Despite the absence of Commander precons in The Hobbit, there’s still plenty for EDH players to be excited about. Between the main set, Scene Boxes, and the Five Armies Kit, The Hobbit is chock-full of powerful legends worth building around. Here, we highlight the best Commanders that this set has to offer.
Honorable Mention | MTG Gandalf, Party Guest
Perfectly blending Wizard typal, legends matter, and Spellslinger archetypes together, Gandalf, Party Guest is quite a fun Commander. Early in the game, casting free Suspend spells like Ancestral Vision and Inevitable Betrayal from hand is a great option. With a whopping 146 legendary Wizards in Jeskai, you should have no problem building out a big board to fully take advantage of Gandalf’s ability.
From there, tons of impactful cards, from extra turn spells to Inspired Ultimatum, can pull you ahead. You can even double up on combat steps with the likes of Full Throttle to cast multiple spells with Gandalf per turn. Similarly, copying Gandalf’s ability with Gogo, Master of Mimicry provides extra value once you get your engine rolling.
This incredible upside is impossible to ignore, which is why Gandalf is deserving of recognition. Still, Gandalf does require a lot of setup and strict deckbuilding conditions to maximize, which ultimately keeps it out of our top five.
5 | MTG Bard, King of Dale
Featuring two triggered abilities that are each easily abusable, Bard, King of Dale is the real deal. Right off the bat, every generic cantrip from Opt to Ponder now generates card advantage. On top of making token generators like Mischevious Mystic more reliable, Bard’s second ability can even double up on the value they make. From here, it won’t be long before the likes of Curiosity Crafter and Caretaker’s Talent take over the game.
If all this weren’t enough, Bard even has combo potential, enabling you to draw your whole deck with Mindless Automaton and Stark’s Ingenuity. Alternatively, you can generate infinite tokens with Urza, Lord High Artificer and Deadeye Navigator. With two extremely powerful replacement effects and combos to boot, Dale looks like an incredible Commander option.
4 | Thranduil, the Elvenking
While the competition for Elf Commanders is incredibly high, Thranduil, the Elvenking provides unique utility. While drawing cards when playing Legendary Elves is already good, Leyline of Singularity absolutely breaks this Commander. With all the cards this will discard, Thranduil can easily pile on a bunch of different Elf abilities to use.
Whether you tap for lots of mana with Elvish Archdruid or tutor your best creatures like Fauna Shaman, it’s not hard to pull ahead with Thranduil. Having access to Indestructible enablers like Tyvar, the Pummeler in your graveyard provides protection for your Commander, too.
Of course, Thranduil’s ridiculous ability-copying shenanigans easily set up tons of infinite combos. For example, putting Devoted Druid and Immaculate Magistrate into your graveyard creates infinite mana and infinite stats with Thranduil. With so much flexibility and power, don’t be shocked if Thranduil emerges as one of the most played Commanders from The Hobbit.
3 | Smaug, Wicked Worm
In a multiplayer format as artifact-dense as Commander, Smaug, Wicked Worm’s enters trigger is capable of flooding the board with Treasures. This ability alone is extremely powerful, especially with the help of Treasure payoffs like Academy Manufactor and blink effects such as Conjurer’s Closet.
Yet, Smaug rewards you even further for your Treasure production by letting you draw cards from your follow-up spells. This can help you dig for Smaug’s many win conditions, like Mirkwood Bats or Revel in Riches to end the game.
2 | Thranduil the Strategist
While Thranduil the Strategist is a bit expensive for a ramp-themed Commander, the legend pays you back quickly once in play. By producing tokens that tap for mana every time a land enters, you essentially get double duty from all of your ramp spells. Plus, any other Elf token generators like Elvish Warmaster and Imperious Perfect fuel the cause further.
It won’t take long before Finale of Devastation and other big X spells threaten to end the game. You can also go deeper and produce infinite tokens with Kodama of the East Tree and Simic Growth Chamber at your disposal. Then, any Haste enabler will let you attack for lethal right away.
1 | Smaug, the Impenetrable
Thanks to its Indestructible ability, Smaug, the Impenetrable survives most removal spells and board wipes. This, of course, includes your own mass damage effects like Star of Extinction and Blasphemous Act, which threaten to make a boatload of Treasures all at once. Even turning simple burn spells like Lightning Bolt into effective Rituals is extremely powerful.
With the assistance of cards like Professional Face-Breaker and Smaug, Wicked Worm, you should have no problem converting this excess mana into card advantage. Alternatively, you can save up your Treasures to set up a lethal Exsanguinate.
Despite being strong as just a value engine, however, what really sets this Dragon apart is its combo appeal. When you’re at the highest life total, Pyrohemia and Pestilence become game-winning plays. Chain Lightning, on the other hand, creates infinite Treasures by bolting Smaug endlessly. Considering how easily these combos can be pulled off, Smaug deserves the title of best Commander from The Hobbit.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!