Ever since their introduction in March of the Machine, Battles quickly became a beloved card type among MTG players. Despite this, because Wizards hasn’t overcommitted, we’ve been waiting years for their return. Now, however, it finally seems that the wait is coming to an end, as Wizards has just teased the return of Battles for next year.
Debuting nine cards launching as Collector Booster exclusives, we’ve just had our first taste of the Battle of Five Armies Co-Op Kit. Launching in 2027, this product is all but guaranteed to include the first new Battles in years, and players are understandably excited. Beyond this, it looks like this product is packed with exciting legends, some of which are launching early.
MTG Thranduil, the Strategist
Turning all of your Elves into mana dorks and creating new ones on Landfall, Thranduil, the Strategist is a fantastic Elf Typal Commander. Effectively doubling the ramp from cards like Skyshroud Claim and Harrow, Thranduil makes setting up massive plays trivial. With tons of support from both Landfall and Elf Typal strategies, this Commander option looks incredibly robust.
Beyond just being a powerful Commander, Thranduil, the Strategist is bound to see tons of play in the 99. Obviously it’s an auto-include for on-color Elf Typal decks, but it even has a place in Landfall decks too. Hell, even without any other Eleves or Landfall support, this is just a solid MTG card that can see widespread play.
MTG Gandalf, Shadow’s Foe
Offering yet another win condition for Landfall strategies, Gandalf, Shadow’s Foe does a lot more when it enters play than it looks. By Flickering three lands, Gandalf immediately draws you cards, grows itself, and triggers any other Landfall abilities. While this is already an insane surge of power, cards like Amulet of Vigor and Lotus Cobra push it even further.
Add a few Blink shenanigans into your deck, like Conjurer’s Closet, and Gandalf will quickly take over the game in any Landfall 99. The card is hardly broken at its massive seven-mana casting cost, but Gandalf could become as popular as the likes of Avenger of Zendikar in the Landfall decks that can run him.
MTG Thorin, Company’s Leader
An easy auto-include in Magda, Brazen Outlaw decks, Thorin, Company’s Leader offers a typal win condition and a mana generator all in one. Even without giving your team Double Strike, Thorin can create an absurd amount of mana when used with cards like Springleaf Parade. From there, taking advantage of Treasure like Xorn or Goldspan Dragon is trivial.
MTG Dain of the Ancient Halls
While the card is not complicated, Dain of the Ancient Halls does function as a powerful win condition for Dwarf Typal decks. Turning the number of creatures you control into direct damage, cards like Warchanter Skald and Reckless Crew are a great foundation for Dain. Double up on triggers with Bifur, Melodic Rider, or combats with Aggravated Assault, and Dain can end games surprisingly fast.
MTG Bilbo, Unexpected Adventurer
Of all the Collector Booster-exclusive Hobbit cards, Bilbo, Unexpected Adventurer is the most widely useful. Offering extremely versatile recursion, Bilbo is fantastic alongside any cheap Commanders that get killed often, like Arabella, Abandoned Doll. Bilbo’s ability to resurrect noncreature permanents is a big deal, too, giving him access to cards like Darksteel Mutation on a whim.
Bilbo’s value being amplified by common Commander cards like Swiftfoot Boots just makes including him in all kinds of different decks even easier. With how widely applicable his value is, I could easily see Bilbo being quite expensive while he remains a Collector Booster exclusive.
MTG Chief of the Wilds
If you ever wanted a reason to build Wolf Typal, Chief of the Wilds is an excellent one. Offering both a win condition and a way to double up on value, this card offers everything a typal deck could ever want. Whether you double up on tokens from Chief Warg’s Company, or get two lands into play from Summon: Fenrir, Chief of the Wilds can turn otherwise underwhelming cards into massive value engines.
Despite being a rather unsupported archetype, Wolf Typal has a fair few strong payoffs, too. Another Collector Booster exclusive, Hollowhenge Overlord goes absolutely bonkers with Chief of the Wilds, creating tons of tokens while pumping up your Commander. For protection, Silverfur Partisan can make targeting your Wolves tricky by producing even more tokens.
Bard, Heir of Girion
As far as Anthem effects go, Bard, Heir of Girion is quite a strong one. Able to replace itself with ease, Bard could easily be a new addition to Commander 99s like Marneus Calgar or Zinnia, Valley’s Voice. In Human Typal decks, using Roaming Throne can even double up on Bard’s attack trigger, essentially making him a free inclusion.
MTG Bolg, Erebor’s Reckoning
Of the new Collector Booster exclusive legends, Bolg, Erebor’s Reckoning is one of the least interesting additions. For six mana, there are far more interesting Goblin Commanders out there, while Sauron, the Dark Lord is almost impossible to rival as an Orc Typal Commander. Still, with some setup, this card can do some interesting things.
Getting Bolg into play with Maha, Its Feathers Night, for example, essentially creates a repeatable one-sided boardwipe. Extra combat cards like Aggravated Assault or Moraug, Fury of Akoum can also turn Bolg into an incredible boardwide buff for a Goblin Typal deck. Thanks to this, Bolg will likely function better as a win condition in the 99 than a Commander itself.
MTG Great Goblin, Foul-Hearted
While it’s great to see a Commander for the Amass Goblins mechanic, Great Goblin, Foul-Hearted isn’t doing the most interesting thing. Amassing Goblins 3 once per turn is quite slow, but you can still build up a big attacker over time. Throw in trigger doublers and +1/+1 counter synergies like The Ozolith, and Great Goblin can start making things happen.
With a massive Army at the ready, using effects like Super State to kill multiple opponents, or just Flinging your Army can create some hilarious endgames. Even with all this in mind, however, Great-Goblin Foul-Hearted is easily the most underwhelming Collector Booster exclusive that The Hobbit has to offer.
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