Decks, Cubes, and Other Lists

The Notary Hobbits

This precon does what green does best, and that's ramp, because boy are we ramping up in here. The goal here is to ramp into the Notary Hobbits and start paying ridiculous amounts of mana into X for the many hydras in this beast of a deck. With Radagast as a backup commander who also reduces our big hydras, he provides the deck with some flexibility, letting you flash in these big beaters when your opponents least expect it. With a subtle changeling package in case we want to make our hobbits tap for more mana, let's see how Bilbo buys all his stuff back from these hydras.

The Sackville-Bagginses

This deck aims to give playability right out of the box, unlike most precons, but at the precon price. Flood the board with tokens pinging down your opponents, or just Revel in Riches for an instant win.

Thranduil, Sindarin Liege // Silvan Rally

Smaug the Impenetrable

Bard, King of Dale

Smaug, Wicked Worm

Dragons and their treasure...

Smaug, Wicked Worm

Generate a hoard of treasure and cards. Burn the opponents with riches. I tried to really do a balance precon feeling deck. Some overcosted cards for the rate that can easily be upgraded for other cheaper rate cards, some flavor picks just because it's our second set in middle earth so we got more universe appropriate cards to use, and not trying to be overly powerful but still keep up when going against other precons.

Bilbo, Unexpected Adventurer

This deck is a primarily a politics deck. Bilbo's combat damage effect and other treats that benefit members of the table, like Jailbreak, Sudden Salvation, and Pendant of Prosperity, will buy favor and take eyes off of our sneaky plans. Using pillow fort effects like, Ghostly Prison or Windborn Muse, we will stall the table until we are in the perfect position. Bilbo will then be able to take out the stragglers at the table with a single, (or sometimes double) strike with cards like Sting, Bilbo's sword, Sublime Archangel, or Gavel of the Righteous. I build this deck to avoid any Universes Beyond cards outside of the LOTR's IP. A Precon set on middle earth wouldn't have Cloud or Leonardo wondering about the 99. I also tried to add cards that could use some major reprints that either already are or would fit with a LOTR's reskin, like Delney, Rammas Echor, and Crawlspace.

The Master of Lake-town

Prosperity has a price, and the Master of Lake-town intends for others to pay it. Drain your opponents’ lives, fill their graveyards, and turn their losses into your advantage. Exploit the fallen, raise the dead, and profit from the misfortune of your rivals. By the time they realize what their losses have bought you, Lake-town’s Master may already possess everything he desires.

Smaug, Wicked Worm

Devastate your opponents (and never the merfolk) as you bring out vicious dragons and hoard your treasures. Each bit of treasure you acquire is one step closer to your opponent's doom.....that is if the dragon's don't finish them off first. Card choices were made to keep it in a friendly budget precon level. Bladewing the Risen is the alternate commander.

Smaug the Impenetrable

Gandalf, Party Guest & Gandalf of the Secret Fire

Gandalf, Party Guest is crashing your cousin's bar mitzvah and - uh oh! - he's brought all of his wizard buddies with him... and Valgavoth, Zimone and Gaea's Liege? Gandalf knows how to have a good time with his friends and, well, your friends too! Build up a Wizard crew and then cast spells that "invite" your opponent's creatures over for free. With their defense playing for your offense, take big swings and maybe an extra turn or combat step while you're at it. Be careful, though, parties can be dangerous and accidents are known to happen when Wizards get into their pipeweed and wine. Our new guests are advised not to wander into the lab, lest they end up in an experiment or two. As the popular saying warns, "Never go with a Wizard to a second location." The backup commander is the righteous and serious Gandalf of the Secret Fire. He and his wizard allies are charging to battle against the forces of darkness and gathering allies along the way! Pluck the pieces you need from your opponent's resources and cheat out suspenseful sorceries on their turn with a little help from your friends.

Gandalf, Party Guest

Gandalf, Party Guest

Your party guest, Gandalf, regales you with tales of adventure from across Middle Earth and beyond. Gandalf invites his other wizard friends to dinner for free instants and sorceries. Many of those instants and sorceries are also adventures, giving flexibility to cast spells for different purposes at different costs.

Bard, King of Dale

Entry for the Lost Hobbit Precon deckbuilding contest. This is a go-wide Azorius token deck with card draw synergies.

Chief of the Wilds

Gríma, Saruman's Footman

Gandalf, Party Guest

Thorin, King of Durin's Folk

Thorin’s Company / Dwarf tribal deck focused on the story of The Hobbit. All cards can be obtained from the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit MTG sets

Gandalf, Shadow's Foe

Bilbo, Thief in the Night

Core Themes & Key Cards 1. "Going Invisible" (Evasion & Unblockable) Just like Bilbo slipping on the One Ring to escape Gollum or Smaug, this deck features heavy evasion to ensure your combat triggers hit reliably. Evasion Equipment & Auras: Bilbo's Ring, Aether Tunnel, Aqueous Form, Cloak of Invisibility, Prowler's Helm, Writ of Passage, Crafty Pathmage, Rogue's Passage, Key to the City. Defensive Wards: Mithril Coat keeps your hero safe from removal. 2. "Riddles in the Dark" (Spellcasting & Cantrips) To represent Bilbo's quick thinking and Gandalf's wizardry, the deck runs a massive suite of card-selection and instant-speed draw spells. Selection & Brainpower: Ponder, Consider, Precognition Field, Future Sight, Magus of the Future, The Reality Chip, Riddles in the Dark, Uncover the Moon-Letters. Graveyard Value: Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, Deep Analysis, Think Twice, Frantic Search, Mission Briefing. 3. "There and Back Again" (Win Conditions) How does a small Hobbit beat giant dragons and armies? By building an army of allies and striking when least expected. Go-Wide Token Generation: Spellslinging turns into board presence via Talrand, Sky Summoner, Murmuring Mystic, and Shark Typhoon. Voltron / Direct Damage: Equip Glamdring to Bilbo, make him unblockable, and swing for massive commander damage while casting free spells from your hand. Late-Game Bombs: Rite of Replication (kicked on Torrential Gearhulk or Nezahal, Primal Tide), One with the Multiverse, or a massive Flow of Knowledge.

Dwalin, Weaponmaster

Aka Dwarves of Glory (yes there are humans and Gandalf in here and yes there are some other sets mixed in but you can only pull so many options from one booster box)

Smaug the Magnificent

Budget Smaug deck built around a hoarding treasures theme!

Thranduil, the Elvenking

Bard, King of Dale

I wanted to build a deck that feels thematic to the humans of Lake-town in The Hobbit, like a real precon, and thus this deck is running a light kindred strategy. Most creatures are Humans, the recruit mechanic is used considerably, and when the creatures aren't Humans they either thematically feel relevant or contribute to certain strategies. As this deck uses recruit a lot, and is thus drawing cards a lot because of its commander, so I also have a ton of "you have no maximum hand size effects" on board as well, with pieces like Triskaidekaphile and Laboratory Maniac in there for alternate win-conditions as well. The aim is to go wide with tokens and buff them with various effects, including kindred synergies. Since there is also a light discard strategy going on with the recruit mechanic, I've also put in some cards that help cast spells from the graveyard too (we can say it's thematic to Dale rising again after the fall of Smaug, or something). There's also a handful of connive cards in here too since that mechanic is similar to recruit. Finally, I tried to keep myself to a budget of about $150, minus new Hobbit cards, which I treated a bit like if they were new mechanically unique cards for this "lost" precon. That value with the Hobbit cards is above said limit but it still feels like a reasonably plausible deck list (with a whole bunch of LOTR arts chosen here where possible)

Bard, King of Dale

Thranduil, the Elvenking

Chief of the Wilds

"You must forgive my not taking your word. If you lived near the edge of Mirkwood, you would take the word of no one that you did not know as well as your brother or better."-Beorn the Fierce Pump and go wide with wolf and warg alike! Take control of the Wilds of Mirkwood with your chief (and commander). Your commander growing stronger with each member that is added to your hunting pack.

Chief of the Wilds

A Black-Green deck full of wolves backed up by spiders and bears this deck's bite is certainly worse that it's bark.

Great Goblin, Foul-Hearted

The Lord of the Eagles

Small flyers, draw cards from attacking, grow the aerial army, drop huge Eagles.

Thorin Oakenshield

Protect your dwarves and equipment with ward from the commander while flooding the board. Mostly legendary creatures and equipment so Urza's Ruinous Blast becomes a mostly one sided board wipe. The arkenstone searches the perfect dwarf for the situation while also buffing and giving draw support.

Gandalf, Goblins' Bane // Flameshape

Voltron-Storm hybrid where you're swinging with a juiced-to-the-gills Gandalf (and Fling), storming off with grapeshot/Empty the Warrens, burning the table down or winning with Hellkite Tyrant. Thorin, Mountain-King can be considered an alternate commander.

The Sackville-Bagginses

This monoblack precon builds on one of the archetypes associated with Hobbits in the first LOTR set – Food tokens! Sacrifice Food tokens to gain life and ping your opponents. Reanimate your commander to use its powerful ETB, draw cards and ramp.

The Lord of the Eagles

Tom Bombadil

Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur is the first part of The Silmarillion written by J. R. R. Tolkien and narrates the tale of Ilúvatar and the Ainur singing the music at the creation of the world. The music creates Eä (creation), Arda (the World), and foretells the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar, Elves and Men. This deck focuses around Tom Bombadil, the God Bard, and the many songs, poems, and tales from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the form of Enchantments and Sagas. The vast majority of the cards and printings are from the Hobbit and LOTR sets.

Bard, King of Dale

It was a timely message from an old thrush that allowed Bard to locate Smaug's weakness and slay the beast. Let the wisdom of the birds of Middle-earth guide you to your next victory!

Bard, King of Dale

With several solid archetypes in this set, this W/U deck headed by "Bard, King of Dale" utilizes the new "Recruit" mechanic to go alongside the other 3 previously created precons made by The Professor. Combined with a standard "precon package" (sol ring, command tower, arcane signet) there are multiple cards with the "recruit" keyword along with a game plan to benefit off of drawing your second card each turn. To go alongside this theme, there is a heavy emphasis on interacting on other turns to draw cards and protect our expensive commander. This paired with ways to make tokens and grow both a wide and tall board-state lead a control and token based strategy that funnels through your deck efficiently.

Gandalf, Party Guest

Cheap legendary wizards, expensive instant and sorcery pay offs. And lots of wizards of course, all of which are never late

Tom, Bert, and William

Troll Food - Dinner is served. Tom, Bert, and William have a simple plan: find something tasty, drag it back to their cave, and eat it. Unfortunately for everyone else in Middle-earth, their definition of “tasty” includes just about anything that walks. Troll Food is not your typical Golgari Sacrifice Commander deck, it is a flavorful feast of Food, recursion, and Middle-earth mayhem. Feed your hungry trolls a steady supply of creatures to keep the cards flowing, then turn your growing pile of Food into life, value, and victory. When your creatures fall, bring them back for another helping—or turn their remains into something even more delicious. With Hobbits, goblins, spiders, and other unwary travelers on the menu, there’s always room for one more course. Just remember: when the sun comes up, you don't want to be the one left outside. Make Food. Feed Trolls. Save room for seconds.

Chief of the Wilds

Chief of the Wilds

Gollum, Riddle Master

The Torment of Gollum is a deck where you can repeatedly sacrifice and reanimate its commander - The choice is yours between the titular Gollum, punishing your opponents for playing spells, or Azog, a removal-spell-on-a-stick, whose ability also supports the primary commander's gameplan by allowing you to reset his second ability on top of replacing him with a sizeable Army and drawing a card.

Bard, Heir of Girion

An entry for the Tolarian Community College Hobbit Precon deckbuilding challenge. The deck is a more aggressive Azorius deck with a human tribal theme and a go-wide token strategy. The deck rewards you for drawing at least one extra card per turn with cards like Prince Imrahil the Fair and Mischievous Mystic, and with plenty of interaction you should be able to hold off your opponents while you amass your forces. The commander, Bard, Heir of Girion, can be used as a finisher with his anthem effect, or as both a strong body and engine, providing extra card draw when you attack with any number of creatures. The second commander option, Bard, King of Dale, doubles your token generation and card draw, making him a threat to be reckoned with in the mid-to-late game.

Bard, King of Dale

I used a few simple cards that would be seen in a pre-con deck and to go even further I didn't use any UB sets (other than LOTR and Hobbit obviously) since Wizards would have to make a UB to UB reprint So it's a fully in universe and LOTR IP only deck, that has a very clear game plan with drawing cards, preferably 2 or more, and a few game enders to make sure things don't drag on too long or you end up decking yourself I believe the price isn't too high but card prices can change so my apologies if a card or two spike between me uploading this and the day its reviewed This was fun for me as I got a chance to cut much stronger cards not only for 'budget' reasons, like I normally do for a budget commander events, but for a practical and methodical reasons because Wizards wont put a £40 card in a pre-con deck knowingly so it was enjoyable to try think like a pre-con maker for Wizards

Bard, King of Dale

with the dragon falling at the hands of bard, the people of Lake Town rebuild, and the animals of the lake prosper

Smaug the Impenetrable

Smaug the Impenetrable as a very masochistic commander. The game plan is to get him in the field as soon as possible, then causing as much non-combat damage to him to generate a butt load of treasure. Working toward pay offs of either treasure enter triggers (Mirkwood Bats, Reckless Fireweaver), Big X spells that can take out your opponents (Comet Storm, Fireball), or alternate win conditions (Hellkite Tyrant, Revel in Riches). Pariah Shield creates extra value, turning any damage you take into even more treasures, and Pain for Fall turns all that self damage to potential player removal. There's also a some synergy with other indestructible creatures that also benefit in getting hurt, since you have a plethora of ways to deal damage to your own creatures, which can equal to player removal.

Belladonna Took

Second Breakfast Battalion is the missing Hobbit precon: a mono-white Belladonna Took deck where ponies, villagers, Lake-town guards, Dwarven supplies, Eagles, and a very organized Took family dinner become a full-scale resistance. Belladonna rewards the first three token entries each turn with life, a card, and then counters for the whole team. The deck uses Recruit cards, modest token makers, small white value creatures, and precon-style anthems to feel like a real lost product rather than an optimized token deck. The upgrade path is obvious: Anointed Procession, Mondrak, Smothering Tithe, Staff of the Storyteller, and Cathars’ Crusade. However, this submitted version aims for the lost-precon experience: cozy, flavorful, affordable, interactive, and surprisingly dangerous after the third breakfast.

Gandalf, Wandering Wizard

Gandalf, Goblins' Bane // Flameshape