Wizards of the Coast revealed the first cards for its upcoming Magic: The Gathering set during MagicCon: Las Vegas 2026, headlined by the powerful new legendary creature, Smaug the Magnificent.
According to polygon.com, the card is set to release on August 14. The new Smaug card features a unique ability where he deals damage equal to the number of treasures you control to any target whenever he attacks. He also generates a treasure token at the beginning of your upkeep.
While Smaug is designed to be a powerhouse, the outlet reported that the card creates an 'utterly broken combo' when played alongside the 2021 card Old Gnawbone.
An unstoppable treasure loop
Old Gnawbone, from the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set, creates a number of treasure tokens equal to the combat damage dealt by a creature you control to a player. Polygon.com notes that when these two dragons are on the board together, the amount of treasure generated can spiral out of control.
For example, if a player has five treasures and uses Smaug to eliminate a 6/6 blocker, Old Gnawbone will trigger to create seven new tokens. This brings the total to 12 treasures, which then fuels Smaug's next attack to deal 12 damage. This cycle continues to expand the player's resources exponentially each turn.
The strategy can be further amplified using green and red support cards. Polygon.com highlights that cards like Doubling Season, Parallel Lives, and Primal Vigor can double the number of tokens generated during these attacks.
Other synergistic cards include Goldspan Dragon, which allows players to generate two mana instead of one when sacrificing treasures, and the highly influential Dockside Extortionist. The latter generates treasures based on the number of artifacts and enchantments opponents control, a mechanic that has previously led to the card being banned in the Commander format.
Despite the potential for massive damage, there is a significant barrier to entry for this specific deck build. Polygon.com points out that the primary drawback is the cost of the combo, noting that Old Gnawbone alone costs at least approximately $50.
