Alternative art Magic: The Gathering variants are being elevated to new heights through The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, featuring several scenes made into cards. 

Multiple scenes are depicted in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) set, with Bilbo’s birthday party getting previewed at MagicCon Minneapolis. Each scene can contain a variety of borderless cards, with each having alternative art from the regular versions of the MTG card. When placed together, the cards form a full art image of the depicted LTR scene. 

The borderless MTG cards that make up the scene are found exclusively within Lord of the Rings collector booster packs. But Bilbo’s birthday party is an exception, showing up in LTR prerelease packs as well. The illustrator behind Bilbo’s birthday party scene is Livia Prima.

Related: How MTG Ring tempts players and why it’s designed that way

Every MTG card in Bilbo’s LTR party scene

Collectors can enjoy having a complete LTR scene. And players shouldn’t sleep on the power levels of cards that make up a Lord of the Rings scene. From a halfling mana dork to rockets and Treasure tokens, here are the six cards that make Bilbo’s birthday party scene in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set.

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins has some powerful secrets stashed in her garden. The halfling citizen has Flash and Menace on a Rare LTR card that costs 2B to cast, can create Treasure tokens, and exile a card from an opponent’s graveyard that was put there that turn. The only downside to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins is her power and toughness of only 2/3.

Wizard’s Rockets

Wizard’s Rockets is a slick one-drop colorless Artifact that enters the battlefield tapped. The unique mana rock can add “X” mana by tapping Wizard’s Rockets and paying “X” mana. The Artifact color fixes as early as turn two. And Wizard’s Rockets draws a card when the Artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield. 

Gandalf, Friend of the Shire

Gandalf, Friend of the Shire has Flash and gives all Sorcery spells its controller has in hand Flash as well. This is a powerful ability in any MTG format. The Avatar wizard also synergizes with The Ring and “When The Ring tempts you,” drawing a card when Gandalf is not chosen as the ring-bearer. 

Delighted Halfling

Mana dorks in legendary Commander builds are getting an upgrade through Delighted Halfling, a one-drop in Green with a 1/2 body. The halfling can tap itself to add one mana of any color. But as an added bonus, the spell cast has to be a legendary creature and it can’t get countered. 

Bilbo, Retired Burglar

Bilbo, Retired Burglar synergizes with the “When The Ring tempts you” mechanic in LTR. The 1/3 halfling rogue that costs 1UR to cast triggers The Ring tempting upon entering the battlefield or upon leaving the battlefield. Should Bilbo, Retired Burglar sneak in for combat damage on an opponent, a Treasure token is created. 

Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins is a legendary creature in GW at a rarity of Uncommon who also synergizes with The Ring. When the halfling enters the battlefield, The Ring tempting you is triggered, along with any time other legendary creatures enter the battlefield under your control as well. Should a player choose to make Frodo Baggins the ring-bearer, opponents must block the halfling scout if possible.

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Players can test out LTR cards within Bilbo’s birthday party scene when The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth releases digitally on June 20. A global tabletop launch will take place on June 23 and a holiday bundle will drop on Nov. 3.

All images via WotC.

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