My PreciousMy Precious | Art by Valera Lutfullina

Hey, everyone! After covering a few sets from Magic: The Gathering's recent past — you can read my last list on Adventures in the Forgotten Realms here — we're snapping back to the present for a moment. I'm taking this week to bring you the top 10 most played cards from The Hobbit before Reality Fracture releases in less than a week. This isn't the first time I've taken a trip to Middle-earth, by the way. I've written about The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) as well as the Ring tempts mechanic from that set. I've also covered several other Universes Beyond offerings, from Doctor Who to Warhammer 40,000 Commander. You can check out some of my past work, or just dive right into HOB with me right now. Let's go!

10. The ArkenstoneThe Arkenstone - 20,977 decks

If The Hobbit had been out longer as of this writing, I'm sure this would have found its way into more than a few hundred legends-matters decks led by Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter and Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier. After all, Commander players like using every part of the buffalo, including seeking the heart. On the other hand, Arkenstone pumps creatures and draws extra cards regardless of what type of deck it's in, so it's found its way into a few thousand decks of various themes helmed by commanders like Thorin, King of Durin's FolkThorin, King of Durin's Folk plucked from HOB or The Hobbit Eternal set, which got a handful of original printings.

This mythic rare will certainly play out swimmingly in these likely-creature-centric builds, as most of these decks will have a few juicy legendary creatures to search up, even if they aren't built around that theme. It sure does offer up a lot of potential card advantage!

9. My PreciousMy Precious - 22,967 decks

This is a really interesting card! The Equipment subtype is the headline here, but the buried lede is more interesting: this looks like a Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute variant that leaves behind an artifact useful in combat rather than a Treasure token. You can still sacrifice Precious to other outlets if hexproof and unblockability don't matter, but you also get the upside of suiting up Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER and making it really easy to activate his attack trigger. You do, of course, have to pay three more mana to get this ring into play, but remember that you get to do that, you don't have to. Sacrifice decks: take note.

8. Radagast of RhosgobelRadagast of Rhosgobel - 24,864 decks

It's helpful to me to think of this incarnation of Radagast as a big mana dork. Which types of decks have room for a four-drop mana-generator? Decks that want to be casting a lot of big things every turn! Think Pantlaza, Sun-FavoredPantlaza, Sun-Favored and Dinosaurs, Helga, Skittish SeerHelga, Skittish Seer and big spells, and Henzie "Toolbox" TorreHenzie "Toolbox" Torre and heavily discounted blitz beaters.

The flash clause can also be pretty relevant, allowing you to do tricky things like casting an important creature on the turn of a CounterspellCounterspell-running opponent who's holding up open mana, forcing them to use their their precious turn to stop your stuff instead of waiting to cast their own instant-speed threats or card advantage spells. Waiting for opponents' turns to cast stuff with Radagast in play is also how you squeeze the most value out of his discount, as you can only get two mana off one creature each turn.

7. Bilbo's GambitBilbo's Gambit - 25,904 decks

ReprieveReprieve from LTR was pretty amazing and has gone into over 200,000 EDHREC decks, so how does this version compare? First of all, it doesn't draw you a card, which is a bit of a bummer. In fact, you have to gift opponent a Treasure token for it to be more than just a bounce spell. The upside you get is also tricky: you are also SilenceSilenced here, meaning once you cast this, the turn is effectively over save for combat, unless you can combo this with activated abilities that win you the game.

6. Orcrist, Goblin-cleaverOrcrist, Goblin-cleaver - 29,511 decks

It says Goblin-cleaver on the tin, which definitely marks it down for a role-player slot in Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss, but you can still slot this into your Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw Dwarf or Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General deck. More hilariously, you can play this in Vihaan, GoldwakerVihaan, Goldwaker, where you can name any one of Treasure, Construct, or Assassin, as the commander grants the latter two types to all your Treasures at the beginning of combat while still allowing them to retain their original token type.

The trample helps you get in more reliably, and this can pretty trivially make upwards of five Treasures if you've built your deck cohesively enough. I like it!

5. Belladonna TookBelladonna Took - 29,513 decks

Woah, they made Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation but for tokens, and for just two mana, to boot! Took is a nice enabler for token strategies that doesn't ask too much of you. There are already a ton of effects that put more than one token into play at a time. A small sample of both commanders and cards in the 99: Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor, Marneus CalgarMarneus Calgar, Anim Pakal, Thousandth MoonAnim Pakal, Thousandth Moon, Farmer CottonFarmer Cotton, and Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor. I haven't even mentioned cards that generate only one token at a time but can trigger multiple times a turn, like Tireless ProvisionerTireless Provisioner. You even get to go again on each opponent's turn if you have instant-speed token-generators. You just can't help but think of all the ways to break her abilities, because doing so is both easy and highly worthwhile.

4. Wizard's StaffWizard's Staff - 35,189 decks

A Harmonic ProdigyHarmonic Prodigy? In 2026? Localized entirely on my equipped creature? There are a lot of Wizards out there with fantastic triggered abilities, from Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier's counter-adding effect to Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage and Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer's whole packages. A lot of these decks are already running Prodigy, as well as Roaming ThroneRoaming Throne. They'll be happy to play yet another trigger-doubler and one that even comes into play for less mana than the 4/4 artifact and is more resilient to removal.

3. Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent - 35,236 decks

Hey, where do you think we should play this card that says "Treasure" on it twice? If you said Dragons, then you'd be thinking like EDHREC users, with Smaug showing up in decent numbers in The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon and Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm. He does hit for good chunk of hasty and evasive damage early in the game, and he generates mana to get your other Dragons into play sooner.

Still, I'm more interested in seeing Smaug as an enabler/payoff hybrid in Treasure decks led by Vihaan, GoldwakerVihaan, Goldwaker, Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw, and Prosper, Tome-BoundProsper, Tome-Bound. His damage-dealing potential can give those decks a bit of an alternate angle of attack, including the sort of angle that removes opposing threats, and he's yet another card that puts more Treasures into play. It's a lot of upside for just four mana, and I want to see him desolate a table alongside a big Brass's BountyBrass's Bounty.

2. The Queen of DaleThe Queen of Dale - 37,208 decks

I got excited when I first read this card because I thought she would let you easily hate-bear your way into an army by getting you multiple triggers in the same turn, but then I came to my senses and settled on this being a fine two-drop that lightly punishes the other three players at the table for casting mana rocks and counterspells. She certainly can trigger more than once in one turn, but only if two or more of your opponents are fighting over a spell resolving or something similar.

The Queen also helps you out more at certain stages of the game than others. In the early game, you can turn irrelevant spells — or stuff you actually want in the graveyard, like Reanimate targets — into 1/1 speed bumps. In the late game, when adding one token to the board can be unhelpful, you can turn lands into action.

Another cool bit of upside is that she lets you trigger token payoffs, like Marneus CalgarMarneus Calgar and the aforementioned Belladonna TookBelladonna Took, at instant speed, though we're getting into Magical Christmas Land territory in hoping you'll have the two legends in play while your opponents counter each other's stuff or let loose a flurry of interaction. I imagine this will be dealt with most of the time before that can happen, but then you already made a return on your investment!

1. Gleaming SplendorGleaming Splendor - 61,248 decks

In a bit of a group hug and/or enchantments vibe, like Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower or Kynaios and Tiro of MeletisKynaios and Tiro of Meletis, you can assemble a combo with Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe and Anointed ProcessionAnointed Procession that forces everyone to draw their decks, also netting you near-infinite Treasure tokens and mana if winning the game wasn't enough:

Combos aside, Splendor also just sits in play and is generally miserable for opponents much in the same way as Tithe is, though that despair can be mitigated somewhat by getting to draw extra cards, gratis. At least they can't feel bad they chose not to pay the two when you put your free Treasure into play!

What Have I Got in My Pocket?What Have I Got in My Pocket?

Unlike poor Sméagol, I have no intention of stumping my dear readers. I'd much rather tell you my plans for the column so you'll be as excited to follow along as I am to write the articles! In honor of Reality Fracture, I'm going to cover go further back in time than I have been doing recently to cover the most played cards from Time Spiral block, as that was the last time we were treated to this scale of color-pie bending in a Magic: The Gathering set.

Until then, what's your favorite card from The Hobbit you think will crack the top 10 in the years to come? Let us know!