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Commander Nexus
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Command zone

The Gaffer

The Gaffer

Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant

The Gaffer wants a deck that gains life over and over and gets rewarded for it. It also works in a deck built around Citizens / Peasants or Halflings.

  • Mana cost2 genericwhite
  • White ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 3
  • RarityRare

At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, draw a card.

Build a deck with The Gaffer Find it in the app

Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit The Gaffer

Picked for what they do in The Gaffer's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit The Gaffer'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.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

Does what The Gaffer does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for The Gaffer

explain how The Gaffer 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 Coast 16 Jun 2023

If you haven't gained 3 or more life by the time an end step begins, The Gaffer's ability won't trigger at all.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

The Gaffer's ability looks at how much life you've gained in the turn, even if it wasn't on the battlefield when you gained life. It doesn't care if you also lost life, even if you lost more life than you gained.

Wizards of the Coast 16 Jun 2023

You draw just one card, no matter how much life you've gained past 3 life.

3 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with The Gaffer, and what they share.

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 glossaryWPlayers write colors as letters: W for white.LifegainLifegain decks gain life over and over and use cards that reward each gain with extra cards, creatures or damage to opponents. Everyone starts at 40 life in Commander, so the extra life also keeps you safe while you set up.Open the Lifegain pageLifegain PayoffTurns life gain into an actual effect: draining opponents, drawing cards, or growing creatures each time you gain life. Without one of these, gaining life mostly just delays things. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Sanguine BondOpen the Lifegain Payoff pageDrawDraws you extra cards. More cards means more choices every turn, and in a 100-card deck it is the main way to find the pieces you need. Rhystic Study, SkullclampOpen the Draw page