Arcane Foundry › Commanders › Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey
Legendary Creature — Avatar Wizard · {3}{U}{R} · Red/Blue commander
What Gandalf the Grey actually does
Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.
- Triggered ability · cast_spellWhenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, choose one that hasn't been chosen —
- Ability• Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
What a Gandalf the Grey deck needs
Plays as spellslinger. What the commander asks of the other 99 — read from the card and checked by hand.
- instant and sorcery spells (its trigger fires on each one you cast)
- instants, sorceries and artifact spells worth copying (it copies your spells)
The Gandalf the Grey deck plan
The roles the Forge fills for this commander, and how many cards of each.
- 22× Instants and sorceries — for a magecraft/prowess commander the spell COUNT is the engine
- 20× A card that is CAST to trigger the commander — reanimating or blinking it does not count
- 5× Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- 9× Find the exact card the plan needs
- 2× Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- 1× Answer a whole board at once
- 7× Refill your hand
- 2× Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- 11× Get ahead on mana
Best cards for Gandalf the Grey
Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.
Instants and sorceries — for a magecraft/prowess commander the spell COUNT is the engine
- Pact of Negation0 mana
- An Offer You Can't Refuse1 mana
- Brainstorm1 mana
- Faithless Looting1 mana
- Gamble1 mana
- Lightning Bolt1 mana
- Mystical Tutor1 mana
- Opt1 mana
A card that is CAST to trigger the commander — reanimating or blinking it does not count
- Pact of Negation0 mana
- An Offer You Can't Refuse1 mana
- Brainstorm1 mana
- Faithless Looting1 mana
- Gamble1 mana
- Lightning Bolt1 mana
- Mystical Tutor1 mana
- Opt1 mana
Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- Reality Shift2 mana
- Wild Magic Surge2 mana
- Pongify1 mana
- Rapid Hybridization1 mana
- Resculpt2 mana
- Crush1 mana
- Umezawa's Jitte2 mana
- Jilt2 mana
Find the exact card the plan needs
- Reshape2 mana
- Mask of the Mimic1 mana
- Long-Term Plans3 mana
- Whir of Invention3 mana
- Merchant Scroll2 mana
- Mystical Tutor1 mana
- Muddle the Mixture2 mana
- Personal Tutor1 mana
Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- Mindbreak Trap4 mana
- Fierce Guardianship3 mana
- Force of Negation3 mana
- Force of Will5 mana
- Flare of Denial3 mana
- Pact of Negation0 mana
- An Offer You Can't Refuse1 mana
- Arcane Denial2 mana
Answer a whole board at once
- Blasphemous Act9 mana
- Chain Reaction4 mana
- Street Spasm1 mana
- Desynchronization4 mana
- Wave Goodbye4 mana
- Whelming Wave4 mana
- Consuming Tide4 mana
- Selective Obliteration5 mana
Refill your hand
- Mystic Remora1 mana
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer1 mana
- Skullclamp1 mana
- Curiosity1 mana
- Wizard Class1 mana
- Professional Face-Breaker3 mana
- Rhystic Study3 mana
- Faerie Mastermind2 mana
Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- Hexing Squelcher2 mana
- Lost in the Maze2 mana
- Lightning Greaves2 mana
- Swiftfoot Boots2 mana
- Eldrazi Monument5 mana
- Commander's Plate1 mana
- Mithril Coat3 mana
- Akroma's Memorial7 mana
Get ahead on mana
- Sol Ring1 mana
- Izzet Signet2 mana
- Palladium Myr3 mana
- Worn Powerstone3 mana
- Chrome Mox0 mana
- Everflowing Chalice0 mana
- Mox Diamond0 mana
- Mana Vault1 mana
Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →
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