For the next set in its Universes Beyond series, Magic: The Gathering melds with the epic world of The Lord of the Rings. I would say that this is the game’s most significant collaboration to date and will bring countless new eyes to MTG. That said, sets like this always raise a number of questions – Today we answer those questions.
Everything from what formats the set will be legal in, which products will be available, what cards, mechanics, and characters are we likely to see printed, and more we will be covered. So, if you’ve got questions, I’ve got your back. Without further ado, let’s get started.
One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
The Lord of the Rings
Key Dates
As of now, we don’t have an exact date. However, we do know that the set will release in Q3 (midyear) of 2023. If I had to guess, I would say a July release would be practical.
Related: MTG 2023 Release Schedule
Storyline
What we know for sure about the storyline is what you might expect from an MTG/LOTR set. It’s based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels – The storyline revolves around Sauron, The Rings of Power, and the Hobbits’ quest to destroy The One Ring.
If you’re familiar with The Lord of the Rings, you probably followed all that pretty well. If you’re unfamiliar with the series somehow, here’s a synopsis:
An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist of fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it.
The Lord of the Rings – imdb.com
New Card Treatments And The Bigger Picture
The set will introduce a few new card treatments such as borderless, textless, art cards that when placed in order fit together like a puzzle. Once completed, they create iconic scenes from the books. The one below depicts the Battle of the Pelennor Fields which took place outside of Minas Tirith. This particular one is formed from 18 separate cards.
We’ll update this post as more of the images from the art cards become available.
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Spoilers
LOTR: Commander Spoilers
Format Legality
Being a Universes Beyond set means that it will not be legal in Standard. However, it will be legal in Historic, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander. It is also Draftable.
Available Products
There isn’t a lot of information on this particular subject yet. However, I do know one thing for sure – The set will have Draft Boosters and is designed to be Drafted. I would imagine that there will be Collector Boosters as well, but this isn’t certain. Here’s a list of what we know for sure.
- Draft Boosters
- A Secret Lair Drop
- Four Commander Precons
Commander Precons
I’m beyond stoked that we get Commander Precons for this crossover. That said, a few of us here at Bluemonkey have been taking some guesses as to what these might be.
| Commander | Colors | Theme | Strategy |
| Aragorn | Blue, White, Red | Rallying the human army | Human Tribal |
| Frodo/ Samwise Partner Commanders | Green, White | The Fellowship | Hobbit Tribal, Tokens, Party |
| Sauron | Black, Red | Sauron’s Army | Orc Tribal, Aristocrats, Artifacts |
| Gollum/Sméagol | Red, Green or Red, White | Corruption by the Ring | Equipment |
End Step
I’m a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkein and I can’t wait to start seeing some Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Spoilers. Be sure to check back when more information is available to get your LOTR and MTG fix. Until then, dust off your copies of these classic books and reread them in preparation for this release.
