The Hobbit’s best cards in Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering (MTG) returns to Middle-earth with The Hobbit, the latest expansion based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Drawing inspiration from the events of the novel, the set brings characters, locations and creatures from Bilbo Baggins’ journey into the game, with Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and Smaug among its major themes.

With The Hobbit entering MTG’s Standard card pool, the expansion arrives at a lower power level than its The Lord of the Rings predecessor. Following months of a metagame shaped by Avatar cards such as Gran-Gran and Badgermole Cub before their eventual banning, the new set enters at a time when Standard is once again open to change. Whether The Hobbit will have the same impact remains to be seen, but the set still brings several cards that could make their presence felt in the months ahead.

Here are some of the cards to look out for per color as well well as how they could realistically make an impact in certain formats.

White

Gleaming Splendor

Gleaming Splendor is a standout card in the set providing a means to ramp through its treasure token production and even card draw for two players including yourself. For the longest time white had been the weakest color in Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) or Commander. Gleaming Splendor continues white’s current tradition of shifting power towards the color for the format acting as a mix of Smothering Tithe and Smuggler’s Share

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Belladonna Took

Belladonna Took at 2/2 for two mana is a bear that incentivizes token strategies wherever it could be relevant. Design wise it’ll thrive heavily in EDH as a format known for consistently churning out tokens. Given the right token generators in 60 card formats like standard though, Belladonna Took becomes a much more relevant card noting that it triggers off of any token.

The Queen of Dale

The Queen of Dale is a two-mana creature with relevance in both one-on-one and multiplayer formats. While it’s on the weaker side stat-wise, its strength revolves around being able to recruit on each turn off of an opponent casting a noncreature spell for the first time. Recruiting is a new mechanic introduced in the Hobbit which lets the player draw and discard a card and if it’s a nonland card, they make a creature token. While the token generation is a nice touch and relevant for 60 card formats, being able to go through a deck faster to look for key cards is a welcome addition to white.

Blue

Bilbo, Thief in the Night

The Hobbit himself, Bilbo, Thief in the Night is a multiformat all-star in the making due to a combination in its color as well his effects. Being a 2/2 for two has a decent cost for the body but being blue makes it a card you could exile as part of a cost for cards like Force of Will and Force of Negation which are eternal format staples. The discounting it provides for sources outside of your hand make it a great combo enabler. One example is looping Sensei’s Divining Top in Commander for infinite draw or even storming out opponents with cards in the graveyard for other decks and formats. 

The second ability though is an anomaly making it somewhat harder to predict. It lets players reuse artifacts, instants and sorceries on attack but you’d still need to pay. The damage doesn’t have to go through though making it an inevitability. Dreadhorde Arcanist, a card with a similar effect, got banned in higher power formats but only time would tell if Bilbo would follow its footsteps. 

Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll

Enter the battlefield (ETB) abilities for creatures are a staple regardless of their color and landfall is also on the uptick. Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll is  a commander card extending value for creatures and lands where the games are longer in comparison to faster 60 card formats. 

Most Decrepit Old Bird

Most Decrepit Old Bird is a saga card that will likely find a home in almost every 60 card format it’s legal in. On the standard side of things, it provides additional mill support with its Speak Secrets sorcery side milling four cards and getting an instant or sorcery card. Later on in the game it’s a playable 3/3 for one once threshold is active. In terms of legacy and modern to an extent, it does a pretty decent nimble mongoose impersonation. Pioneer is where the card would likely shine the most as it takes the spot of Picklock Prankster in Izzet Phoenix.

Black

Gollum, Riddle Master

Gollum, Riddle Master will be a standard or pioneer card at best. At two mana without any inherent protection outside of a threat of losing two life or your opponent drawing a card, it’s just too brittle to do anything. Formats swimming in removal would eat it alive but in standard or pioneer here mono-black aggro is a legitimate strategy, it could see play in those formats if the two drop slot isn’t as cramped. 

Inside Information

Inside Information is a commander card that acts as a win con and a fun way to use your opponents deck against them given enough life. The key detail to note about its effect is how it lets you play cards it exiled and not just cast them. In magical christmas land, exiling the right cards could even enable you to use your opponents combos against them with Inside Information. 

The Sackville-Bagginses

The Sackville-Bagginses is a card that’s innocuous at first but the longer you look at its format fit, the scarier it gets. Initially you’d think it would just be another Blood Artist effect but limited to tokens until you realize that it ramps in black leading you to an earlier Sheoldred and still draws a card. It’s half of an engine just waiting to be broken and a sleeper pick across the entire set.

Red

Smaug The Magnificent

Smaug the Magnificent is a great midrange top end for any aggro strategy in standard while still having legs for other formats. Historically speaking, hasty dragon top ends have always been a staple in standard and having one a turn earlier than Glorybringer or more recently Goldspan Dragon is a boon. Unlike the other dragons though, Smaug would need some set-up before he adds more value to a board state. In a format like commander though, ramping things out with artifacts like Sol Ring make Smaug an easy fit to artifact heavy red decks. 

Gandalf, Goblins’ Bane

Gandalf, Goblins’ Bane features everyone’s favorite wizard Gandalf in red instead of blue or white as seen in his previous iterations. The value in the card isn’t just on the creature half but its attached sorcery, Flameshape. Two mana for two cards is great value but in a world where Flow State exists in the same card pool, Flow State is the superior choice. This changes though in non-blue decks but it’s circumstantial outside of wizard decks. Overall a middling card for 60 card formats but a fun one for commander. 

Last Light of Durin’s Day

Last Light of Durin’s Day is a slow card rewarding mountain heavy strategies but unlike ones with a clear win condition in mind like Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, your reward is a dragon card. At best this is a commander card at most for slow value oriented red decks but on the upside that it’s too slow, it could at least be thrown away for a mountain. 

Green

Beorn The Fierce

Beorn the Fierce is an aggressive five drop that pushes damage and rewards you for having a board as he gets played. While lacking in protection, Beorn at least answers one of green’s card draw issues granting two cards at the beginning of combat with the right circumstances. Fringe playable in standard following the recent Badgermole bannings but on the upside, commander fans have more options for bear commanders with his printing. 

Wood Elves

Wood Elves is a reprint of a creature that hasn’t been in standard for almost two decades with the last printing being in 9th Edition way back in 2007. It’s a card most green commander players are aware of but it’ll make a bigger splash in standard and pioneer among other things. Unlike any of the other 60 card formats, standard and pioneer don’t have fetchlands making color fixing and splashing through Wood Elves more relevant. The added benefit of ramping from a turn one mana dork into this on turn two and a five drop on turn three is also something to be wary of. 

Cantankerous Keepers

Going back to conventional deckbuilding, an issue with Elf decks in particular is how it empties its hand so quickly while having an abundance of mana. Cantankerous Keepers will be a multiformat all-star reloading an empty hand with the right deck construction. With the inclusion of cards like Priest of Titania, and Wirewood Symbiote to the modern cardpool, Cantankerous Keepers will shine even more. 

Multicolor

Thranduil, the Elvenking

Thranduil, the Elvenking is a commander card through and through. Combined with its high casting cost, color combination and combo potential Thranduil is not just another elf commander but the best one moving forward. Elves had been divided across three colors in Black, Green, and Blue but unifying them under an elf commander that even serves as a win condition is more convenient than anything else. If you play commander, expect to see Thranduil at a table near you.

Bard, King of Dale

Bard, King of Dale is another commander card that’s part King T’Challa and part Anointed Procession. With its high casting cost, at most, it would see play in commander heading a token deck with sprinklings of instant speed card draw to make use of its first ability. 

Bolg’s Company

Ending the list is a representative of the company cycle from The Hobbit with Bolg’s Company. While it has legs in standard following Lorwyn’s expansion earlier this year, it’ll shine more in formats where Conspicuous Snoop is legal. It’s a roleplayer with value in offense and ramping churning out cards like Muxus, Goblin Grandee or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. The hasty body at 2/2 also isn’t something to scoff at during less explosive turns. 

Is The Hobbit a good set competitively, casually, and for collectors?

While The Hobbit is on the smaller end as a MTG set at 248 cards in total and a weaker power level than its predecessor, it’s an overall decent expansion. White and Green in particular got the most out of the set with its emphasis on humans and elves while the other colors felt lacking. Whether or not it’s a concession to the previous expansions is up in the air though as Blue and Red, two of the formats most dominating colors got the short end of the stick. 

If you’re looking to enter the world of MTG as a fan of the Lord of the Rings franchise or even The Hobbit, this expansion is rough to begin with. There are a variety of products released in conjunction with the set but unlike previous sets like Marvel or Lord of the Rings, there’s no preconstructed deck you could play from the get-go. There are scene boxes though with the caveat of some of the cards featured not being playable in standard. If you’re interested with art though, the set has multiple treatments and printings that are fun to collect.

From a competitive perspective especially for 60 card formats, there are only a few notable cards you’d need to collect. As for commander players though, White and Green players are eating well with their new toys. In a few months it’ll be Tolkien facing off against the Enterprise but until then, MTG fans can enjoy Marvel versus Tolkien. 

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