Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous | Art by Dmitry Burmak

Hello, friends and mono-red enthusiasts. Magic: The Gathering's highly anticipated set, The Hobbit (HOB), is now in players' hands. Excitingly, Thorin OakenshieldThorin Oakenshield, Thranduil, the ElvenkingThranduil, the Elvenking, and other renowned characters from The Hobbit appear on MTG cards for the first time.

A new-to-MTG card that caught my attention during HOB's spoiler season is Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous. Found in the Crack the Plates Scene Box, Fíli and Kíli, Joyous depicts the Dwarven brothers, Fíli and Kíli, having a cheerful time with friends. I adore mono-red commanders and Fíli and Kíli, Joyous's artwork. Though the most captivating feature of Fíli and Kíli, Joyous is actually its activated ability.

What Does Fíli and Kíli, Joyous Do?

Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous is a 3/3 Dwarf Bard with haste and a greater purpose than attacking. You may tap Fíli and Kíli, Joyous to generate , but only to cast a Dwarf, Equipment, or Saga spell. Notably, red creatures that tap for two colored mana have limitations. Three such examples are Quinjet TechnicianQuinjet Technician, SmokebraiderSmokebraider, and FlamebraiderFlamebraider. Even though Fíli and Kíli, Joyous' ability has a narrow use, it does support casting multiple subtypes.

One commander option with a similar ability is Final Fantasy's (FIN) Freya CrescentFreya Crescent. Freya differs by tapping for only for Equipment spells or activating an equip ability. Freya has an edge over Fíli and Kíli, Joyous in terms of a second ability and a lower casting cost. When you want to build an Equipment-centric Commander deck, Freya is probably a better choice over Fíli and Kíli, Joyous. However, Freya doesn't compete with Dwarf or Saga synergies.

Instead of picking a single focus for Fíli and Kíli, Joyous, we're going all out. Let's discuss a Commander Bracket 2 Fíli and Kíli, Joyous build-around deck full of Dwarves, Equipment, and Sagas.

Key Cards for Fíli and Kíli, Joyous

Dwarves

Dwarves have been part of MTG since Dwarven WeaponsmithDwarven Weaponsmith's inclusion in Antiquities (ATQ). Over the years, more than 150 Dwarves joined the ranks. Although many Dwarf cards are lackluster in Commander, there are a handful worthy of the 99.

Dwarven RecruiterDwarven Recruiter is one such card. While only a dozen Dwarf cards inhabit the 99, Dwarven Recruiter can put any of them on top of your deck.

You'll want Dwarven Recruiter to find Magda, the HoardmasterMagda, the Hoardmaster. Magda, the Hoardmaster's allure is its ability to generate a tapped Treasure token the first instance you commit a crime each turn. It's surprisingly easy to commit a crime on any given turn with Dwarven MinerDwarven Miner, Axgard CavalryAxgard Cavalry, or Power ConduitPower Conduit. When you've amassed three Treasure tokens, sacrifice them with Magda, the Hoardmaster to receive a 4/4 red Scorpion Dragon creature token with flying and haste.

Another Dwarf with a Treasure token-sacrificing ability is Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw. With Magda, Brazen Outlaw, you may trade five Treasure tokens for an artifact or Dragon in your library and place it onto the battlefield. Kaldra CompleatKaldra Compleat and Summon: BahamutSummon: Bahamut are top choices with Goldspan DragonGoldspan Dragon and Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent just behind them.

If you happen to be short five Treasure tokens, all is not lost. You'll receive more Treasure tokens from Magda, Brazen Outlaw when using the activated abilities of Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous, Dwarven Miner, and Axgard Cavalry. In addition, Glóin, Dwarf EmissaryGlóin, Dwarf Emissary is a source of Treasure tokens when Magda, Brazen Outlaw is unavailable.

Equipment

Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous's ability to ramp out Equipment is a boon for the deck. While casting the aforementioned Kaldra CompleatKaldra Compleat on turn five is excellent, it's not the only Equipment card you should play.

Land ramp is not red's strength, but Bitterthorn, Nissa's AnimusBitterthorn, Nissa's Animus helps minimize the weakness. Moreover, you can trigger Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus just by attacking with the creature it's equipping. Furthermore, it's not a terrible idea to recklessly attack with Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus equipped to a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ for a basic land. Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus assists with hitting land drops, but NettlecystNettlecyst can earn you a win.

Nettlecyst provides +1/+1 to a creature it equips equal to your number of artifacts and/or enchantments. Your Treasure tokens and other artifacts serve a dual purpose with Nettlecyst on the battlefield. Attaching Nettlecyst to a creature with trample like Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna or Thorin, Mountain-kingThorin, Mountain-king may spell doom for your opponents. Don't forget that Saga cards also contribute to Nettlecyst's stat boost.

Iron Man ArmorIron Man Armor is an Equipment to remember, as for an Equipment that auto-equips and gives +2/+1 and flying is fantastic. Granting flying alone is helpful to plenty of creatures, including Taurean MaulerTaurean Mauler, Clive, Ifrit's DominantClive, Ifrit's Dominant, and Summon: KujataSummon: Kujata. When Iron Man Armor doesn't have a target to equip, you can pay to make it a 0/0 Construct Hero artifact creature with flying that gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control until the end of turn. Just be mindful when using Treasure tokens to activate Iron Man Armor's ability.

Sagas

Thanks to HOB, there are even more Saga cards for Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous to help cast.

The Misty Mountains ColdThe Misty Mountains Cold is a synergistic Saga that turns Treasures into a large Dragon. If you already have a stash of three Treasure tokens when playing The Misty Mountains Cold, you can earn a 6/6 red flying Dragon creature token on the first chapter.

Alternatively, Burn, Burn, Tree and FernBurn, Burn, Tree and Fern works as a removal spell. Destroying a creature and an artifact an opponent controls is worth four mana, even if split between turns. Once the fire is extinguished from Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern, you get residual mana ramp to cast other spells. For an uncommon, Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern packs a punch.

At the top end of the Sagas is Maximum CarnageMaximum Carnage from Marvel's Spider-Man (SPM). Maximum Carnage's first chapter ability is an amplified goad effect that also affects creatures entering the battlefield before your next turn. After creating chaos on the battlefield, Maximum Carnage generates mana and deals five damage to all opponents. Additionally, you can likely cast any card in your deck with available lands and Maximum Carnage's mana ability. Maximum Carnage is impressive, but so is another five-mana Saga.

There and Back AgainThere and Back Again does it all. Most importantly, There and Back Again leaves you with Smaug, a legendary 6/6 red Dragon creature token with flying, haste, and a death trigger that creates fourteen Treasure tokens. If Smaug perishes, those Treasure tokens will come in handy to cast cards such as Clive, Ifrit's DominantClive, Ifrit's Dominant, The FluxThe Flux, and The Legend of RokuThe Legend of Roku.

How Does Fíli and Kíli, Joyous Win?

You probably won't defeat anyone with Commander damage from Fíli and Kíli, JoyousFíli and Kíli, Joyous, but you can deal lethal combat damage.

Dragons

Attacking with large, flying Dragons is a solid strategy. At first glance, the only Dragons in the 99 are Summon: BahamutSummon: Bahamut, Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent, and Goldspan DragonGoldspan Dragon. However, several cards turn into Dragons.

The aforementioned The Misty Mountains ColdThe Misty Mountains Cold, There and Back AgainThere and Back Again, Magda, the HoardmasterMagda, the Hoardmaster, and The Legend of RokuThe Legend of Roku create flying Dragons. Although The Legend of Roku doesn't transform into an actual Dragon, it does pump them out for . You'll also earn a Dragon from The Elder Dragon WarThe Elder Dragon War when reaching the third chapter.

Fable of the Mirror-BreakerFable of the Mirror-Breaker's Reflection of Kiki-Jiki increases your Dragon damage output by temporarily copying Summon: Bahamut, Goldspan Dragon, and nonlegendary Dragon creature tokens. Creating a copy of Summon: Bahamut is superb since you'll also get to destroy a nonland permanent. Feel free to copy other Saga creature cards when a non-legendary Dragon target is unavailable.

Pump Effects

You have plenty of creature cards and abilities that make creature tokens, but not all of those tokens are sizable threats. To turn your creatures into monstrosities, you can leverage the abilities of Helm of the GodsHelm of the Gods, NettlecystNettlecyst, Dwarven HammerDwarven Hammer, and Kaldra CompleatKaldra Compleat. A plethora of enchantments and artifacts in the 99 fuel Helm of the Gods and Nettlecyst, while Dwarven Hammer and Kaldra Compleat provide further stats and abilities. In addition, creatures you control with flying are excellent targets for these Equipment cards.

When all else fails, you can send unblockable creatures through defenses with Access TunnelAccess Tunnel, Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage, and Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel. Making Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna unable to be blocked may also put you one step closer to triggering its alternative win condition. Now it's time to show your opponents what Dwarves, Equipment, and Saga cards can do in Commander.

Fíli and Kíli, Joyous Commander Deck List

Read More

Thorin, Mountain-king Commander Deck Tech

Best At, Worst At: Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Building a Magnificent Commander Deck With Smaug the Magnificent