Drag to the Roots
Instant
Delirium — This spell costs 
less to cast as long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.
Destroy target nonland permanent.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #4274
Drag to the Roots destroys a nonland permanent for each creature that died under an opponent's control this turn — in the right deck, that's a one-card board wipe at sorcery speed. Winter, Misanthropic Guide turns that death trigger into a reliable counter, making this a staple rather than a situational include.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Winter, Misanthropic Guide
Winter, Misanthropic Guide forces opponents to sacrifice creatures on your end step, which means Drag to the Roots regularly enters as a multi-permanent Vindicate rather than a conditional removal spell.
Winter, Cynical Opportunist
Winter, Cynical Opportunist generates sacrifice pressure through combat and edict effects, giving Drag to the Roots enough fuel each turn cycle to reliably hit two or more permanents.
Baba Lysaga, Night Witch
Baba Lysaga, Night Witch demands opponents sacrifice creatures as part of her engine, and Drag to the Roots converts that mandatory attrition into nonland permanent removal at scale.
Rendmaw, Creaking Nest
Rendmaw, Creaking Nest's sacrifice loops produce consistent creature deaths, and Drag to the Roots cashes in on that incidental death count to clean up whatever threats survive the board.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Drag to the Roots earns its slot — three or more opponents running creatures means a single end-step sacrifice trigger can turn this into a three-for-one, and aristocrats commanders weaponize it every turn cycle. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, the effect is too conditional without a dedicated shell engineering deaths on demand, so it sees minimal play outside fringe sacrifice builds. Standard has the card legal but the same problem applies: opposing creatures have to die on your schedule, which is unreliable without support. Legacy and Vintage offer better cheap interaction, so Drag to the Roots doesn't compete there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
At $0.35, Drag to the Roots is bulk pricing for a card that pulls real weight in the right Commander shell — you're not paying a premium for the effect. Demand is steady given its near-50% inclusion rate in Winter, Misanthropic Guide lists, so the floor is unlikely to drop further.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Winter, Misanthropic Guide
- Winter, Cynical Opportunist
- Baba Lysaga, Night Witch
- Rendmaw, Creaking Nest
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.