Gleaming SplendorGleaming Splendor | Art by Kekai Kotaki

Last we saw Middle-earth, cEDH was invigorated with a bevy of powerful cards. The One RingThe One Ring. Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters. Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling. Absolute staples.

So, now that Magic has brought us back to Middle-earth via The Hobbit, what can cEDH (Bracket 5) expect this go around? Well, I'm happy to report that this set has easily filled the massive shoes of its predecessor. Let's take a look!

White

Bilbo's GambitBilbo's Gambit

First off, let's talk about a card that I consider to be among this set's biggest deckbuilding traps — at least, most of the time.

For , Bilbo's Gambit is an instant that returns target spell to its owner's hand. Additionally, Bilbo's Gambit has gift a Treasure. If the gift was promised, then Bilbo's Gambit gains the effect of "players can't cast spells this turn." Put those two together, and you have something that's somewhere between a counterspell and a SilenceSilence. Nice, right?

Well, when you think about this card a little harder, it quickly becomes apparent that - by being both at once — Bilbo's Gambit is really neither. Remember, this card Silences you as well, which can make stack battles complicated to say the least. Couple that with the high mana value for a piece of interaction (nearly everything played these days is one mana or less), and you've found yourself in a bit of a predicament.

That said, there are some decks that are going to absolutely adore this card. If you can win without casting spells — i.e., Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain — then this card really is a counterspell and a Silence, which is objectively awesome. Similarly, if you're in nonblue and playing a slower deck, Bilbo's Gambit will be a real choice for your deck despite its limitations.

All in all, Bilbo's Gambit is absolutely the most interesting pick for cEDH from The Hobbit. It isn't the most powerful, but it's without a doubt the most fun to think about. For more of a breakdown, check out this article here.

Gleaming SplendorGleaming Splendor

Now, onto a card that's somewhere between Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe and Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind, and that's Gleaming Splendor.

For , Gleaming Splendor is an enchantment with "Whenever an opponent draws their second card each turn, you create a Treasure token," as well as the activated ability ": Two target players each draw a card."

Starting with mana production, cEDH has become dominated by resource engines these days, with most players drawing two-plus cards on at least one turn per turn cycle by the midgame. Just look to the recent explosive popularity of Faerie Mastermind, which is showing up all over the place these days. That card has a triggered ability which draws you a card whenever an opponent draws their second in a turn, the exact same trigger condition as Gleaming Splendor.

Next, the activated ability. Assuming you target yourself as well as an opponent with this and that you activate it on an opponent's turn, that's enough for Gleaming Splendor to reward you with a Treasure in return. Bank some mana, draw some cards, rinse and repeat - all for an initial investment of just .

The Queen of DaleThe Queen of Dale

Next up, we have the second two-mana engine that white is receiving this set, and that's The Queen of Dale.

For , The Queen of Dale is a 2/1 legendary Human Noble creature with "Whenever an opponent casts their first noncreature spell each turn, you recruit." (To recruit, draw a card, then discard a card. If the card discarded this way was a nonland card, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.)

The Queen of Dale might not be Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel, but when that's your closest comparison you know you've stumbled upon a potent card. This card is easily going to trigger 1-2 times in a single turn, with nastier stack battles immediately hitting three-plus. Multiply that by the number of full turn rotations in your average cEDH game, and that's an obscene amount of card selection. Along with Gleaming SplendorGleaming Splendor, The Queen of Dale is my tied pick for the best card in The Hobbit, and the rest really don't come close.

Blue

Bilbo, Thief in the NightBilbo, Thief in the Night

Moving on to blue, our first pick is Bilbo, Thief in the Night - a 2/2 legendary Halfling Rogue for .

First off, Bilbo brings with it a cost reduction for spells you cast from anywhere other than your hand, an ability that doesn't matter too much outside of some dedicated graveyard strategies à la The Master of KeysThe Master of Keys or the occasionally mana-tight Underworld BreachUnderworld Breach/Yawgmoth's WillYawgmoth's Will package.

Where things get particularly interesting are Bilbo's attack trigger. "Whenever Bilbo attacks, you may cast an artifact, instant, or sorcery spell from your graveyard. If an instant or sorcery spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead."

Combined with the cost reduction, Bilbo provides a solid way to grind out extra value from key spells as you assemble your late game package. Recast Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor for , double up on IntuitionIntuition for , etc.

Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader

Elrond, Moon-Reader is a legendary creature that lets your mana dorks tap to draw cards in addition to the mana they already produce.

Seriously, for , Elrond is a 3/3 legendary Elf Noble creature with the triggered ability "Whenever you activate an ability of a creature, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn." Pair that with the usual assembly of mana dorks, and you've got yourself a resource engine the likes of which cEDH has never seen before.

Elrond also has the ability ": Exile up to two other target nonland permanents you control. Return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control at the beginning of the next end step." That's all well and good, but really it's an afterthought in comparison to Elrond's trigger.

Looking to the broader meta, Elrond might be a bit too slow for some of the top-tier decks out there, but I can absolutely see some Thrasios+ partner piles trying it out, and maybe even Kinnan. Drawing cards is always good.

Black

Black's one pick from The Hobbit is an interesting value play for all the Dargo, the ShipwreckerDargo, the Shipwrecker players out there, and that's The Sackville-Bagginses.

Coming in at for a 2/2 legendary Halfling Citizen creature, The Sackville-Bagginses lets you sacrifice another artifact or creature when it enters. If you do, you draw a card and make a Treasure token. Additionally, it has the triggered ability "Whenever you sacrifice a token, target opponent loses 1 life."

Providing an immediate source of card replacement and mana is a pretty nifty trick — quite like Tataru TaruTataru Taru's enters-trigger — but where this card really shines is in decks helmed by the aforementioned Dargo, the Shipwrecker, which loves to sacrifice things over and over again as it pushes for a win.

Red

Magda's Red Dwarves

If you've ever played against a Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw cEDH deck before, then one thing has become readily apparent: that deck loves to play cheap Dwarves, regardless of whether the text box of those creatures does anything relevant at all. Well folks, The Hobbit is here to boost that Dwarf count sky-high, packing plenty of potential Magda playables. Dwarven MaulerDwarven Mauler is an auto-include, coming in at just , while Óin the BraveÓin the Brave does just enough to warrant testing on the top end of Magda's more expensive Dwarves.

Dragon's DesireDragon's Desire

Turning to the broader swath of red decks out there, Dragon's Desire is a ritual with a potentially explosive ceiling, costing and adding an amount of for each artifact your opponents control. Since this is a late-game ritual, I imagine it doesn't quite make the cut for cEDH's faster big-mana decks (i.e. Etali, Primal ConquerorEtali, Primal Conqueror), but this is sure to turn some heads nonetheless.

Green

Bilbo, Fellow ConspiratorBilbo, Fellow Conspirator

Bilbo, Fellow Conspirator is a card that - like Magda's many Dwarves - is really just on here for one deck: The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant. Coming in at for a 2/3 legendary Halfling Citizen, Bilbo has just one ability: "If you would create a Food token, instead create a Food token and a Treasure token." In most decks, this isn't enough to merit more than a passing glance. In The Cabbage Merchant, meanwhile, Bilbo is a mana engine that can quickly spiral out of control, creating more tokens than most players know what to do with.

Multicolor

Smaug, Wicked WormSmaug, Wicked Worm

The multicolor section this go around is defined entirely by legendary creatures that are going to helm some interesting Commander decks, and first up we have Smaug, Wicked Worm.

For , Smaug is a 5/5 legendary Dragon creature with flying that, when it enters, creates a number of tapped Treasure tokens equal to the number of artifacts your opponents control. Additionally, it has a triggered ability which causes you to draw a card and lose one life whenever you cast a spell which had mana produced from a Treasure spent to cast it.

Despite that enters trigger being a bit slow for cEDH, Smaug poses a real threat nonetheless by transforming mana advantage into card advantage thanks to that latter ability. The horde of Treasures it creates upon entering is just icing on the cake; the real value here is in creating enough Treasures before you cast Smaug that you can immediately profit from the card advantage you'll have access to once it resolves. For a full deck tech, check out here.

Thranduil, the ElvenkingThranduil, the Elvenking

Our second commander of the set, Thranduil, the Elvenking is an Elf-typal Necrotic OozeNecrotic Ooze sitting happily in the command zone. For , Thranduil is a legendary 5/6 Elf Noble creature that has all activated abilities of all Elf cards in your graveyard. That's the kind of effect that's just begging for a combo, which the likes of Buried AliveBuried Alive can assemble all in one shot. For a full deck tech, check out here.

Colorless

Well, it looks like colorless nonland cards got the short stick this go around. Maybe next time!

Land

Dragon-Cursed HallsDragon-Cursed Halls

Last but not least, we have the one land to make the cEDH cut: Dragon-Cursed Halls.

This land enters untapped, can tap to provide , and has ", : Until end of turn, target creature gains 'Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token.'" Now, this land is far from the likes of those which see play in high-color decks, but there are plenty of low-color, slower builds out there that will appreciate having a way to bank mana turn after turn — which is exactly what Dragon-Cursed Halls offers.

Wrap Up

Well folks, there you have it. Just about everyone got something pretty interesting from this set, although it's pretty clear from the previews that white is far and away the happiest color to come out of The Hobbit. Just how the dust settles remains to be seen, but I bet you this: we've got a whole new batch of staples in store.