Gandalf wants a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck. It also suits a deck that is built around one creature type, like Elves or Dragons.
Mana cost
White, Blue, Red ()
Power / toughness3 / 4
RarityRare
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value X or less from your hand without paying its mana cost, where X is twice the number of legendary Wizards you control.
Picked for what they do in Gandalf's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Gandalf'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.Open the full glossary
explain how Gandalf 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
Wizards of the Coast29 Jun 2026
If a spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
Wizards of the Coast29 Jun 2026
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
Wizards of the Coast29 Jun 2026
You choose whether to cast a spell from your hand as Gandalf's triggered ability resolves. You can't wait to cast it later in the turn. Timing restrictions based on the card's types are ignored.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWURPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, U for blue, R for red. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.Cascade/Free CastCascade decks cast extra spells for free, straight from the top of their deck, every time they cast the right card. Cascade turns over cards from the top of your library until it hits a cheaper spell, which you may cast without paying for it.Open the Cascade/Free Cast pageFree CastCan be cast without paying its mana cost when a condition is met, often "if you control your commander". Because it costs nothing, you can still answer something after your mana is already spent. Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting SwatOpen the Free Cast pageTypal/KindredTypal decks are built around one creature type, like Elves, Dragons or Zombies, with cards that make that type stronger. The type is printed after the dash on the card's type line, and the strategy is also called kindred or tribal.Open the Typal/Kindred pageTypal PayoffRewards you for playing lots of one kind of creature. That includes "lords" that make every other Goblin or Merfolk you control bigger, and cards that ask you to choose a creature type and then pay you off for it. A creature type is the word on the middle line of the card, like Goblin, Elf or Zombie.Open the Typal Payoff pageLegends MatterCards that care about legendary cards: rewards for casting them, discounts, or bonuses for each one you control.Open the Legends Matter pageWizardsWizards are mostly blue spellcasters, and many reward you for casting instants and sorceries or draw you cards.Open the Wizards page
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