From Middle-earth to Magic: LanceLloyd’s Lord of the Rings MTG Collection Journey

When did you start collecting and do you remember your very first big hit card or big ticket item? What was it?

Technically, I first collected MTG back in the early 2000's when I was only a 12-13 year old kid! My highlight of the month was when my parents would buy me some packs. I'd go to school with my binder and trade cards with my buddies during breaks. That only lasted about 2 years though. I then got back into MTG 2 years ago, someone mentioned it to me and the nostalgia drove me to start playing on Arena, and not long after that got into paper Magic. I've been having an absolute blast since then (although my bank account hates me). The first product I bought was a LOTR set booster box which as I'm a big LOTR fan and I was psyched to mix MTG#s awesome mechanics with an IP I dearly love. I had some real newbie's luck as I pulled a foil Gemstone Caverns as my box topper and that was the beginning of my collecting journey!

What’s your absolute favorite card/ item in your collection and why does it mean so much to you?

That will certainly be the one collector box of the LOTR Holiday release that I own. One, because I'm a LOTR fanboy; two, because I think it's a really well crafted product with some gorgeous and powerful cards to pull. I really enjoy the art on the poster cards, the realms and relics and the Hildebrant cards, and have gone onto a mission to collect them all. That is now mission accomplished as I've received the last card I was missing in December!

What’s the crown jewel of your collection, the rarest or most valuable card you own?

By a wide margin it will be a copy of The One Ring poster foil. After thinking about it a good few times as it was pricey, I bought it about 6 months ago as it was the last foil poster card I was missing and really wanted the complete set. I'm glad I didn't wait much longer as its almost tripled in price since then.

How do you store or display your collection, are you more binder-organised or shoebox chaos?

I like my cards neat and tidy. My bulk goes into storage boxes, sorted by set and color. When I started collecting, I would also sort them by collector number but that is now too time consuming so I've stopped that bit. Generic Rares/Mythics go in D ring binders by set and color, and finally anything I actively collect will go in Zip binders. Cardboard takes a lot of space though and the binders and deck boxes have basically overtaken what was once a drinks cabinet!

Do you play Magic: the Gathering, collect only, or dabble in both? If you do play, what has been your favorite deck of all time?

I play both on Arena (standard and drafts) and paper (Commander). I enjoy deck building a lot, and can spend an entire day (or at least until my girlfriend says my time's up) thinking about how to build my next EDH deck. Picking one favorite deck is quite hard as there are so many I have enjoyed building and playing. Y'shtola is certainly a fun one as I enjoy the controlling aspect of the game, where you just sit back with open mana and gradually drain your opponents and fill your hand as you answer threats. My first deck I built though was Edgar Markov and I had no idea what I was doing at the time so I literally spend weeks figuring out what I was doing. After multiple iterations, it turned out pretty neat so I'm pretty proud of it and will always be a bit sentimental about it!

Do you have a favorite Magic: the Gathering Set that you own and why?

If you haven't figured this out by now, you haven't been reading haha! More seriously, after LOTR, I'd probably go with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Funny enough I had never heard of the show till the set was announced in early 2025 and originally had little interest for it. A bunch of friends pushed me to watch the show and oh boy did I love it! I think they did a phenomenal job in terms of set design, the bending mechanics are really cool and innovative and the flavor of the set is really on point! You can tell that a lot of love was put into it. In my mind ATLA and Final Fantasy are good showcases of how Universes Beyond can deliver great products for players when done right (unlike Spiderman).

Are there any cards/ items you're currently chasing or a dream grail card/ item on your wishlist?

The one true holy grail is the Black Lotus but I'm not seeing that happen any time soon (if ever)! The one card I have my eye on currently is the Thanos Soul Stone, but its still too pricey for my liking... I sure hope The Hobbit brings us some cool art and cards to chase though, I'd love a showcase Arkenstone or Smaug card.

Which three characters from the Lord of the Rings would be the best to play a Commander game with?

If I wanted a pod that's hilarious but still finishes games I'd go for Merry Pippin ang Legolas. Merry and Pipping strike mas as the kind of players who would do a lot of Hobbit nonsense and create completely deranged board state. Legolas is the king of Elf that smiles politely, says little but coldly end the game as soon as he finds an opening.

Do you have any card storage hacks, tips, or advice for fellow collectors?

The one thing I do recommend for any new collector is to double sleeve all the cards you care about. It seriously helps avoid pringling for foils, and with general card condition over an extended period of time! Otherwise each to their own, as long as you find the cards you need for your next deck!

Do you share your collection online? If so, where can people follow you and what’s your handle?

Not really, not in the same vein as today at least. I just share my cool pulls and pick ups with fellow enthusiasts in #flex on the great MMH MTG discord!