Thorin Oakenshield

Sting is an artifact and legendary permanent that can enter at flash speed. If you have two qualifying permanents, flashing it in after an opponent targets one of your permanents permanently activates enduring story and immediately adds Thorin's ward {1} trigger to that spell or ability.

Both are cheap legendary Storied creatures, so casting them provides two qualifying permanents early. Once the third arrives, Thorin gives Dáin ward while Dáin taxes attacks, making the defensive lock harder to dismantle.

As a legendary artifact with flash, The Black Arrow can be played in response to an opponent targeting your board; if it is the third qualifying permanent, it permanently establishes the enduring story and immediately adds Thorin's ward tax to that spell or ability.

Dori supplies both a legendary permanent and a Treasure artifact, so casting him alongside Thorin reaches all three qualifying permanents by itself and immediately activates Thorin's ward.

With Thorin already on the battlefield, Dáin enters as a second legendary permanent and creates an Axe artifact as the third qualifying permanent, immediately establishing the enduring story and turning on Thorin's ward.

The indestructible mode makes a creature an artifact at instant speed — enduring story locks in permanently once the count hits three, so this trick can switch on Thorin's ward a turn early while also saving the creature.

A Saga that survives all four chapters is the set's longest-lived story count — it keeps Thorin's ward online for four turns while its removal chapters protect the board he's warding.

The free Axe token is an artifact, ticking toward the three permanents Thorin needs for the enduring story.

A legendary artifact is a story count AND a weapon Thorin loves to carry — 5/4 trample with ward protection.

One Saga plus its Treasure tokens can complete Thorin's three-permanent story requirement almost single-handedly.

This inexpensive four-chapter Saga supplies a long-lived permanent toward enduring story, making it easier to activate Thorin's ward early while its final chapter supports his aggressive game plan.

Thrór's Map is a cheap artifact and legendary permanent that helps turn on Thorin's enduring story, after which Thorin grants ward to Map and the rest of your board.

Thorin is an early legendary permanent that advances the shared Storied plan, and once the enduring story is established, his ward ability protects Bifur and the other Dwarves whose triggers Bifur doubles.

Thorin and Kíli are two cheap legendary Storied Dwarves, quickly supplying two of the three qualifying permanents. Thorin also triggers Kíli's once-per-turn card draw when he enters after Kíli, and the resulting ward protects Kíli's Equipment engine.

Giant's Boulder is a one-mana artifact that cheaply advances Thorin's enduring-story requirement while fixing mana, and Thorin's ward helps keep this setup piece and eventual removal ability on the battlefield.

The Shortsword is an artifact toward the enduring story and brings an equipped Dwarf body with it. Once the story is established, Thorin gives ward to both the Equipment and the creature it created, making the two-permanent package harder to dismantle.

As a Saga it counts toward the three permanents Thorin needs for the enduring story while it's on the battlefield.