Tabletop fans can now summon Frodo, Sauron, and the Fellowship of the Ring thanks to this upcoming Magic The Gathering crossover with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth is the eighth IP to be part of Magic The Gathering‘s ‘Universes Beyond’ collection, following last year’s release of Warhammer 40K and Transformers. According to the official website, this Middle Earth lineup will consist of a variety of booster packs, commander decks, a starter deck, and bundles. Not to mention, the set will also have its own pre-release event that’s more likely to happen a week before the product’s official launch.
It’s currently unknown what the cards will look like, who exactly will be featured, or what sort of mechanics would be involved. Fortunately, MTG artist Dmitry Burmak shared an image of what could potentially be the official art for the Gandalf card on social media back in 2021.
According to a 2022 announcement video, this set will mainly feature the original trilogy and will be telling the original story through a variety of cards featuring key characters, items, and Middle Earth’s history.
This upcoming Lord of the Rings collaboration currently has the most products released in a Universes Beyond set by far. Previous collaborations from other IPs usually come through ‘Secret Lair’ drops, exclusive sets that were available for a limited time, and collector cards that could be found in Magic’s main set. This is perhaps due to how big The Lord of the Rings is and could be an opportunity to entice new players to the game.
The Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth set is now available for pre-order and will be released on June 23, 2023.