Gandalf, The White Wizard (4C90)
 Gandalf, Greyhame (4R89)
|
 Back to The Two Towers Index |
Gandalf's Staff, Walking Stick (4R91) 
|
Gandalf, The White Wizard (4C90) is a 
Gandalf Companion from the The Two Towers set.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strategy[edit]
The White Wizard is a strong and versatile card that works well in a variety of decks. He can reach the towering base strength of 10 by merely having 3 twilight tokens or more in the twilight pool, thus he can beat many minions barehandedly as a splashed companion, or survive tough combats where others would be overwhelmed or wounded to death. Pair those high base attributes with possessions like Wizard Staff, Glamdring or Shadowfax, or with conditions like Trust Me As You Once Did or Behold the White Rider, or with events like Servant of the Secret Fire or Down From the Hills, and you will get a companion that will defeat most enemies that dare to step into his path, often including threatening monsters like The Balrog or The Witch King.
The key then is getting those 3 twilight tokens on the board. Large Fellowships that constantly flood the twilight pool work well with this version of Gandalf, ensuring that the opponent cannot use the entire pool on minions. Abilities such as those of Boromir, Defender of Minas Tirith or Confronting the Eye also help in this regard, along with expensive cards such as Grown Suddenly Tall and Ent Horde. Even the transferance of possessions between companions can give you that desired extra twilight, at the risk of swelling too much your opponent's resources (but Glamdring, Treachery Deeper Than You Know and other hand revealing tools can tell you when and how many is safe to add).
Alternatively, the Free Peoples player can simply add twilight after the Shadow phase has ended, with abilities like Shoulder to Shoulder; Mithril Shaft or Eowyn, Lady of Rohan (or the gametext of Our Time). Many Gandalf culture events cost a lot of twilight (Mysterious Wizard, Roll of Thunder, Down from the Hills) and any of these can be used to help ensure Gandalf's strength bonus. The White Wizard also synergises with other cards that benefit from twilight. These include artifacts such as Walking Stick or Focus of Power, but also events like Under the Living Earth; Undaunted; Fury of the White Rider; Keep your Forked Tongue and Deep in Thought. Conditions such as Unknown Perils and Trust Me As You Once did also work well with The White Wizard.
Other means of making twilight include playing characters outside of the Fellowship phase using Rohan cards such as Theoden, Tall and Proud; The Red Arrow and Erkenbrand; or playing Rohan possessions with the help of Eowyn, Daughter of Eomund; Theoden, King of the Golden Hall; Gamling, Warrior of Rohan; Merry, Swordthain; Long Spear; Eowyn's Sword, Dernhelm's Blade and Charged Headlong.
With the release of Bloodlines, Followers (Such as Pallando and Alatar) can be used to easily and reliably add twilight for The White Wizard's text.
Strengths and Weaknesses[edit]
Strong Versus...[edit]
- Minions with Ambush
- Low cost minions
Weak Versus...[edit]
- Expensive minions or events
- Special Abilities that use twilight
Alternate Personas[edit]
| Portrait | Name | Game Text |
|---|---|---|
 |
Gandalf, Friend of the Shirefolk (1R72)
|
Gandalf is strength +1 for each of these races you can spot in the fellowship: Hobbit, Dwarf, Elf, and Man. |
 |
Gandalf, The Grey Wizard (1P364)
|
Fellowship: Exert Gandalf to play a companion who has the Gandalf signet. The twilight cost of that companion is -2. |
 |
Gandalf, The Grey Pilgrim (2P122)
|
At the start of each of your turns, you may draw a card. |
 |
Gandalf, Greyhame (4R89)
|
Fellowship: If the twilight pool has fewer than 2 twilight tokens, add  to play a character from your discard pile.
|
 |
Gandalf, Mithrandir (6R30)
|
Damage +1. Each time the fellowship moves, wound Gandalf. |
 |
Gandalf, Defender of the West (7C36)
|
While you cannot spot 3 companions of the same culture, Gandalf is strength –2. |
 |
Gandalf, Manager of Wizards (7R37)
|
Skirmish: Place 3 cards from hand on top of your draw deck to make a minion skirmishing an unbound companion strength –3. Any Shadow player may place 3 cards from his or her hand on top of his or her draw deck to prevent this. |
 |
Gandalf, Leader of Men (8R15)
|
When Gandalf is in your starting fellowship, his twilight cost is -2. |
 |
Gandalf, Leader of the Company (11S33)
|
While Gandalf is in region 1, each other companion is strength +2. While Gandalf is in region 2, each companion is strength +1. While Gandalf is in region 3, he is strength +2. |
 |
Gandalf, The White Rider (12R27)
|
Skirmish: If Gandalf is not assigned to a skirmish, exert him and another unbound companion skirmishing a minion to make Gandalf strength +3 and have him replace that companion in that skirmish. |
 |
Gandalf, Bearer of Obligation (13R33)
|
While Gandalf is the Ring-bearer, each time the fellowship moves, add 3 burdens unless you spot 2 other companions and discard 2 cards from hand.
|
 |
Gandalf, Powerful Guide (15R29)
|
To play, spot 2 Hobbits.
Each time you play a spell, you may add a burden to wound a minion. At the start of each skirmish involving Gandalf, you may draw a card and then discard a card from your hand. |
 |
Gandalf, Returned (17R17)
|
When you play Gandalf (except in your starting fellowship), you may play a possession on him from your draw deck or discard pile.
Each time Gandalf wins a skirmish, you may reinforce a Free Peoples token. |
 |
Gandalf, Wise Guide (19P8)
|
Fellowship.
Response: If an event is played, exert Gandalf twice to cancel that event. |
 |
Gandalf, Stormcrow (0P64)
|
|
 |
Gandalf, Olorin (V1_14)
|
At the start of your fellowship phase, you may spot 2  allies and exert Gandalf to shuffle a or card from your discard pile into your draw deck.
While you can spot 3 While you can spot Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn, Gandalf is strength +2. |
