one build, and even enables more shocklands that can be reused.

The Deck

The deck itself can be a combo deck or win through attrition. Though some builds may buck the trend, most aim to run the game long, drowning opponents in a constant flow of reusable cards. The card pool can be built in diverse ways to take advantage of all permanent types--including lands, enchantments, and planeswalkers. Below is an example of a typical Muldrotha decklist you might see around your local game store.

Muldrotha, the Gravetide | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Muldrotha, the Gravetide

• Creatures (30)
• 1 Accursed Marauder
• 1 Aftermath Analyst
• 1 Baleful Strix
• 1 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Cankerbloom
• 1 Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1 Gravebreaker Lamia
• 1 Haywire Mite
• 1 Hedge Shredder
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Plaguecrafter
• 1 Ravenous Chupacabra
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 River Kelpie
• 1 Rootcoil Creeper
• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Satyr Wayfinder
• 1 Shriekmaw
• 1 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
• 1 Siren Stormtamer
• 1 Six
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Spore Frog
• 1 Stitcher's Supplier
• 1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1 The Gitrog Monster
• 1 Underrealm Lich
• 1 World Shaper

• Instants (6)
• 1 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Crop Rotation
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Harrow
• 1 Windfall

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Animate Dead
• 1 Buried Alive
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Entomb
• 1 Life from the Loam
• 1 Reanimate

• Enchantments (7)
• 1 Kaya's Ghostform
• 1 Mystic Remora
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Ripples of Undeath
• 1 Seal of Primordium
• 1 Seal of Removal
• 1 Secrets of the Dead

• Artifacts (9)
• 1 Altar of Dementia
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Lotus Petal
• 1 Matzalantli, the Great Door
• 1 Perpetual Timepiece
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Ashiok, Dream Render
• 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries

• Lands (36)
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Breeding Pool
• 1 Command Beacon
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Exploration
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 4 Forest
• 1 Hedge Maze
• 1 Hinterland Harbor
• 4 Island
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Opulent Palace
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Rejuvenating Springs
• 1 Sunken Hollow
• 4 Swamp
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Undergrowth Stadium
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Verdant Catacombs
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Zagoth Triome

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Strengths

The strength of this deck lies in its staying power. The longer the game goes, the better things get for the Muldrotha player. It can be particularly nasty when it extends the use of cards that aren't designed to stick around long--like Mystic Remora and Lunar Force. Cards like these can push a Muldrotha list to the next level quickly. It's tough to keep this deck down because anything that's removed--but not exiled--is probably coming back next turn. Even a simple fetch land can guarantee land drops for the next 6-10 turns, depending on the mana base. This deck can also leverage mill quite effectively. Since any card in the graveyard is fair game, mill essentially becomes a modified form of card draw.

Weaknesses

Being a six-mana-value commander, Muldrotha can be a struggle to keep on the board. If it's picked off early and often, the Muldrotha player may struggle to access their graveyard at all. A simple card like Bojuka Bog or Rest in Peace can set this strategy back to the stone age, eliminating the graveyard as a resource. Since most of the spells are permanent-based, the deck has fewer instant-speed answers, leaving it vulnerable to combo or spell-slinger win conditions.

Cards to Look Out For

1. Spore Frog - This one's tricky. The loop can shut down combat decks completely, every single turn. The only way around it is to force Spore Frog on someone else's turn and chip in damage when the shield's down. Keep your eye on this one.
2. Glacial Chasm - Another defensive piece. Normally, cumulative upkeep costs too much life and the card gets sacrificed. But Muldrotha can just bring it back every turn if needed, locking out damage until it's ready to strike. This type of deck is exactly why Glacial Chasm made the Game Changer list.
3. Garruk, Primal Hunter - Normally a one-time, five-mana draw spell for 6+ cards, but Muldrotha keeps bringing him back for a continuous flow of advantage.
4. Accursed Marauder - This and other sacrifice-based creatures can be brutal against decks that don't flood the board. Accursed Marauder can just keep sacrificing itself each turn, clearing the board again and again.
5. Primal Surge - And here's the combo. Since Muldrotha's all about permanents, Primal Surge decks often run zero instants or sorceries, allowing the entire deck to hit the board. If you spot strange ramp and card draw choices--all permanents--it might be a Surge deck heading straight into Thassa's Oracle or a similar wincon.

How to Drain the Swamp

Beating this deck on paper is simple in theory. There are two rules to remember. Rule number one: always remove Muldrotha--don't let the value train leave the station. Rule number two: always have a way to exile the graveyard. This could be Bojuka Bog with a couple of tutors to find it, or a more niche tool like Agatha's Soul Cauldron. Following those rules should keep Muldrotha in check and allow someone else to win faster. If the game runs long, avoid going 1-on-1 with them--they'll focus that repeatable removal entirely on you.

Commander Kryptonite

If you're still struggling with Muldrotha, consider adding these to the 99 of your deck:

1. Rest in Peace - This shuts down Muldrotha's game plan completely, along with any other graveyard shenanigans. Few cards match its impact.
2. Farewell - Though a one-time effect, this clears both Muldrotha and the graveyard in one swoop. It'll take several turns for Muldrotha to recover.
3. Empress Galina - If you can't beat it, steal it! Galina's a fantastic theft effect, and many other cards work similarly. Because Muldrotha's abilities don't rely on zone changes, the original player would have to remove their own commander to try reclaiming it.

And there you have it! That's how to take down Muldrotha--aka Swamp Thing. If you have a commander you'd like to see featured on Commander Kryptonite, send us an email at thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com. Until next time, happy gaming.