What if, and hear us out here, you used an artifact Insect as your commander in, uh, Commander? It’s a wild idea, sure, but give us a few minutes and we think you’ll be sold on the idea.
While there may be a few different legendary artifact bugs, we’re only going to be talking about the mighty Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp today. So, let’s get stuck in then, shall we?
Meet your commander
Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp is a one-mana 0/0. End of article. You’re already sold on them, we can tell. Nailed it!
If you’re still here, Zabaz has a lot of text. For starters, they have modular 1. Modular 1 means they enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter, but it also means that when they die, they can put a +1/+1 counter on an artifact creature equal to the number of +1/+1 counters they had on them. Alongside that, you can pay one red mana to destroy an artifact you control, and you can also pay one white mana to give Zabaz flying.
Also, “If a modular triggered ability would put one or more +1/+1 counters on a creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.” So, our plan here is simple, we’re going to be playing cards with modular and then supporting that whole vibe. Now then, let’s get into some specifics.
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The best artifact creatures for Zabaz
First up, let’s blitz through some really useful modular creatures, as that’s obviously one of the big draws here. So, Arcbound Overseer is an eight-mana 0/0 with modular 6, but it also allows you to put a +1/+1 on each creature with modular you control in your upkeep, which is amazing. Alongside that, you’ve also got Arcbound Fiend, which is a six-mana modular 3 creature that has fear, and allows you to move other +1/+1 counters onto it. Then there’s also the likes of Arcbound Crusher, Arcbound Ravager, and Arcbound Shikari too.
Outside of modular creatures, we need other creatures that really benefit from having counters on them. In terms of just having big creatures, Stonecoil Serpent is one of the best around because it’ll get absolutely massive, and also has reach, trample, and protection from multicolored. Hangarback Walker has a similar vibe, but they also turn into a flock of Thopter tokens when they die.
Finally, we’ve got Walking Ballista and Triskelion, both of which are perfect for shooting down pesky creatures, or just blitzing an opponent’s health to nothing in an instant using +1/+1 counters.
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The best support cards for Zabaz
Together Forever is a two-mana enchantment that puts counters on two creatures when it enters, but most importantly, allows you to pay one-mana to allow creatures to come back to your hand if they die. That’s going to be great for avoiding Commander Tax. We also love The Ozolith for a +1/+1 counter deck, and that’s especially true here.
Throne of Geth is incredible here too. It’s a two-mana artifact that you can tap to sacrifice an artifact and then proliferate. Literally all of this is good stuff for a Zabaz deck, and there’s no way you should put one together without including this card.
Finally, Scourglass is a five-mana white artifact that you can tap and sacrifice to, “Destroy all permanents except for artifacts and lands. Activate only during your upkeep.” Having a board wipe that so specifically dodges your own things is a huge boon, and because there are so many ways to recur artifacts in both white and red, it makes this especially easy to bring back whenever you need it.
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