Tales of Middle-earth brings Tolkien to the world of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Magic: The Gathering and no color represents magic better than blue. That's why both Gandalf and Sarumon are blue mages, and why Lord of the Ring's most mystical events all seem to have a hint of blue.
It comes as no surprise that there are plenty of new cards that should interest blue mages in Tales of Middle-earth, and cutting this list down to just ten proved most challenging indeed. Here are the best blue cards that you should keep an eye out for while you’re tearing open packs looking for Tಞhe One Ring.
10 ꦑ ⛄ Dreadful as the Storm
It's pretty hard for a blue mage to turn three mana into five damage, which already makes Dreadful as the Storm an interesting card. But what truly sets this card apart is the fact it also makes the Ring tempt you. This means that your Ringbearer becomes unblockable by creatures with greater power, making it the perfect target for Dreadful as the Storm.
Depending on when you play this card, you can make a tiny critter a five-damage swing, or you can keep Dreadful as ༒the Storm in your hand until blockers are declared as a neat combat trick. Expect this instant to do great work in Tales of Middle-earth drafts.
9 Lorien Revealed ꦅ 💞
Five mana for three cards isn't a particularly good deal compared to other blue Magic cards, especially when done at sorcery speed, but take a look at the Islandcycling cost. For just one mana, you can throw away this decent mid-to-late game card draw for a necessary early-game island.
It's that flexibility that makes Loren Revealed a card worthy of consideration, if not in Standard, then certainly in Tales of Middle-earth's limited formats.
8 Gandalf, Friend of the🐬 Shire 🌌
There are lots of ways to get the Ring to tempt you in Tales of Middle-earth, which means Ganfalf here will draw you lots of cards. The challenge isn't so much having the Ring tempt you--it's having someone other than Gandalf to be your Ring-bearer.
Other than that, a four-toughness flash-speed creature is always nice to foil your opponent's attack with, and casting sorceries as instants is also a nice bonus. Gandalf, Friend of the Shire does a lot and asks very little.
7 🥂 Scroll ofﷺ Isildur
For three mana, Scroll of Isildur can steal an artifact, get the Ring to tempt you, stuns two creatures, and draw at least two cards with the potential for more. That's incredible value in terms of card and tempo advantage, especially for the low cost of just three mana.
Control🐟 decks are going to want four of these, and even decks that just splash blue might consider Scroll of Isildur strictly for that first-turn artifact steal.
6 ꦯ Stor💟m of Saruman
More spells are always good, but what makes Storm of Saruman great is how it doesn't limit its copies to just sorceries or instants. The second spell you cast every turn, whether that be an enchantment, an artifact, or a creature, gets copied. That's exceptionally strong.
The real trick to Storm of Saruman is gett🐎ing it into play. Six mana might be t💦oo steep for the cut-throat world of Standard, but I can definitely see Storm of Saruman making it into less competitive (and more fun) Commander decks.
5 🍸 ಌ Borne Upon a Wind
Turn anything into an answer; that's what Borne Upon a Wind says. Better yet, you get to replace Borne Upon a Wind after you cast it. Pair this with Storm of Saruman or Saruman the White and you've got an easy second spell to trigger, too.
It really can't be overstated how great it is to be able to cast creatures at the end of your opponent's turn. That alone gets Borne Upon a Wind onto this list.
4 Rangers of Ithilien 🎉
A 3/3 body with vigilance for four is already decent value, but being able to steal an opposing creature with lesser power makes Rangers of Ithilien great value. Then throw a little temptation of the Ring on top and you've got one of the best creatures in Tales of Middle-earth.
And while being tempted by the Ring makes these Rangers a good pairing with Gandalf, keep in mind that the first tier of being tempted makes your Ring-bearer unblockable 𓂃by anything witꦿh greater power. This means Rangers of Ithilien can steal, strike, and block, all for just four mana.
3 Pཧress the Enemy
Blue mages are the masters of tempo, and tempo control doesn't get any better than Press the Enemy. Bounce a spell or non-land permanent, then cast a spell for free that's equal to or less than the converted mana cost of the spell or permanent you just bounced.
Bounce a monster, play your own. Or, bounce a game-ending sorcery while you get your own sorcery out fo෴r free. That kind of tempo swing is v✤ery hard to come back from.
2 Council's Deliberation
Drawing cards is all well and good, but getting to draw more cards than the ones you discard is how you build card advantage. On its own, Council's Deliberation is just a poorly-costed cantrip, but with the amount of scrying in Tales of Middle-earth, this card will turn two mana into two cards--a fantastic deal.
Combine Council's Deliberation with Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, Grey Havens Navigator, Hithlain Knots, Rivendell, Elvish Mariner, or Arwen's Gift for maximum value. And in older sets, consider pairing this card with Opt.
1 🥀 Stern Scolding
There are a lot of good counterspells in Tales of Middle-earth, such as Saruman's Trickery and Glorious Gale, but Stern Scolding beats them both. The thing to remember here is that Stern Scolding counters creatures with power OR toughness two or less, and there are a lot of creatures that fall into those categories in both Tales of Middle-earth and beyond.
As noted by our own Joe Parlock, 15 out of the top 25 creatures in Modern༒ are covered by Stern Scolding. Expect to see this card become a staple counterspell of blue mages for many years to come.