(Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk | Art by Jose Parodi)

Brightglass' Toolbox

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that the Golem token from Hammer of PurphorosHammer of Purphoros is the only Enchantment Artifact Creature?)

Let's see... still a few weeks until we get spoilers for Aetherdrift, but I bet there's a pre-pre-spoiler from months ago that went largely ignored out there...

Ah, of course, Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk! There's gotta be some fun stuff you can search up with this, let's take a look!

Top 10 One-Mana (or less) Artifacts, Creatures, and Enchantments

All right, well obviously we can't just do this all as one list when there's an opportunity to look at 30 cards instead of 10 (do you ever just hear your editors screaming from down the hall? Weird folks, I tell ya). So, that makes it Artifacts vs. Creatures vs. Enchantments. Let's take a look!

Top 10 One-Mana or Less Artifacts

1. Sol RingSol Ring
2. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
3. Wayfarer's BaubleWayfarer's Bauble
4. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
5. Lotus PetalLotus Petal
6. Mana VaultMana Vault
7. Chrome MoxChrome Mox
8. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
9. Everflowing ChaliceEverflowing Chalice
10. Mox OpalMox Opal

Oh. Well yeah, it's artifacts, of course it's all gonna be fast mana and the like. It's fine, it's fine, we've got two other categories to make this a bit more interesting.

Top 10 One-Mana or Less Creatures

1. Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise
2. Llanowar ElvesLlanowar Elves
3. Elvish MysticElvish Mystic
4. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
5. Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling
6. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
7. Ragavan, Nimble PilfererRagavan, Nimble Pilferer
8. Avacyn's PilgrimAvacyn's Pilgrim
9. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
10. Arbor ElfArbor Elf

Oh yeah, mana dorks. Well, surely the enchantment list isn't all ramp cards, right?

Top 10 One-Mana or Less Enchantments

1. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
2. Urza's SagaUrza's Saga
3. Wild GrowthWild Growth
4. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
5. ExplorationExploration
6. Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl
7. Land TaxLand Tax

Okay, let's just cut that off right there. It's obvious if we're looking to find anything you might search for with Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk in the late game, we're going to need to cut out all the ramp options here.

Criteria: One-mana or less artifacts, creatures, and enchantments that aren't lands, and don't add mana, untap lands, or search for lands. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score, however this time, we'll be having each type go head to head.

All right, that should get us an actual toolbox to work with here. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure we'll see our fair share of Sol RingSol Rings searched up with Brightglass, but there's whole other genres of stuff out there you'll need, you know?

10. Colossus HammerColossus Hammer vs. Haywire MiteHaywire Mite vs. Bloodchief AscensionBloodchief Ascension

(Hammer: 64,412 Inclusions, Mite: 84,515, Ascension: 83,851)

You know what I can see myself wanting in the late game? Finishers and removal. Oh hey look, Colossus HammerColossus Hammer and Haywire MiteHaywire Mite! Let's not sell Bloodchief AscensionBloodchief Ascension short either, however.

While it may not kill folks immediately like a 13/13 will, in most games it gets turned on fairly quickly and provides a steady drip of life drain that will eventually knock people out of the game. Of course, if you wanted to speed up the process, you could do that, too...

You'll still have to turn Bloodchief AscensionBloodchief Ascension on, but that's easier than ever to do with a MindcrankMindcrank down. Once you do, however, don't worry about the incremental math anymore. This baby just goes straight infinite, milling everyone out while having them lose two life per card.

As for which one wins? I'm afraid that from where I'm sitting, both Colossus HammerColossus Hammer and Bloodchief AscensionBloodchief Ascension are too slow and ineffectual on their own for it to be likely that I'm tutoring them up. You know what I am likely to reach for at just about any point of a game, however? The instant-speed removal spell that will turn off the nonsense across the way.

Winner: Haywire MiteHaywire Mite

(Creatures: 1, Artifacts: 0, Enchantments: 0)

9. Mishra's BaubleMishra's Bauble vs. Serra AscendantSerra Ascendant vs. CuriosityCuriosity

(Bauble: 66,706 Inclusions, Ascendant: 89,826, Curiosity: 87,047)

Our number nine slot brings us a series of card archetypes that will become quite familiar by the end of this list, if I had to guess: A card that was designed before Commander was even a consideration, a little bit of card draw, and a combo piece. The only difference, this time around?

Those last two get consolidated into one when it comes to CuriosityCuriosity. There is, however, a wrinkle on that front, as Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk is in green and white, and pretty much every combo involving Curiosity is not only in Izzet, but also directly involves an Izzet commander.

Things are improved somewhat if you look at the green version you'd be more likely to include in Keen SenseKeen Sense, but that's really just gesturing in the general direction of Glint-Horn BuccaneerGlint-Horn Buccaneer.

With all that in mind, then, let's throw the combos out the window and gauge our response to each of these cards on their individual value alone. Mishra's BaubleMishra's Bauble, then, is a zero-cost piece of card draw you'll be able to plop right down onto the field after you search it up, even if Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk's complicated mana has you tapped out.

That sounds pretty good, but it's unfortunately a bit delayed on the card draw itself, with you having to wait until the next upkeep.

Serra AscendantSerra Ascendant, on the other hand, is something you can see yourself searching up early to get the game going in an aggro direction... Which also doesn't necessarily play well with Gearhulk, given that it's difficult two green and two white pips are often going to make getting it down early enough that you still have 30 life fairly difficult.

Which just leaves... CuriosityCuriosity again. Which, even playing it fairly, will absolutely draw you some cards with the large, trampling Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk you've just placed onto the battlefield. Which makes this one pretty easy to pick, in my mind, even if we're letting the more popular blue version stand in for the green one you're much more likely to be playinggreen one you're much more likely to be playing.

Winner: CuriosityCuriosity

(Creatures: 1, Enchantments: 1, Artifacts: 0)

8. Manifold KeyManifold Key vs. OrnithopterOrnithopter vs. Phyrexian ReclamationPhyrexian Reclamation

(Key: 74,646 Inclusions, Ornithopter: 99,262, Reclamation: 88,914)

Two engines and the original zero-cost creature that is often used as an engine. Let's just round that up to an even three then, shall we? For those unaware of each of these, let's quickly go through them all by their own individual notorieties, one by one.

Manifold KeyManifold Key is the "fixed" version of the old untapper, Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key, with a bit of unblockability thrown in to make up for it no longer being able to target itself. While that self-targeting is where the infinite Key combos came from, that's really not what Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key was ever used for, anyhow.

No, what these Keys are known for is exactly what they say on the tin: Untapping super-powerful artifacts. Whether that's fueling WildfireWildfire decks in Urza's Saga Standard that would leave the whole table without lands while you sat there and fiddled with your Grim MonolithGrim Monolith, or putting a smile on the face of cEDH players after the bans as they slowly realize that not only can these Keys untap Mana VaultMana Vaults and Basalt MonolithBasalt Monoliths, they can also target The One RingThe One Ring, suffice it to say there's no lack of targets.

OrnithopterOrnithopter is another card that technically can be comboed with, but is more likely to just be used for value. With a cost and any effect that will return it to hand repeatedly, you can use it to farm enter the battlefield or cast triggers, whether they be for artifacts or creatures.

Failing that, it's also a fine free flier that with enough pump can become a legitimate threat to close out a game.

Speaking of ways to repeatedly get OrnithopterOrnithopter back to your hand, Phyrexian ReclamationPhyrexian Reclamation! Paired with a sac outlet, Reclamation can always get an Aristocrats deck going early and often.

Returning a cheap creature with an enters or dies trigger to your hand makes paying two mana and two life seem like a small price to pay as you repeatedly drain lifedrain life, make tokensmake tokens, draw cardsdraw cards, make the table sacrifice creaturesmake the table sacrifice creatures, or worst of all, mill more cardsmill more cards to get better stuff back into your hand.

As for which is the best? Manifold KeyManifold Key easily does the most powerful things, but is also the least powerful on its own. That being said, none of these particular engines really does anything by themselves, as anyone who's played down an early OrnithopterOrnithopter or Phyrexian ReclamationPhyrexian Reclamation and then had them sat there doing nothing for four turns straight can tell you.

So with that in mind, let's give this one to the highest ceiling, shall we?

Winner: Manifold KeyManifold Key

(Artifacts: 1, Creatures: 1, Enchantments: 1)

7. Elixir of ImmortalityElixir of Immortality vs. Soul WardenSoul Warden vs. Aqueous FormAqueous Form

(Elixir: 77,119 Inclusions, Warden: 119,824, Form: 98,372)

The first suprise on the list for me usually comes early, but not so in the case of Elixir of ImmortalityElixir of Immortality. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad card, I even play it to keep my Group Hug deck from drawing itself out.

With that said, having a deck that needs to shuffle its graveyard back in routinely is not what I'd call a commonplace problem, so it's interesting to see this particular niche raise its head this high up in the top ten list.

No such confusion results from seeing Soul WardenSoul Warden or Aqueous FormAqueous Form here, however. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it's likely one of the main adopters of Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk will be Soul SistersSoul Sisters decks that want to grab one of their various options to get their life gain engines going.

Aqueous FormAqueous Form is, all-in-all, less likely to be a routine target of Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk, which is not to say that it isn't an amazing card. Making a creature unblockable is already good enough for a single blue mana, tacking on a scry trigger just takes the whole thing and opens up an entire new genre.

With that said, as happy as Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many and Tuvasa the SunlitTuvasa the Sunlit are to see this particular option, I think the answer to who wins this one is pretty clear.

Winner: Soul WardenSoul Warden

(Creatures: 2, Artifacts: 1, Enchantments: 1)

6. Commander's PlateCommander's Plate vs. Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast vs. Authority of the ConsulsAuthority of the Consuls

(Plate: 121,835 Inclusions, Outcast: 121,305, Authority: 98,909)

I've never really bought into the hype of Commander's PlateCommander's Plate. Sure, it's fine in the odd equipment or Voltron deck. As an include in anything else, though, the to equip is just too costly, to say nothing of the . I also know that I'm in the minority on that opinion, however, so I wasn't surprised to see it here on the list.

The one that did surprise me? Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast. Not because it's not a good card, mind you: It's one of only two single-mana Changeling creatures, which obviously means that it's going to see play in every Kindred deck from here to kingdom come. No, what's surprising about it is, that apparently Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast sees more play than the other colorless option, somehow.

The only possible explanation I can see for this is that Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast is more well known than its artifact cousin, as other than the fact that it can be DisenchantDisenchanted, it's strictly better. Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton can be played in any color, can block, and triggers artifact effects in addition to creature ones.

Indeed, it's widely regarded as the best Dwarf in MagdaMagda, which is something for a card that doesn't say "Dwarf" on it anywhere.

Given that we're evaluating Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast, however, not Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton, my work here is pretty easy: Authority of the ConsulsAuthority of the Consuls is the slam dunk entry here, and beats the others by a mile.

A one-sided Stax piece for a single mana that also fuels life-gain decks, it's just something that has to be considered for every white deck, including any Selesnya+ brew that might be thinking about Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk.

Winner: Authority of the ConsulsAuthority of the Consuls

(Creatures: 2, Enchantments: 2, Artifacts: 1)

5. The OzolithThe Ozolith vs. Walking BallistaWalking Ballista vs. Kaya's GhostformKaya's Ghostform

(Ozolith: 173,476 Inclusions, Ballista: 126,425, Ghostform: 101,797)

Things seem pretty easy for me when it comes to our five-slot, as well. To be fair to them, The OzolithThe Ozolith is one of the best cards you can hope to see in a counters deck of any type, and Kaya's GhostformKaya's Ghostform is a useful tool both in fair and unfair Magic.

Unfortunately, both of those statements can also be said for the other entry here, Walking BallistaWalking Ballista. It's amazing in a +1/+1 counters brew, can act as flexible removal for the table at the drop of a hat, and has a combo list seven miles long.

Which is why I'm going to forgo going into more detail on our other very good options that fall just short of one of the best cards to ever be printed in the game in Walking BallistaWalking Ballista, and instead talk about some nonsense you can search up almost wholesale with Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk and our little Construct friend.

While you do need four mana and a means to give Walking BallistaWalking Ballista lifelink on hand for this combo to work, it is nonetheless two cards that you can search up with one Gearhulk.

Does that mean much, if your commander can't give out lifelink? Probably not. With that said, Arwen, Mortal QueenArwen, Mortal Queen does exist, and curves quite nicely into this nonsense.

If you'd rather have some less specific nonsense, however, then there is one other combo I found that involves all one-cost or less artifacts, creatures, or enchantments. It does not, unfortunately, only contain two cards, however:

Still, tutoring up two-thirds of your combo with a single card isn't exactly something I would frown at. Nor is putting a CuriosityCuriosity on your Walking BallistaWalking Ballista a bad play. Nor is getting a Wizard ClassWizard Class up to level three with a Walking BallistaWalking Ballista in play a bad play.

Look, what I'm trying to say is, if you're in Bant+ and at the power level where infinite combos are permissible, you could do worse than throwing this inclusion in alongside your Gearhulk. It's not like you're going to regret having any of the individual options in your deck.

Winner: Walking BallistaWalking Ballista

(Creatures: 3, Enchantments: 2, Artifacts: 1)

4. Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar vs. Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder vs. Wizard ClassWizard Class

(Collar: 173,834 Inclusions, Feeder: 127,899, Wizard Class: 103,411)

How do I know you won't regret having any of those individual combo options in your deck? Well, because all three of them are featured on this top ten list of best one-mana permanents.

With that said, and despite everyone's love of not having to make the painful discard decisions necessary when you're restricted to a hand size of seven, I think Wizard ClassWizard Class is fairly easily the worst card of these three.

Why? Well, because Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder is one of only two single-mana, repeatable sac outlets in the game (more on the other one later), and Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar is on the list of best equipment ever printed, regardless of mana cost. The question is: Which one is better?

I won't call that an easy decision, because it isn't. What I will say is, one of these cards is useful if you have any creature available, and the other is really only decent if you've got hordes of them or some kind of loop set up. Is that a flimsy basis for a decision? Yes. Is it what I'm going to go with anyhow? Also yes.

Winner: Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar

(Creatures: 3, Artifacts: 2, Enchantments: 2)

3. ShadowspearShadowspear vs. Mother of RunesMother of Runes vs. RancorRancor

(Shadowspear: 175,449 Inclusions, Mother: 152,150, Rancor: 113,878)

If you're looking for proof that I'm not a consistent human being, look no further than my opinions on Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar and ShadowspearShadowspear, the former of which I liked enough to have it win its number four slot, and the latter of which I think really shouldn't see play outside of Voltron decks.

Given that ShadowspearShadowspear has just traded out deathtouch for trample, and then tacked on +1/+1 and a rare "get around hexproof and indestructible" ability, it might seem like I'm a bit off my rocker. To explain myself, however, here's why I like Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar and not ShadowspearShadowspear: Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar is repeatable removal.

Deathtouch makes it so that you can equip any creature and leave it there to defend homebase, and it will not only punish players attacking you by having them lose their best attacker, you'll also gain life for the privilege. ShadowspearShadowspear, on the other hand, is an excellent offensive tool, but even its activated ability that makes things easier to remove doesn't really ever cause removal by itself.

In any case, I don't think that ShadowspearShadowspear was ever in the running when compared to these other two. Amazingly, despite both being from the same small set, both Mother of RunesMother of Runes and RancorRancor are one-of-a-kind effects that have been playables in every format they've ever been legal in.

MomMom comes down early and spends the rest of the game protecting your creatures, notably including itself in that bargain. Neither of RancorRancor's effects are actually that unique, just the fact that they're both stapled onto a one-mana aura is.

The +2/+0 and trample is relevant damage and evasion for the aggro decks, and an aura that can return itself to your hand over and over again for a single mana is relevant for the enchantress decks.

And while I am tempted to give it to RancorRancor for that flexibility, let's be honest, it doesn't even approach that of Mother of RunesMother of Runes. After all, protection isn't just protection, it's also evasion. It will even remove the odd Darksteel MutationDarksteel Mutation after the fact, not to mention on the stack.

No, this one's for Mom, and despite my love of RancorRancor, I don't think it's even particularly close.

Winner: Mother of RunesMother of Runes

(Creatures: 4, Artifacts: 2, Enchantments: 2)

2. Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top vs. Viscera SeerViscera Seer vs. Hardened ScalesHardened Scales

(Top: 270,786 Inclusions, Seer: 233,815, Scales: 209,130)

There's a clear outlier here in Hardened ScalesHardened Scales, which is a great addition for +1/+1 counter decks, but is up against two of the best cards ever printed in Magic. Again, it's got its place, and it's excellent there, but these other two could literally just be shoved into any list and do a decent job of it.

So, moving on to the real contenders then, Viscera SeerViscera Seer. Hands down the best sac outlet in the game, Viscera SeerViscera Seer would be excellent if it was just a one-mana creature that said "sacrifice a creature" on it, as evidenced by Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder. Tack on scry 1, however, and you have an entire other ballgame.

Slap on some tokens, and Viscera SeerViscera Seer is nigh on being a one-mana tutor in addition to one of the most efficient sac outlets in the game. So, how is Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top possibly competing with that?

Well, normally I'd go on a whole diatribe about how this particular one-mana artifact has been banned in almost every format it's ever been legal in, but those particular bans for Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top were mostly about play and time issues, not its raw power. Which is not to say that it doesn't have that, too.

I recently went over Top shenanigans being the best win-con for a high-powered Iron ManIron Man deck, for instance. Those familiar with K'rrikK'rrik cEDH brews will be well aware that one of the main win-cons after you get down a free NecropotenceNecropotence is Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top and Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel.

In short, there's plenty of room in Top's corner for it to be both a constant annoyance of organizing and reorganizing cards, and also an extremely powerful, resilient artifact that can be a win-con for an entire deck.

What really puts Top over the top in this instance, though? It's kind of better than Viscera SeerViscera Seer at what Viscera SeerViscera Seer does. No, not the sac outlet part, the top of library manipulation part. A single mana lets you look three cards deep, and then you can even draw the card you need on top of it all.

I mean, you could sac your infinite Plant tokens to get the card you need to the top of the deck with Seer, but you'd need a Top to actually get it to your hand to cast it.

Winner: Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top

(Creatures: 4, Artifacts: 3, Enchantments: 2)

1. SkullclampSkullclamp vs. Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel vs. Mystic RemoraMystic Remora

(Skullclamp: 612,847 Inclusions, Sentinel: 459,136, Remora: 436,757)

And... here we are at the end, to find three of the best draw effects in the entire game. The real question here is, which power level are we talking about?

In cEDH, hands down the best first turn play you can have is Mystic RemoraMystic Remora. Either folks will feed the fish, and you'll end up with an Ancestral RecallAncestral Recall, or they won't, and you've stopped an entire table from developing. It is difficult to keep around in the long-term if you don't draw some fast mana, however, due to the cumulative upkeep.

So with that in mind, there is at least an argument for the Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel that is more likely to just have its cost paid, but is also more likely to stick around for the whole game.

All of those are high-powered arguments, though. At the much more popular low- and mid-powered levels of gameplay, there aren't the constant explosive turns that make Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel and Mystic RemoraMystic Remora so good.

What there are, however, is a multitude of time and reasons to play SkullclampSkullclamp and guarantee that you'll draw cards, as opposed to relying on your opponents.

And it's for that reason that I'm going to go with the popular vote here, and put the easily more powerful cards behind the one that's more likely to be better at the more common tables.

Winner: SkullclampSkullclamp

(Artifacts: 4, Creatures: 4, Enchantments: 2)

Honorable Mentions

Well, that puts us at a tie, and we can't have that! So, let's let the #11 spot decide things, shall we?

Well, first off, it's a good thing here that the obvious outlier is the niche entry, Sigarda's AidSigarda's Aid, otherwise we'd be in the awkward position of having our third place finisher win the tie-breaker. So then, Soul-Guide LanternSoul-Guide Lantern and Skrelv, Defector MiteSkrelv, Defector Mite.

It is tempting to award the whole thing to artifacts outright, given that about half of our creatures have technically also been artifacts, but that feels like copping out of the decision.

Instead, let's compare our two contenders, head-to-head. Ironically, SkrelvSkrelv is another version of a card we already saw in the creature slot today, Mother of RunesMother of Runes. Like the other copy out there, Giver of RunesGiver of Runes, Skrelv can't protect itself like Mom can.

To make up for that, however, it also tacks on Toxic 1, allowing you to bring Poison counters into the game if your deck could take advantage of that. In other words, in order to want to play Skrelv, you either need to be taken in by its toxic cuteness, or you need to be in a deck that's either doing Poison things or has access to Proliferate. In other words, we're in a niche again.

Contrast that with Soul-Guide LanternSoul-Guide Lantern, which could go into any deck. A cheap piece of graveyard interaction is something that I guarantee just about every player has wished they had at some point, so tack on some card draw and you've got a real contender to hit any responsible brewer's 99.

And... I think that's enough. I hate to be constantly coming down on the side of "generically good", but until we're giving out points for somehow making skinless, multi-legged critters cute and functional, I think this one has to go to Soul-Guide LanternSoul-Guide Lantern and artifacts.

Artifacts Win!

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

Obviously, there will be some takes down in the comments below on how this creature is better than that artifact, or how the true winner is obviously enchantments. I welcome those comments and critiques, but before we get to the individuals...

And finally, what are you most likely to go searching for with Brightglass GearhulkBrightglass Gearhulk? Have you put it in any decks yet? If so, which ones, and what are you using it for?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the two tiny tables that match up perfectly to make a larger one.

DougY

Doug has been an avid Magic player since Fallen Empires, when his older brother traded him some epic blue Homarids for all of his Islands. As for Commander, he's been playing since 2010, when he started off by making a two-player oriented G/R Land Destruction deck. Nailed it. In his spare time when he's not playing Magic, writing about Magic or doing his day job, he runs a YouTube channel or two, keeps up a College Football Computer Poll, and is attempting to gif every scene of the Star Wars prequels.