https://www.thegamer.com Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more. Wed, 02 Aug 2023 01:26:19 GMT en-US hourly 60 Over a month after having been found, it seems as though Magic: The Gathering's mega-rare and extremely valuable The One Ring card has finally been sold by its owner. It was thought that the owner was potentially listening to offers on the table, hence such a long wait for the card to be sold off, but a new video on TikTok has shown Magic: The Gathering fan Post Malone purchasing the card for an undisclosed fee.

]]> Wed, 02 Aug 2023 01:26:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-the-one-ring-sold-post-malone/ Magic: The Gathering’s Selesnya colors, green and white, aren’t just about life--it’s about organized life. It’s about revering nature and all things it produces but as caretakers. As such, Selesnya will share green’s propensity for casting lots and lots of creatures, but it’ll also still have white’s ability to clear the board when its opponents don’t follow Selesnya’s carefully orchestrated plan.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 19:45:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-green-white-selesnya-commander-staples-guide/ Slivers are one of the most prominent, aesthetically consistent and divisive creature types in Magic: The Gathering. There are just as many Sliver-lovers as self-proclaimed Sliver-haters, and with each new wave of support there's an influx of new Sliver decks waiting to dredge up past feelings of admiration or disgust. The Hivemind carries on, unthinking, unfeeling, ever-consuming.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 16:01:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-sliver-abilities-want-to-see/ When it comes to support for different creature types, the Magic: The Gathering gods don’t deal out their favor equally. Some types, like Goblins and Elves, have an absurdly deep card pool, while others, like the humble Snake, have more of a card puddle. Interestingly, this lack of love from up above makes such creature types even more appealing to fans, leading to a dedicated Snake niche within the Magic community.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-snake-type-commander/ Masters sets tend to craft some of the most amped Limited environments a Magic: The Gathering set can produce. There's demand on these sets to reprint powerful, staple cards for various formats, which in turn means including cards above the average expected power threshold of normal Limited sets. It follows that the combos and card interactions are equally strong when they come together in a draft.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-best-combos/ Masters sets are some of the most powerful Magic: The Gathering sets around. Full of reprints of all kinds of staples and powerhouses, shockingly we've gone this long without getting one specific for the game's most popular format, Commander.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:39:24 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-visual-spoiler-every-card/ If there’s one thing you’d expect to remain the same in Magic: The Gathering it would be the size of the cards. While generally speaking, the size of the cards has remained consistent over the years, there has been some deviation from the norm.

]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-card-size-how-big/ More Universe Beyond collaborations are coming to Magic: The Gathering in the near future, taking players to all sorts of new worlds and adventures. Previously, Magic’s Universe Beyond crossovers have taken players to Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, the martial arts-filled world of Street Fighter, and even the undead nightmare of The Walking Dead.

]]> Mon, 31 Jul 2023 19:31:23 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-every-upcoming-universes-beyond-crossover/ Commander Masters is an all-reprint set aimed to reprint cards from Magic: The Gathering's immensely popular Commander format. The set features cards from all throughout Magic's history, with powerful cards and much-needed reprints all available in the set. Commander Masters comes with plenty of cards that support multiple archetypes to give them access to some of their strongest cards.

]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2023 08:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-black-cards-commander-masters/ Creature tokens have been a part of Magic: The Gathering since the very beginning, with Richard Garfield introducing the type to enable the Wasp-spawning antics of The Hive back in Alpha. Since then they’ve grown in both quality and quantity, appearing regularly in new sets and typically playing a role in key archetypes, be they typal strategies or Aristocrats builds.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 20:46:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-best-creature-tokens/ You bought your TCG deck and are starting to build your collection; now, it is time to start looking at where you will put that deck, and what better choice than a stylish deck box? Choosing the correct deck box is essential since some are made to support sleeved cards while others keep in mind that some decks go over one hundred cards.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 20:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tcg-deck-box/ Commander Masters is a Masters set that instead of reprints focusing on multiple formats, focuses exclusively on cards meant for Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. The set features plenty of strong cards from throughout Magic's history. It also included plenty of welcome reprints, with blue receiving some of the best ones.

]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2023 08:00:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-edh-best-blue-cards-commander-masters/ Wizards of the Coast has given us our best look yet at the final three Magic: The Gathering releases of 2023, with extended previews for Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and Universes Beyond: Doctor Who.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:23:28 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-magiccon-barcelona-eldraine-doctor-who-ixalan-previews-reveal/ Commander Masters probably holds the record for most colour-fixing cards in any one Magic: The Gathering product, and includes a huge number of multicoloured cards to leverage that, but it embraces the less vivid end of the spectrum just as tightly. From unassuming artifacts to Eldrazi titans, grey gets its day in the sun in this set.

]]> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:31:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-best-colorless-cards/ Planeswalker Party is one of the four pre-constructed decks released alongside the main Commander Masters set in Magic: The Gathering. Planeswalker Party is built around the "Superfriends" archetype - a Commander theme that is focused on the planeswalker creature type.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:15:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-planeswalker-party-precon-budget-upgrades/ Slivers are back on the menu. Commander Masters' Sliver Swarm preconstructed deck will offer newcomers to Magic: The Gathering a quick and easy way to grab one of Commander's most venerable strategies. Slivers get bigger and badder with every Sliver played as they all share their abilities with each other. Amass a big enough army and you'll become unstoppable.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:15:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-sliver-swarm-precon-budget-upgrade-guide/ As the name suggests, Commander Masters is a set-sized celebration of Magic: The Gathering's most popular format. Featuring an eye-watering 400 cards, many of which are storied staples on the Commander table, the setlist reads like the longest greatest hits album in history.

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-best-commanders/ Planeswalker Party is one of the four pre-constructed Commander decks released alongside the main Commander Masters set in Magic: The Gathering. As the name implies, the deck is built around a planeswalker theme, often referred to as "Superfriends."

]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-planeswalker-party-precon-commander-masters-most-valuable/ Unlike most Masters sets, Commander Masters also include pre-constructed Commander decks for new players to play. The decks feature new cards to Magic: The Gathering and a plethora of reprints from throughout the game's history. The decks all have a fair share of powerful cards of varying values in them.

]]> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 18:30:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-enduring-enchantments-commander-masters-precon-most-valuable/ 2023 has multiple TCG games to get into, from MTG to Yu-Gi-Oh and even Digimon! You got your cards, your sleeves, so what are you missing? A playmat to put on the table to both protect your sleeves and showcase unique artwork that goes with your taste. Your playmat can inspire you to play better, and it's an extension of how you personalize your card's aesthetics.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tcg-playmats/ Slivers are back in vogue! Magic: The Gathering's Commander Masters has given us another set of preconstructed Commander decks, and Sliver Swarm is all about Slivers. These needle-nosed creatures share their abilities, so the more you play, the better they all become, until you eventually have an army of unstoppable super monsters.

]]> Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:01:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-most-valuable-reprints-commander-masters-sliver-swarm/ Magic: The Gathering’s Commander Masters set includes the return of some of MTG’s most terrifying entities: the Eldrazi. These faceless, otherworldly monstrosities are some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, and as such, their cards are both extremely potent and usually quite expensive in terms of both mana and money.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:00:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-most-valuable-reprints-commander-masters-eldrazi-unbound/ For many Magic: The Gathering players, there’s no greater feeling than playing a giant monster and watching your opponents’ faces break into a sweat. Eldrazi Unbound is the perfect preconstructed Commander deck for just such a player, and it’s coming in Commander Masters.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:16:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-eldrazi-unbound-budget-upgrade-guide/ Card games not only come in many shapes and sizes, but also with varying mechanics. There are the simple classics like Uno, and those that require a lot of time, effort, and money, like Magic: The Gathering. But, as a host, you'll need to gauge the occasion, the number of players, and sometimes even their age, before suggesting a card game.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:00:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-card-games/ Reveling in destruction, death, and chaos, Rakdos mages are great friends to have in Commander. Of all the color combinations in Magic: The Gathering, Rakdos keeps the game interesting. You never know what to expect from Rakdos, and you never have to worry about your Commander game stagnating into a 100-turn odyssey.

]]> Sat, 22 Jul 2023 21:45:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-rakdos-black-red-commander-staples-guide/ Commander Masters is an all-reprint set available for Magic: The Gathering. It is the first Master set to focus entirely on the Commander multiplayer format. There are plenty of powerful cards available in all the colors to make for a set with a ton of strong cards.

]]> Sat, 22 Jul 2023 15:30:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-edh-best-red-cards-in-commander-masters/ One of the most complicated and rewarding formats in Magic: The Gathering is Legacy. Giving players access to virtually every card that has ever been printed from Magic’s history, there are tons of viable decks to take to tournaments with.

]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 22:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-land-legacy/ Enchantments truly are an enduring strategy in Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. There are so many potent enchantments, and so many cards that reward playing enchantments, that it can be difficult to decide what enchantments make the cut and which are left sitting on the sideboard.

]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 20:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-enduring-enchantments-budget-upgrade-guide/ Commander Masters is coming to Magic: The Gathering stores on August 4, but in keeping with Magic tradition, Wizards of the Coast has treated us to the full decklists including all the new cards that will be coming in the four preconstructed decks. Those decks are Enduring Enchantments, Eldrazi Unbound, Planeswalker Party, and the much-anticipated Sliver Swarm.

]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 17:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-precon-decks-ranked/ Commander Masters is almost here, and thanks to the most recent previews, every single card has been revealed for the upcoming Commander-focused set. Being Magic: The Gathering's most popular format, Commander Masters is sure to be a huge draw, with tons of high-demand cards seeing reprints.

]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 12:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-10-best-common-cards-commander-masters/ Three color cards in Magic: The Gathering aren’t the most common thing to find in a set. Most sets will have a few three-colored cards, but generally they're regulated to specific sets built around multicolored cards and mechanics.

]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2023 23:45:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-temur-red-blue-green-cards/ One of the trickiest creature types in Magic: The Gathering is the Ninjas. With their sneaky attacks and powerful combat-based triggers, it's easy to want to build a Commander deck around this unique creature type.

]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:45:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-best-ninja-commanders/ What do you get when you combine the unfettered life and growth of green with the destruction and rage of red? Very big, very angry monsters that love to smash everything in their path. In Magic: The Gathering, Gruul is all about aggressively playing creatures that come out swinging and don’t stop until they’ve crushed everything in their path.

]]> Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:45:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-gruul-red-green-commander-staples-guide/ Spiders are a niche creature type in Magic: The Gathering. They receive solid support here and there but never truly anything spectacular to hold an entire Commander deck together. The printing of Shelob, Child of Ungoliant in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth ushered in a massive spike in Spider popularity, which put the eight-legged critters back in the spotlight.

]]> Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-spider-cards-typal/ When you combine the awesome power of red with the inquisitive and insightful nature of blue, you get Izzet, the color combination of your classic mad scientist. In Magic: The Gathering, Izzet mages love to intermingle blue's ability to draw cards with red's ability to deal damage, often by slinging more spells than your opponents can keep up with.

]]> Sat, 15 Jul 2023 16:45:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-izzet-blue-red-commander-staples-guide/ cEDH is the competitive version of Magic: The Gathering's generally more casual Commander format. It's about winning games with optimized decks and shutting down anything your opponents might do. Due to the very high power of the format, most commanders need to have powerful effects. One of these cEDH commanders is Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy.

]]> Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:15:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-kinan-bonder-prodigy-cedh-deck-guide/ CEDH is the competitive version of Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. Commander is traditionally more casual than most formats, but cEDH is about pushing your deck's power levels to the highest they can be. Not every commander fits into the cEDH landscape but one of the ones that do is Winota, Joiner Of Forces.

]]> Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-winota-joiner-of-forces-cedh-deck-cards-guide/ Trading card games offer an experience you're not likely to get from any other kind of gaming. They combine the creativity of deckbuilding with the camaraderie of coming together to play, and, best of all, they're updated all the time. Whether it's Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, or any of the other dozens of TCGs out there, you only have to wait a few months before the game will be revitalised with a new expansion.

]]> Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:08:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tcg-calendar/ Initial reactions to Magic: The Gathering's Lord of the Rings set pegged it as a low-power venture with 'Core Set' vibes, which bodes poorly for the set's overall impact on various cube formats. Fortunately, it turns out this Universes Beyond set has more to offer than it seemed at first blush.

]]> Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-tales-middle-earth-lotr-ltr-best-cards-for-cube/ Magic: The Gathering can be an expensive game to play, which makes things like Amazon's Prime Day deals all the more enticing. It's not just older sets that need stock shifting, either – Amazon has plenty of deals on new and popular releases.

]]> Thu, 13 Jul 2023 01:03:27 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-prime-day-deals-magic-the-gathering/ Magic: The Gathering has kicked off its preview season for Commander Masters, a deluxe reprint set revolving around the game’s most popular format, Commander. Following on from last year’s Double Masters 2022, Commander Masters is all about high-value reprints, lots of art treatments, and some deep cuts, but with a Commander-heavy twist.

]]> Tue, 11 Jul 2023 20:02:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-masters-debut/ Artifacts are one of the strongest card types in Magic: the Gathering. With cards ranging from mechanical monstrosities to helpful automatons and legendary weapons to help conquer the battlefields, there are plenty of powerful cards to build a deck around.

]]> Thu, 06 Jul 2023 22:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-gathering-essential-cards-artifact-deck/ Magic: The Gathering has plenty of different ways to enjoy the game. There are a plethora of formats to choose from with vastly different rules and card legality. Some enjoy traditional one-on-one aspects, while others enjoy the multiplayer and social angles of Commander (also known as EDH).

]]> Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-cedh-explained-guide/ Commander is one of the many ways to play Magic: The Gathering. It is a special format that is multiplayer, intended to play with four or more people (though can be played with more or fewer players). Decks are built with 99 cards and no more than one copy of each card (except basic lands).

]]> Wed, 05 Jul 2023 17:16:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-voltron-deck-guide/ Commander's a Magic: The Gathering format where a single spell can upend an entire game. One moment every player has 20 permanents in play, engines are whirring, life totals are plummeting, and yet the game's a single Farewell or Cyclonic Rift away from coming to a sudden crawl.

]]> Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-budget-protection-spells/ Last week, someone finally pulled the $2 million bounty MTG The One Ring card, but four days later, it's still on the market.

]]> Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:58:25 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-the-one-ring-cardholder-still-not-sold/ Pioneer is one of the most open formats in all of Magic: The Gathering. There are a ton of deck options that complement multiple playstyles. Among these is Control, which are decks that are built around stopping the opponent's main plays and slowly grinding out the game by countering spells and removing threats.

]]> Mon, 03 Jul 2023 12:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-pioneer-azorius-white-blue-control-guide/ The Secret Lair Summer Super Drop is Magic: The Gathering’s way of bringing summer vibes to the game. With one Artist Series, four showcase, and one special Featuring edition, there’s plenty for Magic fans to enjoy in this Super Drop.

]]> Mon, 03 Jul 2023 05:29:23 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-secret-lair-summer-2023-secret-lair-super-drop-value/ The value of Magic: The Gathering's Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth booster boxes has gone down by nearly $100, following the recent discovery of the serialised One Ring card.

]]> Sun, 02 Jul 2023 18:53:11 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-collector-booster-boxes-drop-100-dollars-since-one-ring-discovery/ Magic: The Gathering has been around for quite a while now, meaning there's a bevy of rare cards out there that will net anyone who kept their old collections in pristine condition an awful lot of money. However, there's no controlling what you might have done to your cards when you were a child, so it's possible that you may have accidentally done something very silly on a whim back in the day, only to find out how horrible a mistake you've made years later.

]]> Sun, 02 Jul 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mtg-player-ruins-expensive-cards-laminating/ There are five colors in Magic: The Gathering, each with its philosophy, which describes their style of play. White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green, although some of the colors share some mechanics, there are massively defining gameplay mechanics that separate them, making each color unique in its style.

]]> Sat, 01 Jul 2023 18:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-complete-black-guide-strengths-weaknesses/ Sagas are arguably one of Magic: The Gathering's most popular card types and have remained fun and flavorful since their inception in 2018's Dominaria. They're the ideal world-building tool used to depict historical events from Magic lore, and they're perfect for bringing original stories and real-world tales to life through the cards.

]]> Sat, 01 Jul 2023 16:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-sagas-best-stories/ There are a ton of different ways to play Magic: The Gathering. The game has multiple formats that all follow different rules. Some take advantage of multiplayer aspects while others keep it traditionally one-on-one. One of these many formats is Pioneer.

]]> Sat, 01 Jul 2023 12:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-pioneer-format-guide/ Manipulating minds, stealing plans, and finally striking from the shadows. That's the game plan of the Dimir Commander, a fitting strategy for Magic: The Gathering's most Machiavellian color combination. Blue brings cleverness and calculation, while black brings decisive and deadly action.

]]> Fri, 30 Jun 2023 21:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-dimir-commander-staples-guide/ I am TheGamer’s Number Two Big-Time Card Boy (official title) after TCG extraordinaire Joe Parlock, and each of us has very different interests in the hobby. Joe is a crunchy numbers guy that likes to study the meta and build competitive decks, and I like shiny cardboard that changes color when it catches the light just right. Consequently, Joe largely focused on Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!, while I tend to stick to Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, and these Xena: Warrior Princess trading cards I found near a dumpster.

]]> Fri, 30 Jun 2023 21:03:26 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-the-lord-of-the-rings-review/ One of the more interesting mechanics in Magic: The Gathering is the monarch. Typically reserved for supplemental sets, those like Commander products, Conspiracy, and Universes Beyond, it is a powerful ability that encourages combat interactions during multiplayer games.

]]> Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-best-cards-monarch-commander-deck/ Update: 18:29pm BST - MAXimum Cards and Collectibles, the local store of the lucky MTG player who pulled the One Ring, has confirmed to TheGamer that the card was pulled in Whitby, Canada, but not from a pack bought in the store. The card also hasn't been sold yet, as the puller and their legal representation are still "listening to potential offers". The puller is also wanting to remain anonymous for now.

]]> Fri, 30 Jun 2023 15:08:46 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-the-one-ring-found/ It's good to be king and in Magic: The Gathering becoming the monarch can help you get there. Exclusively found in supplemental sets like Commander and Conspiracy, this mechanic crowns you as the monarch to help you draw cards, accruing more power and resources than your opponents.

]]> Thu, 29 Jun 2023 20:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-monarch-commanders/ An archetype pretty much as old as Magic: The Gathering itself, Mono-Red Aggro or "Burn" as it's sometimes called in older formats, is a reliable deck build that performs well in nearly every Standard metagame. This deck is known for producing extremely fast starts that are capable of ending a game within the first five or six turns. It's often joked that players who don't wish to play Magic ought to sleeve up Mono-Red.

]]> Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-standard-mono-red-aggro-deck-guide/ There's no better way to crack packs than by putting the cards to work instantly in a draft format. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set for Magic: The Gathering may be a crossover product, but that doesn't mean it's immune to this quality of Magic.

]]> Wed, 28 Jun 2023 17:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-rings-tales-of-middle-earth-limited-draft-sealed-archetypes-guide/ While complete opposites at first glance, the colors black and white in Magic: The Gathering actually have more in common than most players realize. Both are sources of the best unconditional removal and board wipes in the game, and both colors are quite efficient at generating tokens.

]]> Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-orzhov-black-white-commander-staples-guide/ Among the many cards released in Magic: The Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, there exists a rare and extremely valuable collection of cards called Box Toppers. These cards are exclusively found in special packs that come with every box of Tales of Middle-earth, as well as in Collector Booster packs.

]]> Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mtg-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-most-valuable-box-toppers-list/ There has always been an element of risk to trading cards. You buy a booster pack without knowing what's in it, and you might get cards that are great, cards that are rubbish, or cards that you already have. My first experience with this whole phenomenon wasn't with trading cards at all, but with football stickers, where everything could be split into two categories: 'got' and 'need'. In the modern world, things are not so pure and simple. There is a complex economy to trading cards these days, where value is arbitrary and through the ceiling. Nowhere is this more apparent than Magic the Gathering's The One Ring card in the new The Lord of the Rings expansion, as xQc's pursuit of it reveals.

]]> Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xqc-magic-the-gathering-one-ring-lord-gambling/ Magic: The Gathering has unveiled the next lineup of its seasonal Secret Lair drops, and it includes The Lord of the Rings, some grubby little goblins, and skeletons going incredibly, bodaciously hard.

]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2023 19:19:56 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-secret-lair-summer-2023-superdrop/ Life following death. In Magic: The Gathering, Golgari's combination of green and black mana provides this potent pairing with command over both life and death. In Golgari Commander decks, cards in your graveyard might as well be in your library with how easily you can retrieve them while opposing creatures are as good as dead already.

]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:46:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-golgari-commander-staples-guide/ Sphinxes are a well-known fantasy creature responsible for guarding ancient secrets from the prying eyes of ambitious mortals. In Magic: The Gathering, Sphinxes are the iconic blue creature type. In other words, they are the creature that best represent blue's philosophy: the pursuit of knowledge above all else.

]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-sphinx-creature/ Tokens are as integral to Magic: The Gathering as lands and spells. Even so, noncreature artifact tokens didn't exist until the creation of the Gold token in 2013. Goblin Kaboomist experimented with the Land Mine token in Magic 2015, and Clue tokens followed in 2016's Shadows Over Innistrad. Wizards has since experimented with myriad trinkety tokens, sometimes referred to as 'tchotchkeys' by players.

]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2023 13:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-artifact-tokens-best/ The introduction of Universes Beyond was undoubtedly one of the most audacious and controversial moves made by Wizards of the Coast in Magic: The Gathering’s history. Bringing other IPs kicking and screaming into the world of Magic infuriated purists, to say nothing of the availability issues created by the unusual distribution channels through which these cards were released.

]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2023 12:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-universes-beyond-cards-desperately-need-reprint/ xQc has joined the hunt for Magic: The Gathering's infamous serialised Lord of the Rings One Ring card and seems to be spending a lot of money in the process.

]]> Sun, 25 Jun 2023 22:34:48 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xqc-spends-absurd-amount-of-money-trying-to-find-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-lotr-one-ring-card/ There are thousands of creatures in Magic: The Gathering, each with effects, abilities, and the power to help you win a game. Among the Humans, Elves, Krakens, and Dragons of Magic’s expansive universe, there is one creature beloved by fans: the Storm Crow.

]]> Sun, 25 Jun 2023 21:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-storm-crow-meme-origin-explained/ Treefolk have been around since Magic: The Gathering’s beginnings in the hazy days of Alpha. In flavorful fashion, however, they’ve been slow to develop any kind of competitive presence. In fact, one could easily argue that they still haven’t, when it comes to the spikier formats like Modern and Legacy anyway. Commander, however, is another story.

]]> Sat, 24 Jun 2023 19:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-treefolk-commander-deck/ Magic: The Gathering's Lord of the Rings crossover has finally arrived in MTG Arena. Tales of Middle-earth sends Magic players on a journey through Tolkien's fantasy world of elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins, with a few hobbits thrown in for good measure.

]]> Sat, 24 Jun 2023 18:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-arena-tales-of-middle-earth-mastery-pass/ The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth crossover for Magic: The Gathering gives you the opportunity to take part in one of the greatest fantasy struggles of our modern time: the battle between the tyrant Sauron and the civilizations of Middle-earth that stand for all that's good in the world. And what better format to enjoy this epic confrontation than draft: one where every card has its time and place, no matter its seeming insignificance.

]]> Sat, 24 Jun 2023 13:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-draft-sealed-tips/ Magic: The Gathering’s premier format is Standard. It’s the one Wizards designs for the most and is the one more intricately linked to each major set release of the year. It’s also likely your gateway to Magic, being one of the primary formats played not just in-store, but also on the likes of MTG Arena.

]]> Sat, 24 Jun 2023 12:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-deck-archetypes-standard-format/ Magic: The Gathering's Oathbreaker is a format that has a lot in common with Commander, but with a greater focus on planeswalkers. Instead of a legendary creature, you choose a single planeswalker to be your oathbreaker alongside a signature spell that planeswalker loves to cast.

]]> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-oathbreaker-banlist/ In Magic: The Gathering, green is the color of nature, of unchecked growth, and of life itself. So it's no surprise that in a format like Commander, mono-green can be an extremely potent strategy. Green can help ramp out the scariest monsters while drawing tons of cards to eventually overwhelm your opponents under a tsunami of green power.

]]> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-mono-green-commander-staples-guide/ Released in the first wave of official Commander pre-cons, Animar, Soul of Elements made an early name for itself as a powerhouse of Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. Times have changed, and Animar is now just one of countless powerful legendary creatures all vying to be your commander.

]]> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-commander-builds-animar-soul-of-elements/ It seems like every new set Magic: The Gathering releases nowadays has a new type of foiling process in it, and here's a comprehensive list of every type of foiling ever printed. Foil cards are considered Magic’s premium cards and will have a shiny, foil finish. These cards are much rarer than most other Magic cards.

]]> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 15:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-foil-types-explained/ Magic: The Gathering's Lord Of The Rings: Tales Of Middle-earth is its biggest crossover to date. With hundreds of cards set in Middle-earth, it allows famous characters like Frodo, Gandalf and Sauron to finally make their way to the fantasy game they directly inspired.

]]> Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:01:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-buyers-guide/ Magic: the Gathering’s crossover with Lord of the Rings has brought us Tales of Middle-earth, the latest expansion to bring a host of new cards to the longest-running TCG the world has ever seen. And as is almost always the case with new Magic expansions, Tales of Middle-earth has several cards that players will be clamoring to get.

]]> Thu, 22 Jun 2023 17:01:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mtg-magic-the-gathering-most-valuable-cards-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth/ Magic: The Gathering's long-awaited Lord of the Rings crossover is finally here, as Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth packs are set to go on sale in Magic: The Gathering Arena today, with the tabletop release coming a few days later on June 23. However, it seems like these packs aren't going to stay around forever, as an update from Wizards of the Coast has revealed that the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth packs can only be bought for two years.

]]> Wed, 21 Jun 2023 22:11:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mtg-arena-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth-no-longer-buyable-2025/ In Magic: The Gathering, red is the color of passion, fury, and fire. The power of the mountains can crush the land, boil the oceans, and scour the world of all life. But it can also be impetuous, spiteful, and playful. These qualities make red perhaps the most fun color to play in Commander.

]]> Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:15:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-mono-red-commander-staples-guide/ Rakdos (black/red) is a color combination with many different playstyles within Magic: The Gathering. The combination is a staple across many different formats throughout MTG's history. Popular playstyles for the Rakdos archetypes typically fall into the aggro and midrange styles, capable of putting the opponent in awkward positions in the game state.

]]> Tue, 20 Jun 2023 20:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-black-red-rakdos-deck-archetypes/ Boros (red/white) is one of the two-color combinations available in Magic: The Gathering. They have appeared across many formats at various levels of playability, with some coming and going from the metagame.

]]> Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-red-white-boros-deck-archetypes/ The Lord of the Rings is, in a way, a story all about combos. The combos of Sam and Frodo, of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, of Merry and Pippin, and the grander combo of all their efforts that ultimately leads to the Fellowship’s victory. Now that the world of Lord of the Rings has finally joined with that of Magic: The Gathering, this idea gains a lot more weight.

]]> Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-best-combos/ When it comes to big, impactful moments, it’s hard to find a story as packed with them as The Lord of the Rings. From climactic battles to tender scenes of friendship, the rich tapestry of human experience is on full display across its many sparkling pages. It’s a credit to Magic: The Gathering's designers, then, that they’ve managed to capture so much of this greatness in the long-awaited Tales of Middle-earth expansion.

]]> Mon, 19 Jun 2023 23:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-cards-for-commander-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth/ The Lord of the Rings may be one of the most influential fantasy series of all time, but the trilogy itself, particularly the film adaptation, only represents the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tolkien’s creative vision. An entire universe, replete with languages and histories and cultures, is out there, contained in the myriad supporting texts that came, for the most part, after Tolkien’s death.

]]> Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-best-references-hidden-list/ Red is known as the color for players who aren't actually interested in playing Magic: The Gathering at all. Really, they're just here to achieve victory as quickly as possible. Jokes aside, red is the most aggressive color in the Magic color pie and, historically, the best color for going solo.

]]> Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:16:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-complete-red-guide-strengths-weaknesses-mechanics/ Tales of Middle-earth’s Food and Fellowship commander deck is all about being the life of the party. Bringing good food and good cheer to your casual Magic: the Gathering night defines this deck, as does its ability to gain an utterly astonishing amount of life and then use that life to power potent threats.

]]> Mon, 19 Jun 2023 12:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-budget-upgrades-lord-of-the-rings-food-and-fellowship-commander-deck/ Muldrotha, the Gravetide has been a long time favorite in Magic: the Gathering’s EDH format. Powerfully terrifying, she can flood the battlefield with permanents and lands quickly. She has a variety of play formats, all focused on making sure there are plenty of permanents in the graveyard to pull from.

]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2023 22:16:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-best-builds-muldrotha-the-gravetide-commander/ Among the Magic: The Gathering color pie, green is known for its extensive repertoire of giant monsters, enchantment destruction, an aversion to flying, and producing tons of mana (mana ramp). Green is often seen as the weakest single color in Magic as its best cards are easily answered by mana efficient removal spells present in just about every deck.

]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2023 21:16:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-green-complete-guide/ For better or worse, blue has a reputation in Magic: The Gathering as the thinking player's color. Blue is often celebrated as superior to other colors due to its proclivity towards control-based strategies and its access to counterspells.

]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2023 20:15:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-complete-blue-guide/ Upgrading a preconstructed Magic: The Gathering Commander deck is one of the best ways to take a deck from fine to fantastic. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth brings four unique commander decks to the game, each one focusing on a different people of Middle-earth.

]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2023 13:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-lotr-riders-of-rohan-commander-deck-budget-upgrades/ It’s time to party! Magic: The Gathering’s new Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth commander release has brought us the Food and Fellowship deck, and it’s all about having a good time. There are plenty of food tokens to keep guests happy and to keep the party going well past the break of dawn.

]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2023 12:45:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-cards-lord-of-the-rings-food-and-fellowship-commander-deck/ Even the most ordinary creature in Magic: The Gathering’s Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set can make a difference in a game. From the smallest Hobbit to the eternal majesty of the Elves, there are so many creatures to keep an eye on from the set.

]]> Sat, 17 Jun 2023 15:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-lotr-tales-of-middle-earth-creatures-best/ With an army of orcs, goblins, wraiths, and monsters, the Hosts of Mordor is a powerful new addition to Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. You've got two choices in commander, but with no offense to Saruman, you've gotta put Sauron at the head of your dark regiments.

]]> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 23:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-best-cards-lord-of-the-rings-the-hosts-of-mordor-commander-deck/ Arise Magic: The Gathering players. Today is a sword-day, a red day, because the Riders of Rohan deck is bringing some truly powerful cards to the game. Between several high-value reprints and a bunch of brand-new cards, there are a lot of great cards to keep your Commander games in the battle.

]]> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:45:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-lord-of-the-rings-riders-of-rohan-commander-deck-best-cards/ Historically, green has been part of the Magic: The Gathering color pie home to big natural creatures, mana dorks, and mana ramp. In more recent times, relatively new sets have introduced a couple of other mechanics including the production of Food tokens.

]]> Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:46:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth-best-green-cards/ It could easily be said that the Lord of the Rings setting is the most enchanting fantasy setting ever published (sorry Magic: The Gathering). However, whether or not this statement carries over to the mechanics of Magic's Lord of the Rings enchantment cards is another story entirely.

]]> Thu, 15 Jun 2023 22:15:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth-best-enchantments/ Tales of Middle-earth brings Tolkien to the world of Magic: The Gathering and no color represents magic better than blue. That's why both Gandalf and Sarumon are blue mages, and why Lord of the Ring's most mystical events all seem to have a hint of blue.

]]> Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mtg-magic-the-gathering-best-blue-cards-in-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth/