MTG: Lord of the Rings cards now available for pre-order
On a light note, the full-art basic land cycle features art from various sections of the iconic maps of Middle-earth. Art director Ovidio Cartagena says this was one of his ideas for their first set. and science fiction. Its approach not only tells us of the challenges and natural obstacles the Fellowship had to overcome in this story, but also links them to Arda’s rich and mythical history from previous eras. By creating the map of , as a complete art land, it complements the illustrations on the cards and brings an immersive experience to the player. The artist of these lands, Devin Rue, also created his map of Exandria for that show, so it may be a familiar name to fans of key roles.
The showcase frame is meant to represent what is happening “inside” the ring.
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The final new card to look at is Gandalf the Grey, which is actually blue-red. It certainly caught me off guard at first, but it makes sense in the context of Magic, where wizards are often represented by blue and red color pairs. Illustrated by Aaron Miller, Gandalf the Gray is a 5-mana legendary avatar of his wizard that, in typical red-blue fashion, triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell. This ability gives him four different effects: tapping or untapping a permanent, dealing 3 damage to each opponent, copying an instant or sorcery, or (probably last choice) returning Gandalf to the top of the deck. he can choose one from.
You may also notice the rather prominent glowing sword in Gandalf’s hand. This confirms that VP of Game Design Aaron Forsythe is his signature weapon, his Glamdring. “I think fans will be pleasantly surprised to see so many of their favorite Lord of the Rings artifacts in the card set,” Cartagena teased. No word on whether Glamdring will get his own equipment card, but he told me he had a lot of fun coming up with new interpretations of the War of the Ring legendary objects. Whole set.
We also got a glimpse of Gandalf and Balrog’s epic showdown with art by Anato Finnstark for Gandalf the Gray’s showcase ring treatment. Cartagena is not a triumphant portrait, but the circularity of the showcase frame in this set is meant to represent what is happening ‘inside’ the ring, and that ‘one ring’s quest is a multitude. It symbolizes the power that can be given to a character. internal struggle. ”
That’s the end of the new cards, but it’s also the first time I’ve seen another incarnation of Gandalf, the much more stern Gandalf the White. It definitely gets a (purely speculative) Planeswalker vibe from the presentation. Gandalf also has a third card in the Gandalf of the Shire art shown above. When I asked Cartagena why Gandalf has so many renditions on this set, he said it gives the character an opportunity to explore further. “Tolkien’s rich storytelling allowed us to explore how Gandalf (and others) present themselves to different allies and at different times throughout the story.”
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IGN: All past Universe Beyond cards have allowed us to bring accurate likenesses of iconic characters and actors into the Magic: The Gathering art style, but this set is a little different. What were the challenges in creating new interpretations of characters that fans might be familiar with in other versions, and how did you make them recognizable but still your own? Did you
Ovidio Cartagena, Art Director: The Lord of the Rings characters have had many interpretations and similarities over the years. This world’s fan base has only grown in the last two decades, and this version seeks to reflect that growth. The main challenge was to balance the familiarity, timelessness and deep respect of the original Lord of the Rings with a modern sensibility. Lord of the Rings is about the various peoples of Middle-earth banding together to fight Sauron and finding strength in their diversity. and managed to reflect that sensibility while staying true to the original vision, but striking the right balance was certainly a challenge. We believe it will create a deeply immersive experience that fans of both Lord of the Rings will love.
“Gandalf the Gray is the quintessential fantasy wizard.”
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All right, let’s talk to the elephant in the room. Gandalf the Gray is blue-red! I find it difficult to design cards for famous characters that have colors in their names, or create art that needs to show all those colors. Can you tell us a little bit about why he’s blue-red and how that influenced his appearance?
Aaron Forsythe, Vice President of Game Design, said: It’s true that certain color words in character names can complicate design decisions simply because they have such strong associations in Magic. But, thankfully, “gray” is not such a word! There are actually several versions of Gandalf in the set (including Gandalf the White, whose color identity is not surprising), We show by making him different colors at different points throughout the story. Gandalf the Gray is the quintessential fantasy wizard, so it makes sense for his card his design to be blue-red. Because blue-red is the color that does the most “wizard” things in the game. As for how that color choice influenced his art, we asked his sword, Glamdring, to have a bluish energy.Moriah’s setting gave everything a red glow. Aaron Miller has done a great job of infusing these colors into the work while retaining Gandalf’s iconic traditional gray costume.
Cartagena: Gandalf’s Sword Glamdring was something we had in mind very early in the creative visual process. Fans will be pleasantly surprised to learn that many of their favorite Lord of the Rings artifacts are included in the card set.
Did you have fun designing your own take on famous Lord of the Rings weapons and artifacts like the One Ring along with their wielders?
Cartagena: of course! Objects had to be consistently recognizable throughout in order for the illustrations to have storytelling. The process of designing weapons, equipment, armor and of course characters was so much fun! For decades, many of us have imagined different ways to represent the legendary objects of Lord of the Rings. I thought so from the beginning of concept art production, so it was very interesting to see various proposals from artists.
Can you tell us what led you to design the showcase frame this way and why it ended up being the right fit?
Cartagena: Early conversations discussed the power One Ring has over various characters in the story. The One Ring brings you conflict, but it also makes misleading promises. Tom Jencott and his team in a circle that represents what’s going on “inside” the ring and, of course, symbolizes the power that the One Ring quest can have in the internal struggles of various characters. , came up with a great showcase treatment.
You mentioned that there are actually at least three Gandalfs in this set (Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, and Gandalf the Shire’s Friend). Why did you give him multiple cards and how did you change the look and design of these cards?
Cartagena: As an artist and art director, having different Gandalfs on set gives me the opportunity to further explore the character in his different presentations. Tolkien’s rich storytelling allowed us to explore how Gandalf (and others) present themselves to different allies and at different points throughout the story.
“I enjoy pushing boundaries in creative ways.”
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Why did you decide to feature a map of Middle-earth in this set’s full art land?
Cartagena: That’s a great question! This was one of his first ideas for the set, pre-illustration, coming from Creative Director Jess Lanzillo. Middle-earth has such a particular geography, and it is, of course, one of his genius storytelling details that has inspired many of his subsequent works of fantasy and science fiction. Its approach not only tells us of the challenges and natural obstacles the Fellowship had to overcome in this story, but also links them to Arda’s rich and mythical history in previous eras. By creating the map of , as a full art land, it complements the illustrations on the cards and brings an immersive experience to the player. These arts were commissioned by Sarah Wassell who collaborated with her Deven Rue on this therapy.
Is the fact that the mountains have predominantly green art instead of red a concern or consideration when designing land like this? I’m curious if it has evolved.
Product Architect, Mike Turian: We’ve had fun pushing the envelope in creative ways to showcase the most fundamental part of magic: basic lands. Basics provide a great way to show off your creative settings and backdrops for the world we are in. From full-art constellation lands that highlight the beauty of Theros, to fun representations of magical partnerships such as Godzilla’s basic lands, we’re always on the lookout. On how to bring players to the universe we are visiting. In The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, inspired by the novel, the vast lands the Fellowship traversed on its journey and its own magic, his basics, and his own middle ground that fuses his land. I made a map of the country. To faithfully recreate what the map would look like, we chose the colors that resonated the most and used Magic His Frames and Mana His symbols to convey gameplay information.
Tom Marks Deputy Review Editor at IGN. He loves card his games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle platformers and more.
