MTG LotR Products Guide: What are the Best Buys & Preorders?

A lot of Magic players are excited with the Lord of the Rings franchise coming to MTG. Even the people who aren’t Magic players, but just like LotR might want to get some cards. However, there are many products to choose from. That’s why we made this guide with a list of all MTG LotR: Tales of Middle-earth products, and explained what you can expect from each one.

We’ll also discuss which of them is the best for you to buy – whether you’re an avid Magic player, collector, or if you’re just dipping your toes into MTG, thanks to the Middle-earth set. This way, you’ll be able to find the perfect products for you.

We’ve divided the products into two groups. Booster packs would be the first one. These are randomized packs of cards. The second group are decks. These are ready to play, and you know exactly which cards you’re getting with them. We’ll take a look at both of these, and we’re starting with the boosters.

Lord of the Rings MTG Booster Packs

There are four different types of booster packs being released with Lord of the Rings MTG set:

• Draft boosters
• Set boosters
• Collector boosters
• Jumpstart boosters

Each one of them has its pros and cons, and is suited for different types of players or collectors. We’ve broken down the differences between them in our MTG Booster Guide, so we won’t go in such detail here. However, we’ll still explain what you can expect from each of the different booster type.

Draft Boosters

• Boosters per box: 36
• Cards per booster: 15
• Rares per booster: 1 (small chance of a second one in foil)
• Box Topper: 1

Draft boosters are the ones that have been around since forever, although back then they were simply called boosters. These boosters have two major advantages over the rest.

First, they are the cheapest boosters, but can still contain any rare in the set, and different art variations. (Except certain special art treatments, and a few Set booster exclusives.) On top of that, you can use the boosters for playing, as they have an appropriate distribution across all rarities.

This booster box, as well as two other, come with a Box Topper, which is a “reward” for buying a whole booster box. We don’t know much about them, but we assume, those will be some cool alternate art cards.

You can use them to organize a Draft or Sealed event. A great thing about these is that all the cards will be useful, even the commons. That’s usually not the case with Constructed decks, and it’s a great way to explore MTG Lord of the Rings game play.

What are the disadvantages? Well, there’s only one – if you’re planning on just opening the boosters, looking for valuable cards, you have better options with the next two booster products. Let’s take a look.

Set Boosters

• Boosters per box: 30
• Cards per booster: 12
• Rares per booster: 1-4 (1.34 on average)
• Box Topper: 1

Set boosters are best for players who just want to open the packs, without playing Draft or Sealed. They have more exciting cards per pack and less unplayable commons. The boosters are slightly pricier, than Draft boosters, but can have more rares. On average, you’ll get the same amount of rares per dollar spend, as you would with Draft boosters, but you’ll likely get more alternate art uncommons, and art cards.

However, if you just want to get a lot of cards in the LotR MTG set, you’re probably better off buying the Draft boosters. Then again, on the other hand, if you aren’t that interested in commons, you should stick to Set boosters.

Usually, it’s a pretty clear cut – if you want to play with boosters, go with Draft boosters, if not, go with Set boosters. This changes here, because this is a Lord of the Rings set after all. You might want to collect all the cards in the set, or at least all commons. These will probably be more exciting, then your regular set commons, due to the ties to the Middle-earth.

That’s why you should think twice about which of these two products you want. If you’re unsure, you can always check for all the commons among MTG LotR spoilers, and make your decision then.

Collector Boosters

• Boosters per box: 12
• Cards per booster: 15 (all cards are foil, or have alternate art, or both)
• Rares per booster: 5-7
• Box Topper: 1

Of course, you also have the most exciting option of Collector boosters. These boosters are the priciest, but contain multiple rares, and all the cards in the pack will either have an alternate art, have a foil treatment, or sometimes even both.

If you’re a collector, or if you want to have the best-looking cards you can get, this is the product for you. Players who speculate on Sealed product will probably also go for Collector boosters, as they are the only product, which can contain a Serialized Ring card.

Ring cards will be cards with the most exclusive art treatment, and a small amount of them will come with a serialized number (likely from 1-500). These will probably be the most valuable cards from the whole set, so the Collector boosters might just be the best among the MTG LotR products.

Jumpstart Boosters

• Boosters per box: 18
• Cards per booster: 20
• Rares per booster: 2 (one dependent on the theme, and one from the main set)
• Box Topper: 0

The last booster product are the Jumpstart boosters, and they really are a thing of their own. You might’ve noticed that these boosters come with a lot more cards, than the others. That’s because they come with a lot of basic lands, which enable these boosters to work. Work how?

Well, the idea of Jumpstart boosters is that you open two of them, shuffle them together, and now you have a deck. Your opponent does the same, and you get to battle one another.

This is the great way to play some casual Magic, without the usual worries of problems with Constructed decks, where the player who’s more invested will have a much better deck. There’s also no need for any preparation beforehand, just shuffle up the two packs, and you’re ready to go.

You and your friends can really get that pristine just-starting-out Magic experience, when you didn’t have a binder full of powerful rares, and didn’t know which cards were good, and which mediocre. This is also a nice product for new Magic players, as you get to play Magic with new cards, without needing to learn the rules of Draft and Sealed.

This is also a nice way to experience the game play of Lord of the Rings Magic set, as you’ll get to play with cards of lower rarities too.

So, if you like the game play idea – shuffle up two boosters and play – then you’re going to enjoy this product. If not, you should probably pick up some of the previously mentioned boosters.

Repetitive Themes

One final thing to note is that you probably don’t want to get too many Jumpstart boosters. There are only five different themes, each with two variations, This gives you only ten different boosters. (Except for the random rare from the main set.)

Therefore, after a while, the themes in the boosters would start to repeat itself, which would take out a lot of novelty of the game play experience.

Bundle

Magic bundles contain some of the previously mentioned boosters, plus some extra accessories. Among the MTG LotR products, you’ll find two different bundles.

First up, there’s the regular Bundle, which contains:

• 8 LotR Set boosters
• 4 foil alternate art cards
• 40 basic lands (20 foil + 20 non-foil)
• 1 spindown life counter

On top of that, the box in which everything comes packed in, is quite sturdy, and has a nice design, which makes it a great storage for your newly acquired Magic cards.

This is a great product for players who want to get a taste of the set, but don’t want to spend so much to go all the way to the booster box. On top of that, since you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you’re probably going to enjoy the basic lands, as they’ll all be set in the Middle-earth.

Bundles are usually a very popular product, thanks to their fair price, and the useful accessories that come along with it. There’s no reason for that to change with this set.

Bundle: Gift Edition

The second LotR Bundle, is the Gift Edition Bundle. As the name suggest, it’s a great MTG gift, but you could always gift one to yourself, particularly if it’s good value to do so. Let’s take a look if that’s the case here. The Gift Edition Bundle comes with:

• 1 LotR Collector booster
• 8 LotR Set boosters
• 4 foil alternate art cards
• 40 basic lands (20 foil + 20 non-foil)
• 1 spindown life counter

So, it’s pretty much the same stuff, but it comes with a significant addition of a Collector booster. A single booster might not seem as much, but these is the most expensive booster type. (Most stores usually sell these boosters for $20-$30.) On top of that, the box has a special foil treatment, and a different art, which really makes it stand out.

As you can see, the Gift Bundle is the superior version of the two Lord of the Rings Bundles. The decision on which one to pick, is therefore mostly dependent on whether you want the Collector booster or not, and what’s the price difference. If the difference is less than $20, the Gift Bundle is a better deal. You can find more information about this and MTG LotR Bundle contents here.

Prerelease Pack

Tales of Middle-earth is the first Universes Beyond product that will have a prerelease event. This is typically the first opportunity you have to play with the new cards. At the event, you get a prerelease pack, which contains 6 Draft boosters, and a promo card.

You build a 40-card deck from any cards you get inside, plus basic lands. Then you battle other players who did the same. At the end, the top players usually get a prize in form of boosters.

Anyway, the Prerelease pack is a little bit different from other MTG LotR products, as it’s the only one that you can preorder on Amazon. Instead, you can use the Wizards’ Store Locator to find a store near your that’s hosting a prerelease, if that’s something you’d enjoy.

These type of events are great for new player, as they are typically more causal, and more experienced players can help you with various questions you might have about the game. On top of that, they’re also very fun, as everyone is trying to figure out the new cards, and how they work.

With that, we’ve wrapped up all the MTG LotR products with boosters, and now it’s time to check:

Lord of the Rings MTG Decks

Both fans of 60-card, and 100-card decks will have something to look forward to with the Lord of the Rings MTG expansion.

Lord of the Rings Starter Kit

Starter Kit is a set of two complete 60-card decks, that are meant for beginners. Starter Kits have been released before but never for a Universes Beyond product. Lord of the Rings is certainly going to bring new players to the game, so this is an awesome product to have available.

One of the decks is White-Green, and will likely represent one of the good factions, possibly a fellowship, or a Hobbit themed deck. The other one is Black-Red, which suggest an army of Mordor theme.

Besides the beginners, some enfranchised players might enjoy this product too, as can act as a nice, self-contained game for two players with great Lord of the Rings flavor. It’s also a useful, if you already know that game, and you’re looking to teach someone the game, as the decks won’t be as complex. that’s a thing that can’t be said for this next type of decks.

Lord of the Rings Commander Decks

Among all MTG LotR products, this is the one that Commander fans will like the most. Four ready-to-play 100-card Commander decks will be released with this set.

The only other time Wizards have released Commander precons within Universes Beyond, was with Warhammer 40k. Those decks were insanely popular, possibly even more than any other Commander release – well until this set comes along. It might very well be even more liked, with the LotR franchise having so many fans around the world.

Currently, we don’t know much about these, except that there will be four decks, each focused on a specific theme. More information can be found in our Lord of the Rings Commander Decks Guide.

MTG LotR Products – FAQ

So, now you’ve seen all MTG LotR products. In this section, we’ll answer some of the commonly asked question players have about them. We’ll start with the big one, which deserves its own section, and then continue with the others.

Which of the MTG LotR Products is the Best to Buy?

As always, with such questions, the answer is – it depends. Depends on what? On what exactly you’re looking for.

If you’re a beginner, and you’re just starting with the game, your best option is the Lord of the Rings Starter Kit. It’s the best way to get two complete decks, so you and a friend can start playing immediately. If you want more variety, you can also go with the Jumpstart boosters.

For players who like to Draft, or play Sealed, the answer is obvious. Just get a Draft booster box, and organize a draft for your play groups.

If you simply want to open some LotR boosters, you can pick up Set boosters. A Gift Edition Bundle is also great, if you care about the extras.

Perhaps you’re a collector or want to get the most valuable cards. In that case, the Collector boosters are where it’s at.

Last, certainly not least – Commander players. You’ll probably be able to find some exciting Commander cards in all types of boosters. However, what you’ll probably want to get most are still LotR Commander decks, where you’ll know exactly what you’ll get, and you get 100 cards for a fair price.

Additional Questions & Answers

Conclusion

Anyway, that’s it, the end of the product overview for Lord of the Rings MTG set. Hopefully, you now know which – if any – product is the best for you. As always, if you have any questions about these products, let us know in the comments, and we’ll get back to you soon.

Until next time, have fun, and may you open your favorite Lord of the Rings character in your first booster from this set!