Magic's first trip to Middle-earth
Tales of Middle-earth is the Universes Beyond set that went straight to Modern rather than Standard. Like Assassin's Creed the following year, it predates the Aligning the Universes policy that made later crossover sets Standard-legal.
Its mechanical contribution is the Ring, which is unusual in that it is not a card. The first time the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem, and each subsequent temptation adds another ability to it and asks you to name a Ring-bearer. The emblem persists, so the set's central mechanic is a resource that only ever grows.
Themes
The Ring tempts you
The first time it happens you get an emblem named The Ring with one ability. Each later temptation unlocks the next of its four abilities. The emblem is not a permanent, so it cannot be removed, which is what makes repeated temptation so strong.
Ring-bearer
Each time the Ring tempts you, you choose a creature you control as your Ring-bearer. The emblem's abilities apply to whichever creature currently holds the role, and you can only have one at a time.
Amass Orc Army
Put counters on an Army you control, or make a 0/0 black Orc Army token first if you have none. Reflavoured from War of the Spark's Zombies, and the reason the Mordor decks can build one large body out of many small triggers.
Food
Artifact tokens you sacrifice and pay two mana to gain three life. A natural fit for the hobbits, and the set uses them as a build-around rather than incidental lifegain.
Where You Can Play It
Tales of Middle-earth went straight to Modern rather than Standard. It predates the Aligning the Universes policy that made later Universes Beyond sets Standard-legal, so no code here was ever Standard- or Pioneer-legal.
Standard was never in play for this set, so the February 2027 rotation doesn't touch it. Nothing here rotates out of Modern, Legacy, Vintage or Commander. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Limited
A full ten-pair format organised around Middle-earth's factions, with the Ring available to every deck rather than fenced into a colour pair.
All ten two-colour pairs
Full ten-pair format
The factions map onto the pairs: hobbits and Food in the green-white end, Mordor and amass in black-red, and the Ring itself turning up across all of them because temptation is not colour-restricted.
Commander
One per faction, and the format many players met the set through.
Riders of Rohan
Eowyn, Shieldmaiden
Aggressive human and horse tribal.
Elven Council
Galadriel of Lothlorien
Elves and the set's blue-green value engine.
Food and Fellowship
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit
Hobbits, Food and the Ring.
The Hosts of Mordor
Sauron, Lord of the Rings
Amass, Orcs and going tall with one enormous Army.
Building one of these into something of your own? The precon buying guide covers how to judge a deck, and the Commander deck template is the shape to build toward.
FAQ
No. LTR went straight to Modern rather than Standard, because it predates the Aligning the Universes policy that made later Universes Beyond sets Standard-legal. Its cards are legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander.
The first time the Ring tempts you in a game, you get an emblem named The Ring with the first of its four abilities. Each later temptation unlocks the next one. The emblem is not a permanent, so it cannot be removed.
Each time the Ring tempts you, you choose a creature you control to be your Ring-bearer. The emblem's abilities apply to whichever creature currently holds the role, and you can only have one at a time.
June 23, 2023, with prerelease events from June 16, under the set codes LTR and LTC.
Four: Riders of Rohan, Elven Council, Food and Fellowship, and The Hosts of Mordor.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth released on Jun 23, 2023; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.
Create Free Account