Samwise Gamgee 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
Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with ",
, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.") Sacrifice three Foods: Return target historic card from your graveyard to your hand. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
Complete guide
Samwise Gamgee is a loyal companion who ensures your party is well-fed and well-prepared for any journey. As a master of logistics, he turns every new recruit into a meal and uses those supplies to recover lost treasures from your graveyard.
A Kitchen in Motion
Samwise has two distinct abilities that create a powerful gameplay loop. First, his triggered ability generates a Food token whenever another nontoken creature you control enters the battlefield. Second, he has an activated ability that lets you sacrifice three Food items to return a historic card—defined as an artifact, a legendary card, or a Saga—from your graveyard to your hand.
Cooking the Books
When a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, Samwise's first ability triggers and goes on the stack. Once it resolves, you create a standard Food token. To use his second ability, you must have three Foods available. You can sacrifice any artifact with the 'Food' subtype, whether they are tokens or actual cards like artifact creatures. Because this is an activated ability, you can use it at instant speed as long as you have a valid historic target in your graveyard.
Double Dipping and Historic Nuances
A common mistake is trying to sacrifice the same Food for two different things. You cannot sacrifice a Food token to gain life and also use that same sacrifice toward Samwise's ability; you must choose one cost to pay. Additionally, remember that while Samwise cares about historic cards, playing a legendary land does not count as 'casting a historic spell' for other effects, though the land itself is a historic permanent once on the field.
Mastering the Pantry
Samwise is best utilized in decks with many low-cost creatures to maximize Food production. By repeatedly cycling small creatures, you build up a stock of Food that acts as a resource for card advantage. Keep your most powerful legendary cards or artifacts safe, knowing Samwise can fish them out of the graveyard whenever the pantry is full.
Interaction examples
Samwise Gamgee
Birds of ParadiseWith Samwise Gamgee already on the battlefield, you cast Birds of Paradise. When Birds of Paradise enters the battlefield, Samwise's ability triggers. Since Birds of Paradise is a nontoken creature, you create one Food token.
Llanowar Elves
FoodIf you control Samwise Gamgee and cast Llanowar Elves, you create another Food token. If you already have two Food tokens from previous turns, you now have three total. You can now activate Samwise's second ability by sacrificing all three Food tokens to return a historic card, such as an artifact or a legendary creature, from your graveyard to your hand.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Samwise Gamgee
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect refers to a Food, it means any Food artifact, not just a Food artifact token. For example, you can sacrifice Tough Cookie (an Artifact Creature — Food Golem) to activate Maraleaf Rider's ability (an ability with "Sacrifice a Food" in its cost).
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures, it's never a creature type.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You can't sacrifice a Food to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate Maraleaf Rider's ability.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
A card, spell, or permanent is historic if it has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype. Having two of those qualities doesn't make an object more historic than another or provide an additional bonus—an object either is historic or it isn't.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Some abilities trigger "whenever you cast a historic spell." Such an ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
An ability that triggers "whenever you cast a historic spell" doesn't trigger if a historic card is put onto the battlefield without being cast.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Lands are never cast, so abilities that trigger "whenever you cast a historic spell" won't trigger if you play a legendary land. They also won't trigger if a card on the battlefield transforms into a card with the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Samwise Gamgee + Cauldron Familiar + Viscera Seer
- 1Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Cauldron Familiar.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters the battlefield, it and Samwise triggers.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain one life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Samwise Gamgee + Cauldron Familiar + Carrion Feeder
- 1Activate Carrion Feeder by sacrificing Cauldron Familiar.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters the battlefield, it and Samwise triggers.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain one life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Warren Soultrader + Cauldron Familiar + Samwise Gamgee
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing Cauldron Familiar, creating a Treasure token.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters, it and Samwise trigger.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain 1 life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Samwise Gamgee + Cauldron Familiar + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Cauldron Familiar.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters the battlefield, it and Samwise triggers.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain one life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Samwise Gamgee + Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender + Gingerbrute + Academy Manufactor
- 1Cast Gingerbrute by paying
. - 2When Gingerbrute enters the battlefield, Samwise triggers, creating two Clue, two Food and two Treasure tokens.
- 3Activate the two Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 4Activate Samwise by sacrificing Gingerbrute and the two Foods, returning Syr Ginger to your hand from the battlefield.
- 5Cast Syr Ginger by paying .
- 6When Syr Ginger enters the battlefield, Samwise triggers, creating two Clue, two Food and two Treasure tokens.
- 7Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 8Activate Samwise by sacrificing Syr Ginger and the two Foods, returning Gingerbrute to your hand from the battlefield.
Samwise Gamgee + Cauldron Familiar + Bartolomé del Presidio
- 1Activate Bartolomé del Presidio by sacrificing Cauldron Familiar.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters the battlefield, it and Samwise triggers.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain one life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Farmer Cotton + Samwise Gamgee + Academy Manufactor + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Cast Farmer Cotton either from your hand or from the command zone by paying
and commander tax, if applicable. - 2When Farmer Cotton enters the battlefield, it and Samwise trigger.
- 3Resolve the Farmer Cotton trigger, creating two 1/1 Halfling creature tokens and two Food, two Clue and two Treasure artifact tokens.
- 4Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food, a Clue and a Treasure artifact token.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Farmer Cotton, adding
. - 6If Farmer Cotton is your commander, choose not to return it to the command zone from your graveyard.
- 7Activate Samwise by sacrificing the three Foods, returning Farmer Cotton to your hand from your graveyard.
- 8Activate two Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
Samwise Gamgee + Cauldron Familiar + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Cauldron Familiar.
- 2Activate Cauldron Familiar by sacrificing a Food, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 3When Cauldron Familiar enters the battlefield, it and Samwise triggers.
- 4Resolve the Cauldron Familiar trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life and you to gain one life.
- 5Resolve the Samwise trigger, creating a Food token.
- 6Repeat.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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