Rot-Tide Gargantua
Creature — Zombie Kraken
Exploit (When this creature enters, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When this creature exploits a creature, each opponent sacrifices a creature of their choice.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Innistrad: Crimson Vow
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #15770
Rot-Tide Gargantua enters and forces each opponent to sacrifice a non-Kraken, non-Leviathan, non-Serpent creature, then puts a copy of one of those creatures under your control — a board-sculpting swing that punishes go-wide tables on the spot. The seven-mana cost is the ceiling, not a dealbreaker, because Rooftop Storm and Runo Stromkirk both make that number irrelevant before the game is over.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Runo Stromkirk
Runo Stromkirk flips into Krothuss by copying large sea creatures, and Rot-Tide Gargantua feeds that engine twice over — it clears the board of creatures that can't be copied by Krothuss while depositing exactly the kind of oversized horror you want Runo Stromkirk to duplicate.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Rot-Tide Gargantua actually lives — the forced-sacrifice effect scales with player count, so a four-player table means three creatures removed and a free copy landing for you, which is substantial tempo for one spell. Outside Commander, the card is legal in Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and even Pauper, but seven mana for a conditional removal effect attached to a body is not competitive in any of those formats. Pauper in particular has access to cheaper, unconditional interaction at common, so Rot-Tide Gargantua won't find a home there despite the legality. Treat this as a Commander-exclusive pickup.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Rooftop StormEnduring RenewalRot-Tide Gargantua
Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Rooftop StormMortuaryRealmwalkerRot-Tide Gargantua
Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Rot-Tide Gargantua is deep bulk — the price reflects narrow playability rather than low power, since the effect is genuinely strong in the right shell. Bulk mythics and rares at this price point rarely spike without a format breakout, and Rot-Tide Gargantua has no realistic path to competitive play, so buy it for the deck and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Rooftop Storm
- Runo Stromkirk
- Enduring Renewal
- Mortuary
- Realmwalker
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.