The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Holiday Release is rather an oddity of an MTG set. Released four months after the main set, this vaguely festive set barely had any fanfare. Revealed in an instant and barely spoken about afterward, it was incredibly easy to not notice this rather important release.
Despite being surrounded by other sets and major announcements, the Lord of the Rings Holiday Release has some great cards. Between the reprints and new scene cards, there’s more than enough to make this release special. So much so, in fact, that this product definitely lives up to its holiday namesake, making a great gift.
While it is the thought that counts when it comes to gifting, as MTG players, we can hardly deny our love of value. Subsequently, when we think about the prospect of cracking boosters, our thoughts immediately turn to the most expensive cards. If you’re the same, then you’re in luck, as we’ve got you covered!
Utilizing TCGplayer’s Market Price, we’ve combed through the set’s best cards to find all the important information. So, without any further ado, here’s a rundown of the most expensive cards within The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Holiday Boosters!
5 | Galadriel, Light of Valinor
Price: $26
To kick off our list, we have one of the brand-new cards from the Lord of the Rings Holiday release. Specifically, we’re looking at the Surge Foil variant of the card, which is by far the most expensive. Primarily hailing from The Might of Galadriel Scene Box, Galadriel, Light of Valinor can cost as low as $7.50. Should you find the Surge Foil card within your Special Edition Collector Boosters, however, you’ve got a $26 card on your hands!
As for the card themselves, Galadriel, Light of Valinor is a rather potent new Bant option. Capable of providing a trio of abilities each turn, this Galadriel synergizes perfectly with go-wide strategies. For better or worse, however, they’re hardly the best choice around for this deck strategy, as evidenced by their price.
Despite having rather cheap, potentially misprinted, variants, Galadriel, Light of Valinor still offers plenty of flavor and fun. Beyond this, there’s also the Surge Foil variant to keep your eyes peeled for!
4 | Sauron, the Dark Lord
Price: $32
Alongside featuring a handful of new cards, The Lord of the Rings Holiday Release contains a whole boatload of reprints. Unfortunately, on many of these, the art treatment is rather dire, however, it’s not all bad news. As you can see above, the Holiday Release also has some absolutely spectacular, and rather rare, Rock Poster cards.
As you may suspect given the above spiel, Sauron, the Dark Lord is one of the Rock Poster cards. Used on 20 cards from the set, each of these special printings is undeniably desirable, even if they are rather hard to read. Despite the difficulties with legibility, this copy of Sauron, the Dark Lord costs around $27 more than average!
Seeing little competitive play, outside of fringe Legacy Reanimator lists, Sauron, the Dark Lord’s main home is Commander. Providing an incredible base for a Lord of the Rings-themed deck, this Sauron was one of the most popular Commanders for a time. So much so, in fact, that it’s no wonder this special variant is worth a pretty penny.
3 | Legolas’s Quick Reflexes
Price: $36
No matter which variant you look at, Legolas’s Quick Reflexes is an expensive card. Even when sourced from a Scene Box, for example, you’ll still have to drop around $24 on this Instant. As if that wasn’t enough already, the Surge Foil variant ups the price even more to a remarkable $36!
While this price, for a guaranteed card no less, is impressive, there’s no denying Legolas’s Quick Reflexes’ power. Good enough to see fringe Legacy play already, this card offers incredible protection for just one mana. Considering green’s fear of removal spells, this makes Legolas’s Quick Reflexes already powerful enough. However, it doesn’t end there.
Split Second is the real star of the show, making sure that whatever creature you protect cannot get picked off for the turn. As a result, it’s no wonder this card is already so popular, with supply being snapped up fast. Should Scene Boxes be accessible enough, this demand and subsequent price may dwindle over time, however, the Surge Foil will always be a cut above.
2 | Orcish Bowmasters
Price: $40
Considering The Lord of the Rings Holiday Release reprinted every card from the main set, it’s no surprise to see Orcish Bowmasters here. A dominant force within Commander, Modern, Legacy, Historic, and even Vintage, this card is absolutely everywhere. Thanks to this, it should come as absolutely no surprise that Orcish Bowmasters is expensive.
Currently, even the cheapest copy of Orcish Bowmasters sells for around $36. For better or worse, the new Scroll variant is only slightly more so, with prices holding at around $40. Considering how much MTG players dislike the Scroll treatment, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this dips over time. For now, however, this showcase treatment is holding its own.
1 | The One Ring
Price: $94
Just like Orcish Bowmasters, above, it’s no surprise that The One Ring is on this list. Not only is this card one of the most expensive in recent memory, it’s also the most expensive card ever. With this in mind, it is really any wonder that The One Ring tops this list not just once, but three times?!
For starters, as a card, The One Ring offers both short-term protection and long-term card advantage. No matter which one of these effects you’re playing for, The One Ring is well worth the cost. As a result of this, The One Ring is an all-star within multiple formats, none more so than Modern and Commander.
Moving onto the new variants, The Lord of the Rings Holiday Release included two, technically three, new styles. The first and cheapest of these is, unsurprisingly, the Scroll variant, which costs around $73. A step above this is the new Rock Poster treatment, which currently has a market price of $94!
As if this already high price wasn’t enough already, there are new serialized copies of The One Ring. While not nearly as rare as The One-of-One Ring, these copies are nonetheless destined to be expensive. In fact, the most expensive of these serialized cards has already been found!
Due to their nature, unfortunately, accurately pricing serialized cards is incredibly difficult. That being said, however, it’d be a surprise to see serialized copies of The One Ring sell for anything less than $1000.
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