<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://burmak.ru/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dmitry Burmak</a></em></p>
<p><em>Final Fantasy</em> has brought a unique twist on a seven-year old card type: Saga creatures. Across the premier set and Commander decks, there are 33 cards which either mention Sagas, are Sagas, or turn into Sagas.</p>
<p>The set even brings its own five-color Saga commander in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra, Magical Adept" href="#" target="_blank">Terra, Magical Adept</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She looks to be a fun commander, don’t get me wrong, but there was a phenomenal commander of the archetype printed two years ago: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This funny little guy, who showed up briefly in <em>The Fellowship of the Ring</em> only to never be seen again, ended up the third most popular commander from the <em>Lord of the Rings</em> set and 32nd overall.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tom Bombadil"></div></div>
<p>Tom and Terra have a similar desire to run a lot of Sagas, but there are some slight structural differences. It’s a valid choice to pick Terra, but if you’re already running the funny little God Bard, let me give you an idea of how to bring in some <em>Final Fantasy</em> spice to your established deck.</p>
<p>Let’s answer the age-old question: what if Tom Bombadil had been a gamer?</p>
<h2>What Does Tom Bombadil Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has two abilities. The first is a protective one, granting him hexproof and indestructible while you have enough lore counters on Sagas. The second is key: whenever a Saga you control finishes, you reveal cards from your library until you find a Saga to put directly onto the battlefield (once per turn).</p>
<p>Tom Bombadil won’t be interrupted while telling a story, and when he finishes one, he starts another! Very cool.</p>
<p>This is a midrange deck through and through. The Saga subtype, by its very nature, is incredibly geared towards the turn-by-turn accrual of resources. Some can turn it into more of a combo-style deck with the use of proliferate and other effects, but that will be fairly minimal here.</p>
<p>Tom’s purpose is staying on the battlefield and keeping the stories rolling. The rest of our deck will be Sagas or ways to maximize them, with an emphasis on what the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set has to offer!</p>
<h2>The Premise</h2>
<p>EDHRec has a fantastic little starting point for looking at older commanders: Average Deck. I used this to generate a general form of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. The average deck function is a good starting point, but don’t treat it as a final product.</p>
<p>The “average” Tom Bombadil deck only ran 35 lands and ran non-synergistic ramp spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Lore" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Lore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I did some trimming and weeding, while trying to keep the general tune intact… and voila! I present the typical Tom Bombadil deck, pre-<em>Final Fantasy</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Average Tom Bombadil Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tom Bombadil
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strionic Resonator
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace
*1 Barbara Wright
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms
*1 Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
*1 Glissa Sunslayer
*1 Goldberry, River-Daughter
*1 Hex Parasite
*1 Jin-Gitaxias // The Great Synthesis
*1 Jukai Naturalist
*1 Narci, Fable Singer
*1 Sanctum Weaver
*1 Satsuki, the Living Lore
*1 Satyr Enchanter
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Setessan Champion
*1 Sigurd, Jarl of Ravensthorpe
*1 Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand
*1 Weaver of Harmony
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Azusa&#039;s Many Journeys // Likeness of the Seeker
*1 Binding the Old Gods
*1 Birth of the Imperium
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Enchantress&#039;s Presence
*1 Encroaching Dragonstorm
*1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki
*1 Historian&#039;s Boon
*1 In the Darkness Bind Them
*1 Inventive Iteration // Living Breakthrough
*1 Jugan Defends the Temple // Remnant of the Rising Star
*1 Kiora Bests the Sea God
*1 One Ring to Rule Them All
*1 Overgrowth
*1 Phyrexian Scriptures
*1 Scroll of Isildur
*1 Song of Eärendil
*1 Starfield of Nyx
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 The Akroan War
*1 The Bath Song
*1 The Cruelty of Gix
*1 The Elder Dragon War
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 The First Iroan Games
*1 The Horus Heresy
*1 The Kami War // O-Kagachi Made Manifest
*1 The Phasing of Zhalfir
*1 The Weatherseed Treaty
*1 There and Back Again
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Clockspinning
*1 Flicker of Fate
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Dance of the Manse
*1 Resurgent Belief
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*2 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Indatha Triome
*2 Island
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Ketria Triome
*1 Misty Rainforest
*2 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*1 Path of Ancestry
*2 Plains
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Stomping Ground
*2 Swamp
*1 Temple Garden
*1 The World Tree
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Zagoth Triome
*1 Ziatora&#039;s Proving Ground
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>According to a quick use of the Archidekt compare feature, my final rebuild and this deck share 73 cards. Let’s talk about it!</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Tom Bombadil</h2>
<p>The Tom Bombadil deck has three key needs: Sagas, ways to get value out of Sagas, and ways to manipulate Sagas. The high density of Sagas that we need to use means they need to fulfill basic roles like card draw, removal, and ramp. Some, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Binding the Old Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Binding the Old Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, do multiple!</p>
<p>As time goes on, we’ve gotten more and more role-filler Sagas that help this category become a stronger backbone for the old God Bard. An important new addition from <em>Final Fantasy</em> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Fenrir" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Fenrir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Weatherseed Treaty" href="#" target="_blank">The Weatherseed Treaty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this is a three-mana Saga that immediately puts a basic land onto the battlefield before helping our board presence.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Fenrir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Song of Eärendil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Elder Dragon War"></div></div>
<p>Our Sagas are good; they provide a lot of value, be it utility or board presence. But a deck with just that and normal Good Stuff isn’t going to cut it. Our deck is bent around the card subtype and can take advantage of that.</p>
<p>We have a handful of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Historian&#039;s Boon" href="#" target="_blank">Historian&#039;s Boon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narci, Fable Singer" href="#" target="_blank">Narci, Fable Singer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which explicitly key off of Sagas. More generally, though, Sagas are enchantments, so we get to run some solid cards from your typical Enchantress build.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfield Mystic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Historian&#039;s Boon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narci, Fable Singer"></div></div>
<p>Our deck is running 29 Sagas in total, which leads up to the next need: manipulating them. This can be the act of removing or adding lore counters to either keep getting certain triggers or speed through to the big value effect. Sagas have three to four turns over which to accrue value, but sometimes that takes too long.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Satsuki, the Living Lore" href="#" target="_blank">Satsuki, the Living Lore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an auto-include for any Saga deck’s 99, being able to advance all our Sagas at once and recur one with her death trigger. Another one is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barbara Wright" href="#" target="_blank">Barbara Wright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who gives our Sagas the read ahead ability, which lets us choose which chapter to start it on. If we have a low-impact Saga in hand and no Sagas ending that turn, we can drop it on its final chapter to ensure Tom Bombadil can pull up another one from the deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Satsuki, the Living Lore"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garnet, Princess of Alexandria"></div></div>
<p>The new <em>Final Fantasy</em> inclusions in this category are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant" href="#" target="_blank">O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garnet, Princess of Alexandria" href="#" target="_blank">Garnet, Princess of Alexandria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They each remove lore counters and turn them into other resources. O’aka turns them into cards while Garnet turns them into power, both of which we’ll need to close out the game.</p>
<h2>How Does Tom Bombadil Win?</h2>
<p>In the mid-game, this is a graveyard deck. Sagas naturally put themselves in the graveyard, but we have several cards which help speed up that process, be it through mill, looting, surveilling, or what-have-you.</p>
<p>Once the dustbin is stocked, we can use cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anikthea, Hand of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Anikthea, Hand of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghen, Arcanum Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Ghen, Arcanum Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to start bringing those stories back. Bonus tech for Ghen: he can sacrifice a Saga in response to its final lore trigger to get a different one on the field.</p>
<p>We also get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuna, Hope of Spira" href="#" target="_blank">Yuna, Hope of Spira</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rydia, Summoner of Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Rydia, Summoner of Mist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for this category, reanimating or even just replaying our Sagas as the game goes long.</p>
<p>This graveyard angle will accelerate the kind of value we can get out of our Sagas.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuna, Hope of Spira"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rydia, Summoner of Mist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anikthea, Hand of Erebos"></div></div>
<p>I mentioned previously in the article that a lot of our Sagas need to serve basic utility functions like ramp, draw, and removal. Another utility Sagas must take over is the win condition slot - the big splashy card that can turn the game around for us or lock it in place. Not a literal <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changer</a> necessarily, but in that vein.</p>
<p>One of the number-one cards in traditional lists is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiora Bests the Sea God" href="#" target="_blank">Kiora Bests the Sea God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It creates a big threat, clears the way for a big swing, and then steals something on the way out. Classic, massive, very successful.</p>
<p>Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Knights of Round" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Knights of Round</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creates a massive board for us before pumping them and making them indestructible. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Bahamut" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Bahamut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rounds out our trio of Big Spells With Big Impact.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Horus Heresy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Knights of Round"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Bahamut"></div></div>
<p>A final trick that the <em>Final Fantasy</em> games gives us are a handful of creatures that transform into Sagas and back, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jin-Gitaxias" href="#" target="_blank">Jin-Gitaxias</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the other Praetors from <em>March of the Machine</em>. These DFCs are impactful, and the fact that their final chapters still trigger <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s ability makes them even more so.</p>
<p>We don’t want to go overboard (since Tom can’t “find” them), but these three will be capable of turning games around.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jin-Gitaxias"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terra, Magical Adept"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Joshua, Phoenix&#039;s Dominant"></div></div>
<p>So there we have it. Tom deploys Sagas left and right, getting extra value out of them via lore counter tricks or graveyard shenanigans. If the overwhelming synergies from our light Enchantress core don’t pull it off, then one of our haymakers will.</p>
<h2>Tom Bombadil Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>And here’s our rebuild!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rebuilding Tom Bombadil" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tom Bombadil
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aminatou, Veil Piercer
*1 Anikthea, Hand of Erebos
*1 Barbara Wright
*1 Bello, Bard of the Brambles
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms
*1 Garnet, Princess of Alexandria
*1 Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
*1 Herald of the Pantheon
*1 Jin-Gitaxias // The Great Synthesis
*1 Joshua, Phoenix&#039;s Dominant // Phoenix, Warden of Fire
*1 Jukai Naturalist
*1 Narci, Fable Singer
*1 O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant
*1 Rydia, Summoner of Mist
*1 Sanctum Weaver
*1 Satsuki, the Living Lore
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Setessan Champion
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Summon: Bahamut
*1 Summon: Esper Valigarmanda
*1 Summon: Fenrir
*1 Summon: Knights of Round
*1 Summon: Titan
*1 Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand
*1 Terra, Magical Adept // Esper Terra
*1 Weaver of Harmony
*1 Yuna, Hope of Spira
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strionic Resonator
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Awaken the Honored Dead
*1 Ballad of the Black Flag
*1 Binding the Old Gods
*1 Birth of the Imperium
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Enchantress&#039;s Presence
*1 Encroaching Dragonstorm
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 Historian&#039;s Boon
*1 In the Darkness Bind Them
*1 Khalni Heart Expedition
*1 Kiora Bests the Sea God
*1 One Ring to Rule Them All
*1 Scroll of Isildur
*1 Song of Eärendil
*1 The Aesir Escape Valhalla
*1 The Bath Song
*1 The Elder Dragon War
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 The First Iroan Games
*1 The Horus Heresy
*1 The Kami War // O-Kagachi Made Manifest
*1 The Phasing of Zhalfir
*1 The Weatherseed Treaty
*1 There and Back Again
*1 War of the Last Alliance
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dance of the Manse
*1 Resurgent Belief
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Flicker of Fate
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*2 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Indatha Triome
*2 Island
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Ketria Triome
*2 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*2 Plains
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Stomping Ground
*2 Swamp
*1 Temple Garden
*1 The World Tree
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Zagoth Triome
*1 Ziatora&#039;s Proving Ground
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tom Bombadil" href="#" target="_blank">Tom Bombadil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is basically a perfect Saga commander for those who want a straightforward experience with the fiddly card subtype. The hard commitment to a single card subtype narrows the field but increases the synergy. It’s a fun romp, strategically deploying Sagas and waiting for value until you start accelerating it.</p>
<p>The deck can stumble hard in the face of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleansing Nova" href="#" target="_blank">Cleansing Nova</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Season of Gathering" href="#" target="_blank">Season of Gathering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but its graveyard and Enchantress lines help it rebuild. Just be aware when you’re playing lore counter manipulators of the potential choice fatigue or how turns can go long. It takes some learning, but it’s very rewarding.</p>


Rebuilding Tom Bombadil with Final Fantasy

Ciel Collins

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