Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver | Art by Erikas Perl

One of the cool ways that Magic has honored the works of J.R.R. Tolkien is by elevating the named weapons from Lord of the Rings and now the Hobbit to legendary artifact status. Sting isn’t just a sword; it’s Bilbo’s Elven-magic-infused sword that he gifts to his nephew, Frodo. It’s immortalized as both Sting, the Glinting DaggerSting, the Glinting Dagger under Frodo’s control and now Sting, Bilbo's SwordSting, Bilbo's Sword in the new Hobbit set.

But there’s another sword that has piqued substantial interest recently, and it is likely going to do a lot of what its name alludes to: Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver.

But is it a new typal staple? And will this be cleaving Goblins or cleaving the way for them? As the resident EDHREC typal master, I'm here to do a bit of analysis.

What Does Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver Do?

Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver is a three-mana, three-mana-to-equip equipment. That, in and of itself, limits its usefulness, as Commander has been getting faster and faster as time has gone on. For a six-mana investment to be playable, it usually needs to significantly shift the balance of the game, although the costs can be played on separate turns and there are ways to mitigate equip costs. Still, six mana and needing a creature are big costs.

But is the sword worth it?

Orcrist does provide +2/+2 and trample when it is equipped, so it makes creatures bigger and gives them evasion. Making creatures bigger and making big creatures able to connect are solid abilities, but nothing screams “Typal” about it, let alone powerful.

That’s where the last ability comes in.

In addition to boosting the stats of the equipped creature and granting it evasion, it also grants it a potent ability when it connects. When it connects with a player, we can name a creature type and make Treasure tokens equal to the number of creatures we control of the named type. It’s important to note that it does not specify nontoken, nor does it specify that the player it connects with is an opponent. As a result, we can go nutty with token creatures or send it around the table with Karona, False GodKarona, False God.

If we can get a lot of tokens or cheap creatures, the Treasures this makes might be worth the mana investment. But do we need to work that hard?

What Other Cards Do What Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver Does?

There are some equipment that provide bursts of mana, although they aren’t tied to Typal strategies. The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver provides trample and makes treasures equal to the damage the equipped creature deals, while Tanuki TransplanterTanuki Transplanter makes the same burst, but for green mana that stays around through turns and phases. The Tanuki is also a creature, through the magic of reconfiguring, making it one of the few such effects that doesn’t require a body.

The Reaver Cleaver provides a similar boost and trample, while EmbercleaveEmbercleave reduces its cost by the number of attacking creatures and auto-equips. It also provides double strike, making it more of a damage burst than a mana burst, and it has flash, so it can be equipped to a creature after the opponent passes priority in the declare blockers step.

Ramosian GreatswordRamosian Greatsword has a similar cost reduction, with convoke, and then provides a slightly bigger power boost alongside the same trample. Unless we’re using the Tanuki, all of these options make our creature trample.

Pros of Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver

While the power and mana boosts of Orcrist have precedents, the specification of a creature type is what makes it different. And the fact that Commander is a singleton format means that even the decks that use similar cards could still use more copies of those effects. Being colorless is another boon, as some colors and colorless typal strategies have difficulty finding massive boosts of mana.

Many Typal decks make small creatures early and then cast powerful, swingy spells late, but struggle a bit to bridge those phases. Some, like Artificers, care about artifacts, while others, like Warlocks, love having extra permanents lying around to sacrifice. Many Warlocks even have their own sacrificial abilities built in.

While we just looked at Druids, a type that specializes in using the mana burst it shares with Elfball strategies, not all types have that leg up.

Cons of Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver

The most prohibitive element of Orcrist is the requirement needed to make treasures. Six mana and a board of creatures is a lot to ask before the card provides more than a boost and trample to a creature. Requiring mana to make more mana means that Orcrist can’t really be considered a ramp spell, so it needs to work with artifact, equipment, or sacrifice synergies to really be considered worthwhile.

Furthermore, Orcrist doesn’t fill in any of the roles low-to-the-ground types tend to need: stall-breaking through teamwide evasion; wrath protection through teamwide defensive spells; or card-draw engines. Closing games, keeping the beats coming, and refueling are all vital roles Typal decks require to win games, but Orcrist doesn’t really do any of those things.

The last major downside is that Orcrist’s boosts only affect the equipped creature. Wand of OrcusWand of Orcus (even sounds similar) gives all Zombies deathtouch, and Dragon Throne of TarkirDragon Throne of Tarkir gives all creatures we control a power and toughness boost, as well as trample.

So where does Orcrist fit?

Which Commanders Want Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver?

Syr Gwyn is a solid fit for Orcrist, as it removes the equip cost for Knights and Knights have a lot of small creatures that wield weapons well. As a three-color deck, it can use the treasures for mana-fixing, as well as providing the mana to pay for the spells drawn with its attack trigger, which makes equipped creatures draw a card at the cost of a life.

Giott, which was previously written about here, represents the Dwarven contingent, which consists of many blacksmiths and those who wield the fruits of their labors. More of these are coming with the new Hobbit set, so look out for Orcrist’s stock to go up among Dwarven commanders!

There are also commanders that care about artifacts dying. Ultron is a solid Villain commander, draining life when artifacts die. Since Orcrist includes tokens, those Villain tokens can enable an equipped Ultron to make more treasures, which can be sacrificed to pay costs or even just to float mana, as long as no one is playing Yurlok of Scorch ThrashYurlok of Scorch Thrash!

Sai, Master ThopteristSai, Master Thopterist, meanwhile, provides evasive creatures to wield the sword while also making a stream of those same Thopters to enjoy the treasures. Sai can then chew up the spare treasures and turn them into cards, even using some of the treasures to pay for the activation of his ability!

Conclusion

Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver is an intriguing card, and I am definitely a fan. I love bursts of mana like Brass's BountyBrass's Bounty and Mana GeyserMana Geyser, and Orcrist seems like that for Typal commanders that can use it to its fullest. For six mana, it might be a little expensive, but there are plenty of times when it’s worth it!

Verdict: a moderately powerful card with a few homes, but certainly not the Sol RingSol Ring of Typal decks.

But what are your thoughts on it? And what decks are you looking to slot it into?