Gleam of Authority
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each +1/+1 counter on other creatures you control.
Enchanted creature has vigilance and "
, 
: Bolster 1." (To bolster 1, choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Dragons of Tarkir
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #16587
Gleam of Authority turns any creature with +1/+1 counters on it into a scaling threat that also taps down blockers — the ceiling is high and the floor is a cheap aura that replaces itself with the draw trigger. The cost is enchantment-aura fragility: two-for-one risk is real, and it demands a dedicated counters shell to earn its slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Gleam of Authority actually belongs — counters synergies are everywhere, games go long enough for the tap ability to matter, and the ETB draw trigger offsets the two-for-one risk that makes auras miserable in faster formats. In Modern and Legacy it's too slow and too parasitic; those formats punish enchanting a creature without an immediate board-breaking payoff, and a tap ability costing two mana won't close games against interactive decks. Pioneer sits in the same boat — the card sees essentially no competitive play there. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander format where Gleam of Authority is plausible, given the counter-centric commanders available and the lower power ceiling keeping games at a pace where the enchantment can develop.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Gleam of Authority is firmly bulk — easy to acquire as a throw-in or in a bulk lot. The price is unlikely to move much given its narrow use case, but that also means there's no financial risk to picking up copies for any counters build.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.