MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth - Release date, mechanics, card sets & more
It's perhaps no surprise that Magic the Gathering, the decades-long fantasy card game, and Lord of the Rings, one of the most recognisable universes in the world, would crossover eventually - in fact we're just a little surprised it took as long as it did.
Thankfully, Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth brings Tolkien's world of magic and monsters to booster packs this year. This is no mere crossover, though, with Wizards of the Coast including an incredibly rare version of the One Ring card that you'll only find one of.
Still before you get ahead of yourself, you'll want to look at everything we know about Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth.
MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Release Date
Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth will launch on June 23, meaning you've got time to dream up your dream squad of Fellowship characters to take to the battlefield.
MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Prerelease Pack and Event Dates
Click to enlargeThe Lord of the Rings Magic The Gathering prerelease event will take place between June 16 and 22.
As per Wizards of the Coast's blog post:
"Build your sealed deck with six Draft Boosters and two foil-stamped promo cards: a rare or mythic rare from the set plus a beautiful borderless scene card to assemble a scene available only through Prerelease Packs and Collector Boosters!"
MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Mechanics
Click to enlargeWizards of the Coast has revealed a series of mechanics unique to the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth set in a new blog post.
The Ring is, as you'd imagine, a key component, and it offers a blend of risk and reward that's sure to intrigue. Players can equip the ring to a creature, and your Ring-bearer cannot be blocked by creatures with greater power.
Each time the Ring "tempts" players, it adds a new power. You can check out the full list on the card graphic above.
Amass Orcs will let players build an army of green-skinned creatures, with a 0/0 Orc Army creature token, while Food Tokens and Landcycling mechanics return.
Is Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Modern Legal?
Yes! The Lord of the Rings Magic The Gathering crossover cards will be Modern Legal, meaning you can play them in Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander.
The Commander decks will be playable in Legacy, Vintage, and Commander.
MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Card Packs
The Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth will be available in the following formats.
Starter Kit
Two sixty-card decks, with foil versions of Aragorn and Arwen, Wed, and The Lidless Eye.
Click to enlargeBuy the Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Starter Kit here.
Set Booster Bundle
This set contains eight Set Boosters, a themed storage box, 20 foil lands, 20 non-foil lands, and a life counter.
It also includes an exclusive set of variants that have a borderless design, as shown in the Frodo and Sam cards below. These "Scene Cards" showcase key moments from the story of Lord of the Rings.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlargeBuy the Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Starter Kit here.
Commander Decks
Players can buy four Commander Decks based on iconic characters, with the following available:
- Elven Council (Green/Blue)
- Food and Fellowship (White/Black/Green)
- Riders of Rohan (Blue/Red/White)
- The Hosts of Mordor (Blue/Black/Red)
Buy the Magic The Gathering Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Commander Decks here.
Rings of Power and The One Ring
As you'd imagine, the Rings of Power and The One Ring play a key part in the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth set.
Each is a Legendary Artifact in-game, but The One Ring gets its own special version, too. The first version is available freely, but the second is a Serialized 1/1 card - meaning there really is only ONE ring.
Click to enlargeWondering where to find it? Check out the chart below.
Click to enlargeFor more on Magic The Gathering, be sure to check out our list of the latest MTG Arena codes.
