Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent | Art by John Tedrick

Peanut butter and jelly. Simon and Garfunkel. Dragons and Treasures. Some things just go together well, don't they?

But, unfortunately, this isn't the type of website where I get to rant about why smooth peanut butter is better than chunky peanut butter, nor is it the type of website where I get to sing the praises of Bridge over Troubled Water. Instead, we'll be talking about a Dragon who loves his Treasure. Today's article will focus on the recently previewed Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent, an early spoiler for the upcoming The Hobbit set.

What Does Smaug the MagnificentSmaug the Magnificent Do?

For , Smaug is a 4/3 Dragon with flying and haste. He lets us make a TreasureTreasure on each of our upkeeps, and will deal damage to any target equal to the number of Treasures we control when he attacks.

Smaug is the latest in a long line of commanders that care about Treasures. From other Dragons like Atsushi, the Blazing SkyAtsushi, the Blazing Sky and Gadrak, the Crown-ScourgeGadrak, the Crown-Scourge to robbers like Ragavan, Nimble PilfererRagavan, Nimble Pilferer and Vaan, Street ThiefVaan, Street Thief, there's tons of similar cards in this color.

Smaug provides us with a consistent stream of Treasure tokens and a way to turn those tokens into direct damage to our opponents (or their valuable creatures). We'll fill our 99 with other ways to flood the board with artifact tokens, and ensure that we're crashing in for big damage when our commander attacks.

Key Cards for Smaug

We'll be able to make a ton of Treasure tokens with Generous PlundererGenerous Plunderer, while also punishing our opponents for having too many artifacts on the board. Additionally, Smaug's attack trigger targets our opponents (or permanents they control), which counts as committing a crime! That allows Magda, the HoardmasterMagda, the Hoardmaster to create more Treasures for us. We can even turn those tokens into 4/4 Dragons if we need to close out the game.

I've also included Goldspan DragonGoldspan Dragon for a bit of extra mana production. It's neat that this creature makes us an additional artifact token every turn, but I'm really focused on the fact that it doubles the mana our Treasures can create. We've got 12 other spells with a mana value of five or higher, and Goldspan Dragon will let us cast those spells way ahead of schedule.

Smaug lets us pick off opposing creatures with his attack trigger, so we've got a few ways to take advantage of that. ChainsawChainsaw may seem like an artifact version of RagefireRagefire, but this Equipment can provide a huge power boost to any creature as the game goes on. Creatures die all the time in Commander games, and they'll die more frequently if we hit them for massive damage with our commander's attack trigger, making this Equipment a great inclusion.

Spiteful BanditrySpiteful Banditry will remove a creature upon entering the battlefield before providing us with a steady stream of value turn after turn. Even if we cast this spell with an value of , we still get the Treasure-making benefits!

Similarly, Magmatic GalleonMagmatic Galleon will make us Treasure tokens turn after turn. Smaug's attack trigger will often hit creatures for more damage than they have toughness, and this five-drop Vehicle will turn that excess damage into extra Treasures.

This artifact is, admittedly, a bit expensive. But, this is a Bracket 2 deck where high mana value cards like the Galleon are right at home!

Once we've got a board full of Treasure tokens, what else can we do with them? Well, Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker allows us to sacrifice those Treasures for a bit of extra card advantage. This Human Warrior is one of the best ways that decks can access more cards.

When we use those artifact tokens to cast spells, Alchemist's TalentAlchemist's Talent and Rain of RichesRain of Riches will give us a little something extra for our trouble. There's a bit of an odd push-and-pull created when these enchantments are on the battlefield. We want to keep our Treasures around so that we can deal extra damage with our commander's attack trigger, but we also want to get the burn and cascade that these two cards provide.

It'll often be best to use as few Treasures as possible to cast our spells, relying instead on our lands. This lets us get the desired effect from both Alchemist's Talent and Rain of Riches, while still preserving our artifact tokens for future use.

At the top end of our mana curve, there's a few other fantastic spells. Depthshaker TitanDepthshaker Titan turns each of our Treasures into 3/3 trampling creatures that can become 6/6s if we spread out our attacks. While is admittedly a high price to pay for this one-time effect, we'll be making more than enough Treasures to cover that cost.

We've also got Virtue of CourageVirtue of Courage to provide us with access to tons of cards, as long as we're pointing Smaug's attack trigger damage at an opponent's face. This enchantment also works well with cards like Ingenious ArtilleristIngenious Artillerist, which ping our opponents when Treasures hit the board.

I've also included Hit the Mother LodeHit the Mother Lode as a fun way to spend tons of mana. This seven-drop sorcery will often replace many of the Treasures we use to cast it, while also netting us a valuable spell from our deck in the process.

How Does This Smaug the Magnificent Deck Win?

Smaug can deal a good chunk of damage to our opponents with his attack trigger, but we've got a few ways to make him even more powerful. Both Dowsing DeviceDowsing Device and NettlecystNettlecyst will turn our flying commander into a huge beater. The fact that Dowsing Dagger flips into a -producing land is just gravy.

We can also win the game by sacrificing artifact tokens with Jaws, Relentless PredatorJaws, Relentless Predator on the board. Our Treasures can sacrifice themselves quite easily, making this Shark a super effective way to whittle down out opponents' life totals. And other creatures like Weftstalker ArdentWeftstalker Ardent, Hedron DetonatorHedron Detonator, and Reckless FireweaverReckless Fireweaver can help us further damage our opponents.

If we've got a few of these creatures on the board, the Treasure that Smaug makes on our upkeep can represent a really solid chunk of damage.

If our opponents manage to gain enough life to avoid being knocked out by our burn effects, we've got a few other ways to win the game. Both Hellkite TyrantHellkite Tyrant and Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna let us win the game if we accumulate enough artifacts. Both of these creatures help us reach their alternate win thresholds, but effects like XornXorn and Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor can help us get there even faster.

While we'll often try to win by more traditional means, both Knuckles and Hellkite Tyrant fit in our 99 well.

Smaug the Magnificent Commander Deck List

Conclusion

As soon as The Hobbit was revealed, I knew we were going to see Smaug depicted on at least one legendary creature. Now that Smaug the Magnificent has been revealed, I'm super happy with the design. Smaug gets to create a hoard as the game goes on, and becomes more fearsome the larger our cache of Treasure gets!

I also find Smaug's power and toughness to be interesting. His vulnerability is a key point in The Hobbit's plot, and that may explain why he's a 4/3 instead of a 4/4. Maybe I'm reading too far into this card's ludonarrative, though...

Which cards from the upcoming Hobbit set are you most excited about? I'm obviously a fan of Smaug, but I think that Bilbo, Thief in the NightBilbo, Thief in the Night is a cool card too. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and I'll be back next week with another article!