<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/dusint">Tomas Duchek</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was recently Hobbit Day, in reference to the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, of Tolkien fame. As we enter the harvest season of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, it seemed fitting to celebrate the creature type that resulted from the Tolkien crossover, all about making and eating Food!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For those who are unaware of Jewish holidays, it was recently also Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year. Like many Jewish holidays, it centers around Foods, especially apples and honey, the former of which is just beginning to enter its harvesting season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But Food, in <em>Magic</em>, is largely built around life gain, and those strategies tend to durdle a lot, so how do we make these gatherings fun while being respectful of everyone's time? And are we talking about the game or the family gathering?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In either, the key is to find common ground within the family. Quite a lot of our creatures are legendary and share surnames along with complementary abilities. The patriarch of the family is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the centerpiece of today's commander deck.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farmer Cotton"></div></div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Do?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Farmer Cotton makes Food and makes Halflings. For a deck that wants both Food and Halflings, that's pretty perfect. In fact, he makes as many Food and Halflings as we can put mana into him, getting better and better as the game goes on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">X spells are really, really powerful, so it's unusual to find a commander with X in its cost. X and asterisks represent limitless values, so they immediately catch my attention as curve-toppers and combo exhaust. In a deck filled with legendary Halflings, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stands out as one that does everything we need whenever we need it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what are the tokens he makes? Farmer Cotton makes 1/1 Halflings and Food tokens. The Halflings are tiny creatures, while the Foods can tap and sacrifice themselves, along with a two-mana investment, to gain three life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key to complementing Farmer Cotton is to find ways to get the Food tokens to work with the small creatures to create a threatening board presence while gaining enough life to win close races.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While making a bunch of 1/1s and Food tokens is cool, neither of those things win the game by themselves. The Halfling tokens get outclassed easily, and the Food tokens provide a life buffer to win races, but we're not winning many races with 1/1s. So how do we turn these pieces into a gameplan?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nykthos Paragon"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Life gain payoffs are a solid way of making the life gained from the Food tokens into win cons, but we're likely not getting to 50 for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. What we can do is use effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to put layers of counters on our Halflings and 1/1s, making it so that our two main pieces work together!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Cabbage Merchant"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since our commander is a mana sink, we want ways to make lots of mana to pour into his cost. In addition to some green staples, we can run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Jaheira, Friend of the Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Cabbage Merchant" href="#" target="_blank">The Cabbage Merchant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our tokens make mana. These cards enable the deck to be flexible with its mana and to use the relatively weak stats of our commander to let us chump block with him and re-cast him for a larger value.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heliod&#039;s Intervention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nature&#039;s Claim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every once in a while, a problem permanent comes along that has to be dealt with. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunspine Lynx" href="#" target="_blank">Sunspine Lynx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and related effects jump out as particularly dangerous, as gaining life is integral to our gameplan. If a card can gain life, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod&#039;s Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod&#039;s Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Claim" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Claim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can use it to grant us extra triggers, as well.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Shire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gingerbread Cabin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inventors&#039; Fair"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our nonbasic lands mostly relate to Halflings and Food tokens. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Shire" href="#" target="_blank">The Shire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gingerbread Cabin" href="#" target="_blank">Gingerbread Cabin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work with Hobbits and Food, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inventors&#039; Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Inventors&#039; Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains life and can find a powerful piece in a pinch.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Deck Win?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our primary aim is to flood the field with Halflings and Food, then use the life gained to put layers of counters on those small creatures to present a large board and flex the high life total to attack with impunity.</span></p>
<h2><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmer Cotton" href="#" target="_blank">Farmer Cotton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Decklist</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Farmer Cotton Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Farmer Cotton
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Ajani&#039;s Pridemate
*1 Archangel of Thune
*1 Archivist of Oghma
*1 Banquet Guests
*1 Brandywine Farmer
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Eastfarthing Farmer
*1 Elanor Gardner
*1 Elenda&#039;s Hierophant
*1 Erinis, Gloom Stalker
*1 Essence Channeler
*1 Exemplar of Light
*1 Feasting Hobbit
*1 Frodo Baggins
*1 Frodo, Determined Hero
*1 Gilded Goose
*1 Heliod, Sun-Crowned
*1 Jaheira, Friend of the Forest
*1 Masked Vandal
*1 Meriadoc Brandybuck
*1 Merry, Warden of Isengard
*1 Metallic Mimic
*1 Nimble Hobbit
*1 Nykthos Paragon
*1 Peregrin Took
*1 Prosperous Innkeeper
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Roaming Throne
*1 Rosie Cotton of South Lane
*1 Sam, Loyal Attendant
*1 Samwise Gamgee
*1 Samwise the Stouthearted
*1 Saradoc, Master of Buckland
*1 Shire Shirriff
*1 The Cabbage Merchant
*1 The Gaffer
*1 Tireless Provisioner
*1 Took Reaper
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Cleric Class
*1 Light of Promise
*1 Night of the Sweets&#039; Revenge
*1 Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Field-Tested Frying Pan
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ajani, Strength of the Pride
[/Planeswalkers]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Harvest Season
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Disenchant
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Heliod&#039;s Intervention
*1 Krosan Grip
*1 Naturalize
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Stroke of Midnight
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Command Tower
*15 Forest
*1 Gingerbread Cabin
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Path of Ancestry
*15 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 The Shire
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conclusion</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Halflings are a neat creature type to see get support in the <em>The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth</em> set, combining life gain, artifact, and token synergies to make a unique mix of cards and effects. These effects do run the danger of durdling, however, which is why it's important to have a plan for getting the different phases to work together.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Halflings? And what do you think the teased <em>The Hobbit</em> set will offer?</span></p>


life

Building Halfling Kindred with Farmer Cotton

From the (not quite) Brim to the (almost) Trim - Special Anniversary Edition

Diabolic Intent - Horcruxes