IntroductionGreetings, MTG community!It's time to journey once again to Middle Earth, as Magic: The Gathering - The Hobbit is finally available in stores. With this set, our limited matches will be full of new strategies, synergies, and decisions to explore.In this article, we'll show you everything you need to know to be ready for The Hobbit Prerelease events. We'll go over all the mechanics, archetypes, removals, mana bases, and other important details you should know before you play limited formats with this set.The Hobbit - MechanicsIn order to represent a new journey to the Middle Earth, this set introduced several new mechanics. It also brought back Adventure, Amass, Ferocious, and Landfall.If you'd like to see more about all of these mechanics, check out this article by our house judge, Antonio Carlos.Let's start with the new mechanics.Hone CountersTo sum up, these counters improve equipment cards. This set only includes two rare cards that can give you this type of counter, so it's a relatively exclusive mechanic.RecruitThis ability is similar to Connive, but, instead of getting a +1/+1 counter when you discard a noncreature card, it creates a white 1/1 Human Soldier creature token for you.This mechanic is efficient because it fills your board and improves your hand at the same time. It also works really well with cards that interact with Humans.StoriedThis mechanic checks whether you control three or more sagas, legendary permanents, or artifacts. If so, you'll enable Enduring Story, and each card with this ability will do something different as a result.Once you meet these conditions, this ability stays enabled for the rest of the match.Now let's see the mechanics this set brought back:AdventureThe Hobbit brought back Adventure as well. What mostly sets it apart from other mechanics is that it allows the same card to play two roles. Like so, you'll have a bit more freedom when you build decks with this ability and have more options throughout the match.AmassAmass represents 1-man armies. It creates a 0/0 Army token and gives it +1/+1 counters according to the Amass amount.In this set, all Army tokens are also Goblins.One of the main advantages of playing this mechanic is being able to focus on a single creature and turn it into a threat quite fast, creating a sort of snowball effect. On the other side, this strategy is also pretty vulnerable to spot removals.FerociousFerocious checks whether you control a creature with 4 power or more and enables extra effects when you do.In this set, most Ferocious cards buff your creatures during combat and make your attacks a lot harder to block. Ravening Warg is the main exception, as it gives you life points instead of combat buffs.Equipment cards go really well with this mechanic. Together, you can easily use these two tools to make your smaller creatures big enough to win games.LandfallLandfall triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control.This mechanic often creates a lot of value throughout the match in Limited formats because players tend to play a lot of lands. It is even more consistent when you play it with cards that can get or put extra lands in play.The Hobbit - ArchetypesNow that we've seen the main mechanics, it's time to explore the archetypes in this set.The Hobbit only includes 5 two-color archetypes. Next, we'll see how each of them works, their main synergies, and the main cards in each strategy.Azorius Humans - Second DrawWith this white/blue archetype, you should look for cards that interact with Humans and do something when you draw your second card each turn. Like so, Recruit will be your main way to keep this strategy going.Great Gilded Boat is one of the main cards in this archetype. It lets you activate Recruit in each combat and makes this strategy more consistent.Bard's Company is the best payoff for this game plan. Besides having the ability you should be looking for, Recruit, it also buffs your creatures. If you get it early on, that's an excellent sign you should go for this strategy in your limited matches.Bard the Bowman and Gleaming Splendor are really great when you draw extra cards throughout the match. As such, they're excellent options for this archetype.Lakeshore Apothecary and Ravenhill Flock can grow a lot as the turns pass and become relevant threats as you progress your main game plan.The Lord of the Eagles is a real threat in this archetype. Besides having evasion, it can enter play in the opponent's turn and put even more pressure on the board.The Eagles Are Coming! is an excellent option for any strategy that centers around filling the board. It's a great way to force your opponent to redo their math in combat and can often end games.Thorin's Last Stand has a lot of potential as a game-ending card, particularly when you manage to create an advantage based on how many creatures you have in play.Celebrate the Mountain-King is both a removal and a way to keep your strategy going. Its only downside is that it costs a bit more mana than other cards.Best Common CardsBest Uncommon CardsBoros Dwarves - StoriedThis white/red archetype centers around Dwarf creatures and takes advantage of the Storied mechanic to get ahead.To enable this mechanic, you must go for sagas that interact well with the main game plan, artifacts (particularly equipment cards or cards that create tokens), and Dwarf legendary creatures.Dáin Ironfoot is one of the main cards in this archetype, as it meets two of the conditions you need to activate Enduring Story. Besides progressing your game plan, this card is also efficient in versions of this archetype centered around equipment cards.Dori, Bearer of Friends also progresses this game plan. It gives you more mana so that you can develop your board and put your main threats in play faster.Dwarven Shortsword performs really well in this game plan. It creates a Dwarf when it enters play and is an artifact, so it enables Enduring Story.After you put your main pieces in play, Fili the Pathfinder will give you everything this archetype needs. Besides enabling Storied, it buffs your creatures and adds more of them to your board.Dwalin, Weaponmaster buffs your equipment cards, and with First Strike, it makes each combat a lot more favorable to you. If the opponent doesn't answer it quickly, it can take over the match in just a few turns.Balin, Loremaster lets you improve your hand by discarding cards that aren't that relevant. After you enable Enduring Story, discarding cards like this will often allow you to deal damage to the opponent directly.Thorin Oakenshield makes your creatures more resilient to enemy spot removals. It protects your main threats and makes it harder for the opponent to answer you as you develop your board.Kíli the Resourceful is a great option in strategies centered around artifacts. With it in play, you'll have resources throughout the entire match.Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern is a great removal and acts as a permanent on your board, so it also enables Enduring Story.Best Common CardsBest Uncommon CardsSimic Elves - LandfallThis blue/green archetype centers around Elves and Landfall.To develop the main game plan, you should look for cards that allow you to put extra lands in play. Like so, you'll be able to get as much as possible out of Landfall and make your board stronger throughout the match.Thranduil, Sindarin Liege and Thranduil's Company are the main cards in this archetype. They're already quite strong by themselves, but, together, they become even more powerful. While Thranduil, Sindarin Liege buffs your battlefield and creates more Elves, Thranduil's Company lets you put extra lands in play, which progresses your main game plan and will also buff one of your creatures.Down in the Valley is an excellent saga for this strategy. Besides getting lands for you and creating Elves through Landfall, its final chapters buff your creatures, so it's an excellent tool to get your board ready and end matches.Hobbit Hole and Elven Passage are extremely important lands in this archetype. They trigger Landfall twice and make everything this deck does a lot better.You can use Elven Raft-Steerer aggressively and defensively. For instance, you can use it to remove blockers from your way so your creatures can attack, as well as keep them ready to block.Silvan Reveler is an interesting option, particularly when you manage to discard it, as you can bring it back into play for less resources.Cantankerous Keepers has a lot of potential. It refills your resources and is often quite cheap in this archetype.Beorn's Hospitality is an excellent way to buff your creatures. You can use it to set up a pretty decisive threat in the final turns.Mirkwood Pathmaker stands out in the late game and is a real bomb in this archetype.Best Common CardsBest Uncommon CardsRakdos Goblins - AmassThis black/red archetype centers around Goblins and the Amass mechanic.Furthermore, it interacts really well with sacrifice effects, as they allow you to get even more value out of the creatures and tokens you create throughout the match.Bolg's Company, The Great Goblin, and Bolg of the North represent this archetype really well, as they include the main synergies between Amass, Goblins, and sacrifice. Out of all of them, The Great Goblin is the most important. Mostly because it deals damage directly to the opponent when creatures die, and its second ability creates card advantage.Fearsome Goblin Pair is excellent in this strategy. When it dies, it leaves an even bigger creature in play, so it is great with sacrifice effects. It will make your board better no matter what.Rage into the Valley will make sure you don't run out of resources, as it lets you cycle a card and add another body to the board or buff your Army.Great Ugly-Looking Goblin comes with an excellent cost-to-benefit ratio. Its Adventure puts a creature in play and, later on, grants evasion to your creatures with counters.Misty Mountains Raider buffs your creatures and creates new targets for your sacrifice effects. Smaug the Magnificent and Smaug, Wicked Worm are excellent cards regardless of the archetype. They heavily impact the match without relying on specific synergies.Snowslope Hunter lets you turn your creatures or artifacts into new cards. With it, you'll be able to find the exact piece you need for each situation.In versions that lean more towards Midrange, Bothersome Noisemaker will let you turn your removals into a way to buff the tokens you create with Amass.Best Common CardsBest Uncommon CardsGolgari Wolves - FerociousThis green/black archetype centers around Ferocious. To make it work, you should use mostly the Wolf creatures in the new The Hobbit set.This archetype doesn't rely on a specific creature type as much as the others. Though Wolves are the main stars in it, only Chief Warg's Company and Bejeweled Warg interact directly with this subtype.Chief Warg's Company is, however, one of the best cards in it. Besides activating Ferocious, it puts more creatures in play, which will allow you to put more pressure and improve your board.Bejeweled Warg enters play early and is quite flexible. The Treasure tokens will allow you to keep progressing the main game plan or even set up favorable combats when you manage to deal damage to the opponent with the Warg.Beorn's Hospitality is an excellent way to make your creatures powerful enough to activate Ferocious. They also allow you to put a lot more pressure on the match.Nasty Little Rabbit is great in this archetype. Because it easily gets counters, it forces the opponent to answer it fast, before it spins out of control.Radagast of Rhosgobel progresses the main game plan by making your creatures cheaper. Like so, you'll be able to put big threats in play early and significantly impact the battlefield.The Chief Warg is critical because it keeps this archetype going, as it lets you recover the resources you used throughout the match.Head of the Hunt is excellent in strategies that play lots of removals. It allows you to improve your board and nerf the opponent's at the same time. To get as much as possible out of it, you must play it with ways to protect it and avoid losing it.Gigantic Big Bear is an excellent finisher. You can combine it with Wargling to give it Trample and make it extremely difficult to block.Beorn the Fierce can decide matches after just a few turns. Even if there are no other Bears in play, it is still an excellent threat and works really well next to any other creature. When you combine it with the tokens created by Chief Warg's Company, it makes your board a lot more worrisome in terms of pressure.Best Common CardsBest Uncommon CardsThe Hobbit - Mana FixingNow that we've seen the main archetypes in this set, let's see the tools in it we can use to fix our mana. Building a consistent mana base will be critical, particularly in order to take advantage of the really impactful cards without compromising the rest of the match.LandsThe common dual lands in this set are only available in the color combinations of the five archetypes, so if you want to splash some colors, you'll struggle a bit.Besides them, Elven Passage and Hobbit Hole let you get basic lands. They're excellent ways to fix mana and also trigger Landfall again at the same time.You can also use The Lonely Mountain, a utility land for red strategies. Besides creating value at the end of the match, it creates Dwarf tokens. It works really well in the archetypes that explore this synergy.Artifacts and Colorless CardsOut of all the artifacts, Giant's Boulder is the main way to fix mana in this set. It works as a filter and, like so, makes it easier for you to access the colors you need throughout the match.Thrór's Map is also excellent. It lets you get a basic land and fix your mana base quite consistently.Similarly, Old Thrush will find for you the lands you need and put them on top of your deck. The downside is that you'll have to rely on your next draw, and you can still lose the land in question if your opponent mills it somehow.Troop of Ponies fixes your mana and progresses the match, as it lets you put more lands in play. On the other side, the opponent might remove it before you can get 100% out of its effect.When the matter is creating Treasures, Orcrist, Goblin-Cleaver is the best option in this set. This is particularly true for archetypes centered around certain creature types, as in these archetypes this card can create a lot of tokens.Another good alternative is Long-Bodied Grey Dog, which also creates Treasures and fixes your colors throughout the match.Creatures/Colored CardsOut of all the creatures, Woodland Weavemaster is the main way to accelerate and fix mana in this set. It lets you create all mana colors and makes splashing a bit easier.Dori, Bearer of Friends also helps you fix mana, as it creates Treasure tokens. Though this is a temporary fix, it is often enough to put threats in play earlier or cast cards in other colors.The Hobbit - RemovalsRemovals are one of the most important tools in Limited formats. They directly influence the rhythm of each match and the way each archetype develops their main game plan.In this section, we'll only highlight the removals with unusual mechanics or effects. At the end of each color, we'll show you all the options available so you can check them before you head into your Draft, Sealed, and Prerelease matches.Before we begin, take a look at the toughness distribution among the creatures in this set. You can use these numbers to assess how efficient each damage-based removal is.Up to 1 toughness = 17.86%.Up to 2 toughness = 52.68%.Up to 3 toughness = 70.54%.Up to 4 toughness = 79.46%.Up to 5 toughness = 96.43%.Up to 6 toughness = 96.75%.Up to 7 toughness = 99.11%.Up to 8 toughness = 100%.ATTENTION!This set can put counters in play in many ways, and the numbers above only take into account each creature's base toughness, unmodified. During matches, this can significantly change how efficient each removal is, particularly the instant-speed spells.Another important detail to note is Mirkwood Pathmaker. Its toughness varies according to the number of lands you control. In the numbers above, it was considered to have 3 toughness, its base toughness. However, during each match, this card often enters play a lot bigger.ColorlessThe Black Arrow mostly works as a sideboard card. Against strategies that play lots of Flying creatures or Dragons, it is an extremely efficient answer and can often decide matches.Giant's Boulder is excellent in all archetypes. Firstly, it works as a mana filter in the first few turns. Later on, you can use it to remove permanents, so it's relevant throughout the entire game.WhiteSettle the Wreckage is, without a question, the main star among white removals. Exiling all enemy attackers without affecting your own board can completely change the course of a match.Magnificent End is the best white spot removal. It is a very efficient answer to the main threats in this set.Celebrate the Mountain-King stands out because of its synergy with Recruit. It works both as a removal and as a way to make its archetype work. The main downside is that it costs a little bit too much mana.BlueEnchanted River’s Grasp is the best blue removal in this set. Besides disabling a creature, it also removes its counters. Like so, it's an extremely efficient answer to The Hobbit meta.Counters are also quite relevant in this color. Confusticate and Bebother stands out because it can draw cards and makes keeping some mana available less impactful.Sound the Trumpets is also noteworthy. When you're countering a cheap spell, it also activates Recruit and allows you to get even more value out of the trade.Finally, Thranduil's Decree stands out because it lets you cast for free the main enemy threat. When you use it at the right time, it can easily decide the game.BlackAzog, Moria's Ruin stands out the most in this group. Besides removing a creature, it also leaves a body behind, so you can trade a relevant enemy threat for a simple token.Overall, there aren't many efficient black removals for the first few turns. Most of the removals available cost 3 mana, so you won't be able to answer the most aggressive enemy strategies that fast.Gnashing of Teeth stands out for its versatility. Besides working as a removal, you can use it to nerf cards and make combats more favorable to you.The other removals are similar to what you find in other sets. They do their job well, but nothing that stands out.RedAs for red, Smaug the Magnificent is definitely the highlight. If it stays even for a few turns in play, it can take over the match completely by gradually removing enemy creatures.Stone-Giant of High Pass's ability is pretty interesting, but it is a bit expensive mana-wise, so you might not be able to put it in play in time to control fast matchups.Pinecone Strike is an excellent removal because it is quite flexible. It works as an upgraded Abrade. Desolation of Smaug is great against aggressive archetypes. It lets you stabilize the board before you develop your own game plan.Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern deserves a shoutout. Its 4 damage points are enough to remove approximately 80% of the creatures in this set. Meanwhile, its chapter 2 also lets you remove artifacts, so it's one of the most well-rounded removals in this color.GreenThese green removals are pretty traditional. They don't do anything too relevant compared to the removals in other colors.Troll Negotiations is, most likely, the best green removal in the bunch. Besides removing a creature, it also puts counters in play and progresses your board. On the other side, because it only works when another creature is in play, it is often more vulnerable to enemy answers.The other removals do their job well, but don't interact with other cards in any interesting way or have unique effects.Final WordsThe Hobbit Limited meta is quite compact, as it only includes 5 two-color archetypes. Nonetheless, this set is flexible, and there is a lot of space to adapt during Drafts, as many of the themes feature the same mechanics and cards. Like so, splashing a third color could be an interesting alternative in some cases, particularly if you want to take advantage of certain threats or removals.Furthermore, because this set doesn't include many low-cost removals, the more aggressive strategies should be quite strong.Which archetype seemed most interesting to you?Out of all of them, the archetype that most stood out to me was Simic Elves - Landfall. The land interactions felt very efficient to me. They should allow us to develop our boards quite nicely while we get value from each Landfall.Next, I was also quite interested in Boros Dwarves - Storied because of the way equipment cards, Storied, and legendary permanents work together. They should make our creatures quite powerful throughout the game.I hope this guide helps you get to your The Hobbit Drafts, Sealed, and/or Prerelease events a bit more prepared.What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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