Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles
Legendary Creature — Bird Noble
Flying
Whenever Gwaihir attacks, target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn.
At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, create a 3/3 white Bird creature token with flying and "Whenever this token attacks, target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn."
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Tales of Middle-earth Commander
- Price
- $2.60
- EDHREC rank
- #5851
Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles lands as a massive flying threat that also rescues a legendary creature from your graveyard the moment it enters — the card advantage and board presence arrive simultaneously. Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant decks run it as a matter of course, and in any shell that cares about legendary recursion it earns its slot without debate.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles appears in nearly half of all Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant decks because it both triggers the Ring-tempting synergies the deck wants and recovers a fallen hobbit or key legendary from the bin in the same motion.
Samwise Gamgee
Samwise Gamgee decks load up on legendary creatures to maximize food and recursion triggers, and Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles feeds that loop by returning a legendary from the graveyard while itself counting as a legendary permanent.
Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith Gainsborough rewards playing legendary creatures to charge up her ability, and Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles is a high-value legendary that also recovers another legendary on entry — two payoffs in one card for a deck that wants density.
Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard
Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard builds around stacking legendary creatures for counters and power boosts, and Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles pulls double duty as a flying finisher and a way to rebuy a legendary that traded off earlier in the game.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles does its real work — the legendary recursion clause lines up perfectly with the singleton format's reliance on specific legendary pieces, and a flying body that size closes games once the board stabilizes. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but effectively invisible; a six-mana creature with no immediate protection doesn't compete in formats where the game is often decided by turn two or three. Oathbreaker is the only other format worth a mention, where legendary-matters themes can appear and the effect is genuinely useful, though the smaller deck size reduces how often you'll have a target worth retrieving.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$2.60 cheap tier
At $2.60, Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles sits in the sweet spot where it costs almost nothing to include but punches well above its price in the right deck. That price is unlikely to climb dramatically given the card's narrow legendary-matters focus, but it won't crater either — it's a stable cheap pickup rather than a spec target.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
- Samwise Gamgee
- Aerith Gainsborough
- Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.