Wizards of the Coast is set to release its latest Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond crossover, this time drawing inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. The set, scheduled for release on August 14 with prereleases beginning August 7, aims to recapture a classic fantasy aesthetic for players who may have felt disconnected from the lore of previous crossovers. This new set introduces five primary mechanics, including familiar ones like "adventure" and "amass," alongside three entirely new additions: "storied," "recruit," and "hone counters."
"Storied" functions similarly to the "city's blessing" mechanic from Rivals of Ixalan, acting as a player-designated buff that activates once a player controls a specific combination of permanents. To trigger "storied," players must control three artifacts, legendary permanents, or sagas. The unique aspect of "storied" is that each card grants a different benefit upon activation. For instance, Thorin Oakenshield provides ward 1 to artifacts and creatures, while Fili the Pathfinder grants all creatures +1/+1.
The "recruit" mechanic is described as a new take on "connive." When a creature with recruit enters the battlefield, players draw a card and discard a card. However, instead of adding a +1/+1 counter to the creature as "connive" does when a nonland card is discarded, "recruit" generates a 1/1 white human soldier token. This provides board presence, which is often considered more valuable than simply enhancing a single creature.
The "hone counters" mechanic makes its debut in The Hobbit set. These counters are placed on equipment, and for each hone counter present, the attached creature receives a +1/+0 bonus. This bonus is tied to the counter itself, offering potential interactions if counters are moved or if an opponent can disable equipment abilities. Only two cards, Sting, Bilbo’s Sword, and Dwalin, Weaponmaster, feature this mechanic in the initial set, but it is intended to be explored further.
Principal designer Gavin Verhey revealed that "hone counters" emerged from a design "hackathon" aimed at addressing a perceived weakness in red's color identity: its lack of late-game scaling. Red is traditionally an aggressive color with small, fast creatures that can lose effectiveness as games progress. Equipment that grows stronger over time offers red players an avenue for sustained relevance in longer matches.
While "hone counters" are presented as a solution to an in-game design problem, the mechanic has drawn comparisons to Umezawa's Jitte, an infamously powerful equipment card. However, "hone counters" are noted to be significantly less potent than Jitte's abilities.
The Hobbit is a smaller set, which the author suggests may limit its appeal for limited play formats due to a reduced card pool. The "recruit" mechanic, however, is highlighted as a particular favorite, with the hope that it will return in future sets. While some common cards with "recruit" are considered underwhelming, cards like Bard’s Company and Great Gilded Boat are seen as potentially impactful in constructed formats, with The Queen of Dale being singled out as a potential multi-format powerhouse.