Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader | Art by Christina Kraus

We've gotten a whole lot of awesome new commanders in The Hobbit set, but one of the legends that has sort of slipped under the radar is Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader. Even though Post Malone may have piloted a list helmed by this Elf on the most recent episode of Game Knights, there are still only 110 decks built around him here on EDHREC (at time of writing).

So, I wanted to help change that by offering up a great budget deck for this commander that you can pick up for about $40 (based on TCGplayer pricing.) My name is Tyler 'Savesya' Bucks, and I'm excited to show off this list that's jam-packed with great creatures that have some truly intriguing activated abilities.

What Does Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader Bring to the Table?

Joining us from Rivendell, it's the legend who's leading this deck, Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader. This mono-blue commander loves activated abilities and even has one of his own, which allows you to temporarily exile two nonland permanents you control. While you could build this to be more of a blink deck, I chose to focus on his first ability, since it can offer up a whole lot of card draw throughout a game.

So, as we look over this list, you'll see that there's a whole lot of activated abilities which offer up useful effects that every deck needs. Ramp, card draw, interaction and more are all attached to creatures, ensuring that you're progressing your strategy forward, while also getting a new card for your efforts. Let's kick things off with just a few of the ways to accelerate your mana in this deck.

Mana Ramp

• Omen HawkerOmen Hawker: This bulk card fits in perfectly with this deck's strategy. Getting it down as early as turn one in order to add two mana for any of your activated abilities means that you'll be kicking the game off on a good foot.
• Apprentice WizardApprentice Wizard: Turning one mana into three is always a nice trade-off, which is made even better when you also get to draw a card in the process when Elrond is in play.
• Grand ArchitectGrand Architect: Not only does this Vedalken buff up your board, but it also has two different activated abilities for your commander to trigger off of. As we go through this list, you'll see that there are a good number of artifact creatures in the 99, which sets up this Architect to become one of the key cards for making this deck tick.

• Crystalline CrawlerCrystalline Crawler: While this creature is typically added to multicolored decks, it'll still put in a lot of work in this mono-blue list. You'll get to draw a card when you remove a counter from the Crawler, as well as when you tap it to add another one, which is a lot of value in a single textbox.
• Emrakul's MessengerEmrakul's Messenger: Here's a creature that doesn't have an activated ability itself, however when you draw your second card each turn, you'll get that Spawn, which does trigger Elrond. Sacrificing them to get mana, and then drawing a card is a great little value engine.
• Troop of PoniesTroop of Ponies: These Ponies are also from The Hobbit set, and I love them dearly. When you activate this creature, you get to add a land to your board, your hand and draw a card all at the same time; not bad for only two mana.

The Untappers

The untappers in this deck, like Ioreth of the Healing HouseIoreth of the Healing House, Kelpie GuideKelpie Guide and Vizier of Tumbling SandsVizier of Tumbling Sands, can all act as their own form of ramp, or can be used to help reactivate abilities of your creatures. Simply having the opportunity to untap a land and draw a card out of nowhere is a great amount of value and will help this deck feel super adaptable for whatever situation arises.

Card Advantage

• Merfolk LooterMerfolk Looter: Here's an ideal turn-two play for this list. It's perfect to get down right before your commander hits the battlefield, in order to activate it and start pulling cards into your hand turn after turn.
• Ghostly PilfererGhostly Pilferer: If you've never had this creature in play, take my word for it, this Rogue can bring you a lot of value. Not only does it draw you cards when people play spells from outside of their hand (like their commanders), but it also has a free ability to throw a card away, which'll be replaced with something new if Elrond is in play.
• TriskaidekaphileTriskaidekaphile: This creature's alternate win condition usually seems unobtainable, but it truly has a chance in a deck like this. Since you can draw a card on everyone's turn when you activate abilities, you're pretty in control of the number of cards in your hand. Especially when you can pay four to draw two cards with this creature at instant speed thanks to your commander.

Activated Interaction

• Malevolent HermitMalevolent Hermit: This creature can be sacrificed in order to slow down an opponent, while also sitting in your graveyard to be brought back as a new form. Having this in play puts the other players in a spot where they won't want to fully tap out, since they know you're just itching to activate this one's ability.
• Jill, Shiva's DominantJill, Shiva's Dominant: Bouncing a problematic nonland permanent is incredibly useful since you can trip up an opponent's game plan, but that's not where the value ends with this card. You can also activate its ability to flip over into a Saga, which helps drive damage forward, and even locks down the rest of the table's lands before flipping back to the front side to start the process over again.
• Steel HellkiteSteel Hellkite: Here's another creature that has multiple activated abilities that can truly mess with the table, but there's also a tricky aspect to this Dragon. I'll let the Hellkite's rules and updates section explain itself: "You may activate the last ability even if Steel Hellkite hasn't dealt combat damage to any players that turn. If you do, the ability won't do anything." So, that means you can simply pay zero mana turn after turn in order to draw a card with your commander out.

Dealing Out Damage

• Ominous SeasOminous Seas: I'm a huge fan of this enchantment, since it offers up a great payoff for simply doing what this deck wants to do. Since the deck draws so many cards, there's a chance you can get multiple 8/8s into play over just a few turns.
• Psychosis CrawlerPsychosis Crawler: When it comes to closing out games with card draw, this artifact creature is one of the best around. Not only does it lower everyone else's life totals, but it can also become a huge threat to send into combat if your hand is full!
• Stature, Size ShifterStature, Size Shifter: Here's a tricky card in this deck, all thanks to that power-up ability. You can attack with this creature, and then dump all your mana into pumping it up right before it deals damage. Sure, this is a one-time trick, but remember your commander could possibly blink some of your board in order to do this all over again.

Miscellaneous Inclusions

• Echo, Perceptive ProdigyEcho, Perceptive Prodigy: This deck is jam packed with activated abilities as well as triggered ones, which means you'll have plenty of targets to copy with this uncommon legend.
• Mothdust ChangelingMothdust Changeling: Here's another tricky inclusion for this deck, because you can tap an untapped creature you control turn after turn in order to give this Changeling flying, while drawing a card every time you activate it.
• Kang the ConquerorKang the Conqueror: Mono-blue decks are always looking for ways to close out a game, and flyers like this can help you do that. Plus, it can provide you with an extra turn, in case you just need a little more time to reach for a win.

The Deck List

My Final Thoughts on Elrond

So, there you have it, my list for Elrond, Moon-ReaderElrond, Moon-Reader that you can pick up for about $40. If you've been looking for a deck that can lead to a lot of tricky turns, then this will be great for you. Plus, if you have any other creatures that come to mind with great activated abilities, feel free to throw them into the 99 in order to give your own spin to this list!

If you want more budget content from me, you can find it right here on EDHREC as well as on my YouTube channel The Pillow Fort, where I do everything I can to make Magic more accessible for everyone.