EDH Optimizer
James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him
Legendary Creature — Human Scientist // Instant — Adventure · 2UXUU
Color identity: Blue
James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
{T}: Add {C}{C}. Spend this mana only to activate abilities.
//
Investigate X times. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)
Reference price of the card: €0.24
Comes in the precon Science!
Average lands in decks for James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him: 35
ArtifactsCluesComboTokensAffinityControlActivated AbilitiesBounce
Build your James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (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)
- Consistency44
- Speed51
- Interaction100
- Resilience87
- Closing45
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (13 nonbasic, 22 Island)
Sol Ring · Forensic Gadgeteer · Arcane Signet · Academy Manufactor · Five Hundred Year Diary · Tangletrove Kelp · Rise and Shine · Cyberdrive Awakener · Mechanized Production · Kappa Cannoneer · Tamiyo's Journal · Counterspell · Thought Vessel · Inspiring Statuary · Shimmer Dragon · Thought Monitor · Urza, Lord High Artificer · Piper Wright, Publick Reporter · Sapphire Medallion · Mind Stone · Whir of Invention · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Junk Winder · Thoughtcast · Erdwal Illuminator · Ethereal Investigator · Aetherize · Etherium Sculptor · Fabricate · Pongify · Reality Shift · Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh · Mm'menon, the Right Hand · Everflowing Chalice · Fateful Discovery · Negate · Arcane Denial · Basalt Monolith · Broodstar · Confirm Suspicions · Rapid Hybridization · Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs · Clock of Omens · Deduce · Foundry Inspector · Midnight Clock · Moonlit Meditation · Trail of Evidence · Emry, Lurker of the Loch · Evacuation · Fellwar Stone · High Tide · Ironheart, Clever Champion · Krark-Clan Ironworks · Cyclonic Rift · Nick Valentine, Private Eye · Universal Surveillance · Wayfarer's Bauble · Hullbreaker Horror · Mana Drain · Thran Dynamo · Omen Hawker · Arc Reactor · Scour for Scrap · Archway of Innovation · Reliquary Tower · Seat of the Synod · Mystic Sanctuary · Academy Ruins · Buried Ruin · Inventors' Fair · Myriad Landscape · Uthros, Titanic Godcore · War Room · Otawara, Soaring City · Darksteel Citadel · Urza's Saga
🃏 Recommended cards for James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him
The highest-synergy cards in decks for James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Manufactor | 70% | +69% |
| Forensic Gadgeteer | 77% | +67% |
| Tangletrove Kelp | 66% | +65% |
| Five Hundred Year Diary | 66% | +65% |
| Rise and Shine | 63% | +60% |
| Archway of Innovation | 69% | +58% |
| Tamiyo's Journal | 59% | +58% |
| Cyberdrive Awakener | 62% | +56% |
| Inspiring Statuary | 57% | +55% |
| Mechanized Production | 60% | +53% |
| Shimmer Dragon | 54% | +52% |
| Kappa Cannoneer | 59% | +51% |
| Piper Wright, Publick Reporter | 48% | +48% |
| Erdwal Illuminator | 42% | +42% |
| Urza, Lord High Artificer | 49% | +42% |
| Thought Monitor | 51% | +41% |
| Junk Winder | 43% | +40% |
| Ethereal Investigator | 40% | +38% |
| Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh | 37% | +35% |
| Whir of Invention | 46% | +35% |
| Thoughtcast | 43% | +34% |
| Mm'menon, the Right Hand | 36% | +33% |
| Fateful Discovery | 33% | +32% |
| Confirm Suspicions | 31% | +30% |
💰 The best cards for your James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him 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.
- Forensic Gadgeteer
- Tangletrove Kelp
- Five Hundred Year Diary
- Rise and Shine
- Archway of Innovation
- Tamiyo's Journal
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Academy Manufactor
- Cyberdrive Awakener
- Whir of Invention
- Fateful Discovery
- Clock of Omens
- Krark-Clan Ironworks
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Urza, Lord High Artificer
- Inventors' Fair
- Uthros, Titanic Godcore
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him's color identity?
James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him 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 James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 97 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 7 % of the time and floods 36 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him deck run?
Real James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him decks run 35 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 James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him?
The three highest-synergy cards are Academy Manufactor, Forensic Gadgeteer, Tangletrove Kelp. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him decks.
What combos does James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him have?
We have no known combos catalogued for James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him. That does not mean there are none — just that they do not show up in the public combo databases.
How much does a James, Wandering Dad // Follow Him deck cost?
You can start cheap: Forensic Gadgeteer, Tangletrove Kelp, Five Hundred Year Diary 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.