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Gandalf has over ten cards associated with his name. He played a large part in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and is a complex character who changed much during his time in Middle Earth.
With the release of The Hobbit (HOB), Magic: The Gathering now has over ten different Gandalf cards to choose from! Whether you're building your next Commander deck or just want a Wizard's knowledge of which Gandalf is the best of the best, then look no further.
Top Ten Gandalfs in MTG
- Gandalf of the Secret Fire
- Gandalf the White
- Gandalf, Party Guest
- Gandalf the Grey
- Gandalf, Westward Voyager
- Gandalf, Goblins' Bane
- Gandalf, Shadow's Foe
- Gandalf, White Rider
- Gandalf, Friend of the Shire
- Gandalf, Spark Hunter
10. Gandalf, Spark Starter
Coming in at number ten is Gandalf, Spark Hunter. This is a card that is pretty expensive to cast, with passable stats. A 4/3 with Reach for six mana 
is not that impressive in this day and age, and although dealing three damage divided of your choosing is an mildly useful enter the battlefield ability, this card was still on the lower list of Red uncommons in The Hobbit Limited.
9. Gandalf, Friend of the Shire
Gandalf, Friend of the Shire is another one of the weaker Gandalfs out of the 11 Gandalfs that exist. In Lord of the Rings Limited, this Gandalf was only just okay for an uncommon, as his stats are pretty weak for four mana 
, and his ability is sometimes hard to trigger if you don't have enough "The Ring tempts you" cards in your deck.
As a Commander, this Gandalf being monocolored and focusing on a very specific mechanic makes for rigid deckbuilding. Overall, there are just way better Gandalfs to be building around that can draw you lots more cards for less work.
8. Gandalf, White Rider
A Hill Giant with Vigilance, Gandalf, White Rider is another Gandalf that has slightly below average stats for his casting cost 
. However, every time you cast a spell your whole team gets buffed +1/+0, and you even get a scry 1 out of it.
You can cobble together some powerful go-wide strategies with this card, utilizing Creatures like Cosmogrand Zenith, Whitemane Lion, and Ornithopter to cast multiple spells in a turn. To play this Commander effectively you'll need ways to discount your White spells while also drawing cards, so spells like Mentor of the Meek, Oketra's Monument, and Tocasia's Welcome work well with this Gandalf as a Commander. Overall, however, this card is a lot worse than the other Gandalfs on this list.
7. Gandalf, Shadow's Foe
Gandalf, Shadow's Foe is one of the more interesting Gandalf cards to build around. When this Gandalf enters you can exile three Lands you control and return them to the battlefield, which will draw you cards with his Landfall ability.
This Gandalf feels like less of a build around and more of a card that slots into Simic 
ramp decks. Due to this Gandalf being monocolored and costly, it's harder to build around him as a specific Commander.
While this card does play nicely as a draw engine in Landfall-centric strategies, the fact that he can be removed from play before your Lands re-enter makes him a bit of a liability for seven mana 
, which is why he's less powerful than other Gandalfs on this list.
6. Gandalf, Goblins' Bane
Gandalf, Goblins' Bane is another new card from The Hobbit, and one that can snowball an advantage if left unchecked. Now we enter the territory of the "good" Gandalfs on this list, with the qualifying criteria being Gandalfs that can easily replace themselves.
This Gandalf is both a Creature and an adventure spell. Flameshape, Gandalf's adventure, is a cheap way to essentially "draw" two cards. However, what makes this spell so powerful is the fact that you can play these cards any turn you control a Wizard, for as long as they remain exiled. This means even if you cast Gandalf, Goblins' Bane, and he's removed, you can still cast these cards later on if you happen to replay him or play another Wizard.
On top of that, this Gandalf's static ability lets you ping each opponent for one damage every time you cast any noncreature spell. This Gandalf not only slots well into basically any other Gandalf deck that utilizes Instants and Sorceries (we'll get to those in a sec), but it also is just a fine Commander on its own.
Utilizing cards like Coruscation Mage and Harmonic Prodigy, you can put together some powerful turns where you can cast multiple Instants and Sorceries with Gandalf, Goblins' Bane in play.
5. Gandalf, Westward Voyager
The only Green Gandalf that exists, Gandalf, Westward Voyager is a card that has a pretty powerful ability, but takes some time to set up. Gandalf, Westward Voyager has a unique ability, that can potentially copy any spell you cast with mana value five or greater, if it shares a card type with the top card of one of your opponent's decks.
This Gandalf is just okay in terms of cost and stats, as five mana for a 5/5 Creature with no protection is passable. You can ramp out this Gandalf faster, however, with cards like Troyan, Gutsy Explorer and pair him with other good setup cards like Up the Beanstalk. However, with cards like Mulldrifter and Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty, you can really start putting some action into play.
Gandalf, Westward Voyager is ultimately an enabler to put powerful Creatures into play with his ability. Cards like Apex Devastator, Hornet Queen, and Terastodon can help you overtake a game of EDH, especially if you have enough mana to cast multiple five+ mana spells in a given turn.
I think where this card is lacking, however, is the fact that you require multiple opponents to even have a shot of matching one of their card types with his ability, leaving your core strategy up to a game of chance.
However, you can still just operate as a Simic ramp deck that just plays good cards, with your Gandalf, Westward Voyager just being a nice bonus to have in your Command Zone.
4. Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf the Grey may be more expensive than a Gandalf like Gandalf, Goblins' Bane, but due to the fact he has a strong triggered ability and he's Izzet colors, he's a more interesting Commander to build around.
Gandalf the Grey was one of the best, if not the best, Izzet cards you could open in Lord of the Rings Limited, due to how well he played with the Instants and Sorceries theme of that color combination in that set. In Commander you can do so much more with this Gandalf, pairing him with ways to copy his triggers or ways to flicker him.
Gandalf the Grey thrives when paired with cheap Blue and Red spells, like Brainstorm, Ponder, and Lightning Bolt, allowing you to trigger him multiple times in a given turn. With cards like Blur, Displacer Kitten, and Essence Flux, however, you can essentially "reset" him without having him go back to the Command Zone or on top of your library.
Building around this Gandalf takes a couple of steps, with cards like Goblin Electromancer and Fiery Inscription, but ultimately you can put together some pretty nasty turns and keep triggering Gandalf over and over with the right combination of spells.
3. Gandalf, Party Guest
Another new Gandalf card from The Hobbit, Gandalf, Party Guest is a Commander that's a bit hard to evaluate, but can lead to some pretty big payoffs. Gandalf, Party Guest is a Commander that strictly cares about both having wizards and play and Instants and Sorceries in your hand. This Gandalf has okay stats for his mana cost, but can start "going off" as soon as you move to your first combat step after deploying him.
The big draw to Gandalf, Party Guest, and what makes him one of the top five best Gandalfs, is the fact that it's very easy to conjure enough Wizards to meet the requirements for his triggered ability. Since this Gandalf's ability cares about twice the amount of Legendary wizards you control, you can cast a four mana spell from your hand for free the turn you play him, if you have just one other Legendary Wizard in play.
Once you have a couple other Legendary Wizards in play that synergize well with Gandalf, Party Guest, creatures like Vivi Ornitier, The Emperor of Palamecia, and Baral, Chief of Compliance, you can really start casting some devastating Instants and Sorceries like Improvisation Capstone, Call Forth the Tempest, and Jeskai Revelation. This Gandalf is a bit unassuming, but can lead to some pretty big payoffs.
2. Gandalf the White
Although mono-White , Gandalf the White is a very powerful Creature, and arguably tied for the number one slot of best Gandalf on this list. Gandalf the White has a strong Panharmonicon-esque ability, that essentially lets you copy triggered abilities from sources that care about a Legendary permanent or Artifact entering or leaving the battlefield.
What makes this Gandalf so great is not just the fact that he has Flash, but the fact that he synergizes well with a multitude of different cards. You can get double triggers off value cards like Solemn Simulacrum, Loran of the Third Path, and Ao, the Dawn Sky.
You can also play a variety of combos in your Gandalf the White decks, utilizing cards like Scrap Trawler, Myr Retriever, Junk Diver, and Krark-Clan Ironworks to get infinite colorless mana or infinite death triggers.
Regardless of if you want to be more combo-based or value-based, Gandalf the White is so flexible to build around, which makes him one of best Gandalfs in Magic: The Gathering.
1. Gandalf of the Secret Fire
Gandalf of the Secret Fire is the other Jeskai Gandalf, but this one has an ability you can take advantage of with the right cards. With this Gandalf, every Instant and Sorcery you resolve on an opponent's turn gets exiled with three time counters on it and gains suspend.
This Gandalf plays similarly to Gandalf, Party Guest, but requires a bit less setup. While three time counters may seem like a lot, the fact that every Instant or Sorcery you cast on your opponent's turn gets essentially "doubled" by this ability is what makes this Gandalf so powerful.
You can also utilize a lot of ways to remove time counters from your spells that have been suspended with Gandalf of the Secret Fire. Cards like Jhoira's Timebug, Time Beetle, and The Tenth Doctor can rapidly speed up the time it takes to cast your suspended spells.
What's also great about this Gandalf being Jeskai is the fact you get access to a multitude of powerful spells. With cheap removal in Swords to Plowshares to bigger value spells like Sublime Epiphany, there's great customization and flexibility in building around Gandalf of the Secret Fire, which is what makes him the best Gandalf in Magic: The Gathering.
Conclusion
Overall, while there are over ten different Gandalfs to choose from in Magic: The Gathering, some shine brighter than others. While there are Gandalfs that deal with interesting themes and mechanics like Landfall and go-wide strategies, ultimately the Gandalfs that care about Wizards and your Instants and Sorceries are the more powerful cards to build around.
Due to the fact you can access spells of multiple colors, Gandalfs like Gandalf of the Secret Fire and Gandalf, Party Guest stand out as some of the more powerful Wizards of the bunch. Although mono-White, Gandalf the White also stands out as one of the best Gandalfs, mainly due to the fact his ability is so value-oriented.
While we may not see a new Gandalf printed for quite some time, there are at least a good variety of Gandalfs out there to check out, offering some powerful spellslinger Commanders to build around.
