Art by Dmitry Burmak
Commander deckB
Gollum, Scheming Guide
Manipulate the top of the library with scrying, tutors, and top-deck artifacts to deceive opponents during Gollum's attack trigger, turning unblockable attacks into devastating hits with lethal combat equipment.
Asked for“Gollum, Scheming Guide, build me a black deck that bluffs and manipulates the top of my library, so every attack becomes a guessing game where opponents must read whether I'm about to draw a land or a spell.”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 61 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Gollum, Scheming Guide
1BLegendary Creature — Halfling Horror
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Sol Ring
1Artifact
Essential mana acceleration for early commander and equipment deployment
Sword of the Animist
2Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Fetches Swamps on attack, synergizing with Gollum's frequent swings
Crypt Ghast
3BCreature — Spirit
Doubles mana from Swamps and offers extort life drain
Dark Ritual
BInstant
Explosive burst mana for early commander and heavy equipment
Card Draw
10
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
1BBLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Praetor
Draws cards whenever Gollum or another creature connects with combat damage
Mask of Memory
2Artifact — Equipment
Draws two cards and discards one on combat damage to filter draws
Read the Bones
2BSorcery
Scry 2 sets up the top of library right before drawing two cards
Sign in Blood
BBSorcery
Low-cost card advantage that can also burn an opponent for lethal
Necropotence
BBBEnchantment
Top-tier black card advantage engine to sculpt the ideal hand
Morbid Opportunist
2BCreature — Human Rogue
Consistent card draw off creature deaths each turn
Corrupted Conviction
BInstant
One-mana card draw trading off surplus utility creatures
Removal
10
Feed the Swarm
1BSorcery
Vital black removal spell that can target both creatures and enchantments
Withering Torment
2BInstant
Instant-speed black removal for target creature or enchantment
Infernal Grasp
1BInstant
Unconditional low-cost creature removal at instant speed
Defile
BInstant
One-mana removal that scales with Swamp count to kill indestructible creatures
Bitter Triumph
1BInstant
Efficient two-mana instant that kills creatures or planeswalkers
Deadly Rollick
3BInstant
Free instant-speed exile removal while Gollum is on the battlefield
Toxic Deluge
2BSorcery
Premier low-cost board wipe that cleanly bypasses indestructible
Damnation
2BBSorcery
Clean four-mana sweeper to reset the board when overwhelmed
Hero's Downfall
1BBInstant
Flexible instant-speed removal hitting both creatures and planeswalkers
Threats/Wincons
18
Vorpal Sword
BArtifact — Equipment
Turns Gollum's unblockable hits into instant player elimination
Quietus Spike
3Artifact — Equipment
Halves opponent life totals whenever Gollum connects unblocked
Scytheclaw
5Artifact — Equipment
Living weapon that cuts opponent life total in half on hit
Blackblade Reforged
2Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Massive power boost based on lands for commander damage kills
Lashwrithe
4Artifact — Equipment
Living weapon scaling lethal commander damage off Swamps
Nightmare Lash
4Artifact — Equipment
Grants huge power to Gollum based on Swamps controlled
Fireshrieker
3Artifact — Equipment
Double strike doubles the effectiveness of unblockable combat triggers
Shadowspear
1Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Gives Gollum trample and lifelink while stripping hexproof and indestructible
Sword of Feast and Famine
3Artifact — Equipment
Untaps lands and forces discard on connection with unblockable swings
Umezawa's Jitte
2Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Accumulates counters on hit for removal, pump, and lifegain
Twilight Prophet
2BBCreature — Vampire Cleric
Ascend engine that reveals high-cost top cards for burn and card advantage
Doom Whisperer
3BBCreature — Nightmare Demon
Pay life to surveil 2 repeatedly, perfectly controlling the deck top
Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
2BLegendary Creature — Demon Rogue
Boast ability tutors any card directly to the top of library
Bloodletter of Aclazotz
1BBBCreature — Vampire Demon
Doubles all life lost by opponents, amplifying unblockable commander hits
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
2BBLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Praetor
Punishes opposing card draw while buffering your life total
Dauthi Voidwalker
BBCreature — Dauthi Rogue
Unblockable shadow threat that exiles and steals opponent cards
Nirkana Revenant
4BBCreature — Vampire Shade
Doubles black mana and pumps itself into a lethal game finisher
Bolas's Citadel
3BBBLegendary Artifact
Plays cards straight off top of library and weaponizes top-deck setup
Utility
13
Sensei's Divining Top
1Artifact
Premier repeatable top-deck manipulation to guarantee Gollum's trigger outcome
Scroll Rack
2Artifact
Swaps hand cards onto library top to orchestrate the bluff game
Crystal Ball
3Artifact
Repeatable scry 2 ensures precise control over top deck cards
Brainstone
1Artifact
Draws cards while setting up exact cards on top of the library
Vampiric Tutor
BInstant
Instant-speed tutor to place the exact card needed on top before combat
Imperial Seal
BSorcery
Places any chosen card on top of library to rig Gollum's guessing game
Scheming Symmetry
BSorcery
Puts any card on top of your library for minimal mana cost
Insidious Dreams
3BInstant
Instant speed tutor stacking multiple exact cards on top of the library
Haunted Crossroads
2BEnchantment
Recovers creatures from graveyard directly to the top of the deck
Viscera Seer
BCreature — Vampire Wizard
Instant-speed free sacrifice outlet that repeatedly scries top card
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
Grants Gollum hexproof and haste to attack immediately
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
Free equip protection and haste to enable attack triggers
Dauthi Embrace
2BEnchantment
Grants shadow to secure hits if Gollum gets blocked or guessed correctly
