The Hobbit was a much more interesting expansion than expected in its first competitive week. It had no impact on Pioneer or Modern, but the set seems to have found its place in Standard and, curiously, in Legacy, where even Giant's Boulder, also present in Pauper, found competitive space.No card, at this point, looks like a clear multi-format staple, but it is curious that a one-mana common with a very specific ability has found room in so many environments due to the prevalence of colorless Big Mana in non-rotating settings.Other highlights include Smaug the Magnificent in Standard Dragon lists, an attempt to revitalize Hammer Time in Pioneer, a potential new White Weenie staple for Pauper, and, of course, Bilbo, Thief in the Night as a Dreadhorde Arcanist in Legacy!Below, we present the main decks from this weekend's events featuring The Hobbit's new cards!StandardThe biggest shift in Standard did not necessarily come from The Hobbit, but rather from the August 11 ban wave. We will publish a more in‑depth article on how the format has shaped up next week to focus exclusively on the new set in this text.One of the benefits of the bans was the return of Midrange decks, which opened up room for Smaug the Magnificent in dragon‑based archetypes, both in Boros and in a Mono Red variant taking advantage of the new legend's interaction with Magda, the Hoardmaster.The Lord of the Eagles was the highlight of an Azorius Momo variant with a light red splash for Frostcliff Siege.In Azorius colors, Abhorrent Oculus returned to the radar with Most Decrepit Old Bird as a complementary threat that also fuels the Mill plan. Bonus points for the inclusion of a "plan B" that benefits from Adventure spells with Cosmogrand Zenith and Leonardo's Technique.Izzet Prowess took a massive hit and has not yet re‑established itself in the Metagame, but players tried to make it work with Gandalf, Goblins' Bane in a more "All‑In" list with Slickshot Show‑Off and Callous Sell‑Sword.PioneerAs expected, Hammer Time was the biggest beneficiary of The Hobbit due to the equipment‑based card package among Kili the Resourceful, Dáin's Company, and The Lonely Mountain. Unfortunately, none of them were enough to push the archetype up in standings.The other lists did not see many new additions in the first week, but The Sackville-Bagginses deserve a mention in Jund Food/Sacrifice for the synergies they have with Gilded Goose and Witch's Oven. The card has the potential to become a staple in that archetype, especially as long as the mirror is not common.ModernThe Hobbit's presence in Modern was timid, with only one card standing out in a Challenge list, and a potential new Tron staple appearing in Leagues.Giant's Boulder was considered a potential Tron staple in Pauper, but there is no reason for Modern not to make the same use of the card even when the list is completely colorless. Scry 2 improves the topdecks of an archetype known for good topdecks, while the Vindicate ability for seven mana becomes easy to enable, not to mention the interaction with Ugin, Eye of the Storms.An Izzet Emry list also stood out with four copies of Key to the Side‑Door, a card that turns what would be dead draws in the list into more resources in hand with its second ability.PauperGiant's Boulder was The Hobbit's main card for Pauper, appearing in all Tron variants that put up results this weekend.Among Big Mana decks, Gruul Ramp also took advantage of a new card. Smaug, the Great Calamity doubles as removal and a late‑game bomb, serving as a complement to the Cascade package.Patient Instructor was an off‑radar new card worth keeping an eye on. In White Weenie, despite costing more than Raffine's Informant, it complements the Looting package while putting more pressure on the board, and I am sure someone will find a way to pair it with Sneaky Snacker in another archetype.LegacyThe Hobbit surprised in Legacy. Besides the bigger hype around Bilbo, cards like Giant's Boulder had significant copy numbers for the format's standards, and many archetypes found a way to make use of a card from the new set.The highlight, obviously, was the blue Dreadhorde Arcanist. Bilbo, Thief in the Night appeared in various Blue Tempo variants, especially in Dimir lists, but also as a two‑of in an Azorius Stiflenought variant.Giant's Boulder was included in Big Mana lists like Tron and Cloudpost, especially in versions that already had a tendency to include blue.The surprise was that the artifact was not limited to Big Mana. Despite a modest result, an Echo Storm list included four copies of it in the maindeck.The Sackville-Bagginses appeared as a four‑of in a Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis list as an infinite damage outlet alongside Gravecrawler and Warren Soultrader.Boros Energy tested Belladonna Took in some lists this weekend, always in low numbers as one‑ofs or two‑ofs, but the synergy with the archetype's go‑wide/token line justifies testing and could even turn it into an important card advantage source.Wrapping UpThat's all for today!If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!Thanks for reading!
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