New Horizons - Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is the new product from the Magic: the Gathering Universes Beyond series. It brings J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series to life in the form of cards, with the main objective of ensuring legality and playability in the Modern and Commander formats.

Many of the cards serve as improvements on existing staples or fresh new additions to pre-existing archetypes. While not all cards will become future auto-includes in specific decks, the set offers a wide variety of effects and play styles that cater to the interests of the vast majority of players.

In addition to the playability aspect, the set also offers ample content to satisfy collectors and speculators alike. From the highly sought-after One of One Ring and its increasing popularity in online bidding, to the assortment of meaningful box toppers, there is a wealth of cards that will continue to make waves in the coming weeks.

This set uses serialized cards more thematically, with varying print quantities. As a result, there’s been an escalation in the prices of Collector Boosters and boxes. These prices are likely to remain high until the resolution of the saga surrounding the One of One Ring, as finding an appropriate equilibrium point will take time.

Delighted Halfling

Delighted Halfling has sparked my enthusiasm and prompted a reassessment of my EDH decks. This card offers a combination of abilities comparable to Boreal Druid on an off day and Cavern of Souls on a good day. It's tempting to envision the optimal scenario where your commander's entrance onto the battlefield is an integral part of your combo and being able to accomplish this unhindered is crucial. Conversely, the modest colorless ramp provided by this one-drop, 1/2 creature is not to be dismissed.

During previews, card prices tend to be slightly inflated compared to their eventual value after the set release. While some cards may garner significant attention and maintain or even increase in value after release, this outcome is contingent upon the interplay of supply and demand. The regular art and extended art versions of Delighted Halfling are currently priced at $11.50, while the panorama version can be found in one out of six prerelease kits at $11.95. It’s possible that the price trend may experience a slight dip during the initial week of release. However, if the card finds its footing, it’s likely that the price of Delighted Halfling will continue to rise, potentially exceeding $15.

Delighted Halfling	CardKingdom $11.99	TCGPlayer $11.18
Delighted Halfling (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $12.99	TCGPlayer $11.88
Delighted Halfling (Borderless)	CardKingdom $12.99	TCGPlayer $13.17

Spiteful Banditry

Spiteful Banditry represents a toned-down iteration of The Meathook Massacre, tailored for a more restrained gameplay experience. Although these two cards share noticeable similarities in their roles and effects, there exists a significant disparity in their power level. The Meathook Massacre's impact and prevalence in the Standard meta led to its banning last October. Conversely, Spiteful Banditry seems to embody a deliberate reevaluation of card design, opting for a damage-dealing mechanic instead of the -x/-x effect and restricting the secondary ability to once per turn. These adjustments position Spiteful Banditry at a lower power tier, making it less potent during gameplay.

Upon further reflection, it becomes apparent that this card would have been excessively oppressive without these limitations in place. Employing a board wipe and subsequently gaining additional resources would have drastically swung the outcome of too many games.

Where Spiteful Banditry truly excels is in multiplayer formats like EDH, as opposed to more competitive one-on-one matchups. Its utility lies in providing a board wipe during the later stages of the game or a minor reset, along with the advantage of generating treasures in the early game. Certain situations may even favor the damage dealt by Spiteful Banditry, especially when paired with amplification effects such as the recently printed City on Fire, or if the Enrage mechanic makes a comeback in our return to Ixalan later this year.

Considering its current average price of $17, which is on a declining trend, Spiteful Banditry is poised to be acquired by many players who will experiment with it extensively in their decks.

Spiteful Banditry	CardKingdom $6.49	TCGPlayer $5.50
Spiteful Banditry (Borderless)	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $4.99

Samwise Gamgee

Samwise Gamgee is a great example of where flavor meets game design in the set. While being a well-designed card, Samwise is also a very balanced resource generator, providing us with food tokens for each creature entering the battlefield and returning historic spells from the graveyard to hand. It’s the first ability on Samwise that has generated a little bit of attention recently, and that spike back towards the $7 average earlier this month. The current speculation is to bring the Cat-Oven Combo from Pioneer into Modern assembling a new midrange deck.

Since the initial deck speculations, the price on Samwise has begun to come back down toward its earlier trajectory of $2. This trend is likely to continue until we hear about any new breakouts in the Modern metagame.

Samwise Gamgee	CardKingdom $2.49	TCGPlayer $2.10
Samwise Gamgee (Showcase)	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $1.00

The One Ring

No respectable article would be complete without revisiting The One Ring. Reflecting on our initial mention of it back in March, the price was $55, and it quickly surged to $90. However, in the past three weeks, the price has significantly corrected itself, currently averaging $30. Although this average is slightly higher than what we anticipate in the coming weeks, it’s noteworthy to compare The One Ring to Teferi's Protection in terms of their impact on your life total. After its release, we expect the median price for The One Ring to settle around $20, gradually increasing over time due to its limited reprinting potential compared to its phasing counterpart.

In the interim, other cards are also experiencing price corrections associated with the Ring. Mind Over Matter, for instance, witnessed a surge in March, reaching a peak of $98. However, as the initial wave of enthusiasm subsided, its price has since decreased, settling at an average of $60. While numerous Rings will be opened in the forthcoming weeks, it’s worth noting that only one of them has garnered attention for its unprecedented proposed price increases, with bidders even doubling their previous offers.

The One Ring	CardKingdom $64.99	TCGPlayer $63.99
The One Ring (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $74.99	TCGPlayer $67.62
The One Ring (Borderless)	CardKingdom $64.99	TCGPlayer $40.99

Conclusion

Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth has made a notable entry into the Universes Beyond line, strategically designed to engage both Modern and EDH players while expanding the hobby's appeal to a wider audience. With a well-executed advertising campaign and the inclusion of the serialized Ring as a thematic element, Wizards of the Coast has successfully attracted a fresh demographic. The warm reception and overall excitement surrounding Tales of Middle-earth demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating a different intellectual property into the game. This leaves us eagerly anticipating the future and what other exciting prospects may lie ahead.

Join me in the next installment of New Horizons as we delve into Commander: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.

Check out these other articles:

Over and Underhill - Tales of Middle-earth by Harvey McGuinness

Hidden Gems - Man! I Feel Like a Zombie! by Adam Berg

Modern Times - Tales of Middle-earth by Corey Williams