Unexpected LOTR Character Can Become An MTG Commander
The epic conflict between Bill and the Watcher in the Water is coming to Magic: the Gathering via the Tales of Middle-earth set.
Scott Baird 
Image Via Wizards of the Coast
The Lord of the Rings series has its fair share of unlikely heroes, and the most unexpected of all will soon be Commander material in Magic: The Gathering. This epic crossover will happen in Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, which will launch on June 23.
The Commander format in Magic: The Gathering involves creating a deck with a special Commander card, which sits in its own special zone and can be summoned at any time, so long as the player can pay the cost. To qualify as a Commander, a card must either be a Legendary Creature or a Planeswalker. However, some special traits allow cards to be played alongside Commanders, such as the Background Enchantments from the Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate set.
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Bill The Pony From The Lord Of The Rings Can Be A Commander In Magic: The Gathering
The most unlikely of heroes will soon be a viable Commander in Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast revealed during a recent press preview event for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth that Bill the Pony can be a Commander, despite only being a little pony who traveled with the Fellowship to Moria.
In Magic: The Gathering, Bill the Pony is a 1/4 Legendary Creature – Horse that costs four mana to play (three of which must be white mana). When Bill the Pony enters the field, he creates two Food Tokens, which can be tapped for two mana and sacrificed in exchange for three life. If the player chooses to sacrifice a Food Token, a creature they control uses Toughness instead of Power when attacking until the end of the turn.
Bill the Pony isn’t exactly a powerhouse on his own, but his stat swap ability can be useful in a deck focused on hobbits and Food Tokens, which have synergy in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. It would also be a major blow to the opponent’s ego if they lost to a deck fronted by Bill the Pony.
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It’s funny to think of Bill the Pony as some imposing mystical figure in Magic: The Gathering, but he was smarter than he looked, considering he escaped from Moria and made his way back to Bree without help. He also survived the events of Frodo’s quest, unlike Boromir. Maybe he is ideal Commander material after all? The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set has all kinds of heroes and villains who can act as Commanders, such as Galadriel, Frodo, and Sauron, but Bill the Pony is where it’s at.
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