<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://xabigaztelua.com/">Xabi Gaztelua</a></em></p>
<p>Returning to Middle-earth lets us revisit some great design niches, and my favorite designs from the <em>Lord of the Rings</em> set were the hobbits.</p>
<p>Many of the legendary Halflings were great commanders, compact engines low on the mana curve, designed that way to reflect their simple virtues and small size. Well, the Halflings from <em>The Hobbit</em> carry that trend forward, and none does so better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It costs only two mana, but opens up deckbuilding space in many directions that previous hobbits have already hinted at, from <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/lifegain">Lifegain</a> to creature tokens to <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/food">Food</a>.</p>
<p>As a card in a deck led by another commander, its rewards are strong enough on rate that it can fit into any strategy that's even halfway on plan, but as a commander itself, it can create some crazy board states very early in the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belladonna Took"></div></div>
<p>Belladonna's progressive triggered ability gives us a clear goal every turn. The first token we can create gains us one life, which is just fine. The second token draws us a card, which is honestly a great payoff and makes it well worth our while. Then the third token gives our whole team a boost, which can get the game over in a hurry. If we can trigger its ability three times in a turn, not only have we gained quite the advantage but we also mitigate some of the risks of going wide. By drawing a card, we neutralize the risk of overcommitting to the board, and by pumping our team, we make it so each token we've managed to create is higher-impact.</p>
<p>Some great commanders to look to for inspiration include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bennie Bracks, Zoologist" href="#" target="_blank">Bennie Bracks, Zoologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rosie Cotton of South Lane" href="#" target="_blank">Rosie Cotton of South Lane</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since Belladonna is almost like the two of those creatures rolled into one. Other <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/tokens">Tokens</a> commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mondrak, Glory Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Mondrak, Glory Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar" href="#" target="_blank">Adeline, Resplendent Cathar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide good recommendations for the core structure of the deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bennie Bracks, Zoologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rosie Cotton of South Lane"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mondrak, Glory Dominus"></div></div>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Step one of our plan is to count to three. Any cards that can create three tokens in a turn for a reasonable mana cost are incredible ways to trigger all of Belladonna's payoffs at once. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hop to It" href="#" target="_blank">Hop to It</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spectral Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Spectral Procession</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Distract the Guards" href="#" target="_blank">Distract the Guards</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the easiest version of this effect, usually costing three mana for three tokens. Since our commander can come down on turn two, these cards can often get us our hat trick of triggers on turn three, putting us firmly in the driver's seat. Later in the game, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram&#039;s Expertise" href="#" target="_blank">Sram&#039;s Expertise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us additional value, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triplicate Spirits" href="#" target="_blank">Triplicate Spirits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will often come down for no mana at all.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hop to It"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram&#039;s Expertise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triplicate Spirits"></div></div>
<p>We also have access to a surprising number of effects that can create tokens for each opponent we attack, meaning we can take advantage of the standard four-player pod to create three tokens per turn, every turn. The aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar" href="#" target="_blank">Adeline, Resplendent Cathar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can create a token for each opponent, as can <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endless Foot Assault" href="#" target="_blank">Endless Foot Assault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery" href="#" target="_blank">Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ainok Strike Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Ainok Strike Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us that same explosive potential while also protecting against board wipes, making it a must-kill threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Endless Foot Assault"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ainok Strike Leader"></div></div>
<p>Belladonna also resets its count every turn, so any ability to create multiple tokens on our opponents' turns can let us get extra triggers throughout a turn cycle. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> won't get us the counters by itself, but becoming a cantrip turns it into an efficient little trick. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Charismatic Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Charismatic Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put a ton of pressure on opponents who want to develop blockers or use their permanents right away. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Coppercoats" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Coppercoats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the most efficient token makers in the game, on top of being an instant.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raise the Alarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Charismatic Conqueror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Call the Coppercoats"></div></div>
<p>Another class of cards that fit right alongside Belladonna are cards that love having counters placed on them and create tokens based on them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Falcon and Redwing" href="#" target="_blank">Falcon and Redwing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grows at a good clip on its own, but goes absolutely ham when it gets an extra counter every turn, and can snowball before our opponents know what hit them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Royal Talon Fighter Jet" href="#" target="_blank">Royal Talon Fighter Jet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jacked Rabbit" href="#" target="_blank">Jacked Rabbit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us similar engines that accelerate alongside our commander. Finally, former Standard all-star <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hangarback Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Hangarback Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us hedge our bets against board wipes by threatening to turn into a swarm of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s if it dies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Falcon and Redwing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Royal Talon Fighter Jet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jacked Rabbit"></div></div>
<p>One of Belladonna's greatest strengths is that it can give us an extra card every turn, and we want to find as many backups for that effect as possible. Aggressive strategies can work in commander, but only when they can keep cards flowing in order to accelerate rather than stagnate in the middle game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caretaker&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Caretaker&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Idol of Oblivion" href="#" target="_blank">Idol of Oblivion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bennie Bracks, Zoologist" href="#" target="_blank">Bennie Bracks, Zoologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can all give us cards turn after turn for no additional mana, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of the Storyteller" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of the Storyteller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only costs a measly <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to activate. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haliya, Guided by Light" href="#" target="_blank">Haliya, Guided by Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> asks us to perform the same count to three as Belladonna, and it even counts nontoken creatures and artifacts in its tally.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caretaker&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Idol of Oblivion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haliya, Guided by Light"></div></div>
<p>Going wide will often make us an early threat, so we need some ways to survive interaction, and especially board wipes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Crescendo" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Crescendo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our creatures indestructible while contributing to our plan, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn&#039;s Truce" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn&#039;s Truce</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can even throw hexproof into the bargain. These tricks are powerful, but can be easy to see coming for our opponents when we leave up mana despite having plenty of cards in hand, so we're also running some effects that can come down for free. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flare of Fortitude" href="#" target="_blank">Flare of Fortitude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flawless Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Flawless Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clever Concealment" href="#" target="_blank">Clever Concealment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have different conditions we have to meet to play them for free, but they are all key pieces of our strategy of getting ahead early and then pushing our advantage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Crescendo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flare of Fortitude"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clever Concealment"></div></div>
<h2>Winning the Game with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>No matter how many tokens we can create, if they're all 1/1s it will be difficult to take out three opponents from 40 life each with them. The classic formula of Tokens decks is to generate a huge board of small creatures and then pump them all up until each one is individually threatening. Luckily for us, that's exactly what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does with its last ability. But we'd be foolish to rely only on it, and so we're running plenty of backups.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery" href="#" target="_blank">Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great double engine in this deck, coming down early to generate tokens and then making them all huge in the late game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caretaker&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Caretaker&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> functions similarly, acting as a card advantage engine for most of the game before giving everyone +2/+2 with its final level. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Storm Slayer" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Storm Slayer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does everything we could possibly want, doubling our token creation, dealing with pesky permanents, and giving our team evasion and a sizable buff when we're ready to close out the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caretaker&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Storm Slayer"></div></div>
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Belladonna Took" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Belladonna Took
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
*1 Ainok Strike Leader
*1 Bennie Bracks, Zoologist
*1 Charismatic Conqueror
*1 Clarion Spirit
*1 Cosmogrand Zenith
*1 Dalkovan Packbeasts
*1 Dusk Legion Duelist
*1 Falcon and Redwing
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Guide of Souls
*1 Haliya, Guided by Light
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Jacked Rabbit
*1 Lae&#039;zel, Vlaakith&#039;s Champion
*1 Lita, Little Orphan Amphibian
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Ocelot Pride
*1 Rosie Cotton of South Lane
*1 Skrelv, Defector Mite
*1 Soul Warden
*1 Soul&#039;s Attendant
*1 Voice of Victory
*1 Weathered Wayfarer
*1 Witch Enchanter // Witch-Blessed Meadow
*1 Wyrm&#039;s Crossing Patrol
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Royal Talon Fighter Jet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Staff of the Storyteller
*1 The Ooze
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Caretaker&#039;s Talent
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery
*1 Endless Foot Assault
*1 Legion&#039;s Landing // Adanto, the First Fort
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Battle Screech
*1 Distract the Guards
*1 Hop to It
*1 Spectral Procession
*1 Sram&#039;s Expertise
*1 Triplicate Spirits
*1 United Front
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Call the Coppercoats
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Dawn&#039;s Truce
*1 Erode
*1 Flare of Fortitude
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Grand Crescendo
*1 Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Raise the Alarm
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 The Last Ronin&#039;s Technique
*1 Thraben Charm
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Elspeth Tirel
*1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer
*1 Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Abandoned Air Temple
*1 Big Apple, 3 a.m.
*1 Fountainport
*30 Plains
*1 Spawning Bed
*1 Treasure Vault
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>A lot of people dismiss aggressive strategies in Commander, saying that the burden of dealing 120 damage is just too high in a format where everyone's deck is built to go over the top of efficient, low to the ground creatures. I think they just haven't played an aggro deck with enough card advantage. As long as we can draw two or three cards per turn and keep hitting our land drops, there's no reason why we can't scale with the size of the game. Tokens decks do this in maybe the clearest way, starting out by creating small threats and then growing them to mirror our opponents' more expensive creatures on later turns.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the most compact Tokens payoffs we've ever seen, providing both cards and stats for only two mana, but the true strength of this deck lies in the fact that we can play redundant engines for all of her abilities. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of the Storyteller" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of the Storyteller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us the same card advantage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cosmogrand Zenith" href="#" target="_blank">Cosmogrand Zenith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can buff our creatures just as well. If we can ever get multiple instances of these engines in play at once, we can run away with the game, and our multiple layers of backup plan make us much more resilient if our opponents (rightly) decide we're the threat at the table.</p>


belladonna took

Belladonna Took | Mono-White Tokens