EDH Optimizer
Gargos, Vicious Watcher
Legendary Creature — Hydra · 3GGG
Color identity: Green
Gargos, Vicious Watcher is green: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Vigilance
Hydra spells you cast cost {4} less to cast.
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell, Gargos fights up to one target creature you don't control.
Reference price of the card: €1.51
Average lands in decks for Gargos, Vicious Watcher: 35
+1/+1 CountersHydrasX SpellsRampAggroFightStompyControl
Build your Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gargos, Vicious Watcher 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency90
- Speed62
- Interaction39
- Resilience82
- Closing54
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (10 nonbasic, 25 Forest)
Managorger Hydra · Kalonian Hydra · Sol Ring · Garruk's Uprising · Voracious Hydra · Hungering Hydra · Hydra Omnivore · Lifeblood Hydra · Primordial Hydra · Steelbane Hydra · Genesis Hydra · Cultivate · Ulvenwald Hydra · Goldvein Hydra · Hydra Broodmaster · Mistcutter Hydra · Whiptongue Hydra · Emerald Medallion · Oran-Rief Hydra · Branching Evolution · Kodama's Reach · Vastwood Hydra · Ironscale Hydra · Rampant Growth · Neverwinter Hydra · Unbound Flourishing · Mossborn Hydra · Beast Within · Hooded Hydra · Inspiring Call · Llanowar Elves · Nature's Lore · Nyxborn Hydra · Heroes' Bane · Heroic Intervention · Protean Hydra · The Earth Crystal · Benevolent Hydra · Return of the Wildspeaker · Warden of the Grove · Rampant Rejuvenator · Rhonas's Monument · Hydra's Growth · Skyshroud Claim · Elvish Mystic · Hardened Scales · Rishkar's Expertise · Tamiyo's Safekeeping · Overwhelming Stampede · Ram Through · Selvala, Heart of the Wilds · The Great Henge · Three Visits · Fanatic of Rhonas · Gaea's Gift · Karametra's Acolyte · Snakeskin Veil · Terrasymbiosis · Unnatural Growth · Nessian Wilds Ravager · Swiftfoot Boots · Hunter's Insight · The Ozolith · Traverse the Outlands · Rogue's Passage · Castle Garenbrig · Reliquary Tower · Lair of the Hydra · Mosswort Bridge · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Oran-Rief, the Vastwood · Myriad Landscape · Path of Ancestry · Temple of the False God
🃏 Recommended cards for Gargos, Vicious Watcher
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gargos, Vicious Watcher, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Voracious Hydra | 81% | +77% |
| Managorger Hydra | 86% | +77% |
| Kalonian Hydra | 83% | +76% |
| Hungering Hydra | 78% | +75% |
| Lifeblood Hydra | 77% | +74% |
| Hydra Omnivore | 77% | +73% |
| Primordial Hydra | 77% | +72% |
| Steelbane Hydra | 73% | +70% |
| Genesis Hydra | 72% | +68% |
| Ulvenwald Hydra | 69% | +63% |
| Hydra Broodmaster | 66% | +63% |
| Goldvein Hydra | 66% | +62% |
| Mistcutter Hydra | 64% | +62% |
| Whiptongue Hydra | 63% | +59% |
| Vastwood Hydra | 60% | +58% |
| Oran-Rief Hydra | 61% | +56% |
| Ironscale Hydra | 58% | +56% |
| Unbound Flourishing | 57% | +55% |
| Neverwinter Hydra | 57% | +55% |
| Hooded Hydra | 54% | +51% |
| Branching Evolution | 60% | +49% |
| Protean Hydra | 50% | +48% |
| Nyxborn Hydra | 51% | +48% |
| Heroes' Bane | 50% | +47% |
💰 The best cards for your Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Voracious Hydra
- Managorger Hydra
- Hungering Hydra
- Lifeblood Hydra
- Hydra Omnivore
- Primordial Hydra
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Kalonian Hydra
- Goldvein Hydra
- Unbound Flourishing
- Neverwinter Hydra
- Branching Evolution
- Mossborn Hydra
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The Ozolith
- Urza's Incubator
- Fanatic of Rhonas
- Doubling Season
- The Great Henge
- Runadi, Behemoth Caller
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gargos, Vicious Watcher
- Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Staff of Domination + Priest of Titania → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite untap of creatures you control, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite green mana
- Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB
- Staff of Domination + Circle of Dreams Druid → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite untap of creatures you control, Infinite green mana
- Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite storm count
- Staff of Domination + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds → Infinite card draw, Infinite colored mana, Infinite draw triggers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite untap of creatures you control
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gargos, Vicious Watcher's color identity?
Gargos, Vicious Watcher is green: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Gargos, Vicious Watcher come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 93 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 17 % of the time and floods 6 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck run?
Real Gargos, Vicious Watcher decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Gargos, Vicious Watcher?
The three highest-synergy cards are Voracious Hydra, Managorger Hydra, Kalonian Hydra. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gargos, Vicious Watcher decks.
What combos does Gargos, Vicious Watcher have?
Gargos, Vicious Watcher has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Gargos, Vicious Watcher deck cost?
You can start cheap: Voracious Hydra, Managorger Hydra, Hungering Hydra are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.