In its latest venture into otherworldly franchises, Wizards of the Coast has crafted a Magic: The Gathering collection that uniquely captures the essence of The Lord of the Rings. The card set titled The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is a complete set featuring pre-constructed Commander decks, Collector's Boosters, Starter Kits, and more. It was a tremendous undertaking from the Magic: The Gathering team, and it is soon available for players to indulge in.
The card set is inspired by the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in its entirety with unique cards in the hundreds. This means that much of the realm of Middle-earth has been immortalized in a unique form in Tales of the Middle-earth. There is, however, one part of the lore that gets much more focus than any other. That is of course the Fellowship, lead by heroic yet vulnerable characters. The key figures are featured in the set in various ways from Legendary Creature cards portraying their hardest struggles and heroism to funny cultural quips in token cards and heroic deeds in instant and sorcery cards. Even characters often overshadowed in various adaptations of The Lord of the Rings find their moment in the spotlight.
The Champions of the Fellowship
The Fellowship of the Ring is given special emphasis in this new The Lord of the Rings card set, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast. All principal characters, encompassing figures like Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Legolas, have found their places in this fresh and innovative take on the classic. Not only are some of these key characters portrayed in Legendary Creature cards, which there are of course many, but some of them appear in two different variations. These include the likes of Samwise Gamgee and Sam, Loyal Attendant or Meriadoc Brandybuck and Merry, Esquire of Rohan.
These character cards are not mere copies either, they are original creations inspired by the timeless novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. The team at Wizards of the Coast has created original artwork that gives these beloved characters new identities. In addition to featuring two versions of the same creature, some cards also feature different variations of the artwork. These are meant to highlight the diversity of the characters' stories. Samwise Gamgee is seen reading to the children but also staring into the Mirror of Galadriel, and Boromir, Warden of the Tower is portrayed as both a heroic protector of the hobbits and weakened by the temptation of the Ring.
The card set isn't only about the Fellowship, though. It also incorporates characters often overlooked in other The Lord of the Rings adaptations, like Tom Bombadil through card Bombadil's Song. Furthermore, other cards have taken interesting liberties in terms of describing the lore, like Aragorn, presented in two card forms, or Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant.
Fellowship Across the Set
Spanning across the card set, the theme of the Fellowship pervades many cards, from the basic lands to the array of Legendary Creature cards. Each basic land card captures the Fellowship at different locales. Gandalf is on his white horse on the Plains card, the Mountain card offers a vista of the Fellowship traversing the Misty Mountains, while the Swamp card features Frodo, Sam, and Gollum in the eerie Dead Marshes.
In terms of gameplay, the presence of key characters in the form of Legendary Creature cards allows for exciting Commander play. Players have an arsenal of Commander cards to lead their forces into battle. There is a particular emphasis on hobbits within the set. The hobbit-themed Commander deck, Frodo and Fellowship, is led by none other than Frodo himself. This deck employs the partner mechanic, with a notable pair being Frodo and Sam. This duo shares a synergy where Sam produces food tokens to bolster Frodo. A lighthearted thematic connection is used to add to the strategic part of the game.
The hobbit deck utilizes the food mechanic as a central theme, featuring cards like the two instants, Stew the Coneys and Second Breakfast. These cards, while dealing damage or offering a temporary stat boost, also create food tokens. The Food token artifacts perfectly encapsulate the hobbits' love for food, which can be sacrificed for health. If that isn't enough, Wizards of the Coast have even made the beloved Bill the Pony a Legendary Creature.
Magic: The Gathering The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth launches on June 23.