Gandalf the Grey Izzet Spells
BrawlDeck Strategy
A Blue/Red spellslinger deck built around Gandalf the Grey, chaining instant and sorceries into card draw, copied spells, and big finishing plays.
Gandalf the Grey turns every instant and sorcery into modal advantage if you can cast multiple spells per turn. Haughty Djinn and Vadrik reduce spell costs while Urabrask's Forge and Geistflame Reservoir grow off noncreature spells. Alania and Melek copy your best sorceries, and Lier lets you reuse removal and card draw from the graveyard. Baral and Kari Zev and Soulblade Djinn reward every spell you cast with extra tokens or buffs, giving you board presence while you develop your spell engines.
Keep hands with 3+ lands, some early interaction, and a two-drop like Chrome Host Seedshark, Wavebreak Hippocamp, or Baral and Kari Zev. Avoid one-landers and hands full of expensive spells.
Early: play a cheap spells-matter creature, hold up interaction, and cantrip. Mid: deploy Gandalf or a cost reducer, then chain cantrips and removal to trigger card draw and build advantage. Late: copy haymakers like Hit the Mother Lode, Rite of Replication, Overflowing Insight, or Steal the Show, then finish with a large dragon or Urabrask's Forge.
Aggro decks can outpace you if you stumble; counterspells can stop key engines; graveyard hate hurts Lier/Think Twice; and you need to sequence spells so Gandalf can pick the same mode only once per turn.
| Type | Rarity | Card Name | Mana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures (26) | Rare | Alania, Divergent Storm | |
| Rare | Archmage of Runes | ||
| Mythic Rare | Atsushi, the Blazing Sky | ||
| Rare | Baral and Kari Zev | ||
| Mythic Rare | Bonehoard Dracosaur | ||
| Rare | Charming Scoundrel | ||
| Rare | Chrome Host Seedshark | ||
| Mythic Rare | Enduring Curiosity | ||
| Rare | Etali, Primal Storm | ||
| Rare | Gandalf the Grey | ||
| Rare | Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei | ||
| Rare | Haughty Djinn | ||
| Rare | Hullbreaker Horror | ||
| Mythic Rare | Inferno of the Star Mounts | ||
| Mythic Rare | Lier, Disciple of the Drowned | ||
| Mythic Rare | Melek, Reforged Researcher | ||
| Rare | Mercurial Spelldancer | ||
| Common | Mulldrifter | ||
| Mythic Rare | Niv-Mizzet, Visionary | ||
| Rare | Ovika, Enigma Goliath | ||
| Rare | Professional Face-Breaker | ||
| Rare | Roaming Throne | ||
| Rare | Solemn Simulacrum | ||
| Rare | Soulblade Djinn | ||
| Rare | Vadrik, Astral Archmage | ||
| Rare | Wavebreak Hippocamp | ||
| Instants (16) | Uncommon | Abrade | |
| Common | Big Score | ||
| Common | Consider | ||
| Common | Counterspell | ||
| Mythic Rare | Flame of Anor | ||
| Rare | Memory Deluge | ||
| Mythic Rare | Mindbreak Trap | ||
| Mythic Rare | Monstrous Rage | ||
| Common | Opt | ||
| Common | Shock | ||
| Common | Think Twice | ||
| Mythic Rare | Three Steps Ahead | ||
| Common | Thrill of Possibility | ||
| Rare | Traumatic Critique | ||
| Rare | True Polymorph | ||
| Mythic Rare | Ugin's Binding | ||
| Sorceries (11) | Rare | Burn Down the House | |
| Rare | Hell to Pay | ||
| Rare | Hit the Mother Lode | ||
| Rare | Howl of the Horde | ||
| Rare | Ill-Timed Explosion | ||
| Rare | Ingenious Mastery | ||
| Rare | Lunar Insight | ||
| Rare | Overflowing Insight | ||
| Rare | Red Sun's Twilight | ||
| Rare | Rite of Replication | ||
| Rare | Steal the Show | ||
| Artifacts (6) | Common | Arcane Signet | |
| Rare | Eye of Vecna | ||
| Rare | Geistflame Reservoir | ||
| Uncommon | Mirror of Galadriel | ||
| Rare | Urabrask's Forge | ||
| Rare | Wishing Well | ||
| Enchantments (3) | Rare | Case of the Crimson Pulse | |
| Rare | Connecting the Dots | ||
| Rare | The Tale of Tamiyo | ||
| Lands (38) | Common | Command Tower | |
| Common | Evolving Wilds | ||
| Basic Land | Island | ||
| Common | Izzet Guildgate | ||
| Mythic Rare | Kavaron, Memorial World | ||
| Basic Land | Mountain | ||
| Rare | Shivan Reef | ||
| Rare | Soulstone Sanctuary | ||
| Rare | Spirebluff Canal | ||
| Rare | Stormcarved Coast | ||
| Common | Swiftwater Cliffs | ||
| Rare | Temple of Epiphany | ||
| Rare | The Lonely Mountain | ||
| Rare | The Mycosynth Gardens |