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- Gandalf of the Secret Fire
Command zone
Gandalf of the Secret Fire
Legendary Creature — Avatar Wizard
Gandalf of the Secret Fire wants a deck that casts lots of instant and sorcery spells. It also works in a deck built around Avatars or Wizards.
- Mana cost
- White, Blue, Red ()
- Power / toughness3 / 4
- RarityMythic
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand during an opponent's turn, exile that card with three time counters on it instead of putting it into your graveyard as it resolves. Then if the exiled card doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend. (At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may play it without paying its mana cost.)
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Cards That Fit Gandalf of the Secret Fire
Picked for what they do in Gandalf of the Secret Fire's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Gandalf of the Secret Fire's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.
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plan6
Does what Gandalf of the Secret Fire does6
Rulings for Gandalf of the Secret Fire
explain how Gandalf of the Secret Fire works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
When the last time counter is removed from the exiled card, it's cast as a completely new spell. Modes and targets are chosen again. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, they must be paid again. If they can't be, the spell can't be cast and stays exiled.
Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
Due to a recent rules change to suspend, you are no longer required to cast the suspended card as the second triggered ability of suspend resolves. Instead, as the second triggered ability resolves, you may cast the card. Timing permissions based on the card's type are ignored. If you don't cast the card, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.
Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
If an effect refers to a "suspended card," that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.
If the card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card's owner's next upkeep.
If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.
If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it's exiled.
If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," such as with suspend, you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.
Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that gives you the option to cast the card when the last time counter is removed.
The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn't paid.
When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage's ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.
14 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗
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