We’re into week two of MTG The Hobbit spoilers now, and Wizards is keeping the momentum up nicely. We got to see some truly spicy stuff today, including future Commander all-stars and a couple of slam-dunks for Pauper to boot. While reception for the set has been mixed so far, it’s hard to deny the power level of these spicy newcomers.
MTG Wizard’s Staff
Wizard’s Staff looks truly ridiculous for Commander, where it buffs some existing top-tier cards to staggering new heights. When attached to Vivi Ornitier, for example, it lets you ratchet its power up rapidly for Storm-esque Curiosity wins. Alternatively, it can supercharge the game plans of Ral, Monsoon Mage, and Kefka, Court Mage, delivering an insurmountable advantage.
While it’s at its best alongside Wizards, you can technically equip it to any creature, like Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice. Working wonders with basically any ability-focused blue-aligned Commander, this equipment is bound to see widespread play.
MTG Inside Information
In any theft deck that has mana to burn, like Don Andres, the Renegade, Inside Information is an absolute godsend. Alternatively, you can use this card as a unique source of value in exile-focused lists like Prosper, Tome-Bound.
Where Inside Information really shines, however, is in decks with infinite mana combos. In these lists, you can use Information to exile one player’s deck, then make use of their exiled combo pieces to beat the rest of the pod too.
MTG Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll
For Blink decks in Commander, Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll is an intriguing new value engine. Synergizing with all of the Blink staples like Mulldrifter, Peregrine Drake, and Archaeomancer, getting value is trivial. Notably, Roll also lets you Blink lands, which is fantastic for those with strong enters effects, like Field of the Dead or Bojuka Bog.
While Roll only sticking around for four turns is a real downside, in many games that won’t be an issue since it’ll last you till turn seven at the least. If you do need more time, you can always blink it with one of your other blink engines to keep the party going.
MTG Ragged Short Spear
While The Hobbit is largely delivering playables for Commander, Pauper is actually eating surprisingly well here too. Ragged Short Spear, for example, looks like an easy upgrade to Mono-Red Madness decks over Melded Moxite. Offering a +2/+0 boost instead of a standalone 2/2, Spear provides a notable buff to Sneaky Snacker, doubling the speed of your evasive clock.
It also turns the defensively-minded Kessig Flamebreather into a legitimate threat, giving your opponent much less room to breathe in grindy games. Ragged Short Spear could even see play beyond Mono-Red Madness, too, with decks like Grixis Affinity having plenty of use for it to buff their various Flying threats.
MTG Giant’s Boulder
Giant’s Boulder feels like an easy upgrade to Pauper Tron, in both its Combo and Midrange variants. Current Tron builds run Barrels of Blasting Jelly as a full four-of to fix their mana, and Boulder provides the same service with significant upside.
Most relevant among these is the fact that Boulder Scries two on entry, letting you dig for missing Tron lands, or for combo pieces if you’re playing the Flicker variant of the deck. On top of this, Boulder’s removal ability is far more effective, letting you easily deal with everything from Makeshift Munitions to opposing Tron lands.
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