MTG Lord of the Rings Tales of Middle Earth is upon us, bringing with it not one, not two, but five Aragorn cards for us to build commander decks around. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, with some ultimately coming out stronger than others. So which of the MTG Lord of the Rings Aragorn cards should you choose to lead your commander deck?
Each Aragorn card in this MTG set has its own unique flavor. This means you can build a MTG Commander deck for each one, and they’ll play very differently. If you’re wondering which of the MTG Lord of the Rings Aragorn cards is the most powerful, or which one is easiest to brew around, then this is the perfect list for you. We’ll help you decide which King of Gondor is the best MTG commander, so you can decide which you’d like to swear your allegiance to.
5. Aragorn, Company Leader
While Aragorn may be the chosen leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, I’m not so sure I’d choose this rendition to lead my commander deck. This card isn’t exactly bad, but it’s certainly the most narrow on the list. The Ring tempts you is the hallmark mechanic of the set, so while it’s cool to get to build around it, the likelihood of this mechanic being supported in future is very slim.
While Aragorn, Company Leader also allows you to share out the counters placed onto him to other creatures on your board, this Aragorn may be the most restrictive, which earns it the number 5 spot. It’s certainly powerful, and a fairly unique take on counters, but outside of a counters strategy, this Aragorn’s not leading you anywhere.
4. Strider, Ranger of the North
Now, in contrast, Strider, Ranger of the North is a lot more open. Landfall is a frequently returning mechanic, seen first in the original Zendikar block back in 2009. This gives you a much wider pool to choose your cards from. Landfall receives support with each return to Zendikar and in official MTG Preconstructed decks, meaning this deck is one that can grow with your collection.
Each time you put a land into play, Landfall triggers and Strider allows you to buff up a creature. If that creature has power 4, it’s getting first strike too. You can target Strider himself with this buff to make him a great Voltron commander, or you can buff up your board of creatures for that big decisive combat. The card does lack a certain ‘oomph’ factor, however, which keeps it from taking a higher spot.
3. Aragorn and Arwen, Wed
In the mid slot, we have Aragorn and Arwen, Wed. Which, even before we get to the abilities, is worth playing simply for Magali Villenueve’s gorgeous art.
A very flexible card; Aragorn and Arwen, Wed can block well with its respectable six toughness, but really shines when you’ve got a board full of creatures – like many commanders in this MTG color combination.
This card could comfortably serve as the commander of a go-wide, token creature deck, or a lifegain deck. Consider casting this card late game for the extra bit of power you need to overwhelm your opponent’s blockers. Alternatively, if you’ve been dealt a lot of damage from, you can cast it to gain back the life you’ve lost.
2. Aragorn, King of Gondor
Aragon, King of Gondor is functionally similar to Aragorn and Arwen Wed in that he’s a combat-focused commander that aids evasion, although he’s a lot cheaper in mana value on his own.
His ability using the Monarch introduces a fun minigame into your game of Commander, providing card advantage as long as your opponents can’t deal combat damage to you. While you’re the monarch, your opponents’ creatures can’t block you, allowing your last alliance of men and elves to knock your opponents out of the game, swiftly and cleanly.
1. Aragorn, the Uniter
Now, this card rules. It’s not hard to see why this version of Aragorn sits atop the throne; it’s by far the most flexible card on the list. Aragorn provides additional value for every spell you cast. If that wasn’t enough, if you cast a spell which is multiple of these MTG colors, you get each of the abilities that share a color with the card cast.
Aragorn the Uniter on his own is a four-mana value 5/5 creature, which is already a great rate for such strong stats. But the fact that he will let you build essentially any (non-black) deck, even a deck that’s only three, two, or even just one of these colours means that if you’re not sure which of these Aragorn cards you’d choose to lead your deck. There’s a good argument for looking here first, and then working your way down.
Did you know that Lord of the Rings: Tales from Middle Earth will be legal for MTG’s Historic format, and the cards have come to Arena? Check out all the MTG Arena codes here – you also might be keen to find the best MTG Arena decks.