EDH Optimizer
Gollum, Riddle Master
Legendary Creature — Halfling Horror · 1B
Color identity: Black
Gollum, Riddle Master is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
As Gollum enters, choose odd or even. (Zero is even.)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell with mana value of the chosen quality, choose one that hasn't been chosen —
• Put a +1/+1 counter on Gollum.
• Each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
• Draw a card.
Reference price of the card: €3.06
Average lands in decks for Gollum, Riddle Master: 36
AristocratsReanimatorSacrificeLifedrainGraveyardLifegainSpellslingerChaos
Build your Gollum, Riddle Master deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gollum, Riddle Master 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gollum, Riddle Master 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 (73/100)
- Consistency67
- Speed75
- Interaction38
- Resilience78
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (14 nonbasic, 22 Swamp)
Sol Ring · My Precious // Allure of Power · Gollum the Abandoned · Dark Ritual · Arcane Signet · Feed the Swarm · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Jet Medallion · Gollum, Patient Plotter · Reanimate · Victimize · Morbid Opportunist · Feign Death · Unearth · Deadly Dispute · Gollum, Silent Slinker // Meager Meal · Gollum, Scheming Guide · Not Dead After All · Supernatural Stamina · Undying Malice · Fake Your Own Death · Toxic Deluge · Zulaport Cutthroat · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Nasty End · Pitiless Plunderer · Gollum, Obsessed Stalker · Village Rites · Viscera Seer · Blood Artist · Defile · Exsanguinate · Bastion of Remembrance · Kaya's Ghostform · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Fleshbag Marauder · Go for the Throat · Phyrexian Arena · The Sackville-Bagginses · Accursed Marauder · Mind Stone · Night's Whisper · Call of the Ring · Crypt Ghast · Sign in Blood · Skullclamp · Solemn Simulacrum · Claim the Precious · Dread Return · Black Market Connections · Ophiomancer · Plaguecrafter · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Bolas's Citadel · Infernal Grasp · The Master of Lake-town · Withering Torment · Animate Dead · Corrupted Conviction · Culling the Weak · Gollum's Bite · Grave Researcher // Reanimate · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Myriad Landscape · Rogue's Passage · Witch's Cottage · High Market · Phyrexian Tower · Hobbit Hole · War Room · Barad-dûr · Cabal Stronghold · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Reliquary Tower
🃏 Recommended cards for Gollum, Riddle Master
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gollum, Riddle Master, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Gollum the Abandoned | 64% | +63% |
| My Precious | 66% | +63% |
| Gollum, Patient Plotter | 50% | +49% |
| Gollum, Silent Slinker | 46% | +45% |
| Gollum, Scheming Guide | 45% | +44% |
| Feign Death | 47% | +39% |
| Gollum, Obsessed Stalker | 39% | +39% |
| Unearth | 47% | +38% |
| Nasty End | 40% | +37% |
| Supernatural Stamina | 43% | +36% |
| Fake Your Own Death | 42% | +34% |
| Not Dead After All | 45% | +33% |
| Undying Malice | 43% | +32% |
| The Sackville-Bagginses | 33% | +32% |
| Call of the Ring | 31% | +29% |
| Claim the Precious | 29% | +29% |
| Kaya's Ghostform | 37% | +27% |
| Gollum's Bite | 25% | +25% |
| Hobbit Hole | 25% | +24% |
| Morbid Opportunist | 48% | +24% |
| The Master of Lake-town | 26% | +22% |
| Victimize | 50% | +22% |
| The Torment of Gollum | 22% | +22% |
| Viscera Seer | 39% | +21% |
💰 The best cards for your Gollum, Riddle Master 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.
- Gollum the Abandoned
- Gollum, Patient Plotter
- Gollum, Scheming Guide
- Feign Death
- Gollum, Obsessed Stalker
- Unearth
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Call of the Ring
- Braids, Arisen Nightmare
- Pitiless Plunderer
- Helm of the Host
- Grim Haruspex
- Bilbo's Ring
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The One Ring
- Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
- The Black Gate
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gollum, Riddle Master
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gollum, Riddle Master's color identity?
Gollum, Riddle Master 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, Riddle Master come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gollum, Riddle Master 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 17 % of the time and floods 11 %. Deck health: B (73/100).
How many lands should a Gollum, Riddle Master deck run?
Real Gollum, Riddle Master 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, Riddle Master?
The three highest-synergy cards are Gollum the Abandoned, My Precious, Gollum, Patient Plotter. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gollum, Riddle Master decks.
What combos does Gollum, Riddle Master have?
Gollum, Riddle Master has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. 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, Riddle Master deck cost?
You can start cheap: Gollum the Abandoned, Gollum, Patient Plotter, Gollum, Scheming Guide 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.