The 10 best Hobbit commanders.

What the card does: Thranduil has all activated abilities of all Elf cards in your graveyard. Whenever another legendary Elf you control enters, draw two cards, then discard a card.

Thranduil turns discarded or milled Elves into activated abilities, so the graveyard doubles as a menu of tools. The legendary-Elf trigger supplies the draw and discard needed to keep that menu growing. Start with abilities you actually want to activate and enough legendary Elves to sustain the hand; an ordinary Elf pile will not exploit both halves equally well.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 6,062 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Whenever Thorin or another Dwarf you control enters, create a Treasure token. Other Dwarves you control get +1/+0 for each artifact token you control.

Thorin gives a Dwarf deck a resource engine and a damage payoff in the same slot. Dwarf tokens also trigger his Treasure ability, while every artifact token contributes to the power bonus on your other Dwarves. Decide when to spend Treasure on development and when to keep it for combat: the mana you cash in also reduces the team's damage.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 4,340 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Flying, indestructible, haste Whenever Smaug is dealt noncombat damage, create that many Treasure tokens.

This Smaug rewards damage spells that can hit your own commander. Indestructible lets him survive ordinary lethal damage while the trigger produces Treasure equal to the damage actually dealt. Seven mana is a substantial starting cost, so the list needs ramp and useful damage effects even when Smaug is unavailable. His haste also gives the deck a straightforward combat plan.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 4,248 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Trample Other Bears you control get +2/+2. At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a trample counter on up to one target creature you control. It becomes a Bear in addition to its other types. Then if you control three or more Bears, draw two cards.

Beorn's combat trigger can turn a utility creature into a Bear before checking whether you control three Bears. That makes him less dependent on filling every creature slot with printed Bears. Once the threshold is met, drawing two cards each combat keeps a creature deck supplied. His bonus applies to other Bears, so the newly recruited creature can become a meaningful attacker immediately.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 3,721 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Whenever you put one or more counters on a Goblin, Orc, or Army you control, The Great Goblin deals 2 damage to target opponent. Whenever another Goblin, Orc, or Army you control dies, exile the top card of your library. You may play it until the end of your next turn.

The Great Goblin connects two plans that already fit Rakdos: growing Goblins or Armies and sacrificing creatures for value. Adding several counters to one creature at once is one trigger, not one trigger per counter. The death ability gives a generous play window through your next turn, but you still need mana and normal timing permission to use those exiled cards.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 3,719 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Flying, haste Whenever Smaug attacks, he deals damage equal to the number of Treasures you control to any target. At the beginning of your upkeep, create a Treasure token.

Four mana and haste make this Smaug easier to deploy than his larger counterparts. His attack trigger rewards keeping Treasure on the battlefield, while the upkeep trigger builds the hoard slowly without extra help. Treasure production matters more than simply having many Dragons. The attack damage can remove a blocker or hit a player, giving the same engine different uses across a game.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 3,046 decks for this commander.

What the card does: At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value X or less from your hand without paying its mana cost, where X is twice the number of legendary Wizards you control.

Gandalf asks for legendary Wizards rather than a generic spellslinger board. Each one increases the mana-value ceiling of the instant or sorcery you can cast from hand at the beginning of your combat. Because this does not require attacking, you can keep utility Wizards safe. The deck still needs card draw: free casting does little when the right spell is not in hand.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 2,684 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Reach, vigilance If you would draw a card except the first one you draw in each of your draw steps, draw two cards instead. If one or more tokens would be created under your control, twice that many of those tokens are created instead.

Bard rewards effects that draw outside the first draw of your draw step and effects that make tokens of any kind. Recruit is a natural fit because it draws and can produce a Soldier after the discard. Token-producing draw engines let the two replacement effects support the same plan, but six mana means the deck should function before Bard arrives.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 2,410 decks for this commander.

What the card does: Flying When Smaug enters, create X tapped Treasure tokens, where X is the number of artifacts your opponents control. Whenever you cast a spell, if mana from a Treasure was spent to cast it, you draw a card and lose 1 life.

Smaug counts artifacts across your opponents' boards to create his opening stock of tapped Treasure. After that, any spell paid for with Treasure mana triggers a card and a life loss. One Treasure spent on a spell is enough; spending several does not multiply that trigger. Cheap spells and additional Treasure production keep the engine moving after the initial windfall.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 2,160 decks for this commander.

What the card does: The first creature spell you cast each turn costs {2} less to cast and can be cast as though it had flash.

Radagast is strongest when you can use his discount on opponents' turns as well as your own. Creatures with useful entry effects become interaction that also advances your board. Keep enough cards in hand and enough untapped mana to use several turns in a round; casting your entire hand on your own turn wastes much of the commander's opportunity.

Why it ranks: Across every eligible new HOB and HOC commander, current deck adoption supplies a reproducible ordering signal; rules text then determines the plan, support needs, and failure point. The saved EDHREC snapshot reports 2,101 decks for this commander.