MTG's Rarest Card, 'The One Ring', May Already Be Damaged

Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast revealed another big batch of cards for its upcoming set, The Lord of the Rings during a livestream on Twitch, the broadcasting platform. Alongside the other many cards previewed live, The One Ring, perhaps the rarest MTG card of all time, was shown, to entice fans further into being tempted by this ring.

However, fans online have been pointing out that this card, which hasn't even been released yet, appears to be damaged. Several fans on Reddit debated the issue on Magic: The Gathering's subreddit, stating that the card appeared "curled".

As anyone who has been keeping up with reveals can tell you, this card being dubbed 'the rarest card of all time' isn't an exaggeration by any means. This card is a 001/001 card, which means only one copy is printed and released into the world, to fall on the hands of a lucky player, just like the original The One Ring from the J.R.R. Tolkien series.

This is, of course, a foil version of a regular card that can be found in the set. There will be 300 foil elves rings, 600 dwarves rings, and 900 human rings, and ten times this number of non foil versions. Still, the legend of this card is already out there, as fans speculate it might take decades before the card is actually 'discovered'.

'Curling', in Magic: The Gathering, refers to when a card bends a particular way, affecting the 'quality' of the card and its potential price in the market if it is ever sold. It can be caused by a variety of factors such as moisture, humidity, or improper handling, and it happens more to foils than regular cards because the front and the back of a foil card won't change sizes, which can damage it. Too much curling can cause the card to not be tournament legal.

Fans have been debating online whether it is indeed curled, but one thing is sure: Only the one who finds it will know for sure.

Do you think The One Ring is already curled?

For a full schedule of Magic: The Gathering releases, click here. For more on The Lord of the Rings set, click here.