Root Manipulation
Sorcery
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +2/+2 and gain menace and "Whenever this creature attacks, you gain 1 life." (A creature with menace can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #16699
Root Manipulation puts a land directly onto the battlefield and draws a card — that's two resources for three mana, which is a strong rate when the food token is incidental upside. In Blech, Loafing Pest builds specifically, the food synergy tips this from good to essential.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Blech, Loafing Pest
Blech, Loafing Pest cares about food tokens entering the battlefield, so Root Manipulation doubles as ramp and a trigger on the same card — 36% of Blech decks already run it, and the synergy score of 0.31 makes it one of the clearest includes in the archetype.
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 |
Root Manipulation is legal everywhere except Pauper, but Commander is where it actually sees play. In 60-card formats, a three-mana sorcery that fetches one land and draws one card is simply too slow — Cultivate and Kodama's Reach face the same uphill battle outside EDH, and Root Manipulation asks for an additional setup cost in the food token. In Commander, the food synergy angle is the entire argument: generic green decks will usually prefer Rampant Growth plus a cantrip, but food-matters commanders make Root Manipulation a two-for-one that advances multiple axes at once.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, Root Manipulation is bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. That price is stable; it's a narrow card with a clear home, so there's no reason it spikes and no reason to hesitate picking up a copy if you're building the right deck.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Blech, Loafing Pest
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.