Glarb, Calamity’s Augur is the latest topsight card from Bloomburrow and I think it could prove to be a very popular Commander for several reasons. And if people are going to build Glarb, what will be some of the key cards that could see a spike?
Glarb has a lot going for it as a Sultai Commander. It costs three mana, it has a decent butt (2/4), deathtouch, it taps to surveil 2, and it allows you to always look at the top card of your library and play lands and 4+ CMC spells off the top of your library. That’s a lot of value from the Command zone!
Historically, there haven’t been a lot of great Commander options in Sultai colors (UBG). Two of the top Sultai Commanders are Yarok and Muldrotha, but they cost five and six mana (respectively). The Wise Mothman is the 4th most popular Sultai Commander on EDHrec, with almost 9K decks, despite only being printed this year. There are some decent Sultai parter combos, such as Thrasios/Tevesh, but Muldrotha is still the top Sultai deck on EDHrec with nearly 15K decks.
So what does a Glarb deck look like? First of all, it will take advantage of landfall by being able to play multiple lands off the top of the deck with cards like Azusa, Exploration, and Dryad of the Ilysian Grove. Second, it will have a higher than average number of 4+ CMC spells it in–although some of these spells will ideally have alternative casting costs like Force of Will/Vigor, Mulldrifter, or Deadly Rollick. Third, it will have top deck manipulation cards like Sensei’s Divining Top, Sylvan Library, and Brainstorm. Finally, it might run something like Viridian Longbow to take advantage of Glarb’s deathtouch ability and utilize Reanimate spells to capitalize on being able to surveil big creatures into the graveyard.
Also, it’s good to remember there is a difference between mana value and mana cost when thinking about what spells to add to Glarb. Any X-spell for which you pay four (or more) mana for can be cast off the top of your library with Glarb–a Green Sun’s Zenith for X=3 works just fine. However, spells with additional costs that have a mana cost of <4 can’t be cast with Glarb–paying for abilities like overload, kicker, and offspring doesn’t actually change the mana value of the spell (the value remains the same as the mana cost.) For example, an overloaded Cyclonic Rift can’t be cast off the top of your library with Glarb.
So, the question is–of the cards (and strategies) that have synergy with Glarb, which cards have enough scarcity to be worth speculating on? I have a few thoughts about this, but keep in mind it’s just my opinion and I’m always interested in feedback about things I likely overlooked.
Thought Lash ($10). Yeah, I know, I know. But no joke, it’s a really good card for Glarb! Use Thought Lash to exile the cards you can’t play off the top of your library until you find ones that you can play. Necropotence is the only other Magic card that does a similar thing (although for a life payment each time), and Glarb would most likely run both enchantments.
It’s also worth mentioning that Jace, Wielder of Mysteries is a 4-drop, so that’s a combo win with a Thought Lash and Glarb in play. However Thought Lash is on the Reserved List, which makes it a good speculation target with a (relatively) cheap price. Although I have to say–many times in the past I thought it was Thought Lash’s time to shine, only to be disappointed at the box office. But maybe this time it will be different?
Heartless Summoning ( $5 regular / $15 foil ) is an amazing card in any deck with a good number of 4+ CMC creatures. It’s a card I’ve speculated on in the past for under $2 and the foil version for $5. Being able to cast 4 and 5-drop creatures for two or three mana is a big deal, especially when evoking something like a Mulldrifter for just 1 mana. The only real downside of Heartless Summoning is that you can’t run it in a deck with a lot of one-toughness creatures. I think Heartless Summoning would be a strong card in Glarb, allowing you to cheaply cast 4+ CMC creatures like The Gitrog Monster, Doom Whisperer, or Phyrexian Metamorph–as well as negating the Commander tax for Glarb the second time you cast it. Heartless Summoning, to date, has only one printing. It will likely get a reprint in the future, but before that happens I think there’s a good chance it becomes a $10/$30 card.
Glarb wants spells with a 4+ CMC that also have alternative casting costs. There are a few options with old creatures from Masques and Nemesis, including the likes of Saprazzan Legate, Deepwood Legate, and Skyshroud Cutter. Cutter is the easiest of the three to alt-cast (just control a forest), while the other two rely on an opponent controlling a Mountain or Forest (respectively). These cards are fairly cheap, but the foil versions have a high degree of scarcity and much higher price tags–Skyshroud Cutter ($7), Saprazzan Legate ($8), and Deepwood Legate ($5). I’m not sure if the Legates can be free-cast reliably enough to find a home in Glarb’s 99, but Skyshroud Cutter definitely can–and it also has a great group hug vibe.
Palinchron ($35) is another Reserved List card that I like for Glarb. If you have 7 lands in play (easy enough to do in a landfall deck) it’s essentially another “free” creature spell you can cast off the top of your library with Glarb. Peregrine Drake is another “free” creature for the deck, but there’s not a lot of room for speculation there (except maybe on the Secret Lair version for $8-$10.) But Palinchron is also a combo card, when paired with the likes of Deadeye Navigator, Regal Behemoth, Yarok or Panharmonicon. I think Palinchron is still an underpriced RL card and I expect 50%-100% growth in the future (even if Glarb doesn’t move the needle this time).
Treachery ($40) is yet another Reserved List card that belongs in Glarb. It’s basically a “free” control magic effect (once you have 5 lands in play) that can be cast off the top of your library with Glarb. Treachery used to be a $70-$80 card, and I think it will easily get there again someday.
So, to summarize: If you are building Glarb for EDH, I’d highly recommend buying copies of the three Reserved List cards that I mentioned–Thought Lash, Palinchron, and Treachery. And you’ll probably want many of the cards I mentioned for the 99.
Toby.