Set Spotlight
The Hobbit
Bilbo's journey through Middle-earth. Adventure cards, Scene Boxes, and the full 321-card list. Releases August 14, 2026.
479
CARDS SPOILED
Set Code
hob
Cmdr Code
hoc
Release
August 14, 2026
Cards Spoiled
305
The Hobbit MTG release date: when did it come out?
The Hobbit was released on August 14, 2026.
Magic: The Gathering - The Hobbit released on August 14, 2026 as a Universes Beyond set and the first Tolkien-universe expansion legal in Standard. It follows Bilbo Baggins from the Shire through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain. Adventure returns as the main mechanic, alongside three new ones: Storied, Recruit, and hone counters.
The Hobbit has no Commander precons. Instead the lineup adds two Scene Boxes, Crack the Plates and Treasures of Smaug, each with three Play Boosters and six mechanically unique borderless foil cards, five free Welcome Decks for new players, and the Battle of Five Armies Co-Op Kit, a multiplayer box arriving in 2027.
Set codes on Scryfall: HOB (main expansion, 321 cards) and HOC (The Hobbit Eternal, 158 eternal-legal cards). HOB has 48 legendary creatures, led by Smaug the Magnificent, Thorin, Mountain-king, Thranduil, the Elvenking, and Bard, King of Dale. HOC adds 31 more, including Sauron, the Dark Lord, Tom Bombadil, and Aragorn, the Uniter, plus reprints of The One Ring, Mox Amber, and Orcish Bowmasters. HOC also numbers the 40 Middle-earth Classic Artist box toppers (HOC 13-52). The full card list linked from this page has every card in both sets.
The Hobbit Welcome Decks
Five monocolored 40-card Welcome Decks released alongside the set, one each for white, blue, black, red, and green. They are free ready-to-play learning decks, not sold products: each contains commons and uncommons plus two rares and one mythic from HOB or HOC, some reprinted from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, with basic lands and one nonbasic land. Participating WPN stores hand them out; ask your local store whether it still has them.
Battle of Five Armies Co-Op Kit
The Battle of Five Armies Co-Op Kit is The Hobbit's cooperative multiplayer product, arriving separately in 2027 with no exact date announced yet. It takes the slot Commander precons would normally fill: The Hobbit ships no precons, so the co-op kit is its dedicated multiplayer box.
Card data sourced from Scryfall
Notable The Hobbit Cards
305 The Hobbit cards spoiled so far
The full card list, sorted newest-first. Updated daily from Scryfall.
The Hobbit FAQ
When did The Hobbit MTG release?
The Hobbit released on August 14, 2026, after prerelease events from August 7 to 13 and the MTG Arena and Magic Online launch on August 11. The set codes are HOB for the main expansion and HOC for the eternal-legal Commander cards.
Does The Hobbit have Commander precons?
No. The Hobbit shipped without Commander precon decks. The closest products are the two Scene Boxes, Crack the Plates and Treasures of Smaug, each with three Play Boosters and six mechanically unique eternal-legal borderless cards.
What is the Battle of Five Armies Co-Op Kit?
A cooperative multiplayer product announced alongside The Hobbit, arriving in 2027 with no exact date announced yet. It fills the slot Commander precons normally take, since The Hobbit ships none.
What are the best The Hobbit cards for Commander?
Smaug the Magnificent (red mythic Dragon), Thorin, Mountain-king (red Dwarf Noble), Thranduil, the Elvenking (Sultai), and Beorn the Fierce (green mythic) lead the main set. From HOC: Sauron, the Dark Lord (Grixis), Sauron, the Lidless Eye (Rakdos), Tom Bombadil (five-color), Saruman of Many Colors (Esper), Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin, Aragorn, the Uniter (four-color), and Aragorn and Arwen, Wed (Selesnya). HOC also reprints The One Ring, Mox Amber, Andúril, and Orcish Bowmasters.
What legendary creatures are in The Hobbit?
The main set (HOB) has 48 legendary creatures, led by Smaug the Magnificent and Thorin, Mountain-king (red), Gollum, Riddle Master and Azog, Moria's Ruin (black), Elrond, Moon-Reader (blue), Beorn the Fierce (green), Bard, King of Dale (white-blue), Thorin Oakenshield (white-red), and Thranduil, the Elvenking (Sultai). The Commander set (HOC) adds 31 more, including Sauron, the Dark Lord (Grixis), Sauron, the Lidless Eye (Rakdos), Tom Bombadil (five-color), Saruman of Many Colors (Esper), Aragorn, the Uniter (four-color), Gandalf, Party Guest (Jeskai), and Aragorn and Arwen, Wed (Selesnya). The full card list linked from this page has every legendary in both sets.
What new mechanics are in The Hobbit?
Adventure returns from Throne of Eldraine as the main mechanic: cast the Adventure spell half first, then cast the creature from exile later. Three mechanics are new: Storied (a permanent becomes an enduring story once you control it plus three artifacts, legendary permanents, or Sagas, unlocking a bonus ability), Recruit (draw a card, discard a card, and create a 1/1 Human Soldier if you discarded a nonland card), and hone counters (counters on Equipment that each grant +1/+0 to the equipped creature). Amass also returns, now building Goblin armies.
How many cards are in The Hobbit?
Scryfall lists 321 cards in the main HOB set and 158 in HOC, the eternal-legal companion set that also numbers the 40 Middle-earth Classic Artist box toppers. Collector Boosters add alternate treatments such as ten Book Cover frame cards, 25 Dragon Hoard Frame cards, and a Gleaming Gold Smaug the Magnificent of roughly 500 copies. The full Hobbit card list linked from this page has every card.
Are The Hobbit cards Standard legal?
Yes, The Hobbit is the first Tolkien-universe Universes Beyond set legal in Standard. Cards in the main HOB expansion have been Standard legal since the August 14, 2026 release. Cards in the HOC eternal set are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage but not Standard.
