This article may contain affiliate links. If you buy through our links we earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
Thorin, Mountain-king is the Commander of choice for Dwarf and Equipment tribal players in MTG: The Hobbit. His ability to attach multiple Equipment to a creature the moment he enters — and then deal immediate damage equal to that creature’s power — creates one of the most explosive enters-the-battlefield triggers in the format. This guide covers the best cards, key synergies, and the upgrade path for a Thorin Commander deck.
Thorin’s ETB attaches any number of Equipment to a creature — then that creature deals damage equal to its power to any target. Free damage that bypasses blockers.
Thorin, Mountain-king · ~$41
Thorin costs four mana (three generic, one red) and enters as a 3/4 with Trample. His ETB trigger lets you attach any number of Equipment you control to a target creature, and that creature immediately deals damage equal to its power to any target — bypassing blockers entirely. His color identity is mono-red, which limits tutors but keeps the mana base tight and consistent. Red has excellent Equipment support through haste enablers so Thorin can attack the turn he arrives.
New Hobbit-Set Card
Sting is the equipment standout from The Hobbit set — a scaling threat that gets more dangerous every turn it stays on the battlefield.
Sting, Bilbo’s Sword · ~$4
Sting gains Hone counters over time, and each Hone counter gives the equipped creature +1/+0 — making it a scaling threat that grows more dangerous every turn. Attach it via Thorin’s ETB trigger to immediately convert those counters into direct damage. Sting is an auto-include at any budget level and the first card you should acquire for this deck.
Key Support Cards
These five cards form the backbone of the 99. All are affordable and available in most local game stores.
From Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Bruenor gives all equipped creatures +2/+0 and makes the first Equipment you attach each turn equip for free. This means every Equipment in your hand goes onto the battlefield during Thorin’s trigger for zero additional mana — the most powerful cost reduction in the deck.
Lightning Greaves~$5 · Haste + Shroud
Equip cost 0 gives Thorin haste so he can attack immediately and trigger on the turn he arrives. Shroud protects him from targeted removal. The zero equip cost means attaching and re-attaching is free, making it the ideal first Equipment to pick up.
Swiftfoot Boots~$3 · Haste + Hexproof
Nearly identical to Lightning Greaves but grants hexproof instead of shroud — letting you still target your own creatures with spells and abilities. Equip cost of one is slightly less efficient but the flexibility is often worth it in longer games.
Embercleave~$10 · High Priority
Flash artifact — you can slam Embercleave when blockers are declared to give your attacker double strike and trample mid-combat. Combined with Thorin’s ability to attach it for free via his trigger, a large Dwarf swinging with Embercleave can close out games from a standstill in one attack.
Shadowspear~$12 · Utility Piece
Gives +1/+1, trample, and lifelink for just one mana equip cost. Its real value is the activated ability that removes indestructible from all opposing creatures until end of turn — letting Thorin’s damage trigger kill commanders that would otherwise be untouchable. Essential for mid-to-high-power tables.
Pick up Sting first — it is the new Hobbit-set Equipment that defines the deck and costs under $5. Add Bruenor, Swiftfoot Boots, and Lightning Greaves. Fill the rest of the 99 with Dwarves from the Hobbit set and cheap Equipment from the Commander precon staples bin at your local game store.
Shadowspear and Embercleave are the priority additions — they immediately make Thorin’s trigger more dangerous. Magda is a strong Dwarf that generates Treasure and can tutor Equipment directly from your deck. Hammer of Nazahn auto-attaches Equipment when they enter.
Optimized
$150+
Sword of Feast and Famine · Jeska’s Will · Deflecting Swat · Gamble · Ancient Tomb
At this level you add the most powerful red utility cards: free interaction (Deflecting Swat), an explosive ritual (Jeska’s Will), a one-mana tutor (Gamble), and fast lands. Ancient Tomb gets Thorin onto the battlefield by turn two consistently.
Final Verdict
Bottom Line
Thorin, Mountain-king is a genuinely powerful Commander that rewards building around the Equipment synergy introduced in The Hobbit set. His ETB trigger is unique — free damage that ignores blocking is strong in a format full of chump blockers — and Sting, Bilbo’s Sword gives him a set-specific engine piece that scales as the game goes long. He is budget-accessible at every tier: a functional $30 build, a strong $75 list, and a competitive optimized deck all exist within reach. If you are picking up The Hobbit and want to build a Commander deck around the new cards, Thorin is the right starting point.
Images and media used on NerdSnack are the property of their respective copyright holders — including Wizards of the Coast, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Riot Games, Funko, and other rights holders — and are used for editorial and informational purposes only. NerdSnack is not affiliated with any of these companies.
