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Gollum, Obsessed Stalker

Legendary Creature — Halfling Horror

Skulk (This creature can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.)
At the beginning of your end step, each opponent dealt combat damage this game by a creature named Gollum, Obsessed Stalker loses life equal to the amount of life you gained this turn.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Tales of Middle-earth Commander
Price
$0.34
EDHREC rank
#4944
Buy on TCGplayer
Gollum, Obsessed Stalker card art
Gollum, Obsessed Stalker forces an opponent to take damage equal to the life they've lost this turn whenever you connect — a punishing clock that snowballs fast once life totals start moving. The catch is that pairing him with a high-damage source like Volcano Hellion can end a player in one shot, but he demands a dedicated shell to get there reliably; he's nearly unplayable outside Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant or similar life-loss strategies.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Frodo, Adventurous HobbitSam, Loyal Attendant

Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant

62.9% of decks · synergy 0.55

Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant is the natural home: the Ring tempts you mechanic drains life from opponents over time, and Gollum, Obsessed Stalker turns every tick of that incremental damage into an exponentially larger punishment on the next attack.

02

Sorin of House Markov

15.9% of decks · synergy 0.15

Sorin of House Markov builds around vampires draining life in combat, and Gollum, Obsessed Stalker converts the cumulative life loss those creatures generate into bonus damage that piles on top of an already aggressive clock.

03
Merry, Warden of IsengardPippin, Warden of Isengard

Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard

22.5% of decks · synergy 0.15

Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard runs a wide Hobbit tribal package where multiple creatures are already connecting each turn, giving Gollum, Obsessed Stalker repeated windows to trigger off any life loss that's accumulated.

04
Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant

Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant

21.5% of decks · synergy 0.14

Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant cares about life totals shifting and rewards token-based go-wide attacks, making Gollum, Obsessed Stalker a secondary threat that punishes anyone who's already been chipped down.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is the only format where Gollum, Obsessed Stalker earns consistent consideration — four opponents mean more life loss in the air at any given moment, which makes his triggered ability threatening far earlier than it would be in a heads-up game. In Legacy and Vintage, where he's technically legal, the combination of a 2/1 body for three mana and a trigger that requires prior damage makes him far too slow to compete. Gollum, Obsessed Stalker is a Commander-only card in practice, and even there he belongs specifically in life-loss or Ring-temptation strategies rather than general black aggro.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.34 bulk tier

At $0.34, Gollum, Obsessed Stalker sits firmly in bulk territory, which tracks — his appeal is narrow enough that demand outside dedicated Hobbit or life-loss Commander builds is minimal. That price is stable; there's no obvious catalyst to push it higher unless a breakout combo shell emerges.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

  • Volcano Hellion
  • Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
  • Sorin of House Markov
  • Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard
  • Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant
  • Lich's Mirror
  • Oubliette
  • The Moment

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.