The Gaffer
Tracked across real Commander games played through TurnZero HQ.
What it does
At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, draw a card.
Rulings
3 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.
- 2023-06-16
The Gaffer's ability looks at how much life you've gained in the turn, even if it wasn't on the battlefield when you gained life. It doesn't care if you also lost life, even if you lost more life than you gained.
- 2023-06-16
You draw just one card, no matter how much life you've gained past 3 life.
- 2023-06-16
If you haven't gained 3 or more life by the time an end step begins, The Gaffer's ability won't trigger at all.
Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.
In the 99
Every deck whose current list includes The Gaffer, whatever its commander.
Most played under
| Commander | Decks | Games | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit | 2 | 0 | — |
| Sam, Loyal Attendant | 2 | 0 | — |
| Samwise Gamgee | 1 | 4 | — |
| Karlov of the Ghost Council | 1 | 0 | — |
| Treebeard, Gracious Host | 1 | 0 | — |
Colors it shows up in
- Abzan 2 decks
- Selesnya 2 decks
- Orzhov 1 deck
The Gaffer price history
The Tales of Middle-earth Commander #12 printing, as Scryfall reports the TCGplayer market. Updated nightly. Click any version below to chart its price.
Every recorded price change
| Date | Non-foil |
|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2026 | $7.15 |
| Nov 10, 2026 | $7.15 |
| Nov 9, 2026 | $7.08 |
| Nov 8, 2026 | $6.87 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | $6.89 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | $7.00 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | $6.96 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | $6.97 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | $7.23 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | $7.20 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | $7.25 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | $7.16 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | $7.11 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | $7.06 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | $7.00 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | $6.98 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | $7.01 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | $7.12 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | $7.21 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | $7.37 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | $7.18 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | $7.24 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | $7.15 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | $7.16 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | $7.07 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | $6.96 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | $6.93 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | $6.90 |
| Oct 7, 2026 | $6.82 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | $6.67 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $6.65 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | $6.84 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | $6.93 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $6.99 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | $7.04 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $6.99 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $6.70 |
A row is recorded only on nights the price moved, so each price held until the row above it.
Every version of The Gaffer
5 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. Click a card's art to chart that version's price above.
Inverted
The Hobbit Eternal
- Normal
- $7.18
- Foil
- $7.06
Inverted
The Hobbit Eternal
- Foil
- $16.92
Showcase
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $13.73
- Foil
- $20.77
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $7.15
Extended Art
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Normal
- $7.85
Prices from Scryfall, which tracks the TCGplayer and Cardmarket markets. They move daily and are a guide rather than a quote. Search TCGplayer for The Gaffer. 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.
