We are excited to see that Wizards of the Coast has already revealed the packaging for upcoming set Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. While the set doesn’t release until June 23rd 2023, we are going to take a look at the packaging and set icons to gleam what we can so far. This is a Universes Beyond product, meaning that it focuses on the IP (Intellectual Property) of another franchise imagined as Magic: the Gathering Cards. This will be a straight-to-modern set, which means that none of the cards will be Standard legal. Will this require as many bans as Modern Horizons 1, or will this change the Modern format as much as Modern Horizons 2? We will have to wait and see, in the mean time lets take a look at what we do know so far.
Set Symbols
First up we will take a look at the two set symbols. The regular set symbol looks like the ring of power from the Lord of the Rings.
We also get a peek at the symbol for the commander set. In typical fashion the commander symbol is based on a shield icon with the ring to distinguish it from other commander sets.
Boxes
Here are the three main boxes of the set. The set booster box art looks reminiscent of the scene of Gandalf facing down the balrog monster. The draft booster shows us some orcs facing off against elves and dwarves. Finally the collector booster shows us what looks like a hobbit holding the ring of power.
Bundles
There will be a total of two bundles, a regular bundle and a gift edition one. The regular bundle appears to show a fight between Frodo and Gollum atop mount doom. Where as the Gift Edition bundle shows Gandalf riding a large bird, similar to the scene from The Hobbit.
Booster Packs
Lastly we have the booster pack art. All three packs look similar to the boxes they belong to as we saw above.
Packaging is always a great glimpse into the themes, and style of an upcoming set. Are there any cards that you are looking forward to seeing? Will they print a Sol Ring as the Ring of Power in the Commander set? Will we get a Gandalf planeswalker? When this set is available for preorder make sure to checkout https://boarshatgaming.com
