Many of The Hobbit’s designs are far more interesting for Commander than constructed. Whether you’re playing a typal deck or just an artifact one, many of The Hobbit’s new cards look incredible in the slower format. That said, even those new cards pale in comparison to Gleaming Splendor, a new ridiculous super-staple for the format.
MTG Gleaming Splendor
For the low price of two mana, Gleaming Splendor serves as a Treasure-spewing engine. Card draw is naturally abundant in a Commander setting, so this enchantment should have no trouble triggering multiple times. Much like Faerie Mastermind, Gleaming Splendor even comes with an activated ability stapled to it that fuels itself while drawing you cards in the process.
All you really need to make Gleaming Splendor a worthwhile inclusion is strong ways to spend excess mana. Any ramp-themed Commander or legend with a repeatable activated ability, such as Kenrith, the Returned King, makes for a great home. The consistent token production also does a great job fueling Vihaan, Goldwaker and turning Marneus Calgar into a card draw machine.
As strong as Gleaming Splendor is in a casual setting, however, it’s even more appealing in cEDH. Similar designs, including Tataru Taru and Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff, already see tons of play. This card provides similar upside while being immune to creature removal, and heavily capitalizes on the current Rhystic Study metagame.
On top of how valuable this enchantment is as a Treasure maker and card draw engine, it’s even an infinite mana win condition. Just hold priority and repeatedly activate the ability targeting two different opponents, and they’ll lose via decking. You’ll need to line up a Silence effect to prevent any instant wins, but since the card is worth including without its combo potential, this is basically a free bonus.
With so much utility and versatility packed into such an efficient card, we wouldn’t be shocked if this is the best Commander card in the set. Copies may sell for a pretty penny, too, so don’t hesitate to pick one up if you see a good deal.
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