Rooting Moloch
Creature — Lizard
When this creature enters, exile target card with a cycling ability from your graveyard. Until the end of your next turn, you may play that card.
Cycling 
(, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #16286
Rooting Moloch cycles for free on your first cycle each turn, then comes down as a 4/3 with cycling-cost reduction stapled on — the floor is a cheap threat, the ceiling is an engine piece. In Gavi, Nest Warden decks it earns its slot on the first ability alone; anywhere else, it's a role-player that asks you to already care about cycling.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gavi, Nest Warden
Gavi, Nest Warden generates a free token the first time you cycle each turn, and Rooting Moloch's free-cycle trigger lines up exactly with that condition — every turn you untap, you're getting a token and reducing the cost of your next cycling payoff without spending a card.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Rooting Moloch is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it only truly matters in Commander. In Constructed formats, a 4/3 for four with conditional utility competes against far more efficient threats, and no competitive cycling shell wants a four-drop this slow. Commander is where the free-cycle trigger compounds over a long game, stacking with other cycling payoffs in a dedicated build. Outside of a cycling-themed deck — Gavi, Nest Warden being the obvious home — Rooting Moloch doesn't clear the bar in any 60-card format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Rooting Moloch is deep bulk — easy to acquire, easy to cut if the cycling theme doesn't pan out. Bulk rares in narrow tribal or theme roles rarely appreciate, so treat it as a free inclusion rather than a speculative pickup.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.