Oh boy! Magic: The Gathering’s The Hobbit set just revealed a brand new white spell that is going to cause untold anger in Standard and seething resentment in Commander. Bilbo’s Gambit is a new two mana instant that’s almost a white counterspell, but it doesn’t break the color pie.
Just like the Lord of the Rings spell Reprieve, Bilbo’s Gambit is an instant that gently pops a spell that a player just cast back into their hand, before it can resolve. Unlike proper counters, the card isn’t wasted, they can cast it again later.
Later is the key word here, though, because unlike Reprieve, this card also has a Silence tacked on – players can’t cast any more spells after it resolves. Sure, you have to give your opponent a treasure in return, but that is going to be cold comfort for entirely missing their turn. Though players can still respond at instant speed before this goes off, the card seems like it’ll still be effective in commander to shut down a high impact turn.
Really, I suppose it’s not that much better than other, similar cards like High Noon or Silence. But there’s something extra aggravating about thinking that you’ve cast a spell, only to be told not only that you haven’t, but also that you’ve lost the chance to cast anything else as well. I’d rather a normal counterspell I think.
I’m aware that this sentence will make me look foolish if this becomes an instant staple, but I think Bilbo’s Gambit is probably a strictly worse card than Reprieve. Not cantripping means it probably belongs in far fewer decks. However, it’s such a good troll move that I think plenty of players will run it anyway.
I’m hopeful it’s not that playable. If it is, it’s a shame it has such a Hobbit-specific name, as it’s going to be almost impossible to reprint this card in a later non-UB release. Perhaps if they do a Silmarillion MTG set?
Also, no offense to the artist, but is that elf wearing an Anorak?
Source: Wargamer
