Spoiler season is officially here for Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and we are happy to share this preview card called Barrow-Blade!
Magic: The Gathering’s next expansion, Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is probably the most anticipated MTG product that will be releasing this year.
For those who just encountered this monumental crossover, this is Wizards of the Coast’s second outing for their “Universes Beyond” product line which aims to bridge popular franchises to Magic: The Gathering and integrate their well-loved game mechanics into other forms of media and pop-culture which, in this case, is J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved world of Middle-Earth and of course, the epic story of Lord of the Rings.
With that, here’s another preview card shared by our friends from Wizards of the Coast. A big thank you to them for sending this to UnGeek.
Take a look at Barrow-Blade.
Art by Alexander Mokhov
Barrow-Blade is an uncommon Artifact – Equipment that is efficiently costed at 1 colorless and 1 to equip. Aside from giving the equipped creature a +1/+1 boost, perhaps its best feature lies in the second paragraph of the card – “Whenever equipped creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, that creature loses all abilities until end of turn.” This will make creatures that have a lot of tricks and shenanigans up their sleeve think twice before declaring their blocks to an opponent.
Lore-wise, the Barrow-blades, which are also known as the Daggers of Westernesse, are weapons that belong from the Barrow-downs. In the books, these small swords (in the appropriately sized hands) were given by Tom Bombadil himself to the four main hobbits – Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin who were part of the Fellowship of the Ring.
The art by Alexander Mokhov is on point with the book’s description of the dagger.
“The Barrow-blades had long, leaf-shaped blades, which were damasked with serpent forms in red and gold. Fiery stones were set on the strange, yet light and strong, metal. The blades often gleamed and were considered to be of marvelous workmanship”
To anyone who is not familiar with Tom Bombadil, the character is considered like a god in the books who walks among the world’s inhabitants, sometimes even lending a helping hand to others like Merry and Pippin during the time they were trapped in the Old Forest.
It might be a personal preference but I’m glad that this expansion stood true to the books more than basing it on the likeness of the movies, taking nothing out of the latter of course. Both forms are awesome in their own right and the movie trilogy is something that I go back and watch at least once a year. Also, I just want to see all the new, amazing art!
For those interested in Magic: The Gathering’s latest expansion, here are all the relevant dates for those who are anticipating the game’s release.
- Debut: May 30
- Prerelease: June 16
- MTG Arena Release: June 20
- Tabletop Release: June 23
- Holiday Release (more details to come): November 3
Additionally, We also have a list of all the Lord of the Rings-related products for the set that can help you decide on what to get. I am personally keen on getting the Commander pre-constructed decks and a Jumpstart box to update my cube. Speaking of cube, I might also grab some of those regular draft booster packs to play with friends!
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.
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