Rooting Moloch MTG Card
2020-04-24 - Number 133
2022-12-02 - Number 590
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Lizard |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
When Rooting Moloch enters the battlefield, exile target card with a cycling ability from your graveyard. Until the end of your next turn, you may play that card. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Their feeding habits leave them with gizzards full of tumbled gems.
Cards like Rooting Moloch
Rooting Moloch is a creature card that presents an interesting dynamic in gameplay for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. Comparable with cards such as Dragon Fodder, which shares the common theme of token creation. While Dragon Fodder offers an immediate increase in board presence by creating two goblin tokens, Rooting Moloch requires a different strategic approach, providing value from cycling cards and setting up delayed token generation.
Another analogous creature is Igneous Elemental, often used for its cost reduction element when you’ve discarded or drawn cards. While both Moloch and Elemental deal with interacting with your graveyard, Rooting Moloch specifically leverages cards with cycling. This focus on cycling can synergize well with decks built around this mechanic.
In surveying the array of creature cards that interact with the graveyard or hand, Rooting Moloch offers unique benefits for decks that are rich in cycling cards. It rewards players for their foresight and planning, granting significant tempo swings in gameplay. As with any card, its effectiveness is ultimately determined by its synergy with the rest of the deck it resides within.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rooting Moloch, when entering the battlefield, permits you to excavate cards from the top of your deck to possibly unearth a critical resource. This ability enhances your strategic depth, offering a tangible card advantage that can tip the scales in your favor during play.
Resource Acceleration: Featuring a remarkable mechanic, Rooting Moloch can bring lands from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped. This effectively accelerates your resource accumulation, paving the way for more high-impact plays earlier in the game and bolstering your mana base.
Instant Speed: While Rooting Moloch itself isn’t an instant, its synergy with instant-speed spells is noteworthy. By setting up your graveyard with lands, you can optimize the timing of your plays. This paired approach allows you to align Moloch’s land-returning ability with the dynamic pace of the game, ensuring you’re primed to respond to the evolving battlefield at a moment’s notice.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Rigorous mana allocation can pose significant limitations, especially in decks that strive for a diverse color scheme or run on a tight curve.
Specific Mana Cost: Rooting Moloch demands a precise mana blend to be cast effectively, which could disrupt the fluidity within decks not heavily invested in red.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighed against other cards within its mana range, Rooting Moloch’s cost efficiency can be questioned as you delve into the deeper layers of strategy in MTG.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Rooting Moloch offers flexibility on the battlefield with its cycling ability, allowing players to draw a card and trigger various effects in a pinch, or casting it later for an impactful presence on the board.
Combo Potential: When combined with cards that profit from cycling or discarding, Rooting Moloch can be part of powerful synergistic combinations. Its ability to return a cycled card to the battlefield is a robust way to maximize your card interactions.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that’s heavy on graveyard interactions or where cycling cards are common, Rooting Moloch can play a crucial role. It meshes well with strategies that continuously leverage cycling for card advantage and board control.
How to beat
Rooting Moloch offers an intriguing dynamic in the realm of red creature cards within MTG. It features a solid body that, when entering the battlefield, allows you to return a land card from your graveyard to your hand, presenting an opportunity to reutilize resources. This ability becomes particularly useful in decks that revolve around land sacrifice or cycling strategies, giving an unexpected boost to your mana availability.
But, taking down the Rooting Moloch requires a clear strategy. Efficient removal spells that can bypass the Moloch’s size are essential, as direct damage might not always be enough. Spells like “Murderous Rider” or “Heartless Act” come in handy for their ability to reliably eliminate creatures irrespective of their toughness. Additionally, utilizing blue spells that counter when the Rooting Moloch is cast ensures it never impacts the board. This preemptive measure can save the game against land-dependent decks. Counter spells like “Cancel” or “Dissolve” can be crucial.
When it comes to combat, don’t overlook the advantage of flying creatures that can soar over the Rooting Moloch. Its lack of reach or flying means aerial attacks go unchallenged, providing a consistent way to whittle down an opponent’s life total without engaging it directly.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rooting Moloch MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and Jumpstart 2022, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Rooting Moloch and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Rooting Moloch Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-04-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Andrey Kuzinskiy.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020-04-24 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths | IKO | 133 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Andrey Kuzinskiy | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 590 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Andrey Kuzinskiy |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rooting Moloch has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rooting Moloch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-04-17 | If you don’t play the exiled card, it remains exiled. |
| 2020-04-17 | Rooting Moloch gives you permission to play the card as a land or cast it as a spell. You can’t cycle the exiled card. |
| 2020-04-17 | You must follow the normal timing permissions and restrictions for the exiled card. If it’s a land, you can’t play it unless you have land plays available. |
| 2020-04-17 | You’ll still pay all costs for a spell cast this way, including additional costs. You may also pay alternative costs if any are available. |