EDH Optimizer
Samwise Gamgee
Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant · GW
Color identity: Green · White · Selesnya
Samwise Gamgee is Selesnya (green and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
Sacrifice three Foods: Return target historic card from your graveyard to your hand. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
Reference price of the card: €1.23
Average lands in decks for Samwise Gamgee: 35
LifegainTokensFoodHistoricLegendsArtifactsCombo+1/+1 Counters
Build your Samwise Gamgee deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Samwise Gamgee 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Samwise Gamgee 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+ (57/100)
- Consistency50
- Speed59
- Interaction44
- Resilience82
- Closing55
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 5 Plains, 5 Forest)
Peregrin Took · Rosie Cotton of South Lane · Academy Manufactor · Gilded Goose · Swords to Plowshares · Sol Ring · Jaheira, Friend of the Forest · Sam, Loyal Attendant · Farmer Cotton · Night of the Sweets' Revenge · Path to Exile · Treebeard, Gracious Host · The Battle of Bywater · Banquet Guests · Tireless Provisioner · Elanor Gardner · Arcane Signet · Gandalf the White · Bilbo, Fellow Conspirator · The Gaffer · Boromir, Warden of the Tower · Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit · Feasting Hobbit · Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle · Belladonna Took · Delighted Halfling · Inspiring Statuary · Astrid Peth · Meriadoc Brandybuck · Sarinth Steelseeker · Idol of Oblivion · Nuka-Cola Vending Machine · Merry, Warden of Isengard · Birds of Paradise · Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender · Many Partings · Bill the Pony · Trail of Crumbs · Beast Within · Heroic Intervention · Prosperous Innkeeper · Revive the Shire · The Cabbage Merchant · Samwise the Stouthearted · Motivated Pony · Avacyn's Pilgrim · Bag End Banquet · Loran of the Third Path · Bennie Bracks, Zoologist · Prize Pig · Apothecary White · Haliya, Guided by Light · Hobbit's Sting · Flowering of the White Tree · Ninja Pizza · Cadira, Caller of the Small · Cultivate · Frodo Baggins · Generous Gift · Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles · Haywire Mite · Mondrak, Glory Dominus · Feasting Troll King · Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn · Command Tower · The Shire · Canopy Vista · Sunpetal Grove · Brushland · Temple Garden · Fortified Village · Overgrown Farmland · Minas Tirith · Bountiful Promenade · Windswept Heath · Gingerbread Cabin · Boseiju, Who Endures · Exotic Orchard · Horizon Canopy · Hushwood Verge · Scattered Groves · Hobbit Hole · Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway · Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire · Lush Portico · Sungrass Prairie · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Path of Ancestry · Temple of Plenty
🃏 Recommended cards for Samwise Gamgee
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Samwise Gamgee, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Peregrin Took | 96% | +92% |
| Rosie Cotton of South Lane | 87% | +80% |
| Academy Manufactor | 81% | +78% |
| Gilded Goose | 80% | +76% |
| Sam, Loyal Attendant | 76% | +73% |
| The Shire | 76% | +72% |
| Farmer Cotton | 74% | +71% |
| Night of the Sweets' Revenge | 73% | +71% |
| Jaheira, Friend of the Forest | 76% | +71% |
| Treebeard, Gracious Host | 66% | +64% |
| The Battle of Bywater | 65% | +63% |
| Banquet Guests | 63% | +61% |
| Elanor Gardner | 61% | +59% |
| Tireless Provisioner | 63% | +58% |
| Gandalf the White | 59% | +57% |
| Bilbo, Fellow Conspirator | 55% | +54% |
| Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit | 54% | +52% |
| Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle | 53% | +52% |
| Feasting Hobbit | 53% | +51% |
| The Gaffer | 55% | +51% |
| Inspiring Statuary | 50% | +49% |
| Astrid Peth | 49% | +48% |
| Boromir, Warden of the Tower | 54% | +48% |
| Sarinth Steelseeker | 49% | +48% |
💰 The best cards for your Samwise Gamgee 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.
- Peregrin Took
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane
- Gilded Goose
- Sam, Loyal Attendant
- The Shire
- Night of the Sweets' Revenge
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Academy Manufactor
- Farmer Cotton
- Jaheira, Friend of the Forest
- Treebeard, Gracious Host
- The Battle of Bywater
- Elanor Gardner
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Nuka-Cola Vending Machine
- Delighted Halfling
- The Cabbage Merchant
- Campsite Cuisine
- Mondrak, Glory Dominus
- Delney, Streetwise Lookout
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Samwise Gamgee
- Peregrin Took + Nuka-Cola Vending Machine → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite tapped Treasure tokens
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane + Basking Broodscale → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Nuka-Cola Vending Machine + Academy Manufactor + Krark-Clan Ironworks → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite tapped Treasure tokens, Infinite tapped Food tokens, Infinite tapped Clue tokens, Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane + Scurry Oak → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Samwise Gamgee's color identity?
Samwise Gamgee is Selesnya (green and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors 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 Samwise Gamgee come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Samwise Gamgee deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.2 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 22 % of the time and floods 22 %. Deck health: C+ (57/100).
How many lands should a Samwise Gamgee deck run?
Real Samwise Gamgee 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 Samwise Gamgee?
The three highest-synergy cards are Peregrin Took, Rosie Cotton of South Lane, Academy Manufactor. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Samwise Gamgee decks.
What combos does Samwise Gamgee have?
Samwise Gamgee has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Peregrin Took + Nuka-Cola Vending Machine. 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 Samwise Gamgee deck cost?
You can start cheap: Peregrin Took, Rosie Cotton of South Lane, Gilded Goose 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.