EDH Optimizer
The Watcher in the Water
Legendary Creature — Kraken · 3UU
Color identity: Blue
The Watcher in the Water is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
The Watcher in the Water enters tapped with nine stun counters on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)
Whenever you draw a card during an opponent's turn, create a 1/1 blue Tentacle creature token.
Whenever a Tentacle you control dies, untap up to one target Kraken and put a stun counter on up to one target nonland permanent.
Reference price of the card: €1.75
Average lands in decks for The Watcher in the Water: 35
WheelsTokensCard DrawControlCantripsSea CreaturesSpellslingerCombo
Build your The Watcher in the Water deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Watcher in the Water 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Watcher in the Water deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (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: A (82/100)
- Consistency92
- Speed62
- Interaction75
- Resilience83
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (9 nonbasic, 26 Island)
Sol Ring · Brainstorm · Thought Vessel · Nadir Kraken · Sapphire Medallion · Arcane Signet · Ominous Seas · Opt · Frantic Search · Teferi's Ageless Insight · Chasm Skulker · Junk Winder · Brainsurge · Counterspell · Wavebreak Hippocamp · Arcane Denial · Pull from Tomorrow · Psychosis Crawler · Transcendent Message · Consider · Tolarian Winds · Ashnod's Altar · High Tide · Mind Stone · Archmage Emeritus · Faerie Mastermind · Nezahal, Primal Tide · Midnight Clock · Flow of Knowledge · Rhystic Study · Mystic Remora · Scourge of Fleets · Skullclamp · Laboratory Maniac · Thirst for Discovery · Hullbreaker Horror · Blue Sun's Zenith · Harmonized Crescendo · Meeting of Minds · Consecrated Sphinx · Perilous Research · Pongify · Wizard Class · Keep Watch · Wonder · Ledger Shredder · Whelming Wave · Decanter of Endless Water · Teferi, Master of Time · Borne Upon a Wind · The Unagi of Kyoshi Island · Sky Diamond · Idol of Oblivion · Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards · Monstrosity of the Lake · Negate · Aetherize · Drowned Rusalka · Eluge, the Shoreless Sea · Harmonized Trio // Brainstorm · Reality Shift · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Quick Study · Rapid Hybridization · Reliquary Tower · Mystic Sanctuary · Lonely Sandbar · Myriad Landscape · War Room · Nesting Grounds · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Three Tree City · High Market
🃏 Recommended cards for The Watcher in the Water
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Watcher in the Water, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Nadir Kraken | 79% | +74% |
| Junk Winder | 66% | +63% |
| Ominous Seas | 73% | +62% |
| Transcendent Message | 62% | +60% |
| Tolarian Winds | 61% | +57% |
| Brainsurge | 64% | +56% |
| Teferi's Ageless Insight | 72% | +55% |
| Wavebreak Hippocamp | 64% | +54% |
| Ashnod's Altar | 58% | +54% |
| Pull from Tomorrow | 63% | +54% |
| Chasm Skulker | 66% | +52% |
| Opt | 73% | +48% |
| Psychosis Crawler | 62% | +46% |
| Consider | 61% | +46% |
| Nezahal, Primal Tide | 53% | +46% |
| Brainstorm | 86% | +45% |
| Skullclamp | 49% | +43% |
| Thirst for Discovery | 47% | +42% |
| Perilous Research | 42% | +40% |
| Frantic Search | 72% | +40% |
| Meeting of Minds | 43% | +40% |
| Keep Watch | 40% | +38% |
| Harmonized Crescendo | 43% | +38% |
| Scourge of Fleets | 49% | +37% |
💰 The best cards for your The Watcher in the Water 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.
- Nadir Kraken
- Junk Winder
- Ominous Seas
- Transcendent Message
- Tolarian Winds
- Brainsurge
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Teferi's Ageless Insight
- Ashnod's Altar
- Nezahal, Primal Tide
- Skullclamp
- Perilous Research
- Teferi, Master of Time
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Faerie Mastermind
- Consecrated Sphinx
- Phyrexian Altar
- Three Tree City
- Rhystic Study
- Spawning Kraken
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Watcher in the Water
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mox Amber → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite storm count
- Tidespout Tyrant + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Narset's Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite turns, Lock
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Watcher in the Water's color identity?
The Watcher in the Water is blue: 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 The Watcher in the Water come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Watcher in the Water deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.5 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 10 % of the time and floods 1 %. Deck health: A (82/100).
How many lands should a The Watcher in the Water deck run?
Real The Watcher in the Water 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 The Watcher in the Water?
The three highest-synergy cards are Nadir Kraken, Junk Winder, Ominous Seas. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Watcher in the Water decks.
What combos does The Watcher in the Water have?
The Watcher in the Water has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 Watcher in the Water deck cost?
You can start cheap: Nadir Kraken, Junk Winder, Ominous Seas 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.