Wizards of the Coast has designed four Magic: The Gathering preconstructed Commander decks for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, previewing the four face commanders of each Precon on May 30.
Unlike Universes Beyond sets like Doctor Who and Warhammer 40,000, WotC designed an entire Modern-legal set around The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR). Included within the full set are four Commander Precon decks.
- Riders of Rohan: URW
- Food and Fellowship: WBG
- Elven Council: GU
- The Hosts of Mordor: UBR
All MTG Commander face commanders of LTR Precon decks
Each LTR Commander Precon contains 20 new MTG cards, two guaranteed Mythic Rare cards, and a collector booster sample pack. Themes of the four preconstructed Commander decks range from aggressive to political, with all the villains from Lord of the Rings packed into The Hosts of Mordor Precon.
Related: All Legendary Lord of the Rings characters in Universes Beyond MTG set
Éowyn, Shieldmaiden—Riders of Rohan LTR Commander Precon
The Riders of Rohan preconstructed Commander deck features characters from Gondor and Rohan within Middle-earth. It is a go-wide build that may reference Forth Eorlingas! through a card like an Enchantment or Sorcery. The battle cry is a call to action within the Lord of the Rings lore for the people of Rohan.
- Mana cost: 2URW
- Type: Legendary Creature—Human Knight
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 5/4
- Keyword: First Strike
- Ability: At the beginning of combat on your turn, if another Human creature type entered the battlefield under your control this turn, create two 2/2 Red human knight creature tokens with Trample and Haste. Then if you control six or more humans, draw a card.
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit—Food and Fellowship LTR Commander Precon
Tapping into food and fellowship hobbit themes from Lord of the Rings lore, Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit can Partner with Sam, Loyal Attendant. And many of the Shire-folk, animals, and spells within the LTR set produce Food tokens, which also synergize with Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit to trigger his Ring to tempt your ability.
Through the partnership with Sam, Food tokens are created and Frodo gains advantage through card draw as the Ring-bearer.
- Mana cost: WB
- Type: Legendary Creature—Halfling Scout
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 1/3
- Keyword: Vigilance
- Partner: Sam, Loyal Attendant
- Ability: Whenever Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit attacks, if you gained three or more life this turn, the Ring tempts you. Then if Frodo is your Ring-bearer and the Ring has tempted you two or more times this game, draw a card.
Galadriel, Elven-Queen—Elven Council LTR Commander Precon
Politics are a mechanic within the MTG Commander format, with Galadriel, Elven-Queen introducing Will of the council within the LTR Elven Council preconstructed deck. Typical of Elven councils, but perhaps not so much for Galadriel, a vote is presented to all players within the Commander pod.
Typical of Galadriel, no matter how the vote turns out, you as the controller gain some form of advantage over your opponents.
- Mana cost: 2GU
- Type: Legendary Creature—Elf Noble
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 4/5
- Will of the council: At the beginning of combat on your turn, if another elf entered the battlefield under your control this turn, starting with you, each player votes for Dominion or Guidance. If Dominion gets more votes, the Ring tempts you, then you put a +1/+1 counter on your Ring-bearer. If Guidance gets more votes or the vote is tied, draw a card.
Sauron, Lord of the Rings—The Hosts of Mordor LTR Commander Precon
Reanimation is a major theme within The Hosts of Mordor preconstructed Commander deck, commanded by Sauron, Lord of the Rings. The Avatar horror costs eight mana to cast and has 9/9 stats.
- Mana cost: 5UBR
- Type: Legendary Creature—Avatar Horror
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 9/9
- Keyword: Trample
- Cast ability: When you cast this spell, Amass Orcs five, mill five cards, then return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- Second ability: Whenever a commander an opponent controls dies, the Ring tempts you.
The digital launch of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth is scheduled for June 20, while the global tabletop release will take place on June 23.
