Rootwater Hunter
Creature — Merfolk
: This creature deals 1 damage to any target.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Tempest
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #17728
Rootwater Hunter puts a repeatable, instant-speed artifact destruction ability on an unassuming 1/1 body — the kind of effect that quietly dismantles equipment, mana rocks, and combo pieces whenever you have two mana to spend. The cost is real: a 1/1 that taps to deal 1 damage to an artifact is a slow clock, and it earns its slot only in decks that specifically reward untapping creatures, like Rona, Herald of Invasion.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Rona, Herald of Invasion
Rona, Herald of Invasion untaps every time you cast a legendary spell, and Rootwater Hunter converts each of those untap triggers into on-demand artifact removal — turning what would be an incidental engine bonus into a repeatable threat that keeps the table's rocks and equipment in check.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Rootwater Hunter is a niche include — it asks too much setup to run outside dedicated untap shells, but in those shells it fills a removal role that blue doesn't usually get at this price point. Legacy and Vintage have access to far more efficient artifact answers, so Rootwater Hunter never registers there. Pauper is the only competitive format where it's legal and theoretically relevant, though even there a tapping 1/1 struggles to compete with instant-speed options. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander calculus: worthwhile if your planeswalker generates untap value, ignorable otherwise.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Rootwater Hunter is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. Bulk commons with narrow applications don't appreciate, so grab it for pennies if the combo calls for it and don't think twice about it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Rona, Herald of Invasion
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.