The Commander
Whenever Lorthos attacks, you may pay 
. If you do, tap up to eight target permanents. Those permanents don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps.
Guide
Gameplan
Cast a giant 8/8 octopus, then either beat down or use his attack trigger to lock down everyone's blockers, lands, and threats. You ramp hard into Lorthos, protect him, and turn his repeated tap-down into a soft Stax lock while your evasive/big creatures close the game. He's a mono-blue beater that doubles as a board-controlling Kraken commander.
Strengths
- Huge 8/8 body that demands removal and pressures any board
- Repeatable tap-down of up to 8 permanents creates a soft lock on opponents
- Mono-blue gives access to the best counters, card draw, and protection in the format
- Synergizes naturally with sea monster/big-blue tribal payoffs
Weaknesses
- Eight mana to cast plus eight more to use his trigger is brutally expensive
- Single-color means no access to wipes, ramp creatures, or efficient removal outside blue
- Dies to any spot removal, restarting the whole investment
- Tap effects don't kill anything, so you still need real win conditions
Key Cards
- Whelming Wave — One-sided board wipe that bounces everything but your Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents—including Lorthos.
- Quietus Spike — Halves an opponent's life on Lorthos connection, turning his big body into a fast clock.
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling — Gives Lorthos unblockable and untaps him to enable extra tap triggers or blink shenanigans.
- Cyclonic Rift — The premier mono-blue blowout that resets opponents while you keep your sea monsters.
- High Tide — Massive ritual-style ramp to power out Lorthos and pay his activation in the same turn.
- Inkwell Leviathan — Shrouded, trample, islandwalk beater that pairs with Lorthos's lockdown for unblockable damage.
Upgrade Path
Lean into mono-blue ramp—Sol Ring, Mana Vault, High Tide, and Caged Sun—so you can cast Lorthos and activate his trigger the same turn. Add unblockable enablers (Whispersilk Cloak, Aqueous Form, Thassa) and protection (Swiftfoot Boots, counterspells) so your investment sticks. For a real ceiling, slot in fast wins like Quietus Spike, Stroke of Genius/Blue Sun's Zenith finishers, and untap engines (Seedborn Muse, Thousand-Year Storm) to make tap triggers oppressive.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Commander damage from a buffed or unblockable Lorthos, often with Quietus Spike
- ▸Beating down with a board of locked-down opponents and big sea monsters
- ▸Repeatedly tapping all defenders to push through evasive Leviathans
Archetypes
- Big Blue / Sea Monster Tribal — Lorthos anchors a top-end of Krakens, Leviathans, and Serpents that close games once ramp comes online.
- Soft Stax / Control — His attack trigger taps down lands and creatures repeatedly, freezing opponents while you draw and counter.
- Voltron — His 8 power plus equipment like Quietus Spike or unblockable enablers makes him a one-shot threat.
- Ramp — He demands huge mana, so the deck leans on rituals and rocks that also power his expensive activation.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (U), by popularity.
