Despite being a small set overall, The Hobbit isn’t short on powerful designs. The set only just officially released four days ago, and we’re already seeing a multitude of cards make a competitive splash. Even formats as powerful as Vintage have experienced some notable metagame shifts, meaning that these Hobbit cards could be the real deal.
MTG Bilbo, Thief in the Night
Back when Bilbo was first spoiled, we had an inkling that the legend might break out in Legacy and Vintage. Well, it didn’t take long for things to come to fruition, as Bilbo has been appearing in tempo decks across both formats.
Much like Dreadhorde Arcanist when it was legal, Bilbo shines in Legacy tempo shells because it’s easy to protect with Daze and Force of Will. While you don’t get to cast cantrips from your graveyard for free, Bilbo provides extra versatility by letting you cast Mishra’s Bauble turn after turn. Additionally, the cost reduction effect makes it trivial to cast beefier card draw spells like Flow State on the cheap.
Similarly, in Vintage, the upside of doubling up on Demonic Tutor or Time Walk is game-ending. Notably, this cost reduction clause applies even when Bilbo isn’t attacking, providing added synergy with Underworld Breach. At two mana, Bilbo is the perfect threat to play with Lurrus of the Dream-Den as a Companion, too. It’s still early, but we expect Bilbo’s impact to continue for quite some time.
MTG Kili the Resourceful
As an efficient card that enables Colossus Hammer to equip for free, Kili the Resourceful was a godsend for Pioneer Hammer Time enjoyers. While you need to put together an enduring story to get things going, this isn’t hard to do with free artifacts like Mox Amber and Leyline Axe at your disposal.
Plus, Kili even turns future equipment into cantrips, helping you grind against removal-heavy decks. Addressing this major weakness was a big deal for the archetype, which has already achieved a Challenge top 8 finish.
Beyond Pioneer, some Hammer Time aficionados have also adopted Kili in Modern. This legend adds a nice layer of redundancy when paired with Puresteel Paladin, making free equips trivial. Since Enduring Story even counts Sagas, Urza’s Saga can easily turn on Kili from nowhere, making it a natural addition to the deck.
MTG Giant’s Boulder
Despite being a somewhat unassuming common, Giant’s Boulder has become a staple of all Tron variants in Pauper. Not only does the initial Scry effect help find your missing Tron lands, but Boulder’s mana fixing also helps cast cards like Unfathomable Truths and Breath Weapon with ease.
On top of all this, Giant’s Boulder becomes a late-game Vindicate, easily usable once Tron is online. This makes the card a great draw at any stage of the game, especially as a land destruction source in the Tron mirror match.
This versatility has even led to Giant’s Boulder appearing in Legacy Mono-Blue Tron. Between enabling the blue splash for cards like Stock Up and providing an answer to broken permanents like Omniscience, this card offers a surprisingly versatile answer even in stronger formats.
MTG Smaug the Magnificent
As a beefy, Hasty flier for the low price of four mana, Smaug the Magnificent is a solid piece of top end for Standard Mono-Red Aggro. The legend hits hard, and the extra mana it provides then makes it easier to cast Nova Hellkite or Kick Burst Lightning.
Interestingly, these same positives apply for Boros Dragons decks in Standard, but Smaug also has the added benefit of synergizing perfectly with Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant. Between Sarkhan and Smaug’s Treasure production, you can even get more mileage out of Magda, the Hoardmaster’s activated ability. Thanks to this, Smaug has made a great early impression in The Hobbit Standard, and could stick around for some time.
Just the Beginning
All of these cards showcase just how impactful The Hobbit is, but it’s still early. There’s plenty of time for metagames to evolve, giving even more cards an opportunity to shine. Of course, this also means that these cards could disappear in the future, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
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