Back in February, we contemplated whether The Hobbit would be a decisive set for Universes Beyond when it comes to reprints. Would it deliver on the potential to reprint iconic cards, or drip feed only a few choice pieces? The Debut Panel at MagicCon Amsterdam has put any doubts to bed – The Hobbit is kinda stacked with Tales of Middle-earth reprints, so let’s check out what’s coming soon.
WHERE TO FIND HOBBIT BONUS SHEET CARDS
Before we get stuck in, let’s just cover quickly where certain Bonus Sheet cards can be found.
- Classic Book Sleeve: Collector Boosters and Play Boosters
- Dwarvish Language Cards: Collector Boosters
- Dragon Hoard Frame: Collector Boosters and Play Boosters
And, most importantly for this article at least, what about those lovely reprints? Well, there will be 40 in total, with classic Magic artists giving Tales of Middle-earth cards a fresh look. These can be found as a Box Topper in Play Booster Boxes and Collector Booster Boxes.
For more on collecting The Hobbit – including on the chase card equivalent of the one-of One Ring, Smaug, check out the Wizards article.
To find out which Box Toppers are getting us hot under the collar, keep reading below.
BIG MAGIC REPRINTS IN THE HOBBIT
The biggest card coming back to the Bonus Sheet for The Hobbit is undoubtedly The One Ring. While it has been banned and restricted in multiple formats, it’s still an iconic piece of Magic history from one of the most popular fantasy stories of all time, and it’s still a highly played card in Commander. While Bonus Sheet reprints won’t move the needle too much, they still increase card availability. Our advice for this one? Grab one while the going’s good, as it won’t be that long after The Hobbit until it starts to creep back up in price again.
Two of the most popular Commanders from Tales of Middle-earth are Tom Bombadil and Sauron, the Dark Lord. Since it was printed, Sauron has been in the Top 10 most built Commanders on EDHRec very consistently – and though Tom Bombadil might not sit as highly, he’s still skirting the top 10 Enchantress Commanders and firmly in the Top 10 for Five-Color decks.
Both of these make excellent Commander options because they open you up to interesting and rewarding gameplay experiences. Tom is highly customizable to whatever Sagas you want to play, and Sauron, the Dark Lord is a really thematic Control Commander that is a big effort to deal with. The new art from Omar Rayyan and Mark Zug is also something to behold.
Orcish Bowmaster is another big-ticket LTR card that sees extensive play in multiple formats, and the new artwork from Ron Spencer has that gnarly Ron Spencer goodness, which makes it quite the card to open. Another big-ticket card seeing play right now is Call Forth the Tempest, which has been popular in Commander lately but also in Legacy, which has meant the price has crept up somewhat. It’s a removal spell that gives you two free spells, which is a pretty swingy effect – especially when cheated out.
One of the better protection spells for me lately is Galadriel’s Dismissal, and seeing it get the legendary Rebecca Guay treatment is a sight to behold. Functioning as protection and proactive removal of blockers, Galadriel’s Dismissal has long been a fantastic little card, and a reprint of premium interaction spells is always good.
Delighted Halfling sees perhaps the widest play out of any card mentioned thus far, owing to it being more or less a second copy of Birds of Paradise in many decks that can help your spells not be countered. Seeing a reprint here is great, as it’ll be good for Modern, Commander, Canlander and cEDH.
Other highlights revealed so far include Flame of Anor, Reprieve, Rivendell and the Shire, representing a broad collection of the greatest-hits of Tales of Middle-earth.
EVEN MORE REPRINTS… IN DWARVISH
That’s not all though – there are more reprints, but this time of popular Magic cards, with a Dwarven Rune language treatment.
We know there are five in total. So far, we’ve seen Arcane Signet, Treasure Vault, The Reaver Cleaver…
… and a very shiny Mox Amber! These look awesome, and are perfect for LotR themed decks to get that flavor right on point.
END STEP
The Hobbit looks like a smashing set, and also brings some much needed reprints of popular Tales of Middle-earth cards.
It’s pretty huge that we’re getting these reprints, as it shows Wizards is not only prepared to reprint certain Universes Beyond cards when they can, but also not by shy about it. This is the biggest set of UB reprints we’ve ever had. What does that mean for the future? Which are you hoping to pick up? Let us know on socials.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.