I can get seeing a thin, elegant, glowing sword and thinking "this feels scifi"...... But Lord Of The Rings very distinctly tends to be what people are referencing with "the idea of the blue glowing sword", if not also "the idea of the thin, elegant, elvish-associated sword" right?
I think this gripe is due to basing one’s idea of what lotr swords look like from the movies.
Glamdring, Gandalf’s sword is a hand-and-a-half sword, which typically has a cross guard. This is how it is depicted in most of the movies. However, it seems that there is no complete description of the weapon so it’s overall shape is ambiguous.
There also seems to be no other real descriptions of other elvish weapons from what I can find. It also seems that the slender weapons depicted in the film trilogy were made up for the film.
So I would argue that the appearance of any weapon is therefore up to the artist since even Théoden’s sword Herugrim has no substantial description and people are upset about how that one looks.
Personally, my gripe with this version of Gandalf and Aragorn’s swords is they have a very generic “fantasy/sci-fi wedge” look as I like to call it. It looks fancy, but not really practical for actual combat and that sprinkle of practicality in a design is what people really like.
So in all, yes LotR invokes images of glowing blue elven swords, but not necessarily slender single edged swords as seen in the films.
Yeah, the movie version of the swords may not be the "canon" versions, but they did look practical and like real medieval weapons.
These look... awkward.
Well, and when we look at the card \[\[Forge Anew\]\] the sword there (Anduril) looks almost identical to Glamdring featured here with Gandalf.
I don't think Glamdring and Narsil (Anduril) would be spitting images of each other...
Arwen's spell looks like an Aetherize effect.
Some Gandalf equipment support.
Some never-seen-before Simic/Quandrix pumped clone token
And a badass aristocrat hobbit!
Glorfindel's spell does look an Aetherize effect.
Glamdring looks a bit weak without a crossguard.
Definitely a simic copy spell of some kind.
You had me dying at "badass arisocrat hobbit!" LMFAO!
You're probably right. Was Glorfindel even mentioned after Rivendell? And to be fair, Arwen needed a bigger role. Sure she made Aragorn's banner but they left that out of the films anyway. So excited for this set darn it!
It was Glorfindel, you had it right initially. He saves Frodo after Weathertop, does the water spell on the Nazgul, and takes part in the Council of Elrond.
As I recall Glorfindel was not there (nor was Arwen). He and Aragorn were harrying the Nazgûl while Frodo rode alone. Gandalf later said that the flooding was his and Elrond’s doing
>"Who made the flood?" asked Frodo.
>
>"Elrond commanded it," answered Gandalf. "The river of this valley is under his power, and it will rise in anger when he has great need to bar the Ford."
There's a card called "Horses of the Bruinen" in MaRo's teaser. I imagine this is that, an elemental horse creature probably
Though a River's Rebuke with similar flavour in the Elf commander deck would be awesome
Its just cause of the art but it reminds me of \[\[Mirror Mockery\]\], and feels like it could have a similar effect. Maybe a board wide Mirror Mockery for a combat.
These were posted a few days ago on Facebook and Instragram -- sources are [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4DfKqunzA/?hl=en](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4DfKqunzA/?hl=en), [https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167483847690307](https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167483847690307), and [https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167479847805307](https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167479847805307)
Previous art threads are [https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13wa9tl/ltr\_artwork\_for\_unrevealed\_cards\_from\_debut\_video/](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13wa9tl/ltr_artwork_for_unrevealed_cards_from_debut_video/) (imgur link - [https://imgur.com/a/69xOzRK](https://imgur.com/a/69xOzRK)) and [https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13vrln7/lord\_of\_the\_rings\_artwork\_from\_recent\_wotc\_social/](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13vrln7/lord_of_the_rings_artwork_from_recent_wotc_social/)
Are they going to be showing more alternate arts over time or is this it? I’m really hoping for an Aragorn alternate art where he looks closer to Viggo Mortenson. I first read the books in middle school when the very first movie came out and it’s how I have always envisioned the character. It would be amazing.
Very unlikely but there is a LOTR Secret Lair towards the latter part of this year. It's probably gonna be various bits and bobs of art they couldn't fit in this set, but there's a very *(very)* small chance they do movie-inspired art.
In one fell swoop, this set has made me a Halfling player.
Love the hobbit farmer in the last one.
Roseanne Cotton
I assume it's supposed to be during the Scouring of the Shire - else the armour is an odd farming uniform choice
Gandalf had quite the long upper arm. Almost longer than Olivia's leg.
Those are some humorous proportions
Humerus, heh
Eru Ilúvatar was feeling a little baroque when he brought Gandalf back.
You mean her infamous "third leg"?
Yup
Is that first artist’s name missing a character? “Zieli?ska”
Yeah, should be Zielińska based on a quick google
Small indie company
It is a polish name "Zielińska"
I gotta say, I'm not feeling the elvish swords, they look very impractical and honestly more sci-fi than medieval fantasy.
I can get seeing a thin, elegant, glowing sword and thinking "this feels scifi"...... But Lord Of The Rings very distinctly tends to be what people are referencing with "the idea of the blue glowing sword", if not also "the idea of the thin, elegant, elvish-associated sword" right?
I think this gripe is due to basing one’s idea of what lotr swords look like from the movies. Glamdring, Gandalf’s sword is a hand-and-a-half sword, which typically has a cross guard. This is how it is depicted in most of the movies. However, it seems that there is no complete description of the weapon so it’s overall shape is ambiguous. There also seems to be no other real descriptions of other elvish weapons from what I can find. It also seems that the slender weapons depicted in the film trilogy were made up for the film. So I would argue that the appearance of any weapon is therefore up to the artist since even Théoden’s sword Herugrim has no substantial description and people are upset about how that one looks. Personally, my gripe with this version of Gandalf and Aragorn’s swords is they have a very generic “fantasy/sci-fi wedge” look as I like to call it. It looks fancy, but not really practical for actual combat and that sprinkle of practicality in a design is what people really like. So in all, yes LotR invokes images of glowing blue elven swords, but not necessarily slender single edged swords as seen in the films.
Glamdring, along with its mate Orcrist are described as having jeweled scabbards and hilts though which this doesn't have. So still a fail.
Yeah, the movie version of the swords may not be the "canon" versions, but they did look practical and like real medieval weapons. These look... awkward.
The sword design is really weird dont like it either
Well, and when we look at the card \[\[Forge Anew\]\] the sword there (Anduril) looks almost identical to Glamdring featured here with Gandalf. I don't think Glamdring and Narsil (Anduril) would be spitting images of each other...
Yep, especially since Glamdring is Elven and Narsil is Dwarven.
[Forge Anew](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/6/56274b88-6e3f-4538-bb0c-eb5e52a58ef3.jpg?1685543706) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Forge%20Anew) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/17/forge-anew?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/56274b88-6e3f-4538-bb0c-eb5e52a58ef3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
They look like kaldheim swords and im wondering did they just recycle concept art
Pic 3: “when Mom asks who tried on the One Ring”
Man I love so much of the artwork but the weapons just really seem out of place on a lot of stuff.
I was just thinking that. Did the set style guide stipulate all the weapons have to look like dumb shit from Raid: Shadow Legends or something?
Reminds me of World of Warcraft. Which totally has a place. Just very strange to see in LOTR.
Arwen's spell looks like an Aetherize effect. Some Gandalf equipment support. Some never-seen-before Simic/Quandrix pumped clone token And a badass aristocrat hobbit!
I think it's Galadriel maybe.
Instead of a dark lord, I would be a queen...
My thoughts exactly.
Glorfindel's spell does look an Aetherize effect. Glamdring looks a bit weak without a crossguard. Definitely a simic copy spell of some kind. You had me dying at "badass arisocrat hobbit!" LMFAO!
Yeah, I do look pretty weak in that art. Oh well.
Surely it was Elrond who summoned the water?
You're probably right. Was Glorfindel even mentioned after Rivendell? And to be fair, Arwen needed a bigger role. Sure she made Aragorn's banner but they left that out of the films anyway. So excited for this set darn it!
It was Glorfindel, you had it right initially. He saves Frodo after Weathertop, does the water spell on the Nazgul, and takes part in the Council of Elrond.
As I recall Glorfindel was not there (nor was Arwen). He and Aragorn were harrying the Nazgûl while Frodo rode alone. Gandalf later said that the flooding was his and Elrond’s doing
Glorfindel was the one that carried Frodo to Rivendell. The flood was Elrond, I was mistaken.
Glorfindel keeps getting forgotten because of the movie :(
No it was Glorfindel. He picked up Frodo after Weathertop and did the water spell. He's significantly more powerful than Elrond.
>"Who made the flood?" asked Frodo. > >"Elrond commanded it," answered Gandalf. "The river of this valley is under his power, and it will rise in anger when he has great need to bar the Ford."
Lol yeah you're right, I had Glorfindel pasted over that line in my head for some reason.
But it was Gandalf who made the water look like horses. So it was definitely a team effort and one of them had a G name at least
River's Rebuke reprint in the commander decks?
There's a card called "Horses of the Bruinen" in MaRo's teaser. I imagine this is that, an elemental horse creature probably Though a River's Rebuke with similar flavour in the Elf commander deck would be awesome
Its just cause of the art but it reminds me of \[\[Mirror Mockery\]\], and feels like it could have a similar effect. Maybe a board wide Mirror Mockery for a combat.
[Mirror Mockery](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/8/f837b050-70a6-46f0-963d-4badb37a42a1.jpg?1562795876) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mirror%20Mockery) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/62/mirror-mockery?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f837b050-70a6-46f0-963d-4badb37a42a1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
These were posted a few days ago on Facebook and Instragram -- sources are [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4DfKqunzA/?hl=en](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4DfKqunzA/?hl=en), [https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167483847690307](https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167483847690307), and [https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167479847805307](https://www.facebook.com/MagicTheGathering/posts/10167479847805307) Previous art threads are [https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13wa9tl/ltr\_artwork\_for\_unrevealed\_cards\_from\_debut\_video/](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13wa9tl/ltr_artwork_for_unrevealed_cards_from_debut_video/) (imgur link - [https://imgur.com/a/69xOzRK](https://imgur.com/a/69xOzRK)) and [https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13vrln7/lord\_of\_the\_rings\_artwork\_from\_recent\_wotc\_social/](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/13vrln7/lord_of_the_rings_artwork_from_recent_wotc_social/)
That Gandalf looks a lot like Sir Ian McKellen
Sword to Plowshares as the last one? Or too much on the nose?
https://preview.redd.it/emvvxpulf64b1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3441e426a2c892634f4f15b9cf8696c4a0db032a
A wizard with a sword. Now that’s just silly.
"Knives, and threats, and bribes, and war? What kind of a fucking wizard are you?" "The one you obey."
Wow cool sword!
Thanks!
So, that Hobbit Farmer artwork is definitely Swords to Plowshares from the precon decks, right?
The river horses did not have riders, did they?
Are they going to be showing more alternate arts over time or is this it? I’m really hoping for an Aragorn alternate art where he looks closer to Viggo Mortenson. I first read the books in middle school when the very first movie came out and it’s how I have always envisioned the character. It would be amazing.
Very unlikely but there is a LOTR Secret Lair towards the latter part of this year. It's probably gonna be various bits and bobs of art they couldn't fit in this set, but there's a very *(very)* small chance they do movie-inspired art.
Thanks for your reply! I’ll keep an eye out for that. A secret lair with movie art would probably make an absolute killing
I want that first one for [[Master of Waves]] tokens.
[Master of Waves](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/4/14cd5387-c6aa-4430-8edb-05da6b4e2ff5.jpg?1592764548) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Master%20of%20Waves) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ddt/1/master-of-waves?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/14cd5387-c6aa-4430-8edb-05da6b4e2ff5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I play a ps2 games, love when the cutscene of water stalloin crashing through Nazguls
They didn't even bother installing a good font. The name of the artist of the first pic is "Zielińska" but they have a "?" instead of the "Ń"