Tom Bombadil
LTR · mythic · Released 2023-06-23
Power
Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell). The score (-8 to 19) is a rank signal derived from tier + kind + atoms; browse by it on the cards page.
Derived from the 7 atoms below.
above rate
minor value alone
needs a shell
can take over a game
one mode
situational
hard to remove
Commander Bracket
Archetypes
Roles
Risks
Mechanics
Typal
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Structural
Rationale
Tom Bombadil is a 5cmc 4/4 God Bard that gains hexproof and indestructible with 4+ lore counters across your Sagas, and chains Sagas by tutoring the next one to the battlefield whenever a final chapter resolves. He is the defining Saga-matters commander, cascading through a Saga engine that can take over games, but requires a critical mass of Sagas (build_around) and the 5-pip WUBRG cost is extremely restrictive. Indestructibility and hexproof make him nearly unkillable once the engine is online, but setup is slow and he does little without Sagas already in play.
Learnings (3)
Tom Bombadil's hexproof and indestructible are a static condition requiring 4+ lore counters among Sagas you control simultaneously — he is vulnerable until the engine is assembled, so early removal is the primary counter-play.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
His triggered ability only fires once per turn regardless of how many Sagas complete their final chapter that turn, so sequencing your Saga completions matters; you can only chain one new Saga per turn cycle.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Because he tutors the next Saga directly onto the battlefield (not into hand), the new Saga's chapter I triggers immediately — this chains lore counters forward each turn, meaning a wide Saga board can protect him and refuel simultaneously once the engine is live.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Popularity
- EDHREC rank: #5,289