One card to rule them all?
The newest Magic The Gathering set comes with many special new cards. The set, being themed around The Lord of the Rings, contains many highly desired cards from the world of Tolkien. For fans of the Commander format, this set has plenty of cards for it, both in the 99 and as the commander! This set actually contains 85 unique commander cards, which is more than the sets made explicitly to be commander-based sets.
The Magic of Middle Earth
However, the slew of new commanders and overall good cards are not the only thing of note in this new set. Being an expansion based on the Lord of the Rings franchise, naturally, the One Ring is a card and quite a good one at that. Though, there is something much more special about this particular card.
There Can Be Only One?
While there will be many copies of the normal One Ring card, Wizards of the Coast have done an interesting new promotional stunt. There is a variant of the One Ring card, written in Black Speech, a Middle-Earth language with special foil details. The stand-out thing is only one of that card will be printed. The special Black Speech variant will be a One of One. Only one genuine copy will be manufactured.
Other Rings of Power
The One Ring is far from the only card in a limited print of this set, though it is by far the rarest. The Elven, Dwarven, and Human rings are also receiving a limited print. However, these rings are reprints of a very popular, already existing card, Sol Ring. However, with all three of the variations in mind, there will be over 20,000 limited print sol rings. Though, only 1900 of them are rainbow foil. However, one rainbow foil Dwarven Ring just sold for 10,000.
Where Can the One Ring be Found?
Unfortunately, obtaining The One Ring will not be as easy as ripping open a four-dollar booster pack. According to Wizards of the Coast, the one ring has been put in a Collectors Booster. For those unfamiliar, collector boosters are far more expensive than a traditional booster pack, retailing at around 20 dollars each, though it contains much rarer cards with exclusive foil embellishment. As such, the search appears in the hands of only the most hardcore of Magic fans, as that is who the Collectors Boosters are made for, both in its contents and ludicrous price point. An entire box of twelve Collector Boosters costs around 400 dollars.
What are the odds?
According to research done on Reddit, it has been determined that around 3 million Collectors Boosters will be printed. This gives a one in three million chance in pulling the ring. Not the best odds. However, the previously mentioned other rings, while still being limited in numbers, are more likely. Even still, the odds of getting one of the other rings is still a 0.0069% chance.
Universes Beyond
The Lord of the Rings set is part of a more extensive series of Magic expansions titled “Universes Beyond.” This series spans sets or individual releases of cards that crossover into different intellectual properties. Other examples in the series are the Warhammer: 40K decks and the numerous crossover secret lairs like Street Fighter, Fortnite, and The Walking Dead.
Some of the more seasoned Magic Fans are not the happiest with these new sets. Not for the cards, not at all; many have become exceedingly popular and well-liked, particularly from the Warhammer Decks. However, some believe that the crossovers are damaging the lore and, for lack of a better word, the magic of Magic. However, the crossover cards are explicitly non-canon but still put a bad taste in players’ mouths.
Some wish they could run the powerful cards from the Warhammer decks or Transformers series without them standing out. This is why many are much more fond of the Secret Lair crossovers, which, save for the walking dead, either offer in-universe versions of the crossover cards or have the crossover cards be reprints of already existing cards.
Is the One Ring a Promotional Stunt?
From a purely marketing standpoint, absolutely. From a business standpoint, most definitely. Making any limited print anything is bound to draw in consumers. This is what makes many rare collectors’ items rare and sought after their exclusivity. Only one of The One Ring will be printed, so it does not get much more exclusive. Will this draw in people to buy the collector’s boosters? Absolutely it will, especially with the 2 million dollar bounty on the card.
Wanted: Sleeved or Alive
This card has attracted the attention of many wealthy collectors. Initially, after its announcement, a bounty of 100,000 was placed by collector Dan Bock. Though days later, card shop Dan & Adam’s raised the bar ten-fold with a million-dollar bounty. However, the newest benefactor is the Spanish gaming store Gremio de Dregones. The company has placed a 2 million euro bounty (around 2.1 million USD) on the card and an all-expenses paid trip to their store in Valencia, Spain. Will the price jump even higher with the set’s official release? Will the card be found, or will it remain in an unopened booster for years to come? The answers are uncertain for now.
