The Hobbit spoiler season is officially here, and so far, the set looks like a blast. Unsurprisingly, the main set features a lot of exciting new goodies, but there are also plenty of spicy reprints to look forward to. The first round of box toppers revealed showcased some pricy choices, and today, they’re picking up right where they left off.
Delighted Halfling
While there’s a plethora of one-drop mana dorks in our game, Delighted Halfling’s ability to make legends uncounterable is unique and powerful. Unsurprisingly, this makes a substantial difference in Commander, especially for decks centered around an expensive game-breaking creature like Etali, Primal Conqueror. Appearing in a whopping 527,000 decks according to EDHREC, it’s safe to say that this creature’s in high demand.
In addition to its EDH appeal, however, Delighted Halfling also makes a splash in Modern creature combo decks. Being able to consistently sneak Yawgmoth, Thran Physician or Agatha’s Soul Cauldron into play is a big deal, as is having access to a mana creature that survives through Orcish Bowmasters. It’s no wonder Delighted Halfling’s price tag is near $30, but hopefully this reprint will make the card a bit more affordable.
Cavern-Hoard Dragon
Appearing in a Youtube ad of all things, a Cavern-Hoard Dragon reprint also appears to be coming our way. Thanks to Commander’s artifact-heavy nature, you’ll often be able to play Cavern-Hoard Dragon on the cheap. From there, you’ll be able to immediately get an attack in and rack up some Treasures.
While this is just a good card by itself, it shines in Treasure-themed Commander decks like Magda, Brazen Outlaw, Jolene, the Plunderer Queen, and Vihaan, Goldwaker. Vazi, Keen Negotiator makes for an especially good home here, directly benefiting from the Treasures you gift. With 102,000 Commander decks to its name according to EDHREC, this haymaker has maintained a solid $14 value.
Aragorn and Arwen, Wed
From a pure power level standpoint, Aragorn and Arwen, Wed isn’t a super exciting legend. While it does a nice job blending life gain and counters themes together, its high mana value has kept its Commander demand to a minimum. In fact, the Human Elf Noble accounts for just 1,100 decks as the Commander of choice, and only shows up in the 99 of 19,300 other archetypes.
Even still, Aragorn and Arwen have kept a near $10 price tag due mostly to their overall scarcity. Thanks to being printed in the Starter Kit instead of the main set, there’s surprisingly little supply of this creature to go around. The only other variant available was the Extended Art printing exclusive to collector boosters, which is even rarer and pricier.
While there’s still a good chunk of box toppers yet to be revealed, most of the selections thus far seem pretty strong. It’s always nice to see valuable pieces of cardboard get additional printings. Hopefully the heavy hitters don’t stop coming.
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!