Ultima is also devious, given it ends the turn
Ultimately, the ratio of your total number of counterspells versus other interaction versus your actual win conditions comes down to playtesting, personal preference, and the local meta you encounter
For Gandalf specifically, it helps that he was a powerful wizard, which opens up itself to lots of fun card designs, and that his character evolves significantly throughout The Lord of the Rings, Turian explains
Doom Prevails: Connive for power, drain life I want to thank the ProTrader Discord for confirming some of my ideas and giving me others
According to comments from Magic's head designer Mark Rosewater in May 2026, the "new normal" from next year onwards will be a "three and three" split between Universes Beyond crossover sets (like Lord of the Rings and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and sets based in Magic's own fiction (like Lorwyn Eclipsed and Secrets of Strixhaven)