EDH Optimizer
Gollum, Patient Plotter
Legendary Creature — Halfling Horror · 1B
Color identity: Black
Gollum, Patient Plotter is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When Gollum leaves the battlefield, the Ring tempts you.
{B}, Sacrifice a creature: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Activate only as a sorcery.
Reference price of the card: €0.09
Average lands in decks for Gollum, Patient Plotter: 36
AristocratsReanimatorSacrificeThe RingGraveyardTokensWraiths+1/+1 Counters
Build your Gollum, Patient Plotter deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gollum, Patient Plotter 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gollum, Patient Plotter 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: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency31
- Speed60
- Interaction32
- Resilience83
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (9 nonbasic, 27 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Call of the Ring · Nasty End · Deadly Dispute · Feed the Swarm · Reassembling Skeleton · Sam's Desperate Rescue · Village Rites · Skullclamp · Blood Artist · Arcane Signet · Zulaport Cutthroat · Viscera Seer · Claim the Precious · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Jet Medallion · Pitiless Plunderer · Bastion of Remembrance · Corrupted Conviction · Dark Ritual · Desecrated Tomb · Victimize · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Bloodghast · Haunt of the Dead Marshes · Pawn of Ulamog · Tragic Slip · Carrion Feeder · Nether Traitor · Bontu's Monument · Go for the Throat · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Morbid Opportunist · Grim Haruspex · Unearth · Bilbo's Deadly Slice · Gollum, Silent Slinker // Meager Meal · Nazgûl · Tormod, the Desecrator · Ashnod's Altar · Solemn Simulacrum · Accursed Marauder · Inherited Envelope · Crypt Ghast · Gríma Wormtongue · Lash of the Balrog · Open the Graves · Reanimate · Toxic Deluge · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Defile · Ophiomancer · The One Ring · Culling the Weak · The Black Breath · Black Market · Cult Conscript · Gollum's Bite · Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia · Midnight Reaper · Phyrexian Altar · Phyrexian Arena · Night's Whisper · Cabal Coffers · Bojuka Bog · Phyrexian Tower · Barad-dûr · Hobbit Hole · Myriad Landscape · Witch's Cottage · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · High Market
🃏 Recommended cards for Gollum, Patient Plotter
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gollum, Patient Plotter, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Call of the Ring | 63% | +61% |
| Nasty End | 63% | +59% |
| Sam's Desperate Rescue | 57% | +56% |
| Claim the Precious | 48% | +47% |
| Desecrated Tomb | 42% | +39% |
| Reassembling Skeleton | 57% | +39% |
| Haunt of the Dead Marshes | 38% | +36% |
| Deadly Dispute | 60% | +33% |
| Gollum, Silent Slinker | 33% | +33% |
| Bilbo's Deadly Slice | 33% | +33% |
| Hobbit Hole | 33% | +33% |
| Nazgûl | 33% | +33% |
| Skullclamp | 55% | +32% |
| Viscera Seer | 49% | +32% |
| Corrupted Conviction | 44% | +32% |
| Village Rites | 57% | +31% |
| Tormod, the Desecrator | 33% | +31% |
| Inherited Envelope | 30% | +30% |
| Barad-dûr | 33% | +29% |
| Gríma Wormtongue | 29% | +29% |
| Nether Traitor | 37% | +28% |
| Lash of the Balrog | 29% | +28% |
| Pawn of Ulamog | 38% | +28% |
| Zulaport Cutthroat | 51% | +27% |
💰 The best cards for your Gollum, Patient Plotter 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.
- Nasty End
- Sam's Desperate Rescue
- Claim the Precious
- Desecrated Tomb
- Reassembling Skeleton
- Haunt of the Dead Marshes
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Call of the Ring
- Skullclamp
- Pitiless Plunderer
- Carrion Feeder
- Blood Artist
- Witch-king of Angmar
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Nazgûl
- The One Ring
- Phyrexian Tower
- Phyrexian Altar
- Dictate of Erebos
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gollum, Patient Plotter
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Viscera Seer → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite scry 1, Infinite storm count
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gollum, Patient Plotter's color identity?
Gollum, Patient Plotter is black: 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 Gollum, Patient Plotter come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gollum, Patient Plotter deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 18 % of the time and floods 31 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Gollum, Patient Plotter deck run?
Real Gollum, Patient Plotter decks run 36 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 Gollum, Patient Plotter?
The three highest-synergy cards are Call of the Ring, Nasty End, Sam's Desperate Rescue. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gollum, Patient Plotter decks.
What combos does Gollum, Patient Plotter have?
Gollum, Patient Plotter has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. 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 Gollum, Patient Plotter deck cost?
You can start cheap: Nasty End, Sam's Desperate Rescue, Claim the Precious 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.