Even before MTG’s Head Designer teased new Dwarf support, the themes of The Hobbit set were obvious. With the story built upon Treasure and a Dwarf-filled adventuring party, these elements were bound to be translated to MTG. Wizards didn’t disappoint in doing this, either, as the set contained plenty of fantastic new cards and Commanders.
As usual, as MTG players have built around these new toys, we’ve unsurprisingly seen a range of price spikes. Even with the uptick being rather slow on some cards, the strength of the synergy has made price increases inevitable. This is exactly what has happened to Gloin, Dwarf Emissary, whose price spike has been a long time coming.
MTG Gloin, Dwarf Emissary
Released as part of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, Gloin, Dwarf Emissary has insane synergy with The Hobbit. Part of this is to be expected, as a Dwarf from the same franchise, but Gloin caring about Historic spells is especially on point. Not only does this naturally support all of the new legendary Dwarves, but it plays into the Storied keyword, too.
According to EDHREC, just shy of 6,000 Hobbit-focused decks are running Gloin, Dwarf Emissary, with Thorin, King of Durin’s Folk taking the lead. Considering Thorin is all about playing Dwarves and hoarding Treasures, Gloin is a perfect fit, supercharging Treasure production. Outside of this, many MTG players are also running Gloin in Smaug the Magnificent decks, since it also wants as many Treasures as possible.
Notably, while The Hobbit is responsible for a significant uptick in Gloin, Dwarf Emissary’s play rate, it has been popular for a while. With over 57,500 total decks running this card, it’s hard to call Gloin anything less than a Treasure Typal staple. Even outside of Treasure decks, you barely need to build around Gloin to make it work, thanks to the density of legendary creatures in Commander.
With all this in mind, it’s only a wonder that Gloin, Dwarf Emissary was ever an affordable MTG card. Sadly, for anyone who hadn’t already jumped aboard the Gloin train, at least, that has all changed recently.
Gradually Growing Demand
Curiously, despite Gloin, Dwarf Emissary being a known card with obvious synergy with The Hobbit, MTG players have been surprisingly slow to adopt it. Looking back over the past few months, demand for Gloin only really picked up after the set’s release. As much as this was later than expected and prices have fluctuated somewhat, there’s no escaping this spike now.
Previously, back in early August, if you timed it right, you could have picked up a near-mint copy of Gloin, Dwarf Emissary for just $0.86. Since then, over 350 near-mint copies have been sold, pushing new listings to $4.36. This marks a 406% price spike in under two weeks, which is always impressive.
Unfortunately, while Gloin, Dwarf Emissary does have a surprising number of variants, none of them provide any savings. At $5.97, the extended art variant is technically the most affordable, but supply is especially low there. While there is technically more supply for the showcase scrolls printing, its innate rarity has it selling for $14.98.
One to Watch
While no price spike in MTG is guaranteed, Gloin, Dwarf Emissary does have a lot of good things going for it. The slower speed and unusual timing of this spike, for instance, indicate that it’s predominantly player-driven. If this is the case, prices should stay higher for longer, as players don’t always piece apart their decks as soon as they’re done playing.
On top of this, Gloin, Dwarf Emissary should see consistent demand post-Hobbit, since Treasures are such a commonly supported theme. With this in mind, it may only be a matter of time before Gloin spikes again, if supply stays low. Considering Gloin is somewhat hard to reprint, too, this could very easily happen.
Notably, while we have seen that Universes Beyond cards are slower to get reprints, there is technically an opportunity next year. Since Gloin is a key character in The Hobbit, this card could be reprinted in the Battle of the Five Armies Co-Op Kit. If this does happen, new supply could crash the market, but any reprint is far from guaranteed.
Ultimately, as always, we can only really wait and see what happens to Gloin, Dwarf Emissary. Considering the Co-Op Kit doesn’t launch until next year, we sadly might be waiting a while. Thankfully, we do have plenty of sets being released in the interim, at least, so we shouldn’t be bored.
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