Fans of The Lord of the Rings love the characters like the stubborn Gimli or the haughty Boromir. But The new Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ full set release from Magic: The Gathering wouldn’t be properly done if it didn’t make you feel like you were transported into this world. We’ll highlight some of the touches that make this lovingly crafted set such a success for Magic fans and The Lord of the Rings devotees alike.
If you want to know how much care was put into making sure every card was fully suited to The Lord of the Rings, look no further than the basic land cards. Not just your ordinary lands in this set, these ten beautiful, full-art cards feature maps of Middle-earth, with Plains covering The Shire and Rohan, Swamp including The Dead Marshes and Mordor, and Forests detailing Mirkwood and Tom Bombadil’s Old Forest. Using some of Magic’s most basic cards to connect players to the lands they’re traversing is the kind of world-building this set excels at.
The words paint a beautiful picture, but when people think of The Lord of the Rings, iconic images of dramatic moments can’t help but come to mind. In the spirit of that, Magic: The Gathering is introducing scene cards - borderless cards that, when put together, form a seamless, panoramic image of a stunning moment from the books.
This set has several scene cards sets, including The Grey Havens and Bilbo’s Birthday, but the one of the most compelling is the 18 card Battle of Pelennor Fields. Cards making up this collage feature heroes like Gimli and Legolas, with Riders of Rohan in the background and an individual card for the Oliphaunt cavalry. Whether you’re a card collector from way back or just began chasing foil opportunities, this massive set will be any completionist’s dream.
Even with scene cards, the story doesn’t stop there. In fact, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth lets you take the story into your own hands. Build your deck around Gollum, for instance, and get the One Ring back in the hands of your Halfling Horror. Turn the tables on Gandalf and wield the Balrog’s power. With the story in your hands, you’ll feel like you’re in Middle-earth, because you are Middle-earth.
This set isn’t just for experts - in either direction. Perhaps you’re a Magic: The Gathering fan that doesn’t know a Treent from a Nazgul. No worries. The world building is so clear and concise, you’ll discover a classic story to fall in love with while gaining powerful new cards to play across multiple formats; this set is even Modern legal!
Maybe even more likely, you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings who has never played Magic: The Gathering. No game could be better positioned to represent your most beloved franchise with meticulous detail, both in artwork and in flavorful mechanics. Magic knows how to tell stories through thoughtful mechanics, stunning artwork from top of the line artists, and flavor text that brings the whole world together. It may just be the one set to rule them all.
And if you don’t know how to play, that’s easily solvable. The Magic: The Gathering community is waiting for you to come to the table. Go to a local game shop for one of Wizards of the Coast’s events, like the launch parties for the release on June 23rd or the Magic Celebration Events the weekend of July 7th. Finding a gaming store couldn’t be easier. Go to https://locator.wizards.com/ and find your Fellowship.
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