EDH Optimizer
The Gitrog Monster
Legendary Creature — Frog Horror · 3BG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
The Gitrog Monster is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice The Gitrog Monster unless you sacrifice a land.
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
Whenever one or more land cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere, draw a card.
Reference price of the card: €1.08
Comes in the precon World Shaper
Average lands in decks for The Gitrog Monster: 39
Lands MatterDredgeComboGraveyardLandfallRampSelf-MillReanimator
Build your The Gitrog Monster deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Gitrog Monster 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Gitrog Monster 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: B (73/100)
- Consistency98
- Speed71
- Interaction28
- Resilience74
- Closing77
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 39 lands (29 nonbasic, 2 Swamp, 8 Forest)
Sol Ring · Crop Rotation · Life from the Loam · Ramunap Excavator · Sylvan Safekeeper · Assassin's Trophy · Icetill Explorer · Harrow · Six · Lotus Cobra · Dark Ritual · Splendid Reclamation · Zuran Orb · Azusa, Lost but Seeking · Noose Constrictor · Llanowar Elves · Abrupt Decay · Sylvan Scrying · Titania, Protector of Argoth · Golgari Grave-Troll · Crucible of Worlds · Culling Ritual · Scute Swarm · Aftermath Analyst · Arcane Signet · Oblivion Crown · Birds of Paradise · Tireless Provisioner · Putrid Imp · Exploration · Elvish Mystic · Conduit of Worlds · Beast Within · Deathrite Shaman · Rampaging Baloths · Elves of Deep Shadow · Entomb · Oracle of Mul Daya · Eternal Witness · Avenger of Zendikar · Demonic Tutor · Rain of Filth · Cultivate · Ob Nixilis, the Fallen · Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre · Ancient Greenwarden · Rampant Growth · Squandered Resources · Wild Mongrel · Veil of Summer · World Shaper · Dryad of the Ilysian Grove · Kozilek, Butcher of Truth · Fyndhorn Elves · Vampiric Tutor · Lotus Petal · Nature's Lore · Toxic Deluge · Worldly Tutor · Green Sun's Zenith · Command Tower · Dakmor Salvage · Overgrown Tomb · Verdant Catacombs · Llanowar Wastes · Evolving Wilds · Woodland Cemetery · Terramorphic Expanse · Bojuka Bog · Undergrowth Stadium · Boseiju, Who Endures · Fabled Passage · Tranquil Thicket · Barren Moor · Nurturing Peatland · Windswept Heath · Golgari Rot Farm · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Wooded Foothills · Underground Mortuary · Bloodstained Mire · Misty Rainforest · Twilight Mire · Shifting Woodland · Polluted Delta · Marsh Flats · Strip Mine · Bayou
🃏 Recommended cards for The Gitrog Monster
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Gitrog Monster, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Dakmor Salvage | 76% | +69% |
| Ramunap Excavator | 71% | +67% |
| Crop Rotation | 73% | +64% |
| Life from the Loam | 71% | +64% |
| Sylvan Safekeeper | 65% | +62% |
| Icetill Explorer | 58% | +50% |
| Lotus Cobra | 54% | +49% |
| Zuran Orb | 51% | +49% |
| Six | 55% | +49% |
| Noose Constrictor | 49% | +48% |
| Splendid Reclamation | 51% | +47% |
| Harrow | 55% | +47% |
| Azusa, Lost but Seeking | 49% | +46% |
| Titania, Protector of Argoth | 46% | +44% |
| Sylvan Scrying | 46% | +44% |
| Crucible of Worlds | 45% | +42% |
| Oblivion Crown | 43% | +42% |
| Putrid Imp | 42% | +41% |
| Golgari Grave-Troll | 45% | +39% |
| Exploration | 41% | +38% |
| Aftermath Analyst | 44% | +37% |
| Conduit of Worlds | 40% | +34% |
| Barren Moor | 41% | +34% |
| Tranquil Thicket | 41% | +34% |
💰 The best cards for your The Gitrog Monster 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.
- Dakmor Salvage
- Zuran Orb
- Noose Constrictor
- Splendid Reclamation
- Harrow
- Titania, Protector of Argoth
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ramunap Excavator
- Crop Rotation
- Life from the Loam
- Sylvan Safekeeper
- Lotus Cobra
- Six
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Icetill Explorer
- Crucible of Worlds
- Exploration
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- Squandered Resources
- Windswept Heath
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Gitrog Monster
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- The Gitrog Monster + Dakmor Salvage → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite self-discard triggers
- Shifting Woodland + Aftermath Analyst + Lotus Cobra + Sylvan Safekeeper → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite landfall triggers
👥 Community decks with The Gitrog Monster
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Gitrog Monster's color identity?
The Gitrog Monster is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors 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 The Gitrog Monster come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Gitrog Monster deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 39 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.3 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 11 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: B (73/100).
How many lands should a The Gitrog Monster deck run?
Real The Gitrog Monster decks run 39 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 The Gitrog Monster?
The three highest-synergy cards are Dakmor Salvage, Ramunap Excavator, Crop Rotation. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Gitrog Monster decks.
What combos does The Gitrog Monster have?
The Gitrog Monster has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner. 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 The Gitrog Monster deck cost?
You can start cheap: Dakmor Salvage, Zuran Orb, Noose Constrictor 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.