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Glen Elendra Archmage

Creature — Faerie Wizard

Flying
{U}, Sacrifice this creature: Counter target noncreature spell.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Ultimate Masters
Price
$13.20
EDHREC rank
#1584
Buy on TCGplayer
Glen Elendra Archmage card art
Glen Elendra Archmage puts a reusable Negate on a stick — sacrifice it to counter a noncreature spell, and if you have a -1/-1 counter to remove (or a persist enabler like Carrion Feeder), it comes back and does it again. The cost is real: four mana, two blue pips, and a 2/2 body that dies to a stiff breeze, but Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor and similar faerie engines make that fragility a feature.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor

Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor

79.1% of decks · synergy 0.74

Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor draws a card every time a faerie you control dies, so each Glen Elendra Archmage sacrifice loop converts counterspells into card advantage — the engine runs itself.

02
Alela, Cunning Conqueror

Alela, Cunning Conqueror

56.1% of decks · synergy 0.51

Alela, Cunning Conqueror triggers on opponents casting spells during their turn, so the threat of Glen Elendra Archmage sitting in play warps how opponents sequence their turns, and Alela rewards you for each faerie the Archmage produces.

03
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist

Obyra, Dreaming Duelist

47.5% of decks · synergy 0.43

Obyra, Dreaming Duelist pings opponents whenever a faerie enters under your control, and Glen Elendra Archmage's persist means every counter-and-return cycle adds another ping to the board state.

04
Marchesa, the Black Rose

Marchesa, the Black Rose

37.0% of decks · synergy 0.35

Marchesa, the Black Rose returns creatures that die with a +1/+1 counter, and Glen Elendra Archmage under Marchesa circumvents persist's -1/-1 counter entirely — it comes back clean and ready to counter again.

05
Azami, Lady of Scrolls

Azami, Lady of Scrolls

37.3% of decks · synergy 0.35

Azami, Lady of Scrolls taps wizards to draw cards, and Glen Elendra Archmage is both a wizard and a counterspell, giving Azami decks a piece that pulls double duty as interaction and card engine.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Glen Elendra Archmage is most dangerous — the singleton format slows the game down enough that a four-mana persist blocker with a reusable counter ability can take over a table, especially when sacrifice synergies are trivially available. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but sees essentially no play; four mana is too slow for formats where turn-two kills are routine and Counterspell itself is free. Modern is also legal, and while persist combo shells have occasionally explored it, the competition from cheaper interaction keeps it fringe. Glen Elendra Archmage is a Commander card through and through.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Siren Stormtamer covers a narrower slice — it only counters spells targeting you or your creatures, but it's a one-mana faerie with flying and fills a similar role in tribal shells. Kheru Spellsnatcher and other morph-based counterspell creatures exist but are clunkier; honestly, no budget option fully replicates Glen Elendra Archmage's recursive, unconditional noncreature counter, and the closer you get to that function, the closer you get to its price tag.

Price Context

Current price

$13.20 mid tier

At $13.20, Glen Elendra Archmage sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a purchase decision, cheap enough that it belongs in most blue Commander builds that can support the UU pip. It's a staple with consistent demand across faerie, wizard, and persist strategies, so the price is stable rather than speculative.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.