Rootwater Commando
Creature — Merfolk
Islandwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls an Island.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Tenth Edition
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #26254
Rootwater Commando is a 2/1 Merfolk Warrior for three mana with the ability to tap target island — solid enough as a tempo piece in the right tribal shell, but three mana for a 2/1 with a niche activated ability is a steep ask in any powered environment. Unless you're explicitly running an Island-denial or Merfolk strategy, there are stronger options at every point on the curve.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Rootwater Commando is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it sees virtually no play in any of them. In Commander, the Island-tap ability has marginal relevance — most decks run basics and nonbasics in equal measure, so you're rarely locking out anything meaningful. Pauper is where it comes closest to a home, since the format's slower pace makes a 2/1 body more tolerable, but even there the Merfolk tribe has tighter options. Legacy and Vintage don't look twice at a three-mana 2/1 with no evasion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Rootwater Commando sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to move — there's no competitive demand and no Commander breakout scenario that puts a premium on this effect. Buy it if you want it for a Merfolk theme deck; otherwise it's a bulk-bin card in perpetuity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.