Roads Go Ever, Ever On | Illustrated by Rovina Cai

Many new set reviews dig into the minutiae of the cards and which ones in particular stand out. In this column I'm going to take a more holistic look at The Hobbit sets overall and judge how good this is for Commander fans. Since this is a Universes Beyond product, there will be some people who will connect with this set as a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, and some who will not appreciate an IP that isn't a traditional Magic: The Gathering set. I'm taking a look at the cards as game pieces for a Commander game, agnostic of the flavor implications. Thankfully, Tolkien's Middle-earth is pretty much the founding father of modern fantasy fiction, which includes Magic, so the flavor fits in quite well.

I've been playing multiplayer Magic since 1994 and EDH/Commander specifically since 2007, so I'm drawing from decades of experience in my evaluation. I will emphasize that I very much favor the social aspect of Commander over the competitive end of the Commander Brackets, and my takes are coming from that perspective.

Reprint Value - Base Set

There's not much to see in The Hobbit base set regarding reprints. Settle the WreckageSettle the Wreckage isn't exactly burning up Commander; the card shows up in only 1% of decks that could run it in the EDHREC deck database. Wood ElvesWood Elves is a great card, but it's a common that's been printed roughly a zillion times. A reprint wasn't needed but if you're working on a Tolkien-flavored Elf deck you'll appreciate having a choice.

Reprint Value - Eternal Cards

The reprints of The Hobbit Eternal is pretty much a who's-who of the most expensive cards from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and Tales of Middle-earth Commander! The drop rates on these are going to be quite small, so the impact will likely be minimal in most cases, but having any of these reprinted is always welcome.

The One RingThe One Ring and Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters are incredibly powerful and justifiably Game Changers, so fans of higher-power Commander are glad to see more of these hitting the market. Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord is also quite powerful and game-warping.

Galadriel's DismissalGaladriel's Dismissal and Galadriel, Light of ValinorGaladriel, Light of Valinor are surprisingly expensive cards originally printed in a Commander deck, so hopefully the prices will come down. Mithril CoatMithril Coat is a fun card that has also become surprisingly expensive.

Higher-powered Commander decks love Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling and Lotho, Corrupt ShirriffLotho, Corrupt Shirriff, while Bilbo's RingBilbo's Ring goes in Halfling or Changeling decks, or decks led by a Halfling commander.

The Black GateThe Black Gate and Minas Morgul, Dark FortressMinas Morgul, Dark Fortress are excellent lands for Commander, so I'm hoping the prices come down further. Witch-king, Bringer of RuinWitch-king, Bringer of Ruin isn't exactly powerful, but it is flavorful, so people building Wraith decks will appreciate some downward pressure on price.

Last March of the EntsLast March of the Ents and Palantír of OrthancPalantír of Orthanc are awesome cards for Commander that are generally too pricey for many who'd like to run them, and storm fans are hoping for a more affordable Call Forth the TempestCall Forth the Tempest.

Flowering of the White TreeFlowering of the White Tree, Relic of SauronRelic of Sauron, and Sauron, the Lidless EyeSauron, the Lidless Eye are all cool, mid-powered cards that are pricey because of scarcity.

Is The Hobbit Fun?

If you're a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, you're going to delight in The Hobbit. The designers hit all the flavor notes that you'd hoped for, and the special frames are very cool, but even if you're not particularly invested in Middle-earth lore there are a ton of great cards for Commander fans.

If you have an Elf or Goblin deck, The Hobbit brings you a bunch of new options.

Same with Dragon decks, including several versions of the O.G. fantasy Dragon, Smaug!

If you like artifact decks, cards like Fateful DiscoveryFateful Discovery and Getaway BarrelGetaway Barrel are getting your deckbuilder brain rolling.

Legends-matter decks are going to be hype about The Arkenstone.

Equipment decks have a ton of new toys to play with. Dwalin, WeaponmasterDwalin, Weaponmaster features the new hone mechanic, which is a huge boon for decks featuring a bunch of Equipment.

Even Food decks get new toys to play with!

Cards like Inside InformationInside Information play differently each time depending on what decks your opponents are playing, and how fun that we get Fact or Fiction with a twist in Riddles in the DarkRiddles in the Dark?

You like Sagas? Have a Wizard or fliers deck? The Hobbit has you covered. I'm really impressed at how deep this set is, providing goodies for all sorts of play styles and strategies, which to my mind really makes this set incredibly fun for Commander fans.

How Many Legends Are in The Hobbit?

The Hobbit products bring us 63 brand new legendary cards. 42 of them are actually mono-colored, which is exciting to see!

Color Combos Among the Legends

In addition to all the mono-color legends, we've got 19 two-color legends that are grouped around creature types that are featured in the set. Goblins are centered in Rakdos (, the Dwarves are hanging out in Boros (), Wolves are hunting in Golgari (), and the Humans fighting with Bard are centered in Azorius (). The Elves are primarily in Simic, though there is a version of the Elf King that's in Sultai () with Thranduil, the ElvenkingThranduil, the Elvenking.

Cards for Underexplored Themes

My love of Dwarves stems from Tolkien's character Gimli, and I played many Dwarf characters over the years in Dungeons & Dragons games, so the fact that Dwarves in Magic were so dang... wimpy for so many years was a real sticking point for me. Kaladesh helped spice up the creature type, as did The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. But when The Hobbit was announced I just knew there was going to be a number of awesome, classic fantasy Dwarf cards to put a smile on my face, and the set does not disappoint. Kíli the ResourcefulKíli the Resourceful is awesome, featuring the cool storied mechanic, and he provides a free equip and card draw. Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver could technically go in any typal deck, but it's clear the Dwarf Equipment deck is going to be the place where it shines. The Adventure part of An Unexpected PartyAn Unexpected Party can make a few Dwarf tokens and then you cast it and provide a big boost all your Dwarves.

Fans of Bear decks celebrate! Beorn the FierceBeorn the Fierce is absolutely bonkers and does everything you'd want a beat-down typal deck to do: boost your Bears, give out trample tokens to those who need it, and draw two cards each combat? There are even a few more Bear cards to round out your roster, including the surprisingly good Little BearLittle Bear.

Wolf deck fans got new toys assuming you don't mind going Golgari. Chief of the WildsChief of the Wilds is a pretty cool commander, growing in size and getting extra triggers from your other Wolf cards and, seemingly randomly, battles. Chief Warg's CompanyChief Warg's Company and Bejeweled WargBejeweled Warg are cool Wolf cards that have nice synergy with token support.

Overall Set Complexity and Strength

There's a lot going on with The Hobbit, but it doesn't feel too complicated. Storied is a cool new mechanic that's pretty easy to figure out, similar to city's blessing where once the condition is met you've got the benefits for the rest of the game.

The amass mechanic is back with amass Goblins, letting you make a relevant creature type Army token to go tall while Goblin tokens typically go wide. It also still works with previous versions of the amass mechanic, if that interests you.

The Hobbit feels like a solid strength set, with a good number of powerful cards across a lot of different strategies, but few of them feel overpowered and game-warping.

Conclusion: Grade A

With plenty of excellent new commanders that look fun to build decks around, and lots of wild cards and puzzles to pepper into old and new decks, The Hobbit is an excellent set for Commander fans. While many of the recent Universes Beyond sets get dinged because of how the IP's flavor is so incongruent with Magic's fantastical flavor, J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is the progenitor of modern fantasy settings, and the initial Magic sets obviously owe homage to it., which is why the flavor of The Hobbit fits so seamlessly within the great Magic universe.

Which cards from The Hobbit are you most excited about playing with?

I'd like to close with a poem from The Hobbit. My cousin recently passed away, and I read this poem at his funeral. When Tom and I were kids, we read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and many other fantasy books, and whenever we'd get together we'd talk about and share what we were reading, something we continued over the years until his passing. Thanks Tom for fueling my love of fantasy!

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

This was a "walking song" that Bilbo sang as he walked back to his home in The Shire at the end of his big adventure.

Read more:

Most Precious Commanders from The Hobbit

Deck Tech: Gandalf, Goblins' Bane