Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast and IGN – see the first official card previews from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, Magic: The Gathering’s next big expansion based on their “Universes Beyond” product line.
Check out the first card below which is none other than The One Ring.
The One Ring is a 4 to cast Legendary Artifact that grants the caster protection from everything until your next turn. Its second ability is even better because it lets you draw a card (which is the best feeling in MTG). Pretty neat trick if you ask me but, like the famous lore bound to the jewelry, it comes with a cost in the form of burden counters.
You see, the more you use the ring, the burden counters stack and during your upkeep, you literally pay the price coming from your own life resource! I’m sure players can find some cool shenanigans with this card… Like bouncing it repeatedly, perhaps?
The second card previewed is probably the most famous wizard that ever graced mainstream pop-culture (no, not Harry Potter!).
Gandalf the Grey sports the Izzet colors (Blue and Red) with an ability that let’s you choose from 4 options whenever you cast an instant and sorcery spell, with the last ability having Gandalf returning to the top of the library. Pretty thematic if you ask me because, just like in the books, you know that the old wizard never stays in one place… But he always arrives precisely when he means to.
The next preview cards are a cool new take on basic lands which highlight a part of Middle-Earth’s map. So yeah, you can really expect Mordor to be put as black (swamp) and The Shire as a Plains card.
The highly-anticipated Universes Beyond set, Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will be Modern-legal and will both release in tangible, collectible-card format and digital in Magic: The Gathering Arena.
Here’s some relevant dates for those who are anticipating the game’s release.
- First Look: March 14
- Debut: May 30
- Prerelease: June 16
- MTG Arena Release: June 20
- Tabletop Release: June 23
- Holiday Release (more details to come): November 3
More spoilers soon as we get a closer look at some cards to be spoiled in their upcoming livestream on March 14 at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT. You can check it out on their Twitch and YouTube channels or just click the link below:
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth releases officially at your friendly local game stores on June 23, 2023. Check out this store locator to find a gaming area near you.
Related:
Middle-Earth is crossing over to Magic: The Gathering on June 23
Magic: The Gathering expands its realms with Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40k
Lord of the Rings x Magic: The Gathering set will be a full, draftable expansion