Desolation of Smaug, Gandalf, Gollum, The Lonely Mountain and more

At MagicCon Amsterdam, exciting spoilers for the MTG x The Hobbit set were revealed, offering fans a sneak peek into what’s ahead. This new set, following the success of the Lord of the Rings collection, shifts its focus entirely to The Hobbit. Players can look forward to encountering Dwarves, Hobbits, Elves, and even a fierce Dragon in this expansive Universes Beyond series. Although the preview was brief, the excitement is palpable.

As a long-time admirer of Tolkien, discussing these MTG x The Hobbit spoilers is a joy. There’s much more on the horizon, making it a perfect conclusion to several days of thrilling Magic: The Gathering announcements.

Key Characters Unveiled in the MTG x The Hobbit Set at MagicCon Amsterdam

MagicCon Amsterdam offered MTG fans exciting insights into both Reality Fracture and The Hobbit, generating significant anticipation. One of the most intriguing aspects of such a set is witnessing the portrayal of renowned characters. The following cards were highlighted during the event:

• Bard the Bowman
• Bard, King of Dale
• Gandalf, Goblins’ Bane
• Gollum, Riddle Master
• Thorin Oakenshield
• Bifur, Melodic Rider
• Thranduil, the Elvenking
• The Queen of Dale
• Bolg of the North
• The Chief Warg

Several characters are expected to have variations, reflecting their development in the story. For instance, Bard the Bowman evolves into Bard, King of Dale, each with distinct cards.

The initial card (Uncommon) for Bard the Bowman is a 1/3 with Reach, granting a +1/+1 counter to a creature when a second card is drawn each turn. That creature also gains lifelink, making it a handy three-drop.

Bard, King of Dale evolves to a 3/5 with Reach and Vigilance. While still focusing on card draw, he now allows drawing two cards instead of one during additional draw steps and doubles tokens you control, which is intriguing for White/Blue decks, deviating from the usual Green.

Another intriguing character is a Mono-Red Gandalf. Gandalf, Goblins’ Bane casts Flameshape, exiling cards from your deck for casting, provided a Wizard is controlled. Additionally, Gandalf gains +1/+1 until end of turn with each noncreature spell cast and deals 1 damage to all opponents. This could make for an exciting Mono-Red Commander build.

Another fascinating spoiler is Gollum, Riddle Master. He prompts you to choose even or odd, and whenever an opponent casts a spell of that type, you select an option not previously chosen:

• Add a +1/+1 counter to Gollum.
• Each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
• Draw a card.

Using flicker effects with this card could provide continuous value. Thorin Oakenshield introduces the Enduring Story/Storied mechanic, reminiscent of City’s Blessing. Controlling three or more artifacts/legendaries, or Sagas grants an Enduring Story for the game, reducing artifact and creature costs by 1.

Thorin isn’t the only Dwarf in the set. Bifur, Melodic Rider, a White/Red Storied card, adds a +1/+1 counter to a creature upon entry or attack. With an Enduring Story, Dwarf abilities trigger an extra time, significantly enhancing mid-game creature power.

Thranduil, the Elvenking appears to be the only three-color card in the set, or at least one of a few. As a Black/Green/Blue Elf Legendary, he offers versatility with new Blue Elves. Thranduil can utilize all activated abilities of Elf cards in your graveyard, and when another legendary Elf enters, you draw two cards and discard one, complementing his mechanics well.

The Queen of the Dale introduces the Recruit ability, triggering when an opponent casts their first non-creature spell each turn. This allows you to draw and discard a card, creating a 1/1 white Human Soldier token if a nonland is discarded. She offers substantial value as a two-drop.

Bolg of the North is a notable Goblin card, a 5/5 for 5 mana. Upon entry, you can sacrifice a creature, dealing damage equal to its power to another creature. Excess damage results in Amass Goblins X, where X is the damage dealt. The Amass mechanic returns with a Goblin twist.

Accompanying orc hordes, The Chief Warg is a 3/3 green/black Legendary Wolf with Menace. It includes the Ferocious ability, drawing a card and losing 1 life when attacking with a creature of power 4 or greater. This offers a strategic way to gain card advantage.

Iconic Moments and Locations in the MTG x The Hobbit Expansion

The MTG x The Hobbit set also highlights significant moments, places, and items. While a new The One Ring hasn’t been revealed yet, several other intriguing pieces have been showcased:

• The Lonely Mountain
• The Eagles Are Coming!
• Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern
• Desolation of Smaug
• Supper for Spiders
• Sting, Bilbo’s Sword

The Lonely Mountain is not another Valakut, but it functions as a red land tapping for red mana, entering tapped unless an Equipment is controlled. Paying 5 and tapping it creates a 2/2 red Dwarf token, with cost reduced by Equipments owned, up to 4, usable only as a Sorcery. This could be handy for generating tokens in a Tron deck.

With the presence of Kicker in MTG, The Eagles Are Coming! is a white Instant with a Kicker cost of 4. Casting it allows you to choose a creature you own, and if kicked, select multiple creatures. They return to your hand, and during your next upkeep, you create a 4/4 white Bird Soldier token with flying for each creature removed, a strategic response to board wipes.

Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern is inspired by “Fifteen birds in five fir-trees” from The Hobbit, part of its rich musical heritage. This red Saga offers these abilities:

• 1: Deals 6 damage to a target creature an opponent controls.
• 2: Destroys a target artifact an opponent controls.
• 3: Adds R.
• 4: Adds R.

If you can reset the Saga counters, it could prove quite impactful on various board states. Its power potential remains to be seen.

Desolation of Smaug is an impressive card, inflicting 3 damage to each non-Dragon creature and providing four mana of any combination for casting Dragon spells. It essentially refunds the mana cost, and its artwork is stunning.

Supper for Spiders offers a chilling method of capitalizing on opponents’ creature losses during a board wipe or other mass removal. It allows you to control all creature cards from opponents’ graveyards that reached there this turn, turning them into Food artifacts, not combat-ready creatures. Numerous ways exist to convert them back to creatures, making this card a favorite at just 2 mana.

Finally, Sting, Bilbo’s Sword may not match Umezawa’s Jitte, but it’s impressive. This 2-drop with Flash gains a Hone Counter for each creature a target opponent controls. Attach it to a creature you control, with each Hone Counter adding +1/+0. It’s an excellent Tron artifact, growing stronger as the opponent’s creatures increase.

Scheduled for release on August 14, 2026, The Hobbit set promises excitement, inspired by the success of the Lord of the Rings expansion.

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Edited by Jason Parker