The storied world of The Hobbit is coming to Magic's Universes Beyond very soon. Which cards should you be looking out for in your draft packs and pre-release pools?

Best White Commons and Uncommons

White Commons

White's commons share a pretty flat power level on the surface. Velvetwing Butterflies is the standout, bringing back memories of Ardenvale Tactician. It's almost the exact same card, trading an easier mana cost for a point of toughness. Tactician was very good in Eldraine and the Butterflies should be just as good here.

White Uncommons

White has a solid Equipment sub-theme. If that is going to pay off, expect Iron Hills Blacksmith at two mana to be a big part of it. This card is both pay-off and setup rolled into one. The Axe token isn't exactly amazing, but it does turn the Blacksmith into a two-power Double Strike Creature. Double Strike gets out of hand very quickly. This card can take over games with just a little bit of help and protection.

Best Blue Commons and Uncommons

Blue Commons

Bilbo Baggins, Burglar looks like one of the most fun commons in the set. It's also pretty good. Scry 2 isn't quite worth a card on its own, even for one mana . As an adventure on a three-mana Creature, though, it's great. You basically always want to cast both halves of this on the same turn unless you're really desperate. If you can, four mana for the whole package is excellent.

Blue Uncommons

Master's Councillors is another card that looks like a lot of fun. It's a great design - a two-mana creature that blocks well in the early game and becomes a real threat later. One thing you might not notice immediately is that this can be a 5/3 with vigilance, because it counts each graveyard. It's good to share the Mill ability around so that you can get that extra power.

Blue has quite a few good uncommons, so we're going to throw the two counterspells together. Sound the Trumpets at three mana is an excellent take on the classic "Cancel + upside" trope. Refute was excellent in Foundations, and this is potentially even better than that. If your opponent doesn't play a cheap spell for you to Recruit from, good news: you probably countered something important. This really is a win-win situation.

Thranduil's Decree at six mana is not a type of card we often get nowadays. It's effectively an In Bolas's Clutches at Instant speed if you time it right. The problem is that it can't hit something already in play, but that's a reasonable price to pay.

Best Black Commons and Uncommons

Black Commons

Bilbo's Deadly Slice is Murder. This looks like a set where killing any Creature for three mana should be pretty solid. There isn't much more to say about it, really. Sometimes Murder isn't great, but it's always "good."

Meanwhile, Rage Into the Valley is a flavorful take on Phyrexian Rager. Three mana for this effect has historically been good. It has potential to be even better, thanks to Amass. It also has the potential to be worse in some spots - if you need an extra body, for example. Overall, it should average out to being pretty good.

Black Uncommons

Continuing on the theme of classic cards reborn, Gathering of Darkness is an excellent Gravedigger. A four mana 3/3 that gets back another Creature is above rate. Like Rage into the Valley, there will be times you wish this didn't have to pump your Goblin token. Unlike Rage, this card is providing you with another body fresh from the grave, somewhat negating that problem.

Gnashing of Teeth is exceptionally flexible for three mana . It kills most Creatures if you choose the first mode. During combat, you can extend that from "most" to "almost all." The second mode isn't likely to be great in Limited, but when it does come up it will be back-breaking. This loses the "kill anything" of Bilbo's Deadly Slices and trades it for more flexibility.

Best Red Commons and Uncommons

Red Commons

In case this core set vibe wasn't strong enough already, here comes Pinecone Strike to show you what Abrade looks like in Middle Earth. For two mana , you get a slightly better version of the damage part of Abrade and a much worse version of the Artifact mode. Still, three damage to a Creature is nothing to sniff at.

Ragged Short Spear is a very neat little package. For two mana you get to draw some cards and leave behind a moderately effective Equipment. This looks like being better than the sum of its parts. Tormenting Voice is usually fine, and the Equipment, while not amazing, does play nicely with other cards in the set.

Red Uncommons

Red's uncommons don't instill much confidence. Bothersome Noisemaker looks like the best of the bunch, though it isn't massively supported. In a more spell-heavy set, this could be great. Here, it's probably just "pretty good." As a 2/2 for two mana , you'll be relatively happy just getting a couple of triggers off it. Do bear in mind that your Equipment spells trigger it - at least the ones you cast from hand.

Best Green Commons and Uncommons

Green Commons

Here we just have a genuine core set card in the form of Wood Elves. This card is always good, and this set has a lot of good expensive Creatures to ramp into. Yes, this can't fix your mana, but it can get your Large Bear out a turn earlier. The body is nothing to write home about, but a three-mana 1/1 will at least chump block until you can get something better in play.

Speaking of Bears, Little Bear looks great - and not just the art. A 3/2 with Flash for three mana is alright. Untapping a Creature can be very good, though tricky to set-up. Pumping another Bear at the same time, though? Now you're turning your cute little pet into a Green Murder. There are enough Bears in the set that this will come up and it will be grizzly.

Green Uncommons

Outside of the rares, Old Fat Spider looks like the best thing to ramp into. It's huge, it blocks everything, and when it's time to start attacking, it demands an answer. For six mana , you can't ask for much more - and yet you get more anyway. If an opponent can kill this, you get a replacement card.

Wrapping Up

The Hobbit is a smaller than average set, but it still has plenty of cards that pack a punch. You're going to see a lot of the same lower rarity cards during a draft, so knowing which ones to prioritize is important. Get your Old Fat Spiders and Gathering of Darkness while you can, in other words.