Saruman, the White Hand
Tracked across real Commander games played through TurnZero HQ.
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What it does
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, amass Orcs X, where X is that spell's mana value. (Put X +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)
Goblins and Orcs you control have ward 2.
Combos with Saruman, the White Hand
The lines this card is part of, what it needs alongside it, and what the cards do together. An infinite result is the one that moves a deck's bracket.
- Phyrexian Altar Chthonian Nightmare Orcish Bowmasters Infinite
- Infinite creature LTB
- Infinite creature ETB
- Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Infinite death triggers
- Infinite damage
- Infinite storm count
- Infinite energy counters
Combo data from Commander Spellbook, the community-maintained database of Magic combos. Mirrored nightly.
Rulings
9 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.
- 2023-06-16
To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
- 2023-06-16
Amass abilities are now written as "amass [subtype] N." Previous cards with amass have received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
- 2023-06-16
Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. If the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
- 2023-06-16
If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
- 2023-06-16
Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
- 2023-06-16
If Saruman, the White Hand is a Goblin or an Orc, it will have ward 2.
- 2023-06-16
A creature that is both a Goblin and an Orc still only gets one instance of ward 2 from Saruman, the White Hand's last ability.
- 2023-06-16
In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
- 2023-06-16
Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.
In the 99
Every deck whose current list includes Saruman, the White Hand, whatever its commander.
Most played under
| Commander | Decks | Games | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauron, Lord of the Rings | 1 | 0 | — |
| Sauron, the Dark Lord | 1 | 0 | — |
Colors it shows up in
- Grixis 2 decks
Every version of Saruman, the White Hand
3 printings, newest first. Prices are the market figures Scryfall publishes, refreshed nightly. A printing with no figure shows a dash rather than a zero, because Scryfall publishes none for some of them.
Showcase
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $19.14
- Foil
- $47.28
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $0.82
- Foil
- $1.15
Extended Art
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $5.77
- Foil
- $4.58
Prices from Scryfall, which tracks the TCGplayer and Cardmarket markets. They move daily and are a guide rather than a quote. Search TCGplayer for Saruman, the White Hand. It runs a name search across every version, which covers the printings TCGplayer publishes no direct link to.
Aggregated from Commander games tracked in TurnZero HQ. Every figure counts decks and games only. No individual deck list, player or playgroup is identified. Win rates are withheld below 5 completed games, where the sample is too small to mean anything.
