Last updated on February 18, 2024
Seasons Past | Illustration by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
Back to Middle-earth we go! Didn’t take very long, did it? Apparently there’s another wave of Lord of the Rings products coming to Magic this holiday season, with a handful of Tolkienesque goodies that weren’t available in the original Tales of Middle-earth set. Leave it to Wizards to sell you the same set twice in the span of six months.
With the Special Edition release comes a new card frame exclusive to the new and returning cards in the Lord of the Rings line-up some of which carry great value. This “showcase scroll” treatments gives an old-timey parchment paper feel to the cards you know and love (or are still in the process of discovering that you love). But how do you get them? I’ve got you covered.
What Are Showcase Scrolls of Middle-Earth Cards in MTG?
The One Ring | Illustration by Veli Nystrom
The “showcase scroll” frame is an alternate card frame that appears on cards in the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Special Edition, exclusive to Collector Boosters. This isn’t the same as the original Tales of Middle-earth set (LTR), but rather a re-release of sorts with different art and card frames for the cards in the original set.
The scroll frame uses a grainy texture and a parchment paper aesthetic, and every card in the original LTR set is featured in this new frame. All rares and mythics from Lord of the Rings Commander (LTC) also appear in this scroll frame. Note that this only applies to LTC cards featured in the Commander precons, and does not include the Scene Box cards or set/collector booster exclusives, which also use the LTC set code.
How Do You Get Showcase Scroll Cards?
Showcase scroll frames appear in the LotR Special Edition Collector Boosters. Note that this is a different product than the Lord of the Rings Scene Boxes and Jumpstart Vol. 2 set that will be released around the same time before Black Friday. Alternatively, you could ask your friends really, really nicely to buy you some singles for the holidays.
- A PRECIOUS GIFT FOR FANS—These Special Edition Collector Boosters celebrate decades of fandom and love for The Lord of the Rings with packs full of special treats for fans, including more Lord of the Rings-inspired cards, plus exclusive alt-art and special treatments
- BROTHERS HILDEBRANDT CARDS—In some packs you may find a Borderless reprint featuring fan-favorite 1970s The Lord of the Rings art by beloved fantasy artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
- MAY CONTAIN SERIALIZED CARDS—Some packs may contain a Serialized version of a Borderless Poster card, with art and text styled after concert posters, or Serialized Borderless Realms & Relics cards representing items and locations from across Middle-earth (Special Edition Collector Boosters do not contain Serialized Ring cards)
- SPECIAL FOIL CARDS—Full of special foil treatments, every Special Edition booster contains 5–6 Silver Foil cards with a unique metallic sheen and 2–3 Surge Foil cards with a rippling shine
- MAGIC MEETS THE LORD OF THE RINGS—Experience the beloved story of The Lord of the Rings through the gorgeous art and thrilling gameplay of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game
What Types of Packs Have Showcase Scroll Cards?
LotR Special Edition Collector Boosters are the only packs that have showcase scrolls. These are distinct from normal Tales of Middle-earth Collector Boosters, so make sure you know the difference before hunting down scroll frame cards.
What Are the Odds of Opening a Showcase Scroll Card?
Each Special Edition Collector Booster has 10 slots dedicated to showcase scrolls, which means they make up the majority of the contents in these boosters. There will be five guaranteed non-foil showcase scrolls, and five “silver foil” scrolls (more on that below). The breakdown is as follows:
- 2 non-foil showcase commons
- 2 Silver foil showcase commons
- 2 non-foil showcase uncommons
- 2 Silver foil showcase uncommons
- 1 non-foil showcase rare/mythic
- 1 Silver foil showcase rare/mythic
For the rare/mythic slots, the breakdown is as follows:
- 41% LTR rare
- 7% LTR mythic
- 49% LTC rare
- 3% LTC mythic
Are Showcase Scroll Cards of Middle-Earth Cards Valuable?
Given that every card from the original LTR and LTC sets are all receiving the scroll frame treatment, the value of individual cards is likely going to be close to the value of a normal-framed equivalent. Even though they’re a special treatment that’s only available in a very specific type of pack, there won’t be scarcity issues with individual cards, so the different frame only carries so much of a premium, if any.
Of course, there are some hot commodities in LTR, like Orcish Bowmasters and The One Ring, as well as fan-favorite LotR characters that people surely want to collect, so some cards are bound to have a much higher price tag than you’d expect. However, don’t expect your scroll frame Dunland Crebain to be much more than a bulk card.
Can All Cards Be Found as Showcase Scrolls, or Only Certain Ones?
Every card that appeared in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth main set returns with the scroll frame, in addition to every rare and mythic from Lord of the Rings Commander, though this only includes cards found in the precons. Scene Box promos, Jumpstart exclusives, and set/collector booster exclusives will not receive the scroll frame treatment.
Are Showcase Scroll Cards Tournament Legal
Scroll framed cards are legal in any format that the card is already legal in. The frame treatment doesn’t change the legality of a card, so long as the card is legible and in good condition.
What Is a Silver Foil?
Silver foils are a new type of foil treatment available in the new LTR Special Edition Collector boosters. They feature a silver, metallic sheen unlike any previous foil treatment. This is the foiling type that the new showcase scroll cards can come with, but it can also be found on normal and alternate-art cards in this release.
Scroll Down
Tom Bombadil | Illustration by Dmitry Burmak
And that’s our nice and tidy breakdown of scroll framed Lord of the Rings cards. Wizards isn’t making it easy with an entire second wave of LTR products not even a half a year after the release of the main set, all with exclusive promos, variants, and Tolkien knows what else.
Still, I’m a sucker for Booster Fun cards and alternate frames, so once the set drops I want to see your pulls. Show me your favorite showcase scrolls and tell me what you think of the treatment in general. Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.
Thank you for making Draftsim your #1 stop for all things Magic!
- A PRECIOUS GIFT FOR FANS—These Special Edition Collector Boosters celebrate decades of fandom and love for The Lord of the Rings with packs full of special treats for fans, including more Lord of the Rings-inspired cards, plus exclusive alt-art and special treatments
- BROTHERS HILDEBRANDT CARDS—In some packs you may find a Borderless reprint featuring fan-favorite 1970s The Lord of the Rings art by beloved fantasy artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
- MAY CONTAIN SERIALIZED CARDS—Some packs may contain a Serialized version of a Borderless Poster card, with art and text styled after concert posters, or Serialized Borderless Realms & Relics cards representing items and locations from across Middle-earth (Special Edition Collector Boosters do not contain Serialized Ring cards)
- SPECIAL FOIL CARDS—Full of special foil treatments, every Special Edition booster contains 5–6 Silver Foil cards with a unique metallic sheen and 2–3 Surge Foil cards with a rippling shine
- MAGIC MEETS THE LORD OF THE RINGS—Experience the beloved story of The Lord of the Rings through the gorgeous art and thrilling gameplay of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game
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