Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
– LOTR: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.63
Casual: 4.00
Limited: 3.75
Multiplayer: 3.37
Commander [EDH]: 3.50
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
As one of the greatest loremasters of Middle-earth, it’s fitting that Elrond’s Magic card leans into seeing more of your library than you were originally intended to. Much like Frodo does for Tales of Middle-earth‘s legendary theme, he provides a bridge between the “Ring tempts you” cards and the scrying effects that many of the set’s elves use. It does take a lot of creatures to max out the Ring’s power just from his trigger, but blue’s flicker and bounce effects can help with that, and in a long enough game where he isn’t removed, he’ll get you there almost by momentum as you keep doing your deck’s actual thing.
It’s also interesting to note that between Tales of Middle-earth and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, there are now a notable number of blue elves. I’m not sure it’s quite enough to make blue a “default” color for elf decks, but it could be relevant at some point.
I’m sure some of you have wondered why the wisest being east of the Sea, an elf born when Morgoth still walked the earth, isn’t a mythic rare – he literally witnessed mythic times. But he’s a very good uncommon, and that’s good enough for me!
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
One of the reigning elf-kings and bearer of Virya of the Rings of Power, Elrond is one of the characters responsible for kicking the plot of The Lord of the Rings off by forming the Fellowship of the Ring and sending them off. Elves in this set seem to lean more into Simic colors, which is one of the two main prongs of the elven tree in Magic, though there is a bit of a divination theme going on that usually isn’t as pronounced.
Elrond, Lord of Rivendell is simple, but effective. Repeatable scrying is solid, especially with each creature you play, and it leans into the elven tendency to go wide; the chance to get tempred by the Ring is also a bit of a boon, and the suite of ring-bearer effects has a lot of value. Elrond is also a decent enough creature; a 3/2 for 3 isn’t phenomenal, but he can be a threat with the usual suite of elf buffs.
I don’t think he’s quite that good for Modern play, since Elves in deeper formats will usually prioritize Golgari or mono-green shells, and I do not believe the Simic Elves introduced here will do enough to shift it. But there’s a decent amount of value to be accrued here, and a more fun deck built around Elrond and the Smic Elves has room to b a fair bit of fun.
Constructed: 2.75 (not terrible, but does not do enough to justify a spot)
Casual: 4
Limited: 3.5 (scrying can be useful when you’re looking for particular pieces)
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.5 (probably ill-advised as a Commander, but not terrible in the 99)
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