cEDH Deck Tech: Golbez, Crystal Collector!

Golbez, Crystal Collector was one of the biggest surprises in Final Fantasy, at least to me. As soon as it came out, it instantly showed us it could find a lot of space in cEDH. This strategy, a combination of turbo and midrange, uses the best Dimir can offer: an insane amount of card draw, precise interactions, and, of course, Thassa's Oracle. Besides all of this, this deck also plays some obvious cEDH artifact ramp that actually interacts really well with the commander.

Golbez can easily win on turns 2, 3, and 4 because it is incredibly resilient and supports multiple combos. However, it can also stretch the game with engines like The One Ring and Necropotence, which are both really helpful when you need to push for a win or grind.

Surveil might not seem that relevant outside combos, but don't underestimate it because card selection is always incredibly powerful. This deck is so flexible, it can change on the spot according to the rhythm of your particular table, and that's precisely why it is so dangerous throughout the entire game.

Before we go into how to win with this deck, let's see what makes this commander so special and the list we'll be working with today. Usually, I try to test all the different commander builds I can find, but this time The Thunder Conductor built this particular strategy so perfectly I just decided to bring their list straight away!

Golbez has two distinct and extremely relevant abilities.

Whenever an artifact enters under your control, you'll Surveil 1. Surveil, in turn, lets you look at the top cards in your deck and decide if you want to keep them there or send them to your graveyard. This feeds Reanimation loops and Storm strategies directly, and interacts with cards like Underworld Breach (which we can't use, but we can steal) or Yawgmoth's Will.

At the end of each turn, if you control four or more artifacts, you can get a creature from your graveyard and add it to your hand. If you control eight or more artifacts, each opponent will lose life equal to that creature's power as well.

In practice, this turns each mana rock into a small advantage, as you'll go through your deck and Reanimate threats at the end of your turn. And if you ever control eight artifacts, which is relatively easy to do with Mox Opal, Lotus Petal, Chromatic Star, and similar, Golbez starts draining the table consistently. He rewards precise decisions and gives you multiple ways to win.

Please note that, though Golbez drains players, this will probably not win the game, unless a Stax strategy starts dominating the table.

Finally, I did mention "stealing cards," even though this list doesn't play Praetor's Grasp. It's something to keep in mind for the future.

Golbez is a rare mix of Turbo Combo and value-based Midrange, which means it can win in multiple ways and swap game plans and game styles according to your table and opening hand. Let's go through it step by step:

The Beginning: An Explosive Setup

Early on, just focus on progressing your game plan as fast as possible.

Look for hands with cheap artifacts, such as Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Mox Amber, and Mox Opal, to feed Golbez, Surveil, and your graveyard. Preferably, try to put Golvez in play on turn 1.

If you can't make a lot of mana immediately, value-based engines, like Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study, The One Ring, or even Necropotence early on are completely acceptable.

But, seriously, try to put Golbez in play as early as you can. He'll turn each of your artifacts into a way to filter the top of your deck and fill your graveyard with cards you can Reanimate later. This deck needs to be fast!

The Middle: Dig Through Your Deck and Get Ready to Win

Once Golbez is in play and you have lots of artifacts to cast, you'll use Surveil constantly. You'll eventually get a lot of mana quite fast and feed your graveyard with cards so you can Reanimate them later on with Snapcaster Mage (Flashback basically Reanimates an instant or sorcery), Yawgmoth's Will, and even Dread Return. A full graveyard makes Golbez very happy.

Finally, try to get as much value as you can from cards like Orcish Bowmasters, Phyrexian Metamorph, and Pollywog Prodigy to disrupt your opponents as you push forward. These cards have become relatively controversial in some online circles because they "don't do enough", I know, but I still believe in their potential, and I believe adding them to this list was the right choice as well.

From turns 3 and 4 onward, you can start setting up a way to win with classic combos, such as Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact or one of the loops we'll cover below.

The End: How to Win

When you've hoarded as much value as you can, it's time to end the game. This deck plays multiple accessible, consistent win conditions:

- Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact or Demonic Consultation.

- Hullbreaker Horror + 2 positive mana rocks results in infinite mana and Surveils.

- Valley Floodcaller + Banishing Knack/Retraction Helix + a zero artifact is similar to the Hullbreaker combo.

- Bolas's Citadel + Sensei's Divining Top + Aetherflux Reservoir results in a life, card draw, and damage loop. Just remember, Citadel and Top in play should already be enough to guarantee a win.

- Orcish Bowmasters + infinite triggers (Hullbreaker or Floodcaller) results in infinite damage.

This combo deserved its own section because it is unique. After milling your entire deck, use Snapcaster Mage to reuse Yawgmoth's Will and cast your tutors or artifacts again. Or just use Yawgmoth's Will if you have it in your hand.

Lion's Eye Diamond will give you mana to cast whatever you need to.

Furthermore, if you run out of cards in your deck entirely, you can just Reanimate Thassa's Oracle with Dread Return's Flashback.

Golbez, Crystal Collector seems simple at first, but it's precisely because he is so simple that he is so strong. He turns cheap artifacts into an avalanche of value, creates consistent loops, and wins games in devastating ways. He is a powerful, resilient commander that performs really well in the current cEDH meta.

If you enjoy hoarding value, controlling the board, and setting up combos as your opponents are still trying to figure out what you're doing and what they're doing, then Golbez could be perfect for you.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!