Gandalf the White — ruling 1

The second ability applies only to casting spells. It does not, for example, change when you may activate abilities that can be activated "only as a sorcery."

Gandalf the White — ruling 2

Gandalf the White affects a permanent's own enters-the-battlefield and leaves-the-battlefield triggered abilities as well as other triggered abilities that trigger when that permanent enters or leaves the battlefield. Such triggered abilities start with "when" or "whenever."

Gandalf the White — ruling 3

Replacement effects are unaffected by Gandalf the White's ability. For example, a legendary creature that enters the battlefield with one +1/+1 counter on it won't receive an additional +1/+1 counter.

Gandalf the White — ruling 4

Abilities that apply "as [this permanent] enters the battlefield," such as choosing a color with Gauntlet of Power, are also unaffected.

Gandalf the White — ruling 5

You don't need to control the permanent entering or leaving the battlefield, only the permanent that has the triggered ability.

Gandalf the White — ruling 6

Gandalf the White's effect doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger twice. Any choices made as you put the ability onto the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution, such as whether to put counters on a permanent, are also made individually.

Gandalf the White — ruling 7

If you somehow control two copies of Gandalf the White, a legendary permanent or an artifact entering or leaving the battlefield causes abilities to trigger three times, not four. A third Gandalf the White causes abilities to trigger four times, a fourth causes abilities to trigger five times, and so on.

Gandalf the White — ruling 8

If a legendary permanent or an artifact entering or leaving the battlefield at the same time as Gandalf the White (including Gandalf the White itself) causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.

Gandalf the White : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Gandalf the White is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Flash You may cast legendary spells and artifact spells as though they had flash. If a legendary permanent or an artifact entering or leaving the battlefield causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.

Complete guide

Gandalf the White is a powerhouse for legendary and artifact-based decks, offering unprecedented speed and doubling the value of your most important permanents. Whether he is allowing you to cast a game-winning artifact at the end of an opponent's turn or doubling your death triggers, the White Wizard reshapes the flow of the game.

Unlocking Instant Speed

Gandalf the White grants flash to all your legendary and artifact spells. This allows you to bypass the normal timing restrictions of your turn, letting you react to your opponent's actions by deploying powerful permanents whenever you have priority. Note that this only applies to casting the spells themselves; it does not allow you to activate 'sorcery speed' abilities of those permanents as though they had flash.

Doubling the Impact

Whenever a legendary permanent or an artifact enters or leaves the battlefield, Gandalf causes any triggered abilities you control that were set off by that event to trigger an additional time. This applies to the permanent's own abilities (like an 'enters the battlefield' effect) and global triggers (like 'whenever a creature dies'). Because Gandalf is himself a legendary creature, his ability applies to his own entry, effectively doubling any triggers he might cause as he arrives.

Replacement vs. Triggers

It is crucial to distinguish between triggered abilities and replacement effects. Gandalf only doubles abilities starting with 'When' or 'Whenever.' Effects that use 'as [this] enters' or 'enters with' are replacement effects and are not affected. For example, a creature that enters with a +1/+1 counter will not receive a second counter from Gandalf's ability.

Stacking the Wizards

If you control multiple copies of Gandalf (or similar effects like Roaming Throne), the additional triggers are additive, not multiplicative. Two Gandalf effects mean a trigger happens three times (the original plus two additions), rather than four. You also don't need to control the permanent that is entering or leaving; you only need to control the permanent that has the ability being triggered.

Interaction examples

The Ultimate Value Engine

Solemn Simulacrum

With Gandalf the White on the battlefield, you cast Solemn Simulacrum. Because it is an artifact, you can cast it as though it had flash. When it enters the battlefield, its ability triggers twice, allowing you to search for two basic lands. If it later dies, its 'leaves the battlefield' ability also triggers twice, letting you draw two cards instead of one.

Layering Additional Triggers

Roaming Throne

If Roaming Throne enters the battlefield while you control Gandalf, you choose 'Wizard.' When Roaming Throne enters, it is an artifact, so its own entry trigger (if it had one) would happen twice. More importantly, if another Wizard's 'enters the battlefield' ability triggers, Gandalf adds one trigger and Roaming Throne adds another, resulting in the ability triggering three times total.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Gandalf the White

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
The second ability applies only to casting spells. It does not, for example, change when you may activate abilities that can be activated "only as a sorcery."
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Gandalf the White affects a permanent's own enters-the-battlefield and leaves-the-battlefield triggered abilities as well as other triggered abilities that trigger when that permanent enters or leaves the battlefield. Such triggered abilities start with "when" or "whenever."
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Replacement effects are unaffected by Gandalf the White's ability. For example, a legendary creature that enters the battlefield with one +1/+1 counter on it won't receive an additional +1/+1 counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Abilities that apply "as [this permanent] enters the battlefield," such as choosing a color with Gauntlet of Power, are also unaffected.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
You don't need to control the permanent entering or leaving the battlefield, only the permanent that has the triggered ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#6June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Gandalf the White's effect doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger twice. Any choices made as you put the ability onto the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution, such as whether to put counters on a permanent, are also made individually.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#7June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
If you somehow control two copies of Gandalf the White, a legendary permanent or an artifact entering or leaving the battlefield causes abilities to trigger three times, not four. A third Gandalf the White causes abilities to trigger four times, a fourth causes abilities to trigger five times, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#8June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
If a legendary permanent or an artifact entering or leaving the battlefield at the same time as Gandalf the White (including Gandalf the White itself) causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#9June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
The trigger event doesn't have to specifically refer to legendary permanents or to artifacts, nor does it have to specifically refer to when something "leaves the battlefield." For example, an ability that triggers "whenever a creature dies" would trigger twice if a legendary creature or an artifact creature dies while Gandalf the White is on the battlefield, as would an ability that triggers "whenever a permanent is put into a graveyard from the battlefield."
No other card is named in this ruling.
#10June 16, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Look at each legendary permanent and each artifact as it exists on the battlefield, taking into account continuous effects, to determine whether any triggered abilities will trigger multiple times. For example, if a nonlegendary creature that has become legendary (probably because it's a player's Ring-bearer) dies, an ability that triggers when it leaves the battlefield triggers twice.
No other card is named in this ruling.