Last updated on August 3, 2026
My Precious | Illustration by Valera Lutfullina
In summer 2023, Magic players made their first foray into J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. We shared in Food and Fellowship, we deliberated with the Elven Council, we fought alongside the Riders of Rohan, and we faced the Hosts of Mordor.
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth was a massively popular set, and one of the earliest draftable Universes Beyond sets (for better or worse, I’ll let you debate that). We returned three years later in 2026 to Middle-earth to follow Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and the Company of Dwarves as they venture to reclaim their home under the Lonely Mountain from the fearsome, avaricious dragon, Smaug.
The Hobbit Basic Information
Set Details
| Set Symbol |  |
| Set Code | HOB, HOC |
| Hashtag | #MTGxHobbit |
| Number of Cards | 183 |
| Rarities | 60 Commons, 55 Uncommons, 53 Rares, and 15 Mythics |
| Mechanics | Recruit, Storied, Adventure, Amass, Ferocious |
Important Dates
| Previews Start | May 1, 2026 |
| Debut | July 18, 2027 |
| MagicCon Amsterdam | July 17 – 19, 2026 |
| Gen Con | July 30 – Aug. 2, 2026 |
| Full Gallery | July 31, 2026 |
| Available on Draftsim’s Draft Simulator | Right Now! |
| Release on MTGA/MTGO | August 11, 2026 |
| Available on Arena Tutor | August 11, 2026 (Estimated) |
| Prerelease Week | August 7 – 13, 2026 |
| Paper Release Date | August 14, 2026 |
| Standard Showdown | Aug. 2 – Sep. 24, 2026 |
| Commander Party Rd. 1 | Aug. 21 – 27, 2026 |
| Magic Spotlight in Brisbane | Aug. 28 – 30, 2026 |
| Gift Bundle Release | September 4, 2026 |
| Magic Spotlight in Dallas | September 4 – 6, 2026 |
| Magic Presents: Heart of the Mountain | September 4 – 10, 2026 |
| Commander Party Rd. 2 | Sep. 18 – Sep. 24, 2026 |
About the Set: The Story
Last Light of Durin's Day | Illustration by Harkalé Linaï
A hat-tip to Robert at In Deep Geek on YouTube; I haven’t re-visited The Hobbit since I read it with my dad as a bedtime story, so I’ve appreciated his videos to help jog my memory on plot points and lore.
The Hobbit is the precursor to The Lord of the Rings, and both come from bedtime stores that J.R.R. Tolkien told to his children. It was first printed in 1937, and has a more episodic narrative and a lighter tone than The Lord of the Rings. This makes sense: Tolkien came up with The Hobbit when his children were younger, and his stories evolved as his children grew up.
The Hobbit tells of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit who did something absolutely bonkers and remarkable: He left home and went on an adventure. His friend Gandalf, a traveling wizard, introduces him to Thorin Oakenshield and a Company of 12 other dwarves, who seek a thief to join them in their quest to reclaim their home from Smaug, a wickedly avaricious and dangerous dragon. They promise Bilbo an equal share in the treasure should they succeed, and, despite much protesting, Bilbo agrees to go along.
Bilbo and the dwarves encounter both friends and perils in their travels: goblins and trolls, elves and humans, eagles, a skin-changer, and a peculiar, wretched being with a precious ring that turns the wearer invisible.
Bilbo and the dwarves manage to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, and Smaug is eventually slain due to a weak spot in his armor, though this leads directly to the Battle of Five Armies as humans, dwarves, and elves must set aside their difference to face off against goblins and wargs.
This is a bare-bones summary, so I encourage you to read the book for yourself. It’s rather short compared to The Lord of the Rings, and it’s much closer to a children’s story than that later work.
The Hobbit Mechanics
Hone Counter
Dwalin, Weaponmaster puts sharpened stone into the hands of its fellow dwarves, in a permanent counter we call hone counters. These increase the power of the equipment by one, and offer their stat boost even if My Precious originally has no impact on power and toughness.
Recruit
Recruit is like a white version of connive in that you loot, and if you discard a nonland, you get a 1/1 human soldier instead of a +1/+1 counter.
Storied
Storied asks if you control three historic permanents and cares if you have an enduring story or not. No question about it, Tolkien gave us some enduring stories.
Amass
This time amass includes goblins to give you a sense of a growing army that doesn't go as wide with tokens.
Ferocious
The wargs are wolves and they are ferocious, don't count these animals out.
Landfall
Elevensies of landfall cards, and what are players to do? Stop playing lands?
Cameo Mechanics
Magic R&D indeed uses the old standby kicker when you just need an optional extra cost on a card like The Eagles Are Coming!. After that you might recognize some abilities you've already seen, but these only appear on one card each: affinity for elves on Cantankerous Keepers, behold an elf as you go through Elven Passage, mountaincycling on Last Light of Durin's Day, the gift mechanic on Bilbo's Gambit, prowess from the Wizard's Staff, and threshold on the Most Decrepit Old Bird.
Set Types
Adventure
Adventure cards are awesome and still let you get two cards out of one.
Dwarf
The dwarves are a major type and you can find an army of them in The Hobbit.
Elf
Elves do work with the graveyard in this set! Oh, and landfall too.
Halfling
Can't have this story with out halflings. Sometimes the smallest things are of the greatest importance.
Historic Permanents
You want at least three cards with the super type, legendary, card type, artifact or subtype of saga. Graciously, it doesn't need to be one of each type that counts as a historic permanent.
The Hobbit Full Card Gallery
Like a letter from a wizard, open up our gathering place for all the cards from The Hobbit with more detail, filters, and sorting.
Notable Cards
None other than Smaug the Magnificent is the headliner for The Hobbit, and it makes for a formidable commander. Bilbo gets his cards, but Smaug is a major player in this story and this not-quite serialized card is a lucrative treasure. Wizards says there are “approximately 500” of these deep fantasy classics.
Three Commander favorites return outside of the main set in Sauron, the Dark Lord, Orcish Bowmasters, and Tom Bombadil.
There are five cards in Dwarvish language cards that are iconic reprints, and they're only available in collector boosters. In English they are:
Not to be forgotten is the humble Hobbit Hole which features the first instance of Halflingcycling, and it works like other specified cyclers. You pay a cost, discard the card, and get to search your library for that specific type of card and put it in your hand. The is overpriced, considering there's less than a dozen halflings that cost four or more and many creature tutors that go for less. You just need to value the colorless flexibility and have a key combo or synergy piece for it to be worth it.
Available Products
This is the first Standard-legal Lord of the Rings set of cards we'll see so we can find the usual Play boosters and Collector boosters, Prerelease kits, Bundles, and Booster boxes. LTR had Scene Boxes and Commander decks, but this time around, only Scene Boxes return. LTR had two rounds of Jumpstart boosters, but WotC tends to reserve those for fall sets like Foundations Jumpstart and Avatar Jumpstart, so Star Trek, perhaps? There will be a co-op Battle of the 5 Armies product for casual play sometime in 2027.
The MSRPs listed below are for individual boosters and sealed product.
Play Boosters — $6.99
The Lembas bread and butter, The Hobbit play boosters are balanced for Limited formats yet collectible enough to fill your binder. You get foils and the chance at three rares per 14-card pack.
- TO DUNGEONS DEEP AND CAVERNS OLD—Experience a timeless tale’s grand beginning! Journey from The Shire to The Lonely Mountain through cards that capture Bilbo’s unexpected adventure through warmth, wonder, and courage
- THE TALE TOLD IN CARDS—Even the smallest spark can kindle an unexpected adventure. Pour a cup of tea, gather your favorite moments, songs, and characters from The Hobbit, and savor the finer things in Middle-earth through Magic: The Gathering
- FOIL BOX TOPPER CARD—Journey through Middle-earth through the eyes of classic Magic artists; each full booster box includes 1 Traditional Foil reprint from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set featuring special borderless alt-art
- SEEK RICHES UNDER THE MOUNTAIN—In caverns deep lie treasures worthy of song. Each Play Booster contains at least 1 shiny Traditional Foil card and 1–3 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of special alt-art, alt-border cards
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Collector Boosters — $37.99
Magic sets rarely get this much focus on treasure. Save up so you can afford The Hobbit collector boosters. This gives you a chance at the headliner card, dragon's hoard frame cards and the sweetest reprints from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.
- TO DUNGEONS DEEP AND CAVERNS OLD—Experience a timeless tale’s grand beginning! Journey from The Shire to The Lonely Mountain through cards that capture Bilbo’s unexpected adventure through warmth, wonder, and courage
- CLAIM YOUR LONG-FORGOTTEN GOLD—Collector Boosters are the ultimate way to add unique and exclusive cards to your collection; tons of foils, special card treatments, Rares and/or Mythics, and more await you inside every pack
- COLLECTOR BOOSTER-EXCLUSIVES—In caverns deep lie treasures worthy of song. Each pack may contain Collector Booster-exclusive card treatments, including Surge Foils or the ultimate find, an ultra-rare Headliner card nestled atop the Dragon’s hoard
- FOIL BOX TOPPER CARD—Journey through Middle-earth through the eyes of classic Magic artists; each full booster box includes 1 Traditional Foil reprint from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set featuring special borderless alt-art
- WELCOME TO THE GATHERING—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy, gorgeous art, fantastical stories, and a thriving fan community all together into a card game experience like no other
Bundle — $69.99
The Hobbit Bundle is just the sort of thing you want to pick up if you can only grab one item. Carry away 9 play boosters, foil lands, the four seasonal lands, plus a great foil promo.
- TO DUNGEONS DEEP AND CAVERNS OLD—Experience a timeless tale’s grand beginning! Journey from The Shire to The Lonely Mountain through cards that capture Bilbo’s unexpected adventure through warmth, wonder, and courage
- BUNDLE EXCLUSIVES—Explore the set with a Bundle full of cards and exclusive accessories, including a shiny foil card featuring Bundle-exclusive alt-art, a special die to track your life total, and a sturdy box to store all your hoarded treasures
- JOURNEY ACROSS MIDDLE-EARTH WITH 34 LANDS—Explore Middle-earth with 34 land cards, including 10 Full-Art Middle-earth Journey lands (5 with a shiny Traditional Foil treatment) and 4 Traditional Foil Full-Art Seasonal Hobbit lands
- 9 BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
- THE TALE TOLD IN CARDS—Even the smallest spark can kindle an unexpected adventure. Pour a cup of tea, gather your favorite moments, songs, and characters from The Hobbit, and savor the finer things in Middle-earth through Magic: The Gathering
Draft Night — $119.99
Which night is it? The Hobbit Draft Night. One box to play the game in the Pick-Two Draft format. One collector booster to entice them all. The 12 play boosters are what you draft from and the 90 lands help you build decks, while the 10 tokens help you play. It may not be much different than gathering the boosters yourself, but convenience is important and given the right group, all you want to add are sleeves. Be sure to get at least 160 of them.
- TO DUNGEONS DEEP AND CAVERNS OLD—Experience a timeless tale’s grand beginning! Journey from The Shire to The Lonely Mountain through cards that capture Bilbo’s unexpected adventure through warmth, wonder, and courage
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DRAFT WITH FOUR PLAYERS—It's a draft party in a box! Draft Night has everything you need to host a Pick-Two Draft with just four players! Bring The Hobbit to your table for an unforgettable game night.
- DRAFT—Start with three Play Boosters each. Open the first pack, pick two cards, and pass. Repeat with the remaining cards and packs.
- BUILD—Construct a 40-card deck with your draft selections, adding any number of Basic Lands (we recommend 17!)
- PLAY—Pair off and play. Winners face off for fun and the grand prize: a Collector Booster full of Rare and/or Mythic Rare cards, shiny foils, and special alt-border cards
Scene Box: Crack the Plates — $41.99
Do the dishes but don't Crack the Plates, a scene box from The Hobbit. This table of guests is a fun one to assemble and I'd put the art cards alongside the section of the book so I can visually see the feast that develops. The value on these boxes is highly dependent on how much you want the featured six cards, and great when you do.
- LEGENDARY SCENES COME TO LIFE—A combined picture worth a thousand words! Your Company of mechanically unique cards comes together to put the excitement, whimsy, and adventure of Middle-earth on display
- CRACK THE PLATES—Staring down Dragons, Goblins, and Spiders is nothing compared to thirteen Dwarves and a Wizard running roughshod with your dishware. That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!
- COMBINE 6 BORDERLESS CARDS TO MAKE THIS SCENE—Crown your deck or collection with these six Borderless Scene cards and piece them together to reveal the full scene
- PUT YOUR ART ON DISPLAY—While each Scene Card is a playable Magic card (including game text), this box also contains 6 art-only cards, allowing you to appreciate the scene in all its glory on the included display easel
- GO ON AN ADVENTURE WITH PLAY BOOSTERS—Each Scene Box also comes with 3 Play Boosters; the best way to discover what Magic has to offer, they're perfect for building decks, playing games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Scene Box: Treasures of Smaug — $41.99
The colors on the Treasures of Smaug scene box are striking, so I hold a special place for this one in my nicest binder. I like the non-creature aspect of the cards in this scene box, and the power is pretty good.
- LEGENDARY SCENES COME TO LIFE—A combined picture worth a thousand words! Your Company of mechanically unique cards comes together to put the excitement, whimsy, and adventure of Middle-earth on display
- TREASURES OF SMAUG—Inside the Lonely Mountain at last, Bilbo encounters Smaug and the treasure hoard of Erebor. Can he talk his way out of a fiery confrontation?
- COMBINE 6 BORDERLESS CARDS TO MAKE THIS SCENE—Crown your deck or collection with these six Borderless Scene cards and piece them together to reveal the full scene
- PUT YOUR ART ON DISPLAY—While each Scene Card is a playable Magic card (including game text), this box also contains 6 art-only cards, allowing you to appreciate the scene in all its glory on the included display easel
- GO ON AN ADVENTURE WITH PLAY BOOSTERS—Each Scene Box also comes with 3 Play Boosters; the best way to discover what Magic has to offer, they're perfect for building decks, playing games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Gift Bundle — $89.99
The Hobbit gift bundle releases on September 4, 2026, nearly a full month after the main set releases. The gift bundle includes one collector booster as well as the season lands, and a foil box. Sorry August birthdays, find an excuse to give this to a friend or you may need to wait until December to unwrap this gift.
- THE GIFT OF MAGIC BRINGS A PARTY TOGETHER—The perfect present for fans of Magic and Middle-earth alike, this Gift Bundle is sure to bring a smile to any fan—especially if that fan is you
- TO DUNGEONS DEEP AND CAVERNS OLD—Experience a timeless tale’s grand beginning! Journey from The Shire to The Lonely Mountain through cards that capture Bilbo’s unexpected adventure through warmth, wonder, and courage
- 1 BOOSTER FULL OF RARES & FOILS—Seek riches under the mountain with 1 Collector Booster full of foils, Rares and/or Mythics, and beautiful alt-border cards. You may even find the ultimate treasure, an ultra-rare headliner card nestled atop the Dragon’s hoard
- COLLECT SURGE FOIL FULL-ART LANDS—Journey through Middle-earth with 34 land cards, including 4 Full-Art Seasonal Hobbit lands with a dazzling Surge Foil treatment and 10 Full-Art Middle-earth Journey lands (5 Traditional Foil, 5 regular)
- 9 BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Wrap Up
Gandalf, Wandering Wizard | Illustration by Irvin Rodriguez
Now you know what to expect from The Hobbit. Some of the best of the Tales of Middle-earth aspects return and the source material remains as essential as it gets when it comes to fantasy. I must admit that it is strange for The Hobbit to be a Standard set while Tales of Middle-earth never was, and it is equally strange for The Hobbit to abandon the Universes Beyond frame. The Gandalf cards barely look like they belong together on the battlefield, and that’s just a shame.
What do you love that made it into Magic’s adaptation of The Hobbit? Which card is best addition to your Commander decks? Which alternative and showcase art do you think is the best this time around? Let me know in the comments, or on the Draftsim Discord.
Until next time, stay safe, and keep an eye out for those Sackville-Bagginses!
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