Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
First Look at Three Cards From The Hobbit’s New Magic: The Gathering Crossover
Magic: The Gathering is returning to Middle-earth with a new Universes Beyond crossover set based on The Hobbit, following the runaway success of its 2023 Lord of the Rings set. IGN has an exclusive first look at three uncommon cards from the set, giving an early sense of its mechanics and themes ahead of release.
The three revealed cards are Nasty Little Rabbit, a green creature rewarding big-power creatures; Fearsome Goblin Pair, tied to the set's red-black goblin and "amass" theme; and Thror's Map, a legendary artifact that fetches a basic land and offers a repeatable card-draw "looting" effect, which the writer suggests could see some Commander play. The set launches on MTG Arena and MTGO on 11 August, with prerelease events at local stores from 7 August and a full paper release on 14 August. It follows other recent Wizards of the Coast crossovers such as Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a Star Trek set also due later this year; the earlier Lord of the Rings set had faced controversy over alleged plagiarism in a reprinted card design.
In short
- New Hobbit-themed Magic: The Gathering set revealed, following Lord of the Rings crossover.
- Three uncommon cards previewed, including Thror's Map artifact.
- Releases digitally 11 August, in paper 14 August; prerelease from 7 August.
Explained simply
Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game where players build decks and battle opponents using cards representing creatures, spells and magical effects. The game regularly creates themed sets based on popular franchises, allowing players to collect cards from their favourite fictional universes.
Magic released a Lord of the Rings set in 2023 that proved hugely popular with players, leading Wizards of the Coast (the company behind the game) to return to the same fictional world with this Hobbit-themed set. The company has increasingly focused on partnering with major franchises including Marvel, Avatar and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The Hobbit set will feature cards based on characters and elements from the story, with early examples giving players and collectors a preview of what to expect. The set becomes available digitally and in shops from mid-August onwards.