Surrounded by Orcs
Tracked across real Commander games played through TurnZero HQ.
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What it does
Amass Orcs 3, then target player mills X cards, where X is the amassed Army's power. (To amass Orcs 3, put three +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)
Rulings
7 official rulings, in the order Wizards published them.
- 2023-06-16
In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
- 2023-06-16
To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
- 2023-06-16
If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
- 2023-06-16
Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
- 2023-06-16
Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. If the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
- 2023-06-16
Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
- 2023-06-16
Amass abilities are now written as "amass [subtype] N." Previous cards with amass have received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
Rulings are Wizards of the Coast's own, mirrored from Scryfall and refreshed nightly.
In the 99
Every deck whose current list includes Surrounded by Orcs, whatever its commander.
Most played under
| Commander | Decks | Games | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zellix, Sanity Flayer | 2 | 0 | — |
Colors it shows up in
- Mono-Blue 2 decks
Surrounded by Orcs price history
The The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth #73 printing, as Scryfall reports the TCGplayer market. Updated nightly. Click any version below to chart its price.
Every recorded price change
| Date | Non-foil | Foil |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2026 | $0.19 | $0.27 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | $0.18 | $0.26 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | $0.19 | $0.26 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | $0.17 | $0.27 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | $0.15 | $0.27 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | $0.14 | $0.28 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | $0.14 | $0.27 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | $0.15 | $0.27 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | $0.15 | $0.28 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | $0.16 | $0.28 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $0.15 | $0.28 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | $0.16 | $0.27 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | $0.18 | $0.27 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | $0.17 | $0.27 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | $0.16 | $0.26 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | $0.17 | $0.26 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $0.16 | $0.26 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $0.17 | $0.26 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $0.18 | $0.26 |
A row is recorded only on nights the price moved, so each price held until the row above it.
Every version of Surrounded by Orcs
2 printings, newest first. Prices are the market figures Scryfall publishes, refreshed nightly. A printing with no figure shows a dash rather than a zero, because Scryfall publishes none for some of them. Click a card's art to chart that version's price above.
Showcase
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Normal
- $0.38
- Foil
- $0.46
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Normal
- $0.19
- Foil
- $0.27
Prices from Scryfall, which tracks the TCGplayer and Cardmarket markets. They move daily and are a guide rather than a quote. Search TCGplayer for Surrounded by Orcs. It runs a name search across every version, which covers the printings TCGplayer publishes no direct link to.
Aggregated from Commander games tracked in TurnZero HQ. Every figure counts decks and games only. No individual deck list, player or playgroup is identified. Win rates are withheld below 5 completed games, where the sample is too small to mean anything.
