EDH Optimizer
Gandalf, Wandering Wizard
Legendary Creature — Avatar Wizard · 4U
Color identity: Blue
Gandalf, Wandering Wizard is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward {3} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {3}.)
{6}: Gandalf's owner shuffles him into their library and draws three cards.
Reference price of the card: €0.05
Average lands in decks for Gandalf, Wandering Wizard: 37
Card DrawActivated AbilitiesBlinkControlSpellslingerArtifactsComboImpulse Draw
Build your Gandalf, Wandering Wizard deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 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: A (87/100)
- Consistency84
- Speed58
- Interaction100
- Resilience96
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (6 nonbasic, 31 Island)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · High Tide · Thought Vessel · Counterspell · Frantic Search · Preordain · Mind Stone · Ponder · Brainstorm · Arcane Denial · Negate · Consider · Laboratory Maniac · Opt · Sapphire Medallion · Windfall · Fabricate · Peregrine Drake · Snap · Swan Song · Training Grounds · Wayfarer's Bauble · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Basalt Monolith · Bender's Waterskin · Ghostly Flicker · Step Through · Archaeomancer · Into the Flood Maw · Mystic Remora · Rhystic Study · Sky Diamond · Stock Up · Displacer Kitten · Fellwar Stone · Fierce Guardianship · Force of Negation · Force of Will · Isochron Scepter · Lórien Revealed · Muddle the Mixture · Murmuring Mystic · Sensei's Divining Top · Thassa's Oracle · Trinket Mage · Vedalken Aethermage · Diviner of Victory // Unwind History · Memnarch, the Warden · Aetherize · Archmage Emeritus · Cloud of Faeries · Deadeye Navigator · Displace · Dramatic Reversal · Hullbreaker Horror · Propaganda · Psychosis Crawler · Reality Shift · Rings of Brighthearth · Teferi's Ageless Insight · The One Ring · Mystic Sanctuary · Reliquary Tower · Otawara, Soaring City · Academy Ruins · Myriad Landscape · Urza's Saga
🃏 Recommended cards for Gandalf, Wandering Wizard
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gandalf, Wandering Wizard, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Preordain | 57% | +33% |
| Training Grounds | 37% | +30% |
| Peregrine Drake | 37% | +29% |
| Step Through | 33% | +28% |
| Consider | 40% | +25% |
| Stock Up | 30% | +25% |
| Frantic Search | 57% | +25% |
| Diviner of Victory | 25% | +25% |
| Vedalken Aethermage | 27% | +24% |
| Ponder | 53% | +24% |
| Memnarch, the Warden | 25% | +24% |
| Basalt Monolith | 33% | +24% |
| Into the Flood Maw | 30% | +23% |
| Ghostly Flicker | 33% | +22% |
| Bender's Waterskin | 33% | +21% |
| Wayfarer's Bauble | 37% | +20% |
| Laboratory Maniac | 40% | +20% |
| Campfire | 20% | +20% |
| Cloud of Faeries | 23% | +20% |
| Displace | 23% | +19% |
| Mind Stone | 53% | +19% |
| Deadeye Navigator | 23% | +19% |
| Windfall | 40% | +19% |
| Lórien Revealed | 27% | +19% |
💰 The best cards for your Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 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.
- Preordain
- Peregrine Drake
- Step Through
- Consider
- Stock Up
- Frantic Search
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Training Grounds
- Basalt Monolith
- Campfire
- Windfall
- Lórien Revealed
- Rings of Brighthearth
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Displacer Kitten
- Thassa's Oracle
- Mox Amber
- Sensei's Divining Top
- Force of Negation
- The One Ring
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gandalf, Wandering Wizard
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mox Amber → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite storm count
- Sensei's Divining Top + Foundry Inspector + Mystic Forge → Infinite card draw, Near-infinite storm count, Infinite draw triggers
- Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gandalf, Wandering Wizard's color identity?
Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 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, Wandering Wizard come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gandalf, Wandering Wizard deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.6 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 13 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: A (87/100).
How many lands should a Gandalf, Wandering Wizard deck run?
Real Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 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, Wandering Wizard?
The three highest-synergy cards are Preordain, Training Grounds, Peregrine Drake. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gandalf, Wandering Wizard decks.
What combos does Gandalf, Wandering Wizard have?
Gandalf, Wandering Wizard 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, Wandering Wizard deck cost?
You can start cheap: Preordain, Peregrine Drake, Step Through 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.