Live Play Data

Smothering Tithe

· Enchantment · Commander Masters (CMM)

Deck Inclusion

Games Tracked

171

Decks Running

153

Median Cast Turn

4.0

Drawn → Played

63%

Smothering Tithe sits in 6.7% of tracked Commander decks on Playgroup Live. When drawn, it reaches the battlefield 58% of the time, with a median first-cast turn of 4 — right on its mana curve.

Smothering Tithe appears in 113 of the 1,688 distinct decks that have played a tracked game on Playgroup Live, a 6.7% inclusion rate that reflects its strict White color identity rather than any lack of esteem. Within those decks it is widely considered one of the strongest mana-generation tools available to White, turning every opponent's draw step into a slow tax or a free Treasure.

The draw-to-play rate sits at 58%. That is meaningfully lower than a card like Sol Ring, and the hand-to-cast data explains why: the median time between drawing Smothering Tithe and casting it is 1 turn, but only 37% of drawn copies are cast the same turn they arrive. Players are holding it one or two turns while they plan around a four-mana investment, not shelving it indefinitely. Once it does resolve, battlefield stickiness is 82%, meaning opponents rarely have clean answers ready.

Win rate when cast is 36.4% versus 33.7% when it stays in the library. That 2.7-point delta is directional given the sample sizes involved, but it is consistent with the card's reputation: resolving Smothering Tithe tilts the resource math in a pod, even if it does not singlehandedly decide games.

At a glance

6.7% inclusion rate across 1,688 tracked Commander decks
58% of drawn copies are cast before the game ends
T4 median first-cast turn, exactly on its four-mana curve
82% battlefield stickiness once Smothering Tithe resolves
37% of drawn copies are cast the same turn they are drawn
+2.7pp win-rate lift when cast vs. staying in the library (directional)

First-cast turn

n=36

11%

28%

11%

28%

T6-9

T10+

Median 4.0 P25 3 · P75 7 · max 13

On curve 28% (10 / 36 cast on T4) Cast same turn as drawn 31%

The "good card" funnel

199 brought · 131 players

Brought to game

199

Ever drawn

Reached battlefield

Still on board at game end

63%

Of 141 Smothering Tithes brought to games, 33 were drawn, 22 of those were cast, and 18 were still on the battlefield when the game ended — a tight funnel that holds up well once the card resolves.

+7.0pp

Players who cast this card win 35% of the time (n=36) , vs 28% when it never left the library (n=136).

Final zone distribution

199 instances

67.8%

Library

14.1%

Battlefield

7.5%

Graveyard

2.5%

Exile

101 of 141 Smothering Tithes finish the game in the library, the expected outcome for a singleton in a 100-card deck; the 18 copies still on the battlefield at game-end represent real sustained pressure.

Top commanders running this card

by deck count

The top-commander list is notably spread across 10 different commanders and multiple color identities, signaling that Smothering Tithe is treated as a White-staple slot rather than a synergy piece tied to any one strategy.

Frequently Asked

How often is Smothering Tithe drawn in a Commander game? ▾

In tracked games where it was in the deck, it was drawn in 23.4% of deck-participations, consistent with what you would expect from a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 33 instances we observed reaching a player's hand, 22 were eventually cast — a draw-to-play rate of about 58%.

What turn does Smothering Tithe usually hit the battlefield? ▾

Median first-cast turn is 4, exactly on its mana value. The p25 is turn 3 and the p75 is turn 5, so the bulk of casts land in a tight turns-3-to-5 window. Only 2 of 22 observed casts happened on turn 1, likely via ramp or cost reduction, and 6 were cast ahead of curve in total.

Why do players hold Smothering Tithe in hand rather than casting it immediately? ▾

The hand-to-cast data shows a same-turn cast rate of only 37%, with a median hold time of 1 turn and a max of 4. At four mana, players are often waiting to reach the mana threshold or timing the cast strategically around countermagic or other priority plays. This is not a card players slam blindly; the decision involves reading the table.

Does casting Smothering Tithe actually improve your win rate? ▾

Early signal says yes, but modestly. Participations where Smothering Tithe was cast show a 36.4% win rate (8 wins in 22 casts). Participations where it sat in the library the whole game show a 33.7% win rate (34 wins in 101 observations). That 2.7-point delta is directional rather than conclusive at these sample sizes, but the direction matches its reputation as a strong asymmetric advantage engine.

Which commanders run Smothering Tithe most often in the tracked data? ▾

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic leads with 11 decks, followed by Lorehold, the Historian at 6 and Y'shtola, Night's Blessed at 5. The list is spread across multiple color identities that include White, from mono-White builds like Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor to five-color piles like The Ur-Dragon. That spread confirms Smothering Tithe is treated as a generic White staple rather than a build-around piece.

Is Smothering Tithe legal in Commander? ▾

Yes. Smothering Tithe is legal and unrestricted in Commander, as well as in Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator, Brawl, Duel Commander, and Oathbreaker. It is not legal in Standard, Pauper, Pauper Commander, or Alchemy formats as of the most recent legality data.