EDH Optimizer
Gandalf, Shadow's Foe
Legendary Creature — Avatar Wizard · 5UU
Color identity: Blue
Gandalf, Shadow's Foe is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Vigilance
When Gandalf enters, exile up to three target lands you control, then return them to the battlefield tapped under their owner's control.
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, draw a card and put a +1/+1 counter on Gandalf.
Reference price of the card: €20.51
Average lands in decks for Gandalf, Shadow's Foe: 37
Lands MatterBlinkLandfallCombo+1/+1 CountersRampControlSpellslinger
Build your Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gandalf, Shadow's Foe 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B (72/100)
- Consistency78
- Speed47
- Interaction100
- Resilience87
- Closing60
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (27 nonbasic, 10 Island)
Sol Ring · Retreat to Coralhelm · Walking Atlas · Ghostly Flicker · PuPu UFO · Amulet of Vigor · Sapphire Medallion · Tiller Engine · Essence Flux · Roil Elemental · Elven Raft-Steerer · Counterspell · Starfield Vocalist · Arcane Signet · High Tide · Solemn Simulacrum · Deadeye Navigator · Displacer Kitten · Wayfarer's Bauble · Dreamscape Artist · Thought Vessel · Snap · Pongify · Ruin Crab · Wizard's Staff · Grappling Kraken · Silver Surfer, Cosmic Voyager · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Troop of Ponies · Arcane Denial · Burnished Hart · Frantic Search · Thassa, Deep-Dwelling · Rapid Hybridization · Panharmonicon · Displace · Sword of the Animist · Laboratory Maniac · Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll · Mana Drain · Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs · Aetherize · Cyclonic Rift · Hedron Crab · Planar Incision · Trinket Mage · Expedition Map · Patron of the Moon · Swan Song · Weather Maker · Sword of Hearth and Home · Teferi's Time Twist · Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel · Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore · Conjurer's Closet · Fabricate · Meloku the Clouded Mirror · Archaeomancer · Guardian of Tazeem · Roil Cartographer · Virtue of Knowledge // Vantress Visions · Blur · Mystic Sanctuary · Reliquary Tower · Myriad Landscape · Terrain Generator · Guildless Commons · Fabled Passage · Arid Archway · Otawara, Soaring City · Urza's Saga · Flooded Strand · Oboro, Palace in the Clouds · Polluted Delta · Scalding Tarn · Misty Rainforest · Riptide Laboratory · Talon Gates of Madara · Evolving Wilds · Urza's Cave · Field of the Dead · Horizon of Progress · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Prismatic Vista · Vesuva · Halimar Depths · Terramorphic Expanse · Rogue's Passage · Sunscorched Desert
🃏 Recommended cards for Gandalf, Shadow's Foe
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gandalf, Shadow's Foe, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Retreat to Coralhelm | 77% | +74% |
| Walking Atlas | 77% | +73% |
| Amulet of Vigor | 73% | +72% |
| PuPu UFO | 74% | +70% |
| Tiller Engine | 70% | +70% |
| Elven Raft-Steerer | 67% | +66% |
| Roil Elemental | 68% | +66% |
| Ghostly Flicker | 75% | +63% |
| Starfield Vocalist | 65% | +62% |
| Essence Flux | 68% | +59% |
| Deadeye Navigator | 59% | +55% |
| Dreamscape Artist | 56% | +54% |
| Guildless Commons | 52% | +50% |
| Displacer Kitten | 59% | +49% |
| Grappling Kraken | 49% | +48% |
| Silver Surfer, Cosmic Voyager | 48% | +47% |
| Fabled Passage | 48% | +45% |
| Terrain Generator | 53% | +45% |
| Troop of Ponies | 47% | +44% |
| Wizard's Staff | 50% | +43% |
| Ruin Crab | 51% | +43% |
| Thassa, Deep-Dwelling | 46% | +42% |
| Wayfarer's Bauble | 58% | +42% |
| Burnished Hart | 46% | +41% |
💰 The best cards for your Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Retreat to Coralhelm
- Walking Atlas
- PuPu UFO
- Elven Raft-Steerer
- Ghostly Flicker
- Starfield Vocalist
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Roil Elemental
- Wizard's Staff
- Panharmonicon
- Sword of the Animist
- Snap
- Sword of Hearth and Home
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Amulet of Vigor
- Tiller Engine
- Displacer Kitten
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
- Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
- Polluted Delta
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gandalf, Shadow's Foe
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Peregrine Drake + Deadeye Navigator → Infinite blinking, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite mana lands you control can produce
- Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake + Archaeomancer → Infinite blinking, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of lands you control
- High Tide + Archaeomancer + Snap → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite storm count
- Meloku the Clouded Mirror + Retreat to Coralhelm + Walking Atlas → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite landfall triggers
- Panharmonicon + Archaeomancer + High Tide + Ghostly Flicker → Infinite blinking, Infinite blue mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gandalf, Shadow's Foe's color identity?
Gandalf, Shadow's Foe is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Gandalf, Shadow's Foe come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 6.6 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 74 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 19 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: B (72/100).
How many lands should a Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck run?
Real Gandalf, Shadow's Foe decks run 37 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Gandalf, Shadow's Foe?
The three highest-synergy cards are Retreat to Coralhelm, Walking Atlas, Amulet of Vigor. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gandalf, Shadow's Foe decks.
What combos does Gandalf, Shadow's Foe have?
Gandalf, Shadow's Foe has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Gandalf, Shadow's Foe deck cost?
You can start cheap: Retreat to Coralhelm, Walking Atlas, PuPu UFO are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.