How to Play Glarb, Calamity's Augur in Commander

Bracket 4 · Our Glarb decklist

Our Glarb list is Sultai top-of-library value with a frog theme. Glarb lets you look at your top card any time and play lands and big spells from it, while surveil, mill and land drops keep the top of your library working for you.

The deck ramps with extra land drops, digs with Glarb and Grolnok, reanimates threats it mills, and wins with frogs, Colossal Grave-Reaver, or an empty library and Thassa's Oracle or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries.

Bracket
4
Avg. mana value
2.66
Lands
35
Shop the deck · $45See the decklist

01The Commander

Glarb, Calamity's Augur is a three-mana 2/4 with deathtouch. You may look at the top card of your library any time, and you may play lands and cast spells with mana value 4 or greater from the top.

Glarb also taps to surveil 2. That sets up the next card, or bins it for reanimation and graveyard lands. Enhanced Surveillance makes each surveil look at four cards.

Big spells off the top are free card advantage. Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait and The Gitrog Monster all cost four or more, so Glarb can cast them straight from the library.

02How This Deck Wins

  1. 1

    Ramp and look ahead

    Birds of Paradise, Exploration and Azusa, Lost but Seeking ramp while Glarb plays lands off the top of your library.

  2. 2

    Mill and recur

    Surveil and mill with Glarb, Grolnok, the Omnivore and Hedge Shredder. Lands come back with Ramunap Excavator, creatures with Reanimate and Animate Dead.

  3. 3

    Win the game

    Attack with big threats like Colossal Grave-Reaver, or mill yourself out and win with Thassa's Oracle or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries.

03Deck at a Glance

Bracket 4 · 100 cards

Composition

  • Commander1
  • Creatures26
  • Instants & sorceries24
  • Artifacts & enchantments13
  • Planeswalkers1
  • Lands35
  • Tokens2

Mana Curve

10
171
162
113
124
45
26
17+

Color Split

83colored
symbols
  • Blue 33%
  • Black 18%
  • Green 49%

By the Numbers

2.66avg. mana value
35lands (13 basic)
11Game Changers
2token types included

Cards by Role

Top-of-Library Engines18
Land Ramp20
Reanimation and Tutors9
Library Wins5
Interaction12

04Top-of-Library Engines

Glarb plays big cards from the top. These add more ways to use your library.

Grolnok, the OmnivoreEvery frog attack mills three, and milled permanents can be played from exile.
Muldrotha, the GravetidePlays a land and a permanent of each type from your graveyard every turn.
The Gitrog MonsterDraws a card whenever lands hit your graveyard, plus an extra land drop.
Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre StraitAn extra land drop and a card for every land.
Sensei's Divining TopRearranges your top three so Glarb always has a good card to play.

Also in this role

Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Six
Hedge Shredder
Colossal Grave-Reaver
Enhanced Surveillance
High Fae Trickster
Valley Floodcaller
Lilysplash Mentor
Seedborn Muse
Clifftop Lookout
Pollywog Prodigy
Poison Dart Frog
Spore Frog

05Land Ramp

Extra land drops and fetches, plus ways to replay lands from the graveyard.

Azusa, Lost but SeekingTwo extra land drops each turn.
Icetill ExplorerAn extra land drop, lands from the graveyard, and a mill each landfall.
Ramunap ExcavatorPlay lands from your graveyard.
Conduit of WorldsLands from the graveyard, and it recasts a permanent too.
Dryad of the Ilysian GroveAn extra land drop and every land is every basic type.

Also in this role

Exploration
Birds of Paradise
Bloom Tender
Delighted Halfling
Elves of Deep Shadow
Deathrite Shaman
Rampant Growth
Farseek
Nature's Lore
Three Visits
Cultivate
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Lotus Petal
Dark Ritual

06Reanimation and Tutors

Get the right threat, or put it in the graveyard and bring it back.

ReanimateOne mana to return any creature from any graveyard.
Animate DeadReanimation on an Aura for two.
Dread ReturnReturn a creature, then flash it back by sacrificing three creatures.
Demonic TutorAny card for two mana.
Eternal WitnessReturns any card from your graveyard to hand.

Also in this role

Vampiric Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Worldly Tutor
Noxious Revival

07Library Wins

Mill and surveil empty your own library. These turn that into a win.

Thassa's OracleWith an empty library, it wins when it enters.
Jace, Wielder of MysteriesTurns a draw from an empty library into a win.
The One RingProtection for a turn and a growing stream of cards.
Rhystic StudyCard draw whenever opponents don't pay one.

Also in this role

Mystic Remora

08Interaction

Counterspells and removal across three colors.

Force of WillA free counterspell.
Fierce GuardianshipFree with Glarb out.
CounterbalanceUses the top card Glarb shows you to counter spells.
Toxic DelugeA wipe sized exactly to what you need.
Assassin's TrophyTwo mana to destroy any permanent.

Also in this role

Counterspell
An Offer You Can't Refuse
Swan Song
Force of Vigor
Cyclonic Rift
Deadly Rollick
Culling Ritual

09Combos and Key Interactions

+

Glarb, Calamity's Augur + Counterbalance

Glarb lets you see the top card, so you know exactly which spells Counterbalance will counter, and surveil sets it up.

+

Thassa's Oracle + Jace, Wielder of Mysteries

Two ways to turn an empty library into a win after a big mill turn.

+

Grolnok, the Omnivore + Hedge Shredder

Mill lots of cards; lands go straight onto the battlefield and other permanents become playable from exile.

10How to Play

Opening hand

Keep hands with two or three lands and a ramp piece. Glarb on turn three starts the engine, and anything after that can come off the top.

1

Early gameturns 1-3

Ramp with Birds of Paradise, Exploration or land searches, then cast Glarb on turn three.

2

Mid gameturns 4-7

Surveil every turn with Glarb. Play lands and big spells from the top, and add engines like Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait or Muldrotha, the Gravetide.

3

Late gameturn 8+

Reanimate a big threat, attack with frogs and Colossal Grave-Reaver, or mill yourself out and win with Thassa's Oracle.

Tips

  • Check Glarb's top card before every decision, including on opponents' turns.
  • Surveil lands into the graveyard when you have Ramunap Excavator or Icetill Explorer.
  • Glarb only casts spells with mana value 4 or more from the top. Cheap spells must be drawn.
  • Hold Counterbalance until Glarb has set up the right top card.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting to surveil with Glarb every turn.
  • Milling yourself too far without a win in hand.
  • Tapping out without counterspell backup on a combo turn.
  • Playing from the top of your library when hand cards are better.

Watch out for

  • Graveyard hate that stops your recursion.
  • Effects that stop you looking at or playing from the library.
  • Removal on Glarb.
  • Opposing counterspells on Thassa's Oracle.

11Bracket and Rule 0

1Exhibition
2Core
3Upgraded
4Optimized
5cEDH
Bracket4

Our list runs 11 Game Changers (Cyclonic Rift, Demonic Tutor, Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will, Mystical Tutor, Rhystic Study, Seedborn Muse, Thassa's Oracle, The One Ring, Vampiric Tutor, Worldly Tutor). That is more than the Bracket 3 limit of three, so we call it Bracket 4 at the table.

The deck can win with Thassa's Oracle after milling itself, so tell your table before the game.

12Full Decklist

Every card in our Glarb proxy deck (100 cards). Hover or tap a name to see the card.

Commander

  • 1Glarb, Calamity's AugurBGU

Creatures (26)

  • 1Birds of ParadiseG
  • 1Deathrite ShamanB/G
  • 1Delighted HalflingG
  • 1Elves of Deep ShadowG
  • 1Spore FrogG
  • 1Bloom Tender1G
  • 1Poison Dart Frog1G
  • 1Pollywog Prodigy1U
  • 1Thassa's OracleUU
  • 1Azusa, Lost but Seeking2G
  • 1Clifftop Lookout2G
  • 1Dryad of the Ilysian Grove2G
  • 1Eternal Witness1GG
  • 1Ramunap Excavator2G
  • 1Six2G
  • 1Valley Floodcaller2U
  • 1Grolnok, the Omnivore2GU
  • 1High Fae Trickster3U
  • 1Icetill Explorer2GG
  • 1Lilysplash Mentor2GU
  • 1Seedborn Muse3GG
  • 1Tatyova, Benthic Druid3GU
  • 1The Gitrog Monster3BG
  • 1Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait4GU
  • 1Muldrotha, the Gravetide3BGU
  • 1Colossal Grave-Reaver6BG

Planeswalkers (1)

  • 1Jace, Wielder of Mysteries1UUU

Instants (14)

  • 1An Offer You Can't RefuseU
  • 1Dark RitualB
  • 1Mystical TutorU
  • 1Noxious RevivalG/P
  • 1Swan SongU
  • 1Vampiric TutorB
  • 1Worldly TutorG
  • 1Assassin's TrophyBG
  • 1CounterspellUU
  • 1Cyclonic Rift1U
  • 1Fierce Guardianship2U
  • 1Deadly Rollick3B
  • 1Force of Vigor2GG
  • 1Force of Will3UU

Sorceries (10)

  • 1ReanimateB
  • 1Demonic Tutor1B
  • 1Farseek1G
  • 1Nature's Lore1G
  • 1Rampant Growth1G
  • 1Three Visits1G
  • 1Cultivate2G
  • 1Toxic Deluge2B
  • 1Culling Ritual2BG
  • 1Dread Return2BB

Artifacts (7)

  • 1Lotus Petal0
  • 1Sensei's Divining Top1
  • 1Sol Ring1
  • 1Arcane Signet2
  • 1Conduit of Worlds2GG
  • 1Hedge Shredder2GG
  • 1The One Ring4

Enchantments (6)

  • 1ExplorationG
  • 1Mystic RemoraU
  • 1Animate Dead1B
  • 1CounterbalanceUU
  • 1Enhanced Surveillance1U
  • 1Rhystic Study2U

Lands (35)

  • 1Boseiju, Who Endures
  • 1Breeding Pool
  • 1Command Tower
  • 1Exotic Orchard
  • 1Flooded Strand
  • 5Forest
  • 1Hedge Maze
  • 1Hinterland Harbor
  • 4Island
  • 1Misty Rainforest
  • 1Morphic Pool
  • 1Opulent Palace
  • 1Otawara, Soaring City
  • 1Overgrown Tomb
  • 1Polluted Delta
  • 1Rejuvenating Springs
  • 1Shifting Woodland
  • 4Swamp
  • 1Undercity Sewers
  • 1Underground Mortuary
  • 1Undergrowth Stadium
  • 1Verdant Catacombs
  • 1Watery Grave
  • 1Woodland Cemetery
  • 1Zagoth Triome

Get the deck

Glarb proxy deck

Glarb turns your library into a second hand. Look ahead, surveil, play big cards off the top, and win from the graveyard or an empty library.

Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in the deck you get, sleeve-ready, with tokens.

Shop the deck · $45

Every card named in this guide is in our deck, and every image is our own proxy card, rendered from the art in this deck.