A set about a dragon sleeping on a mountain of gold was always going to have spectacular chase cards, and now that the full Hobbit collector picture has come into focus ahead of Friday’s prerelease, I can confirm: Wizards understood the assignment. Let’s tour the treasure hoard — and then, as tradition demands, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t chase any of it.
The Dragon Sitting on Top
The crown jewel, fittingly, is Smaug — the reported grail of the set is a special gleaming-gold treatment of the dragon himself, said to be limited to a print run in the hundreds of copies. After watching the golden Chocobo saga play out all summer (one of those birds was valued at eighty grand, for those just joining us), we all know exactly what a scarce gold-treatment chase card in a beloved crossover set becomes: a community-wide treasure hunt with tracker spreadsheets and heart palpitations. A literal gold dragon hoarding literal scarcity. The flavor is immaculate, even if my wallet files it under "observe from a safe distance."
The Deep Cuts for the Book Nerds
My favorite treatments in the set aren’t the scarcest ones, though. The set features Book Cover frame cards — designs styled after classic editions of the novel — and, the one that got an audible "oh that’s COOL" out of me: Dwarvish Language cards, classic Magic staples transliterated into Tolkien’s dwarven runes. Reports point to cards like Arcane Signet and even Mox Amber getting the runic treatment. Cards written in Khuzdul-style script is the kind of deep-cut fan service that makes a crossover feel loved rather than licensed.
And remember, every booster box comes with a box topper drawing on Lord of the Rings reprints — so even the ordinary sealed product has a little bonus quest attached, which I noted with delight back at the debut and remain delighted about now.
The Dad Verdict, Same as It Ever Was
Here’s the closing sermon, and it’s the same one from Chocobo summer: chase cards are wonderful as spectator sport. The gold Smaug will make someone’s year, the trackers will track, and I’ll follow along like it’s a pennant race — all for free. Cracking hundred-dollar collector boosters hunting for a print run in the hundreds, though? The odds would embarrass a casino, and that money buys a lot of regular Middle-earth cards my kids and I can actually shuffle.
So my plan for Friday remains gloriously modest: prerelease kit, play boosters over time, and admiring the gold dragon from across the internet like Bilbo peeking around a pillar. The dragon can keep his hoard. I’ve got a story to play through. Burgle responsibly, friends.