(The One Ring | Veli Nyström)

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Not All Those Who Wander are Lost . . .

Hello everyone! My name is Travis Stanley, and I'm a writer over at Commander's Herald. I pen the article series called CUT. Today, we'll be looking at all of the artifacts and lands from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)! I've been an avid fan of the movies since they came out in theaters, and have watched them all a silly amount of times. Even though I still haven't read the books, I love The Lord of The Rings all the same. But enough about all that. There's a lot to cover, so let's see what artifacts and adventures await us!

Mythics

Andúril, Flame of the West

We start with the shattered blade, now forged back together: Andúril, Flame of the West is sharpened and ready to lead you to victory. Imparting +3/+1, having a lower equip cost, and the upside of potentially giving you Spirits on the attack makes this card very useful in any Equipment decks. Outside of dedicated Equipment decks, Isshin, Two Heavens as One can take advantage of Andúril's attacking trigger, and Kykar, Wind's Fury can use the Spirits it makes. For the ultimate flavor win, play Andúril with any of the Aragorn cards. Out of the four, my pick would be Aragorn and Arwen, Wed, as it benefits from attacking with the sword by gaining you life and growing the Spirits, but really, any Aragorn would be a great pick for this (check out the card art). In a bit of a pivot, Winota, Joiner of Forces jumped to mind, as she loves more ways to put non-Humans on the battlefield. There are multiple uses for the Flame of the West, so you should definitely try adding this sword to your arsenal.

Glamdring

Another legendary sword that lives up to its in-universe counterpart. In a spellslinger-style deck, this sword will easily make the equipped creature +4/+0 or more, add first strike on top of that, and then you're cooking with magic! First strike makes it so your opponents will most likely have bad blocks or will have to chump their creatures to make sure you can't cast free spells. Talrand, Sky Summoner, Ovika, Enigma Goliath, and Kalamax, the Stormsire would love to see this upgraded Runechanter's Pike as part of their 99. Now, like with Andúril, Glamdring would be most flavorfully at home in a Gandalf deck, and Gandalf the Grey seems the best choice. Being able to benefit off of the potential free casting of spells puts this Gandalf on the top of the list for me, but as with Andúril, Glamdring belongs in any and all Gandalf decks (it is his sword, after all).

The One Ring

A ring-bearer has a heavy burden placed upon their shoulders. The power of The One Ring in the lore of The Lord of the Rings is nigh immeasurable, corrupting even the purest of souls, has a mind of its own, and only desires to return to its creator, Sauron. Tapping the Ring draws you cards, but every time you do, it corrupts you and makes you lose more and more life. Its other ability, giving you protection for an entire turn cycle, is powerful; this provides you with a chance to remain untouched for a whole turn cycle, similar to Teferi's Protection, only at sorcery speed. The Ring itself has indestructible, so all the Vandalblasts in the world cannot take the precious from you. Queza, Augur of Agonies takes the Ring and runs with it, as she negates the life loss every time you draw cards from it. In fact, she hurts your opponents whenever the power of the Ring is used. Proliferate commanders, like Atraxa, Praetors' Voice and newcomer, Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos, could feed the power of the Ring and give it more counters to give you more cards when you tap it.

Palantír of Orthanc

Visions abound, but at a price. This is what the Palantír of Orthanc shows you. This card screams "graveyard decks" to me, being able to either draw a card or fill your graveyard are both terrific options for that archetype. A lot of commanders could benefit from self-mill, including Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, as she gives you Zombies. Araumi of the Dead Tide loves to bring back all the creatures, and Kroxa and Kunoros would love to have more fodder/targets for their ability. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord thrives off of more creatures in the graveyard, plus the more life your opponents lose throughout the game, the easier it is for him to Fling for the win. Palantír of Orthanc feels right at home in a big-spells deck, like Zaffai, Thunder Conductor, Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty, and the classic, Mayael the Anima. This can trap your opponents with a "damned if you do, and damned if you don't" scenario, as you'll either get a card in hand, or they'll most likely take a whack of damage.

Mount Doom

The land, the myth, the legend(ary), Mount Doom. As opposed to Frodo and Sam's journey, let's start at the top. First, you pay one life for mana, much like the lands from Modern Horizons. The next ability lets you pay three mana to deal one damage to each opponent. The last ability (and a big reason to play this card), is paying seven mana to sacrifice Mount Doom to protect up to two creatures and destroy all the rest. Having a wrath on a land card is extremely powerful, especially one that can save some of your creatures. Lord Windgrace decks, you have found a new staple. With Mount Doom being Rakdos, it fits into a lot of sacrifice-matters decks, like Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, Mahadi, Emporium Master, and any Partner pairing with Dargo, the Shipwrecker. Earlier, I did bemoan the second ability, but I gotta show love to decks like Tor Wauki the Younger, Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, and Florian, Voldaren Scion which benefit greatly from all of your opponents taking damage. All things considered, if you are running black and red, you should be running Mount Doom.

Rares

Horn of Gondor

I heard you like Humans, so I put some Humans on your Humans. If you couldn’t tell, Horn of Gondor is tailor-made for a Humans deck. You get a 1/1 Human Soldier when Horn of Gondor enters the battlefield, and then you can start paying three mana to double your Human count with more Human Soldiers! Aragorn, the Uniter, Éowyn, Shieldmaiden, Jirina Kudro, and Maja, Bretagard Protector, are very capable of producing an absurd amount of Humans, so the Horn of Gondor will find a good home with these fierce fighters. If your commander is Boromir, Gondor's Hope or Boromir, Warden of the Tower, you have an obligation to run this in the 99.

Horn of the Mark

Hey, Isshin, Two Heavens as One and Wulfgar of Icewind Dale, here’s a new artifact for you. Horn of the Mark plays really well with go-wide token decks, Elves, Goblins, Soldiers, generic token decks, you name it! Being able to dig five deep to look for more creatures is exactly what aggressive decks want to do. Ilharg, the Raze-Boar and Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded would love attacking and then refueling their hands with more creatures to attack with. This horn is almost too easy to trigger: only needing to attack with any two creatures is a small feat and pretty easy to accomplish. A card that comes to mind is Winota, Joiner of Forces. While you very much could play it with her, she wants the ability to cheat creatures into play, and them going to your hand may be a little too slow. If you want to be on the attack and have a bevy of creatures crowding your 99, Horn of the Mark will make a good fit.

Mithril Coat

Move over Darksteel Plate, Mithril Coat is my new best friend. Giving indestructible, while itself having indestructible, while also having flash? Man, the Dwarves really know how to make armor. Of course, any Equipment commander is always looking to suit up with something that gives indestructible, like Nahiri, Forged in Fury, Chishiro, the Shattered Blade, and Galea, Kindler of Hope. A brand new legendary creature that would thrive with this Mithril Coat would be Merry, Esquire of Rohan. Even though I just listed Equipment commanders, any commander that you need to safeguard would probably love to have another layer of protection. Cards like Djeru and Hazoret, Kaalia of the Vast, or Etali, Primal Conqueror, could make the most happen while wearing Mithril Coat.

Phial of Galadriel

In the ever-evolving design space that is the three-mana “tap for any color” mana rock, we have Phial of Galadriel. Having the ability to get you an extra card when you’re empty-handed, and double-the-life when you have five or less is good to have when you are in dire straits. Being a legendary card isn’t irrelevant either; Kethis, the Hidden Hand, Reki, the History of Kamigawa, and ”both” ”Sisays”, would benefit in many ways from having this in their 99. One cool interaction of note: when you wheel, you'll get an extra card out of the deal, so a commander like Arjun, the Shifting Flame will draw you an extra card every time he triggers. A commander that doesn’t see much play, Evra, Halcyon Witness, has another fun interaction with the Phial. When you switch your life total with Evra, your life will go down to four, and when you switch back, whatever Evra’s power was (minus the four from your life) will be doubled when it switches back to you, as the game sees you gaining that much life. If you were able to make infinite mana, you could also gain infinite life with this little trick. As far as three-mana mana rocks go, Phial of Galadriel is definitely one of the best.

Sting, the Glinting Dagger

Flavor-wise, Sting, the Glinting Dagger, is designed beautifully. Giving the equipped creature haste and +1/+1 makes sense as Sting is an agile and quick weapon. Sting glows whenever Orcs or Goblins are near, so untapping during each upkeep and gaining first strike against Orcs or Goblins fits thematically. Most of the time, though, Sting, the Glinting Dagger is going to be played for its first two abilities. Giving a creature pseudo-vigilance and +1/+1 plus haste is a good time for any Equipment commander. King Macar, the Gold-Cursed could use Sting and any Vehicle to start exiling your opponents' creatures every single turn! Speaking of gold, Magda, Brazen Outlaw now has another avenue to get more Treasures. As is the theme of this review, the most flavorful pairing for Sting would be with either Frodo or Bilbo. Frodo, Determined Hero and Sting fit (excuse the pun) hand-in-hand, while Bilbo, Retired Burglar makes the best pick out of the two Bilbos available. Sting, the Glinting Dagger may be small, but in the right hands, it can pack quite a punch.

Bilbo's Ring (Starter Deck Exclusive)

What does every good burglar need? An escape plan. A guaranteed hit by anything equipped, plus card draw makes for a strong Equipment. As of LTR, there are 44 different Halflings in Magic, so that equip 1 ability can matter if you build around it. Bilbo, Retired Burglar and Frodo, Sauron's Bane are Halfling (read: Hobbit) commanders that should definitely be running Bilbo's Ring. Some fun options to play this with: Gishath, Sun's Avatar, Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni, Marisi, Breaker of the Coil, and of course, Phage the Untouchable. Comparing this to Whispersilk Cloak, the equip cost is two more, but you get conditional hexproof, the ability to have an unblockable creature, and you draw a card. That's definitely worth the two extra mana.

Minas Tirith

The sight of one of the most epic battles in cinematic history, Minas Tirith has a lot behind the name. How does it stack up? It comes in tapped unless you control a legendary creature, which will be the same for the cycle of rare lands. Having that means that you need to play your commander (or another legend) before you get this land, or hope that it’s in your opening hand so it doesn’t slow you down too much. Once it’s up and good to go, it produces white mana, or you can pay two mana and draw a card if you’ve attacked with at least two creatures this turn. Myrel, Shield of Argive, Nadaar, Selfless Paladin, or Zeriam, Golden Wind are good places for Minas Tirith. Any token deck playing white could easily meet the condition to draw a card. Having it be limited to your turn is a bit of a bummer, but card draw is card draw.

Rivendell

Ah, Rivendell, the home of the Elves. The blue mana land of this legendary land cycle, Rivendell has the same text that all the others do about requiring a legendary creature. Its activated ability lets you scry 2 if you control a legendary creature, and with the number of legendary creatures running around, this won’t be hard to pull off. As opposed to Minas Tirith, you can actually do this at instant speed. In LTR, we got a boatload of Elves that care about scrying, and most of them can play this land. Arwen Undómiel, Elrond, Master of Healing, Galadriel of Lothlórien, and Legolas, Counter of Kills all pair up well with Rivendell. We've all seen people, or even ourselves pay four mana to scry 2. Rivendell is half that, and all it requires is a legendary creature. It's a task that is very much easier done than said.

Barad-dûr

Barad-dûr, Sauron’s base of operations, the center of his evil magic. Requiring a legendary creature to immediately have an impact makes this a little slower, but does its activated ability make up for it? Short answer, no. Slightly longer answer: having a double X cost means you get half of what you put in, which isn’t always bad, but in this case you have to put in three mana to get a 1/1, or put another +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. In terms of mana efficiency, this ain't it. On top of that steep cost, something has to have died that turn, which isn’t the hardest condition to meet, but it takes a little setting up. Of course, if your deck is Meren of Clan Nel Toth, Syr Konrad, the Grim, or Slimefoot and Squee, Barad-dûr can keep supplying you with the sacrifice fodder you need to succeed.

Mines of Moria

Buried below the Misty Mountains lies the Mines of Moria, an ancient Dwarven kingdom. Marching on with this new land cycle; besides needing a legendary creature in order for this to enter untapped, its activated ability doesn’t require any creatures at all! Turning your trash into literal Treasure: it turns four mana and three cards from your graveyard into two Treasures. A bit of a steep price, but it is repeatable so long as you have cards in your graveyard to spare. A previously mentioned Dwarf, Magda, Brazen Outlaw, would be happy to see another Treasure-producer amongst her ranks. Speaking of Dwarves, Glóin, Dwarf Emissary has to have this card in his deck for all the flavor. You know who else likes shiny Treasures? Jolene, the Plunder Queen.

The Shire

How fitting we end the land cycle with one of more peaceful places on Middle-earth, The Shire. Taking the wagon into the rolling hills and lush grass, the ability on this card very much embodies the Hobbits. By paying two mana and tapping another creature you control, you make a Food token. It’s that simple. Speaking of Hobbits (I mean Halflings), there’s a number of them that fit quite nicely with The Shire. Elanor Gardner, Peregrin Took, Pippin, Warden of Isengard, Samwise Gamgee, Sam, Loyal Attendant, and yes, technically two characters have two cards. Another denizen of the multiverse who would enjoy having a little more Shire in their life would be Gyome, Master Chef. Take a load off, have a bite to eat, and welcome to The Shire.

Uncommons & Commons

Inherited Envelope

Very tempting. But...

Keep it secret, keep it safe!

Mirror of Galadriel

All the Mirror of Galadriel requires you to have is five legendary creatures, which is a lot easier than it sounds. There are many legends-matter decks that could use this to help draw cards, like Cadric, Soul Kindler, Shanid, Sleepers' Scourge, and from a newish Secret Lair, Doric, Nature's Warden. A low-cost artifact that has a high ceiling, Mirror of Galadriel will be a great budget option for decks that need help drawing cards.

Stone of Erech

Did someone order a complete hose for graveyard decks? Ouch. I almost feel bad for those graveyard players when this hits the battlefield. With a cost of only one mana, this artifact did not come to play. It means business. Its activated ability of sacrificing itself, exiling an opponent's graveyard, and drawing you a card is everything Relic of Progenitus wants to be. Watch out for Lavinia, Azorius Renegade- and Grand Arbiter Augustin IV-style lockdown decks, as this is another great piece to mitigate the graveyard shenanigans. Do you run Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, or Soul-Guide Lantern? Then you should definitely run Stone of Erech.

Wizard's Rockets

A very explosive Chromatic Star, Wizard's Rockets seems like a great addition to any deck running said Star. Albeit a bit slower, Wizard's Rockets doesn't need to go off right away. It's better to place them down and then explode them when the time is right. A fun piece to add to the ever-growing trinket collections that are Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy decks, as Kinnan will double whatever you put into the X. Costing only one mana means it's rife to be used and reused many times in artifact decks; the clause that makes it "fair" is that it will always come in tapped. And of course, please be careful when operating these, as they've been known to be quite explosive.

Great Hall of the Citadel

This is a great utility land for casting your commander, or any legendary card, for that matter. Jodah, the Unifier, Dihada, Binder of Wills, or Cadric, Soul Kindler should all throw this land into their 99. Helping to fix mana for spells like Primevals' Glorious Rebirth is definitely a big upside. Aside from decks where legends matter, Great Hall of the Citadel loses a lot of upsides. Of course, it’s always nice to have to mana to cast commanders like Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit, Arwen Undómiel, or Samwise Gamgee, regardless of what other land you have.

Shire Terrace

I bet you could get an excellent panoramic picture from this Shire Terrace. Speaking of panoramas, this is comparable to the Panorama cycle. If you're playing decks with the Panoramas, swap them out for this (or play this alongside them, I’m not the boss of you). Shire Terrace is a strict upgrade of those lands, allowing you to get any basic land card in your deck and not be limited to a choice of three like those are. Decks that would want this are your typical Landfall decks, like The Gitrog Monster, Omnath, Locus of Rage, Omnath, Locus of the Roil, ”Creation”, and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait.

The Grey Havens

Immediately coming down and gaining you value, The Grey Havens has my pick for best uncommon/common land out of the three. It enters the battlefield untapped, can tap for colorless mana, it’s legendary (which cards like Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful care about), and its other ability lets you add colored mana depending on the legendary creatures in your graveyard. The first commander that comes to mind is Kethis, the Hidden Hand, as he wants you to put legendary permanents into the graveyard. Ratadrabik of Urborg will end up putting lots of legendary creatures into the graveyard, so The Grey Havens will find a home there for sure. Like with Great Hall of the Citadel, The Grey Havens makes the most of itself in a deck dedicated to legendary creatures. Shanid, Sleepers' Scourge, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain, Esika, God of the Tree, and many more can fit this description.

What a delightful adventure that was! I hope you didn't lose anything because we're probably not going back. Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth seems like a jam-packed set full of powerful creatures, spells, and artifacts. What's your favorite artifact or land from the set? Thanks for reading, and if you haven't done so already, go and check out all of the other reviews here and on Commander's Herald using the links at the top of the article as new reviews are published. Until next time, take care and enjoy your adventures in Middle-earth!

Travis Stanley

Travis is an improviser, actor, writer, and all-around nerd hailing from Victoria, BC. Commander/EDH was the way he was taught to play Magic, and he has loved it ever since. Funnily enough, his origin with Magic: the Gathering was with the set Magic Origins. Outside of Magic, Travis loves watching the NFL, playing all sorts of TTRPGs, and watching too much anime.