MTG biggest collaboration ever dropped this Friday, and everyone’s attention is currently on that set. This is a great thing for those enthralled with the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, but it also means things are pretty slow for existing cards in MTG finance.
For that reason, even though Frodo and friends have not even been officially released yet (they kind of have been, but official release is technically this Friday), a lot of the contents of this week’s financial roundup is going to be discussing early price trends for Tales of Middle-earth. This includes a bizarrely expensive uncommon, the card that everyone is freaking out about and more!
Since we are mainly looking at cards still in their prerelease phase, we need to mention that prices for these cards are still in flux. A ton of supply has yet to hit the market, and is incoming at the end of this week. As a result, there is still massive potential for these prices to take a hit. Do keep that in mind when taking a look at these Lord of the Rings cards.
The Nazgul
The Nazgul are, by far, the most interesting financial trend currently happening on the secondary market. There’s a lot of unpack here, so we wrote a seperate article going into more detail in regards to what’s happening here.
What you need to know is that these uncommon cards seem to be upticking in price every day recently. Worth about $2 a week ago, the Nazgul are quickly rushing towards $20 each. This is largely because there are actually nine different artworks for this uncommon, flavorfully depicting the nine Nazgul who chased after Frodo to obtain The One Ring.
Additionally, according to commentary in regards to Collector Booster slots, these Nazgul seem to be treated differently than other uncommon cards, potentially making them harder to open than normal uncommons.
This makes each individual Nazgul card, potentially, a lot rarer than the average uncommon Lord of the Rings card. That said, it is still an uncommon that can be opened in Draft Booster packs. This means that, as players continue to draft the set, a ton of these could potentially flood the market and cool these hot prices off.
Bilbo’s Ring
Bilbo’s Ring is another card that appears to have some bizarre prices attached to it. This one looks particularly unstable at the moment thanks to a few outliers, but the card has undeniably had a heavy spike over the last few days over all of its variants.
Bilbo’s Ring is an incredibly powerful tool for Commanders that want to attack alone. Making it nigh-impossible to interact with your equipped creature on your turn, Bilbo’s Ring makes the equipped creature unblockable and grants Hexproof. Notably, Halflings get a huge discount when equipped with this, which can be hilariously powerful alongside a card like Feasting Hobbit, which can get incredibly big if you just have a few food tokens. Alongside the cheap equip Halfling cost, Bilbo’s Ring becomes a fantastic card advantage engine.
Bilbo’s Ring seems to have exploded in price overnight, rising to $15 from just $2 just five days ago! The immediate attention for this card seems a bit baffling, so take this price increase with a grain of salt. On the other hand, this increase is a consistent one. No outliers are seen.
Full-bordered cards are even more extreme, showcasing an increase to $40 for both foil and nonfoil versions! These, however, unlike the normal bordered version, are outliers. Take this price with a lot of salt.
Adding to the skepticism is that scarcity could be a major factor to the current price point of Bilbo’s Ring. This is not available in a Commander deck, meaning that this is one of the Set Booster exclusive Commander cards.
Read More: Unique LOTR Card Interaction Makes Commander Staple Even Better!
Adeline, Resplendant Cathar
Adeline is definitely the odd Knight out this week, being the only non-LOTR card that has shown a significant price spike. This is rather bizarre, especially considering that Adeline just saw a reprint in the Knight’s Charge preconstructed Commander deck that released alongside March of the Machine.
The reason that Adeline’s price is increasing is, instead, due to Pioneer. Ever since Coppercoat Vanguard from March of the Machine: the Aftermath hit the scene, Mono White Aggro has been on a tear. This card is an absolute menace alongside Adeline, granting her an additional two attack and turning all the tokens she creates into 2/1’s. The qualitative difference here is huge, and maps to turn four kills rather consistently.
Adeline’s cheapest printing (also its most recent one) has exploded in price over the past few months. Originally worth $4, which was a great price for Adeline, even at the time, Adeline is now going for $10 on average. This price increase is rather new, so there is still opportunity to find Adelines for a cheaper price.
Read More: Lord of the Rings MTG Set Has an Expiration Date?!
Orcish Bowmasters
Despite this card clearly being the most powerful, and perhaps overhyped card of the entire MTG Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, Orcish Bowmasters continues to increase in price. As we discussed in an article covering a Commander Rules Committee update, even though players expected this card to be absolutely absurd, its somehow even better than expected.
For reference, Orcish Bowmasters is a two-mana Flash creature that Amasses Orcs One and pings a target on entry. This ability recurs whenever an opponent draws a card that isn’t the first card in their draw phase.
This has absolutely incredible implications in Commander and Legacy as a result. Brainstorming with an opponent representing a Bowmasters is not a safe play, and Wheels in Commander can result in someone Flashing in this card and blowing out the competition.
Since the card was previewed back at the end of May, all it has done is increase in price. Starting at $10, Orcish Bowmasters is approaching $40! According to TCGplayer, Orcish Bowmasters is currently retailing between $32 and $39 but, as time passes, prices are still increasing overall.
Take These With a Grain of Salt
Even though Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth has technically hit the marketplace, the set has not yet been fully released. The official release of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is instead this Friday. As a result, a large amount of the set’s starting supply has not yet hit the market. The Nazgul prices, in particular, are rather baffling and may be heavily impacted by players opening draft packs over the coming weeks.
Personally, besides Adeline, and maybe the Bowmasters, a lot of these prices may be peak-spike. Bilbo’s Ring’s price spike is incredibly fresh, meaning it could still increase a bunch, but could also see a decrease in price. The Orcish Bowmasters are also likely to take a hit after a ton of supply hits the marketplace, but if this card is as good as players think it is, it may just end up rebounding shortly after.
Read More: MTG Lord of the Rings Misprints Reveal Potential Foiling Problem!
