Check out the decklist at Gitrog75.

This build follows the same spirit as my Heliod75 list, but for The Gitrog Monster, aka Frog.

I wanted to build a new commander in this same format, and Gitrog is a commander I’ve not yet explored, so I figured where better to start for the next list.

Same rules apply as previous similar builds: $75 budget for the 99, Commander cost is excluded, it must be tournament legal, and it should be built to be as competitive as possible. Think cEDH analysis applied to $75 budget lists.

Background#

Gitrog decks play off of the Dakmor + Gitrog discard and dredge loop, which enables you to mill your entire library and assemble a win condition from your graveyard.

Current Meta#

The standard win-con at the top cEDH level seems to be torn between two builds that only differ by about 4 cards, including both Eldrazi commanders. These cards are too expensive, they’re decidedly non-starters at this price point, a fun caveat for this list.

Typically, with the inclusion of the Eldrazi titans, the actions of the Dakmor Salvage loop boil down to each card that you dredge being either a land (draw), a shuffle (an Eldrazi), or a non-draw (everything else, i.e. non-land, non-Eldrazi).The shuffle mechanic lets you sculpt your library and shape you into a win.

But we want this list to operate at the absolute top tier of lethality possible for its budget range, and offer much the same tech that a typical Gitrog deck would.

The core thesis of this deck is that Frog can be lethal and maintain the spirit of its unrestricted seniors but at very low budget points, like Heliod75.

Jarad Lines#

Jarad is a sacrifice win-con line that works extremely well with a full graveyard, which is the natural end result of Gitrog’s main combo line - a full library and a lot of mana. Since the typical Eldrazi lines are drastically more expensive, the Jarad lines are a reliable alternative win condition here.

One of Jarad’s best abilities: It thrives in the 99 of this list because you can sac two lands to bring it out of your yard and onto the field. This means that as long as you can pitch your yard with Dakmor and Frog, you can get Jarad out for a sacrifice play.

Lands and Mana Base#

We don’t want to pack too much sorcery ramp into this deck, as it takes away from Gitrog triggers. Instead, it’s better to pack the mana base full of lands that can hit the graveyard to trigger draws to chew through the library.

Cycling lands are great at this price point and will give us ways to fill the yard and draw into Dakmor, because they’ll trigger a draw off of Gitrog and an additional draw.

Anything that let’s you sac a land or makes you discard a land is great. The New Capenna guild lands, the guild panoramas, the sac to destroy target lands like Field of Ruin, etc… are all great value for this reason. They net you a land and a draw for free, and they’re all extremely cheap.

Meta#

Gitrog is fairly expensive at a 5 drop, but as soon as Frog hits the field, you can start chewing through your deck. Sequence lands so that you cast Frog and then play sac lands so that you can trigger extra draws off of your typical fetches while you grind out a mid-game. Frog doesn’t have much in the way of stax pieces at this budget, making it vulnerable to faster combo decks.

Strengths#

  • Explosive draw engine: Once Frog is online, the deck can draw through itself rapidly and set up for a win
  • Graveyard synergies: Having your entire library in the graveyard opens up multiple win conditions, and can be reliably triggered
  • Land-based combo: The core combo is resilient since it’s hard to interact with land-based strategies
  • Multiple win lines: Jarad sac lines, Worm Harvest token generation, and multiple dredge loops with discard outlets provide flexibility

Weaknesses#

  • Vulnerable to removal: Frog dies to any removal spell, and at 5 CMC, recasting gets expensive quickly
  • Limited interaction: Golgari has very few counterspell options—Withering Boon is one of the only ways to stop a Thoracle win
  • Slow setup: The deck takes time to assemble its combo pieces and struggles to keep pace with faster $75 commanders
  • No stax pieces: Unlike Heliod, this budget doesn’t allow for effective stax to slow down opponents
  • Reliant on graveyard: Heavy graveyard hate can shut down most win conditions simultaneously
  • Struggles against fast combo: Limited ways to interact with winning combos like Thoracle or Laboratory Maniac

Combo Lines#

You should be aiming for an open hand that plays into one of these lines as hard as possible.

1. Dakmor + Jarad + Gitrog + Oblivion’s Crown#

There is a unique line in Oblivion’s Crown with Jarad sacrifice lines. You can pump a creature, any creature, with [Oblivion Crown] + any Dredge card, and then sac it to Jarad, assuming you have Gitrog on the field. The most efficient target is to enchant Gitrog with the Oblivion’s Crown and then Dakmor loop to pump Gitrog and sac it to the Jarad.

Alternative discard outlets: Wild Mongrel, Cabal Initiate, or Noose Constrictor all provide discard outlets to pump a creature similarly.

2. Turn The Earth#

This card has interesting connotations because it lets us save three cards from the graveyard so that we can buy time or target cards after we’ve pulled our Dakmor trigger.

The loop consists of Dakmor + any discard outlet. You can chew through your whole library, save three cards in the library. This lets you fill your graveyard to pump a sac, or sculpt your next three turns. It has similar value as Doomsday lines.

Note: Krosan Reclamation has a similar benefit of helping us always be able to save a card after milling out because of Flashback.

3. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord#

This is the main tutor target in this deck. Any creature tutor wants to get this card out and a creature like Lord of Extinction or a way to pump a creature, like [Oblivion Crown] or Wild Mongrel. Sac to Jarad and win the game outright, or recur the sac fodder from the Graveyard and sac it again to win, etc…

4. Worm Harvest + Dakmor#

Worm Harvest has strong recurring value when used with Dakmor Salvage, because you can bounce Dakmor back to hand to pay the Retrace cost on Worm Harvest. It’s expensive but it can start to be a significant amount of tokens that you can swing out for combat damage. Go-wide strategies are hard to handle.

Synthesis#

While Gitrog is a powerful commander with a proven combo engine, the $75 budget constraint significantly limits its effectiveness compared to Heliod75. The core Dakmor + Gitrog dredge loop remains intact, but the lack of Eldrazi shuffle titans forces us into alternative win conditions like Jarad sacrifice lines.

The deck can still execute its game plan—mill the entire library and win from the graveyard—but struggles with:

  • Speed: The deck takes time to set up compared to faster budget commanders
  • Interaction: Golgari’s limited counterspell options (Withering Boon) make it vulnerable to combo wins like Thoracle
  • Commander reliance: At 5 CMC, Frog is expensive and vulnerable to removal

That said, the flexibility of multiple win conditions and the resilience of land-based combos give this deck potential in slower metas. If you’re looking for a grindy, graveyard-focused commander that can steal wins through attrition, Gitrog75 delivers—just don’t expect to outrace the fastest decks at the table.