Sauron, Lord of the Rings MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Avatar Horror
Abilities Amass,Mill,Trample
Power 9
Toughness 9

Key Takeaways

  1. The Sauron card allows for greater deck manipulation, providing players with timely access to key resources.
  2. While powerful, Sauron requires precise mana blends, which can restrict deck diversity and limit strategies.
  3. Sauron’s unique abilities offer compelling reasons to include him in your MTG collection for competitive play.

Text of card

When you cast this spell, amass Orcs 5, mill five cards, then return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Trample Whenever a commander an opponent controls dies, the Ring tempts you.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Sauron card provides a notable uptick in card advantage by enabling players to manipulate the deck and ensure essential cards are drawn when needed. Ultimately, this bolsters players’ hands and turns the tide in their favor during crucial moments of the game.

Resource Acceleration: Integrating Sauron into your deck can turbo-charge your resource pool. With the ability to generate additional resources, players can summon more formidable creatures earlier than usual or cast multiple spells in a shorter timeframe, applying pressure and gaining the upper hand over opponents.

Instant Speed: The swift nature of instant speed spells adds a layer of unpredictability and strategy to your gameplay. With Sauron’s abilities accessible at instant speed, players can disrupt opponents’ tactics on their turn, making it an indispensable tool in any arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For those delving into the power of Sauron, be prepared to part with precious resources. Summoning the Dark Lord often entails a discard stipulation, which can be particularly onerous during the late-game when your hand is sparse, thereby hindering your strategies and hamstringing your momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: Calling forth the malice of Sauron demands a precise blend of mana, typified by a hefty requirement of Black mana symbols. This could potentially constrain deck-building options and utility in multicolored decks, restricting your ability to utilize Sauron’s might to decks heavily invested in Black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Harnessing Sauron’s full might is no trifling matter; it bears a relatively high mana cost that may deter players, especially considering alternate cards equally capable of considerable board impact. While Sauron’s raw power is undeniable, the steep price inherently limits the speed at which you can enact his dark will upon the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Sauron in Your Collection

Versatility: Sauron is a card that can easily adapt to various deck themes, particularly those that tap into the dark, powerful lore of Middle-earth. His abilities enhance control and long-game strategies, integrating well with decks seeking a formidable late-game presence.

Combo Potential: His abilities to manipulate both players’ graveyards and cast spells from them offer numerous synergistic opportunities. Pairing Sauron with cards that mill or discard can create game-changing combos and disrupt opponents’ tactics.

Meta-Relevance: In a gaming landscape that often revolves around graveyard utilization and advantage-gaining effects, Sauron’s unique skill set can turn the tides of battle in favor of the player wielding his power, making him a highly relevant inclusion in competitive play.


How to beat

Dealing with Sauron, the tyrannical character brought from the depths of Middle-earth to the MTG universe, requires strategy and cunning. This formidable card, with its multifaceted abilities, can often seem insurmountable in a game setting. However, there is a window for players to tip the scales in their favor. Disruption is key. Interrupting Sauron’s casting through counterspells or quickly removing it from play once landed can be effective. Consider running spells that specifically target problematic non-creature permanents or use abilities that limit your opponent’s ability to utilize Sauron to its full advantage.

Board control is crucial; maintain creatures that can apply pressure or hold up defenses lest Sauron turns the tide. Sideboards should be equipped with answers to mitigate Sauron’s influence on the board state. Enchantment and artifact removal may also prove pivotal since many of Sauron’s synergies can depend on other permanents on the board to escalate its power. Staying one step ahead and anticipating your opponent’s move before they can fully leverage Sauron’s power will ensure you’re prepared to battle against the might of this MTG incarnation of the Dark Lord.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the dynamics of a card like Sauron can profoundly affect your MTG gameplay, offering new twists and strategies to your deck-building endeavors. Should you harness the enigmatic might of this Dark Lord, it’s essential to consider the balance of power and cost that accompanies him. Making an impact in both casual and competitive circles, Sauron could be a keystone in your collection. Dive into our insights to sharpen your understanding of how to optimize his use, mitigate his weaknesses, and employ disruptive maneuvers against him. Extend your strategy beyond the battlefield and into the lore of Middle-earth with MTG. Join us for more in-depth analysis and tips to conquer your opponents.


Cards like Sauron, Lord of the Rings

Within the world of Magic: The Gathering, the character Sauron, from the Lord of the Rings saga, has become a card that elicits intrigue among players. This dark lord brings a unique set of abilities to the table that can be analogized with other formidable cards in the game. Looking at cards like Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, we see parallels in the ability to command the board and impose pressure on opponents, yet Sauron’s presence as a crossover edition bestows a distinct flavor to the game.

Another similar entity would be Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, which shares the ominous power to manipulate the course of a game. Both characters cast long shadows over MTG lore but wield their influence in different manners. Although Yawgmoth offers direct control over creatures and card advantage, Sauron’s potential inclusion could introduce new strategies, embellishing the gameplay with his expansive mythos.

To sum up, Sauron holds promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with these iconic cards, potentially enriching MTG’s complex tapestry of villainy. Players keen on the thematic richness and strategic depth have much to anticipate from Sauron’s advent into the MTG arena.

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Sauron, Lord of the Rings by color, type and mana cost

Nicol Bolas - MTG Card versions
Prince of Thralls - MTG Card versions
Nicol Bolas - MTG Card versions
Prince of Thralls - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sauron, Lord of the Rings MTG card by a specific set like Tales of Middle-earth Commander and Tales of Middle-earth Commander, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Sauron, Lord of the Rings and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sauron, Lord of the Rings Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-06-23 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by Alex Brock.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 42015NormalBlackAlex Brock
22023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 4782015NormalBlackAlex Brock
32023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 922015NormalBlackAlex Brock
42023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 842015NormalBlackAlex Brock

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sauron, Lord of the Rings has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sauron, Lord of the Rings card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-06-16 Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. If the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
2023-06-16 Amass abilities are now written as "amass
-ubtype] N." Previous cards with amass have received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
2023-06-16 As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer.
2023-06-16 Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time.
2023-06-16 Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
2023-06-16 If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.
2023-06-16 If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
2023-06-16 In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
2023-06-16 Sauron, Lord of the Rings's last ability will trigger even if the owner of the commander that died chooses to return it to the command zone after it dies.
2023-06-16 Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
2023-06-16 Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
2023-06-16 Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you.
2023-06-16 The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger.
2023-06-16 The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game.
2023-06-16 The creature card you choose doesn't need to be a card you milled. You may choose a creature card that was already in your graveyard before you milled.
2023-06-16 To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.