Commander Deck Tech: Bilbo, Thief in the Night

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.annasteinbauer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Steinbauer</a></em></p>
<p>To my surprise, <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> is going back the the universe of <em>Lord of the Rings </em>with the upcoming set <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/hob" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Hobbit</em></a>, and we've already got quite a few exciting cards to look at.</p>
<p>The first one that caught my eye was the commander that's the least built so far, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He's an unblockable guy who loots, which is already an archetype I'm fond of, and he can also swap our opponents' permanents with our own. That's a pretty unique combination, and I have a bunch of decks he'd be useful in.</p>
<p>Maybe he can even lead his own deck as well! Let's find out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bilbo, Luckwearer"></div></div>
<h2>The Jankiest Way to Use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Burglar's Plot is already a pretty great Adventure. We can use it to swap any two permanents that share a card type, so it's an easy way to steal something good. But it does have a downside, the fact that it can only swap cards that share a card type. So what if we tried to work around that downside by giving cards different card types?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liquimetal Torque"></div></div>
<p>We could use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to swap a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or we could animate artifacts with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise and Shine" href="#" target="_blank">Rise and Shine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and swap a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vilis, Broker of Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Vilis, Broker of Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Is this totally unnecessary and a waste of deck space? Yes, a hundred percent. It doesn't even make Burglar's Plot that much better. But if for some reason we really had beef with that restriction, we could make a deck designed to nullify it.</p>
<h2>The Most Evil Way to Use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Unfortunately, the most evil way to use Bilbo is probably gonna be what the majority of players do with him. Using Burglar's Plot, we can donate the worst permanents ever straight to an opponent's field. We're gonna be trading the best cards our opponents have for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Eater" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Eater</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Soulgorger" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Soulgorger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taniwha" href="#" target="_blank">Taniwha</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>It's gonna be a total nightmare, and I fully expect opponents to groan whenever they see a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck pull up. That being said, it's a lot less evil than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jon Irenicus, Shattered One" href="#" target="_blank">Jon Irenicus, Shattered One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so I can't imagine this Bilbo sees too much play as a commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Soulgorger"></div></div>
<p>We could also get political with Bilbo, but that's what the intended purpose of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zedruu the Greathearted" href="#" target="_blank">Zedruu the Greathearted</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was, and I can assure you not too many people went that direction with it. In fact, I'm sure even Wizards knew what Zedruu was gonna be used for. After all, people had been using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Donate" href="#" target="_blank">Donate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to give away <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusions of Grandeur" href="#" target="_blank">Illusions of Grandeur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since 1999.</p>
<p>The point is, if you see a Bilbo, Luckwearer deck, even if the owner claims it's a political deck, be very wary.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zedruu the Greathearted"></div></div>
<h2>The Best Combo With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>The best combo kind of depends on what we consider to be a "combo," because there are quite a few ways to quickly kill a player using any <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Donate" href="#" target="_blank">Donate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect. For example, gifting a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would do the trick. But that's pretty slow. Our opponents have all the time in the world to find a piece of removal, or even a way to sacrifice it.</p>
<p>If we want to end a player's life instantly, try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nefarious Lich" href="#" target="_blank">Nefarious Lich</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Despotic Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Despotic Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Despotic Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Despotic Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is useless almost anywhere else, but here it can be used to destroy the Lich, killing the player who controls it.</p>
<div id="904-2770-4126" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p>While that combo is great, I know some people consider a combo to be a group of cards that go infinite. Luckily, I've got a great one of those as well.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vilis, Broker of Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Vilis, Broker of Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is usually a pretty strong card, one that we wouldn't want to donate. His only real downside is that his draw clause isn't a may ability, in typical Demon fashion.</p>
<p>I think y'all can see where this is going. If we pair it with a card that deals damage whenever an opponent draws, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Dreams" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Dreams</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then Vilis will kill whoever controls it as soon as they lose life or draw a card. Huge bonus points if we manage to swap an opponent's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Dreams" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Dreams</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for our Vilis!</p>
<div id="2720-2770-4691" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<h2>The Most Competitive Deck for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>For the first time in the article I'm gonna talk about the creature side of Bilbo, because if we're being honest, five mana to swap permanents isn't all that great. Especially because we have to cast and then bounce Bilbo to do it again!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been around for ages, and it certainly has had its moments, but overall it's just not worth running in a focused deck, perhaps because of its unfocused nature. In order for Burglar's Plot and other theft cards to be good, our opponents have to already be doing something better. We'll always be on the back foot!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Control Magic"></div></div>
<p>So I think that Bilbo's best aspect is his creature side, an unblockable 1/1 who loots when he hits. There are a quite a few other similar creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Looter il-Kor" href="#" target="_blank">Looter il-Kor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suspicious Stowaway" href="#" target="_blank">Suspicious Stowaway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shoreline Looter" href="#" target="_blank">Shoreline Looter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who all find a home in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raffine, Scheming Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Raffine, Scheming Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Bilbo fits right in with them. He does the exact same thing, but he also has the option to be a powerful theft spell if needed.</p>
<p>That's a lot of extra utility for a card that was already perfect, and I think Bilbo is amazing in any deck that runs his comrades, like the aforementioned Sphinx.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raffine, Scheming Seer"></div></div>
<h2>The Worst Deck for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>This segment is always a challenge - at least when I don't pick a card that has a clear downside. Bilbo doesn't actually do anything to hurt us, unless we chose to steal a bad card. But what if our opponents got to choose? What if we let them cast the spell?</p>
<p>I've been a fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a long time, and I've built several decks that have revolved around getting that card into play and letting chaos ensue. My inspiration came from a particularly <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/rolebuilding-divergent-experiments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evil variant of the deck</a> by fellow EDHREC author Grant Riehm. This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck is more control than chaos, and clones Knowledge Pools to create a lock where we get to choose who gets to play which spells.</p>
<p>It's a complicated interaction that I don't fully understand, but there's no better way to mess it up than by letting our opponents gain control of our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, and returning useless things that we intentionally gave them. This is easily the worst place to run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bilbo, Luckwearer" href="#" target="_blank">Bilbo, Luckwearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knowledge Pool"></div></div>
<p>Well, that's one of what I imagine will be many Bilbos from this new set. I'm quite fond of this individual. He's playful, thematic, and genuinely interesting. I really look forward to seeing how his swap ability will affect games when I draw him.</p>
<p>If there's any interesting interactions that you're itching to mention, please do so in the comments, and let me know if I missed anything obvious. I always look forward to hearing what y'all have to say, cause honestly, all of y'all are so smart and knowledgeable about <em>Magic</em>. See ya next time!</p>


bilbo

Commander Deck Tech: Bilbo, Thief in the Night

Five Ways to Use Bilbo, Luckwearer in Commander