The Commander
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, choose one that hasn't been chosen —
• You may tap or untap target permanent.
• Gandalf deals 3 damage to each opponent.
• Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
• Put Gandalf on top of its owner's library.
Guide
Gameplan
Gandalf the Grey is an Izzet spellslinger engine that turns every instant and sorcery into incremental value. Each turn cycle you cast cheap cantrips, removal, and burn while picking off the modal menu — untapping a key permanent, draining 3 to each opponent, or copying your best spell. You chain spells with cost reducers and rituals to reset the menu and snowball into a lethal copied burn spell or storm-style finish.
Strengths
- Free spell copy on every cast effectively doubles your best instant/sorcery
- Repeatable 3-to-each-opponent burn gives a built-in clock without needing creatures
- Untap mode enables fast-mana and big-mana plays (untap a rock or land tapped for storage)
- Deep, well-supported color pair (Izzet) loaded with cantrips and copy synergies
- Resilient — the library-top mode lets you reset and reuse him while dodging some removal
Weaknesses
- The four modes only reset once Gandalf returns or is recast, so a single cast gives you one mode
- Spell-light or flooded draws leave the engine idle
- Five-mana commander that does little without a stocked hand of spells
- Vulnerable to graveyard hate and stax that taxes noncreature spells (Rule of Law effects)
- Removal-heavy metas can keep him off the battlefield, shutting off triggers entirely
Key Cards
- Underworld Breach — Recasts spells from the graveyard to chain triggers and combo with rituals for a copied-burn kill.
- Dramatic Reversal — With nonland mana rocks, the untap mode plus copies generates infinite mana and storm count.
- Isochron Scepter — Imprinting a cantrip or ritual feeds Gandalf triggers every turn, and pairs with Dramatic Reversal for infinite mana.
- Mizzix's Mastery — A copyable bomb sorcery that recasts your best instant/sorcery — doubled by Gandalf's copy mode.
- Jeska's Will — Burst ritual mana to chain multiple spells in a turn while triggering Gandalf repeatedly.
- Thousand-Year Storm — Stacks with Gandalf so each spell makes extra copies, exploding your damage and value.
Upgrade Path
Tighten the curve with more efficient cantrips (Ponder, Brainstorm, Opt) and fast mana (Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus, Mox Opal) so Gandalf comes down early and stays fed. Add dedicated combo lines — Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter, Underworld Breach + ritual loops — plus copyable payoffs like Mizzix's Mastery to convert triggers into a kill. Finally, protect the engine with counterspells (Swan Song, Fierce Guardianship) and a couple of reanimation/recast effects so you can rebuild after removal.
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
- ▸Repeated Gandalf burn (3 to each opponent) finishing the table over several casts
- ▸Copying a large X burn spell like Fireball or Comet Storm for a lethal blast
- ▸Infinite mana via Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter into a copyable damage spell
- ▸Storm-style turn with Thousand-Year Storm or Underworld Breach generating dozens of triggers
Archetypes
- Spellslinger — Every instant and sorcery triggers a free modal value engine, rewarding a spell-dense build.
- Storm/Combo — Untap and copy modes enable infinite mana and copied lethal spells with rocks and rituals.
- Burn/Control — The 3-damage-to-each-opponent mode plus counters and removal lets you grind out a midrange clock.
- Spell Copy — Doubling instants and sorceries amplifies wraths, draw, and big X-spells for value-driven control.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (RU), by popularity.
