Eternal Durdles

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?
Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.
We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.
Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?
We also discuss:
Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander products
The new Storied mechanic
Bilbo vs. Dreadhorde Arcanist
Whether The Great Goblin can enable a combo
Why Giant's Boulder isn't the next Astrolabe
Can Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?
Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoff
Bilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problem
Why Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or Fiction
And why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power level
If we missed a card, let us know in the comments.
And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles.

00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy
00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level
02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+
04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!
05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead
06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement
07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night
10:02 — The Great Goblin
12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe
16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?
17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King
19:40 — Inside Information
21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit
24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star
26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws
27:39 — Riddles in the Dark
28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction
30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes
31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter
32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower
32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats
33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy Takes
Timestamps

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?
Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.
We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.
Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?
We also discuss:
Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander products
The new Storied mechanic
Bilbo vs. Dreadhorde Arcanist
Whether The Great Goblin can enable a combo
Why Giant's Boulder isn't the next Astrolabe
Can Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?
Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoff
Bilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problem
Why Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or Fiction
And why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power level
If we missed a card, let us know in the comments.
And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles.

00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy
00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level
02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+
04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!
05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead
06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement
07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night
10:02 — The Great Goblin
12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe
16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?
17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King
19:40 — Inside Information
21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit
24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star
26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws
27:39 — Riddles in the Dark
28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction
30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes
31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter
32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower
32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats
33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy Takes
Timestamps

What happens when you take a Magic format from 10 years ago and attack it with everything we've learned since?
That's the experiment behind Peak, Classic, and the other locked formats we're exploring on Eternal Durdles.
Instead of simply copying old tournament lists, Zac and Phil discuss how modern deckbuilding theory can reveal cards, strategies, and entire archetypes that may have been overlooked when these formats were originally played.
Phil has been digging through old Miracles lists and finding cards like Unexpectedly Absent and Sylvan Library that seem dramatically underexplored. Zac is doing the same thing with Classic and Peak decks, looking for forgotten strategies that might be ready for a second life.
We also talk about:
Why you shouldn't blindly copy old decklists
How locked formats create new brewing opportunities
The danger of "getting lost in the sauce" of metagame tuning
Unexpectedly Absent in Peak
Four-of Sylvan Library
Rebuilding forgotten Classic decks
Nahiri + Emrakul Miracles
What modern Magic players know that players didn't know then
The upcoming Peak event in New York
And yes, Zac has acquired Un-Glued Islands.

00:00 — Why Locked Formats Are So Exciting
01:25 — The First Big Peak Event
02:45 — Don't Just Copy Old Decklists
03:45 — We Know More About Magic Now
04:15 — Phil's Miracles Rabbit Hole
07:50 — The Unexpectedly Absent Breakthrough
10:40 — Why Nobody Played Sylvan Library
13:30 — The Untapped Territory of Locked Formats
15:20 — Optimizing Forgotten Classic Decks
17:45 — Getting Lost in the Sauce
19:45 — Zac's TradeMagic Pickup
22:00 — Esperzoa: The Forgotten Brew
24:45 — What If We Rebuilt These Decks Today?
27:00 — The Nahiri Miracles Experiment
30:20 — Why Old Decks Were Never Fully Explored
31:55 — Come Play Peak!
33:20 — Locked Formats Beyond Nostalgia
34:00 — Welcome to a New Magic

What happens when you take a Magic format from 10 years ago and attack it with everything we've learned since?
That's the experiment behind Peak, Classic, and the other locked formats we're exploring on Eternal Durdles.
Instead of simply copying old tournament lists, Zac and Phil discuss how modern deckbuilding theory can reveal cards, strategies, and entire archetypes that may have been overlooked when these formats were originally played.
Phil has been digging through old Miracles lists and finding cards like Unexpectedly Absent and Sylvan Library that seem dramatically underexplored. Zac is doing the same thing with Classic and Peak decks, looking for forgotten strategies that might be ready for a second life.
We also talk about:
Why you shouldn't blindly copy old decklists
How locked formats create new brewing opportunities
The danger of "getting lost in the sauce" of metagame tuning
Unexpectedly Absent in Peak
Four-of Sylvan Library
Rebuilding forgotten Classic decks
Nahiri + Emrakul Miracles
What modern Magic players know that players didn't know then
The upcoming Peak event in New York
And yes, Zac has acquired Un-Glued Islands.

00:00 — Why Locked Formats Are So Exciting
01:25 — The First Big Peak Event
02:45 — Don't Just Copy Old Decklists
03:45 — We Know More About Magic Now
04:15 — Phil's Miracles Rabbit Hole
07:50 — The Unexpectedly Absent Breakthrough
10:40 — Why Nobody Played Sylvan Library
13:30 — The Untapped Territory of Locked Formats
15:20 — Optimizing Forgotten Classic Decks
17:45 — Getting Lost in the Sauce
19:45 — Zac's TradeMagic Pickup
22:00 — Esperzoa: The Forgotten Brew
24:45 — What If We Rebuilt These Decks Today?
27:00 — The Nahiri Miracles Experiment
30:20 — Why Old Decks Were Never Fully Explored
31:55 — Come Play Peak!
33:20 — Locked Formats Beyond Nostalgia
34:00 — Welcome to a New Magic

With the next Legacy Banned & Restricted announcement just days away, Zac and Phil dive into the latest Threat Level Report to see which cards are dominating the format—and which ones deserve a closer look.
Using Blackmans, our custom metric that combines play rate and copies per deck, we analyze the current Legacy metagame and discuss how cards like Tamiyo, Force of Will, Orcish Bowmasters, Urza's Saga, Flow State, Doomsday, Kozilek's Command, and Fantasticar have shifted over the past month.
Topics include:
The rise and fall of Legacy's biggest threats
Why combo continues to dominate the format
Fantasticar's impact on gameplay
What the data says Wizards should ban
Our predictions for the August B&R announcement
Will Wizards act decisively—or will Legacy stay the same?
Let us know your predictions in the comments!
00:00 Legacy Ban Announcement Preview
02:00 What Is Threat Level?
04:10 Wasteland & Force of Will Trends
05:45 Tamiyo, Murktide & Bowmasters
10:00 New Cards to Watch (Felia, Fleshraker, Kaaito)
13:30 Urza's Saga & Combo Trends
20:40 Flow State, Thoughtseize & Doomsday
25:00 Kozilek's Command & Eldrazi
26:00 Fantasticar's Threat Level
28:40 The Candelabra Debate
33:30 Ban Predictions & Final Thoughts
Timestamps