Gimli, Mournful Avenger
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Warrior
Gimli has indestructible as long as two or more creatures died under your control this turn.
Whenever another creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Gimli. When this ability resolves for the third time this turn, Gimli fights up to one target creature you don't control.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GR
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #14046
Gimli, Mournful Avenger turns every creature death on your side into a +1/+1 counter accumulation engine, then cashes those counters in as direct damage when he attacks — a two-stage payoff stapled to a three-mana 2/2. The setup cost is real: he does nothing the turn he enters and needs a creature-heavy, death-prone board to function.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Gimli, Mournful Avenger actually gets to stretch — 100-card games generate enough creature deaths across multiple opponents to pile counters fast, and token strategies or sacrifice loops make him a reliable damage source by mid-game. In Legacy and Vintage he's strictly outclassed; three mana for a creature with no immediate impact doesn't meet the bar those formats demand, and he'll never see competitive play there. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home if the signature spell supports a go-wide or sacrifice gameplan, but the 60-card constraints mean fewer death triggers and slower counter accumulation than Commander allows.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Gimli, Mournful Avenger is firmly bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in without a second thought. Bulk mythics with narrow tribal or synergy-dependent designs rarely climb unless they find a breakout Commander home, so don't expect appreciation; just grab one if the deck calls for it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.