Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls | Art by Manuel Castañón

Hello, Boros enthusiasts and The Hobbit fans. Magic: The Gathering's The Hobbit (HOB) was released last month with extraordinary fanfare. Accordingly, Commander players have created thousands of deck lists for HOB's standout legendary creatures.

In addition to HOB's main set, Wizards of the Coast added nine unique legendary creature cards to Collector Boosters. Each of the nine cards will have alternative versions in a future product release.

Among them is Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls, a Dwarf Noble. Dáin's stats and abilities synergize well with Dwarves and combat-focused strategies. What makes Dáin of the Ancient Halls an ideal choice for a Dwarf and Equipment-themed deck? Let's find out together.

What Does Dáin of the Ancient Halls Do?

Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls is a 4/5 creature with vigilance, haste, and a triggered ability. Upon attacking, Dáin deals damage equal to the number of Dwarves you control to each opponent. Dáin's card design is clearly meant to lead an army of Dwarves into battle. Notably, you'll want to give Dáin some protection to survive combat damage and fight again.

Although Balin, LoremasterBalin, Loremaster isn't , it does share similarities with Dáin. Balin possesses a five-mana casting cost and a triggered ability that indirectly damages each opponent. What differs is that Balin's ability requires an enduring story to maximize its output. Furthermore, the amount of indirect damage Balin deals is dependent on the number of cards you discard from your hand. While Balin requires more setup to reap the rewards, its ability is easier to repeatedly trigger than Dáin's.

Key Cards for Dáin of the Ancient Halls

Dwarves

Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls needs kinsmen skilled in combat. HOB delivers by including new-to-MTG Dwarf cards like Dáin IronfootDáin Ironfoot, Dwalin, WeaponmasterDwalin, Weaponmaster, and Thorin, Mountain-kingThorin, Mountain-king. Dáin Ironfoot enters with an Equipment artifact token and an attacking ability, while Dwalin, Weaponmaster powers up Equipment further. Thorin, Mountain-king suits up your available Equipment for a monstrous attack. Each legendary Dwarf provides a synergistic benefit that helps your team drain opponents' life totals.

However, not all Dwarves are meant for the frontlines. Kíli the ResourcefulKíli the Resourceful plays a supportive role by reducing the cost of equip abilities and drawing you cards. Glóin the MightyGlóin the Mighty and Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous may look like attackers, but their main job is generating extra mana.

At the top end of the curve are several potent Dwarves. Thorin, King of Durin's FolkThorin, King of Durin's Folk powers up your creatures based on the Treasure tokens it and other cards produce. Speaking of Treasure, Thorin, Company's LeaderThorin, Company's Leader wants you to collect tons of Treasure tokens. Not only does Thorin, Company's Leader generate Treasure tokens when a Dwarf bonks an opponent on the head, but it also grants double strike on all of your creatures for only . Both Thorin cards provide repeatable sources of Treasure for various abilities and spells.

Equipment

Equipment is a Dwarf's best friend. As such, the 99 is loaded with hammers, axes, and other fine weaponry.

Colossus HammerColossus Hammer is an auto-include as the original Core Set 2020 (M20) artwork depicts a Dwarf with a gigantic hammer. You can circumvent Colossus Hammer's equip cost via the abilities of Bruenor BattlehammerBruenor Battlehammer, Kíli the ResourcefulKíli the Resourceful, and Thorin, Mountain-kingThorin, Mountain-king. Also, Sigarda's AidSigarda's Aid and Forge AnewForge Anew reduce equip costs to in some instances.

Your Dwarves should enjoy swinging around two Equipment cards from HOB. Long-Lost LancesLong-Lost Lances is interesting because during your turn, all creatures you control that are equipped receive first strike and vigilance. You'll often have multiple creatures equipped among 16 Equipment cards in the 99 and additional ways to create Equipment tokens.

Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver looks like a combination of The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver and Stoneforge MasterworkStoneforge Masterwork. Moreover, Jeremy Rowe wrote an excellent article titled "Is Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver a New Staple for Typal Commander Decks?" that discusses its pros and cons. Although Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver may not fit in every deck, its abilities align well with the 99 of Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls.

Another Equipment with Dwarf synergy is Helm of the HostHelm of the Host. With Helm of the Host equipped to Dáin of the Ancient Halls, you can attack with a copy of Dáin and trigger its attacking ability without losing your actual commander. Additionally, creating token copies of Dwarven RecruiterDwarven Recruiter, Dáin's CompanyDáin's Company, Fíli the PathfinderFíli the Pathfinder, and Dáin IronfootDáin Ironfoot will trigger their enter-the-battlefield effects. You'll also want to copy Torbran, Thane of Red FellTorbran, Thane of Red Fell, Thorin, Company's LeaderThorin, Company's Leader, or Ori, Plate StackerOri, Plate Stacker depending on the game state.

How Does Dáin of the Ancient Halls Win?

Commander Damage

Suiting up Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls and swinging for lethal commander damage is viable. Granting Dáin trample is imperative to bust through blockers. Trample-bestowing Equipment such as EmbercleaveEmbercleave, ShadowspearShadowspear, and Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver also provide additional stat boosts. Layer on Colossus HammerColossus Hammer, Bearded AxeBearded Axe, or Stoneforge MasterworkStoneforge Masterwork to turn Dáin into a fearsome wrecking ball. In case an attack doesn't go as planned, you can pull Dáin out of combat with ReconnaissanceReconnaissance. Note that Reconnaissance's ability will work after resolving Dáin's attack trigger.

If you can't break through the lines, try a different approach. Brotherhood RegaliaBrotherhood Regalia, Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage, and Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel help creatures sneak past blockers. It also shouldn't be difficult to pair another Dwarf with Dáin for Secret Tunnel's ability.

Creature Damage

When Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls is unavailable, you can overwhelm opponents' defenses with a swarm of Dwarves.

Fíli the PathfinderFíli the Pathfinder helps you go wide by generating 2/2 red Dwarf creature tokens. In addition, gaining an enduring story turns Fíli the Pathfinder into a +1/+1 beacon for your creatures. Follow up with An Unexpected PartyAn Unexpected Party and At the Door for even more shenanigans.

The onslaught continues with the all-star tag team of Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw and Thorin, King of Durin's FolkThorin, King of Durin's Folk. This duo amplifies your Dwarves' power as Magda's Treasure tokens improve Thorin's ability. You can double the Treasure token output with Roaming ThroneRoaming Throne.

Instead of doubling Treasure tokens, Cadric, Soul KindlerCadric, Soul Kindler doubles legendary permanents. Cadric's static ability breaks the legendary rule for tokens, ensuring temporary copies of Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls, Bruenor BattlehammerBruenor Battlehammer, and Hammer of NazahnHammer of Nazahn demolish opponents. Almost all of your creatures and nine artifacts are potential targets for Cadric's copy ability. Moreover, you may get lucky enough to have Cadric and Helm of the HostHelm of the Host under your control at the same time.

Aggravated Assault Combos

Beyond Game Changers, three late-game infinite combos in the 99 turn this deck into a Commander Bracket 3. Prominently, all three infinite combos involve Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault.

Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw and Aggravated Assault form a two-card combo that grants infinite combat steps. First, attack with at least five Dwarves to generate enough Treasures to fuel Aggravated Assault's extra combat step ability. Repeatedly attacking with five or more Dwarves maintains the combat step loop, as long as Magda stays alive.

Thorin, Company's LeaderThorin, Company's Leader and Aggravated Assault's combo only requires three Dwarves to initiate. However, you'll need three Dwarves to deal combat damage to an opponent so Thorin creates six Treasure tokens. Sacrifice five Treasure tokens to Aggravated Assault to do it again, leaving one extra Treasure token. Not only do you get infinite combat steps and damage (if unblocked) with Thorin, but you also receive infinite mana from those leftover Treasure tokens.

The third two-card combo requires The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver attached to a creature with power five or greater. You'll need to deal six or more combat damage with a creature equipped with The Reaver Cleaver to receive the same amount of Treasure tokens. As with Thorin, Company's Leader, exchanging five Treasure tokens to activate Aggravated Assault's ability leaves a Treasure token behind. Infinite combat steps, damage, and mana are your rewards for executing this two-card combo.

Be sure to shout Khazâd ai-mênu! when you are about to win with Dáin of the Ancient HallsDáin of the Ancient Halls, a horde of Dwarves, or an aforementioned Aggravated Assault combo.

Dáin of the Ancient Halls Commander Deck List

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