Register the company
Keep cheap Dwarves and mana that can cast the five-mana commander without relying on combat Treasure.
The route
Four beats to the finish.
Open the treasury
Resolve Thorin, then let each Dwarf arrival add Treasure and improve the public board.
Arm one honest entry
Axes and Equipment turn a Dwarf into a real attacker without hiding a combo behind the hoard.
Close the ledger
Layer finite protection, count the artifacts and triggers aloud, then commit to one decisive charge.
Opening hand
Seven from the ninety-nine.
Opening discipline
Keep the journey.
Ship the souvenir pile.
Keep when…
- Three lands or two lands plus a two-mana accelerator, with both colors represented.
- At least one cheap Dwarf and either card selection or protection.
- A path to Thorin by turn four or five without relying on an unanswered attacker.
Send it back when…
- A hand of only five-mana Dwarves and Equipment.
- Treasure payoffs without a Dwarf curve or the mana to cast Thorin.
- A one-color hand that cannot cast the company's early legends.
Engine map
Every arrival enters the ledger
The Middle-earth pool supplies enough real Dwarves that the company needs no Seven Dwarves exception or off-plane typal filler.
01
Put Thorin at the center
Rocks and Treasure Dwarves cast the commander while leaving enough material for the next entry.
Interaction and recovery
Protect the company, remove the opposing hinge
Boros can answer a decisive creature, artifact, enchantment, or combat, but this restricted list has no dedicated graveyard hate.
Exile the hinge
Use cheap exile on the commander or engine that makes the next turn lethal.
Reset the combat
Settle and Blasphemous Act answer very different boards; choose the one that preserves the most company value.
Break artifacts and enchantments
Westfold Rider and Ori cover the permanent types that otherwise race the hoard.
Layer the shield
Use finite protection after the table commits an answer, not merely because the company is valuable.
Closing windows
Visible endings, real counterplay.
These are developed-game routes, not deterministic lines. Read the shields at the table before committing.
The ancient halls answer
Dáin converts Dwarf entries into table-wide damage that is visible before the chain starts.
One Axe carries the hoard
The Reaver Cleaver and Dáin Ironfoot turn a single attacker into Treasure and double-strike pressure.
The company charges together
Thorin's named companions and public Treasure transform an established Dwarf board into one finite attack.
Hobbit Pod field notes
Four opponents. Four different questions.
Use these as first-game threat cues, then update the table read as pilots reveal their hands and priorities.
Shared hinge · visible counterplay
Bilbo, Thief in the Night
- Watch
- Thorin's expensive multipliers are visible enough for Bilbo to check, but Treasure lets the Dwarf deck stagger threats.
- Answer
- Layer protection around Thorin and force Bilbo to choose between the commander, Axe, and attack payoff.
- Table read
- Count the public hoard together before deciding whether Bilbo must act alone.
Shared hinge · visible counterplay
The Great Goblin
- Watch
- Thorin threatens the faster single combat; The Great Goblin benefits more when creatures trade or a wipe resets the table.
- Answer
- Use exile and protection precisely; an ordinary destruction wipe can feed the Goblin commander's second hand.
- Table read
- Compare the visible hoard with the Goblin death reach instead of measuring only creature power.
Shared hinge · visible counterplay
Beorn the Fierce
- Watch
- Beorn wins the long sizing contest; Thorin assembles the sharper Treasure-and-Axe burst.
- Answer
- Use exile on Beorn or the largest transformed attacker and protect the company from green removal.
- Table read
- Both plans are public; ask which one can actually eliminate a player this combat.
Shared hinge · visible counterplay
Thranduil, the Elvenking
- Watch
- Thorin can force action before Thranduil finishes sculpting its court; Thranduil has more answer types in a long game.
- Answer
- Present a protected, visible payoff turn and exploit the moment Thranduil taps out to develop legends.
- Table read
- Inspect the Elf graveyard before pointing every answer at the public Treasure pile.
Card atlas
Search the complete hundred.
Public Oracle text and exact reference imagery come from the dated Scryfall snapshot.
No card followed that trail.
The selected proposal
100 cards. One honest planning view.
This page describes an unassembled proposal. It does not claim physical ownership or assembly.