Simic Big Stuff with Gandalf, Westward Voyager in Commander

Posted on October 3, 2023

Hello awesome folks! I hope that your day is going super mega well! Today I am building around a fun theme I already did in a Budget Commander Deck around in partners from the first Commander Legends in this color combo which you can find here. But what can I do without those budget expectations? Let's find out with our recent big stuff matters Simic Commander called Gandalf, Westward Voyager!

This is our leader! He costs five mana for an on-curve 5/5 beater. Since he costs five, he triggers the more expensive five cost triggers himself. When you cast a five cost of anything, not just creatures he triggers. Each foe reveals the top card of their library. If one shares a card type with what you cast? Copy your spell (not theirs) and choose new targets and your foes draw a card. You net a free spell which is nice and your foes next card flow, which is nice for them - everyone wins, and you cannot build around it, they have to match card types. If not, you draw the card instead. Note that there is no "once per turn" limit here! If you can cast five costs, you can trigger Gandalf! I think people might leave him alone if they are drawing tons of cards and you are copying minor things.

Ready for my big stuff brew?

Ramp, Rocks, and Lands

Let's start with this section for you all!

We'll start with the mana dork just printed from our return to Eldraine. He costs three for a 1/3 body and then taps for two mana that can only be spent on things with a X or five+ mana in their mana value, so he can tap for a lot of stuff. Drop Troyan on turn three and then Gandalf turn four no matter what your mana looks like. Then you can tap this Scout with a U mana to Loot and draw and discard a card so he's card flow when you don't need the mana. I am also running mana tapper Gilandra from my first budget look at this archetype.

You might think that Green mana ramp would want spell-based ramp for lands, not artifacts, but we are running some rocks here to trigger Gandalf to get a double with for free to really break this thing for that synergy since many are running artifacts in big numbers in their brews. Enter the nine-cost legendary artifact above. As you can see, it taps for double G mana and then you gain two life too, don't sleep on that. Then this will draw you a card when a nontoken dork arrives, so it's card flow here too. Then you can have the built in cost reduction for your biggest power dork. Cast Gandalf, and then the next turn you can drop this for four mana total. Good stuff!

Now let's turn to sorceries! Awaken the Woods costs two to start, and then you make X 1/1 Green Forest Dryads to make mana or swing with later for game winning fun times. Three mana in the X will trigger Gandalf and four for your six mana caring stuff and Troyan above will tap for it too. Then you can tap these for mana. Urban Evolution will draw you three cards and then ramp you a land from your hand to the battlefield so it'll increase your land total, trigger your stuff and then draw three too.

Now let's finish our non-lands with these two mana rocks that trigger Gandalf! Gilded Lotus will tap for three mana of any one color, so you cannot mix them around. That's nasty here but you cannot mix and match Blue and Green. Coveted Jewel will ETB and draw you three cards so like the Evolution above it'll draw you three. Then it also taps for three too just like the five-drop. Then when someone is unblocked attacking you, they steal it, draw three, and it untaps. That means that everyone can draw cards and you can attack this too with your stuff. Love this pair loads!

Let's turn to lands and finish with them!!! The first Boseiju I added was this one. It taps with the loss of two life to make one mana; was that spent for an instant or sorcery? Great! It's uncounterable! It also ETBs tapped so you take a turn off. I also added the new Boseiju that discards to Naturalize a target so is removal in your land base. The Room taps for colorless, arrives untapped, and then can be tapped with three to swap two life for a card. Strong recursive card flow in my land base, and both lose two life for good effect here!

Castle Garenbrig usually ETBs tapped unless you control a Forest. It taps to make extra mana that can only be spent on creatures or their activated mana. This is the first time I've ever run in one of my Commander decks for you, but getting that one mana boost can get you off one turn faster. Alchemist's Refuge taps for colorless naturally and then ETBs untapped ready to be used. You can activate it to give all of your stuff flash this turn, so that's a three mana needed total, do it EOT to cast your stuff and then untap and pass again. I like this so much that I added in Winding Canyons which only flashes creatures for the same colorless mana cost.

The Island arrives tapped usually. If not? Reload the best instant or sorcery from your graveyard to your library. Nice free recursion, and it's on an Island you fetch out! I am also running the dual lands that aren't Tropical Island to fetch out or count as Islands for this. The Temple can tap for two mana of the colorless persuasion but only if you control five or more lands. Likely with my big Green ramping, and we have expensive stuff, so any addition that doesn't break the bank is good here.

Expensive Stuff to Copy

Now let's turn to five mana costed stuff to copy!!! The Spirit costs six, and rocks an on-curve 6/6 body with reach. And it has a broken ETB trigger. When something else ETBS under your control, drop a free permanent of that mana cost or fewer for free from your hand! That free thing won't trigger it either. Note that there is no "once per turn" trigger here and it works for lands too as well as tokens. There are no brakes here and it's powerful as a result. Then there are some free spells that were printed that untap your lands on arrival to the battlefield. Both of those that cost five or more mana are here - the Drake is one and Palinchron is the other. You can net more than one Gandalf trigger in your turn. Palinchron can self-bounce so you can get that trigger multiple times over multiple turns.

Hullbreaker Horror costs seven for a flashable 7/8 - also on curve. Then this cannot be countered. When you cast any spell, you have two options. The first is to Boomerang a non-land back. The second is to bounce a spell back. Either way that's free tempo on an uncounterable flashable beater that can be played as a combat trick to kill another grounded dork or EOT and then untap and net the bounce triggers with your sorcery speed things. All of the extra turn spells cost at least five mana to trigger Gandalf and can make a copy of themselves. I like them here loads, but I am old running two to net free turns if you need to win in the red zone, but not break things, this and then the instant speed Nexus of Fate.

The Simic one costs six. It ETBs as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. But at the beginning of your upkeep, you net a free copy of what you cloned, but just once per upkeep. The mono-Green one costs seven for an curve 7/7 flyer. Then it has a combat damage trigger. When you smash face, toss a d20 and put that many +1/+1 counters on up to two of your things I like that on Gandalf to win with Commander Damage out of nowhere, and I am running Rogue's Passage to make this happen. I am also running the broken Blue Dragon in this cycle too.

Register for CommandFest Orlando today! October 20th through the 22nd!

Synergies and Winning Conditions

Now let's turn to synergies and win-cons! The legendary dork costs four Simic mana and nets you a 3/5 with ward 1 and gives it to your Birds and Beasts. Then you have a cast five mana trigger for one of two things. You can make a 2/2 flying Bird or a 3/3 grounded Beast. Nice choice for going wide and killing. We also have the artifact, which costs three. When you would copy a spell, you get another free copy. Since Gandalf should be averaging you one copy on your main phase, that's strong here. You can also tap it for a massive seven mana to copy an instant or sorcery you control and then then one more with its triggered ability. They are all worth it, but that's a lot of mana.

Now's let's turn to pricey mono-Blue mythic rare enchantments that push the table for you to copy. One with the Multiverse costs eight and gives you three abilities. First you look at your top card anytime. Then you can play your stuff from your library like Future Sight. Always play from your library instead of your hand, especially land drops. Then you can, once per turn, cast one spell from your hand or library for free, no mana needed. It's awesome here. Mind's Dilation costs seven mana with just one ability triggered when a foe casts their first spell each turn, note that's not on theirs, but any turn which dials up in power in multiplayer games. They exile the top card of your library. Was it a nonland? Cast it for free! Nasty pair and with a copy? That's rough!

Let's turn to synergies big and small here. The artifact costs one and each player has the top card of their library revealed, so you'll know which thing in your hand to cast to net the free copy. Then you can sac it to Feldon's Cane a graveyard giving you some game against graveyard abuse, and I have the land Scavenger Grounds here for that too. You can also reload your graveyard prior to using the Grounds or just keep from decking yourself. Then I am also running one-drop Field of Dreams here too.

The sorcery costs a massive eight but cannot be countered. You draw equal to your biggest toughness dork, so here that could be something like five with Gandalf or six with the Kodama. Then you can drop for free any number of dorks from your hand to the battlefield. See why it's here?

Now let's turn to two uncommon four cost Advenutre creatures with cast triggers of five cost things. The Simic color identity one has a two cost insant to Loot two and draw two and discard two. Nice card flow on a free to add Adventure. Then it's a 3/4 sized body with trample, and your cast trigger gives it a permanent size boost in +1+1 counter form and that's on evasion. Then the mono-Blue one has a seven mana instant to trigger your stuff. You draw four and then discard two - also card draw this time. Then your cast trigger once played will tap an opposing creature and toss a stun counter on it to keep it tapped for another turn. You can use this on potential attackers like a beater, or on blockers to swing through a defense to win or trigger your Ancient Dragons.

Let's finish with a recently printed duo of spells! Complete the Circuit has convoke so you can cast it early by tapping token dorks. This turn you can cast your sexy sorceries with flash! Then when you cast your next sorcery or instant this turn? Get a free copy, and if you have Twinning Staff get another and if it's a five cost or more with Gandalf and you reveal a similar card, net another copy!

Thunderous Debut has bargain to sacrifice a token dork or artifact or enchantment, some of which will see later in card flow and answers or you could sacrifice Forest, Beast or Bird tokens too. Then you dig the top twenty cards and then reveal two dorks and if you bargained then they head into the battlefield and if not they head to your hand. You definitely want to bargain that and copy it with Gandalf with the bargain copied too.

Answers

Now let's turn to answers, many of which have synergies in various ways with this deck! There are a few five+ counters that have been printed that add massive value. Let's start with this pair! The creature costs six and has flash and flying! It counters on arrival, and then grows permanently in size based on your countered mana cost. Sizeable, it flies, this can easily be a win con tethered to a counter. The instant costs five. It counters anything! Was it an artifact or creature? Great! It now enters your battlefield not your foes, so, again, that's a win con stapled to a counter. Love this pair loads and I often add them to my brews for you...

...but not this pair that also help you out for a five-mana investment for triggers for Gandalf and stuff. The mono-Blue one targets anything you are frumping around with and then like the Whelk, it scales up the bigger a thing you countered, only this time in the form of ramp for your deck in the form of Treasures. I am also running triple Clue-maker Confirm Suspicions. You can bargain these tokens. The Simic colored one will counter anything as well, and then make an X/X sized Ooze token equal to the countered spell's mana cost, so no evasion like the Whelk, but it works well as a counter and win-con combined.

Now let's turn to removal! Acidic Slime costs five and ETBs to destroy something of an artifact, enchantment or land basis. I love this so much that I am also running Vindicate on a stick Meteor Golem that costs seven, exile creature removal in six-mana with Duplicant and then a five mana Naturalize on a stick Conclave Naturalists. Every deck needs mass removal, and we have one: Ezuri's Predation. When it resolves, you make a 4/4 Beast (with ward 1 with Radagast) for each dork your foe's control and then they fight each one, so that's mass removal tethered to a mass token maker for those that survive, love this loads!

Card Flow

Now let's turn to card flow. Up the Beanstalk has been popping up all over. It costs two, ETBs and you draw a card, so it replaces itself, and when you cast five mana stuff you draw. Drop this turn two, Gandalf, and then you are already up a card!

I am running all of the many raw sorcery and instant speed things that cost at least five and then draw a few cards, like this uncommon that draws four. Two classic multiplayer card draw cost at least five and both are here! Consecrated Sphinx is one and the artifact here is the other. When your foe's draw you can spend a mana to draw too. With them drawing with your Commander, that's three triggers on your turn you can copy! And that's without their normal card draw on their turn or their own spells and abilities, and the Sphinx is six cards on your turn too. Nasty pair, but don't drop them out together since they will get swept up in mass removal like Akroma's Vengeance or Farewell.

Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn

Let's finish our last section with this last sorcery pair! The Green one costs six. Then you draw equal to your biggest power, and most are the same power and toughness so you'll likely draw the same as the toughness one earlier. Then you can cast from your hand one five or fewer cost for free! Since this deck is built around five costs, that should be pretty likely and you draw first too, so you might draw something better than you started with. The Blue one costs seven and it's a modal spell/land too. Then you draw equals to your hand plus one. That could be a lot with your cards drawn over time, and then you never have a max hand size for the rest of the game. Netting card flow from a modal land that counts as land in my deck building but triggers Gandalf and Friends is pretty nasty. I am also running Turntimber Symbiosis, a modal spell that can net you a free creature from the top seven of your library to the battlefield and get you all of the triggers!

Ready for my decklist?