Card

Sméagol, Helpful Guide

Mana cost {1}{B}{G}

Legendary Creature — Halfling Horror 4/2

At the beginning of your end step, if a creature died under your control this turn, the Ring tempts you. Whenever the Ring tempts you, target opponent reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a land card. Put that card onto the battlefield tapped under your control and the rest into their graveyard.

No bracket restriction: playable from bracket 1. Part of 34 known combos. 9 official rulings.

Commander
Legal
Printing
Rare · LTR · #231
Cheapest printing
€0.32
EDHREC salt
0.86
Color identity
Black, Green

Scryfall · EDHREC

Bracket

  • B1 Exhibition — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B2 Core — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B3 Upgraded — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
  • B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list

Why

  • No Game Changer, mass land denial, extra turn, tutor or two-card combo

How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket

Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags

Combos

34 known combos.

Combos: Commander Spellbook

Rulings

  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    Sméagol, Helpful Guide's first ability will trigger only once during your end step, no matter how many creatures died under your control this turn. However, if no creatures have died under your control so far this turn as your end step begins, the ability won't trigger at all. It's not possible to cause a creature to die under your control during the end step in time to have the ability trigger.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    Sméagol, Helpful Guide doesn't need to have been on the battlefield when the creature died. For example, if a creature dies under your control during combat on your turn and you cast Sméagol, Helpful Guide during your second main phase, its first ability will trigger at the beginning of your end step.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time.
  • 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
    Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you.

Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast

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