The other option for leading the deck is Arthur, Marigold KnightArthur, Marigold Knight, which offers an interesting way to cheat out more members of your team when you move to combat
Mana Rocks are the Artifact equivalent of dorks, meaning they are non-Creatures
On reveal, Gandalf the Grey felt like an oddly colored card, lacking white mana to represent the character's fondness for peace, protection and benevolence, with Izzet colors representing reckless, creative innovation and experimentation
Grip of Chaos is expensive, but random targeting can stop any kind of spot removal, including enchantment removal targeting this
Those Planeswalkers can be your commander
Theres a channel for discussing the format philosophy over on the RC Discord server