Lord Of The Rings Will Probably Be MTG's Most Successful Set

That The Lord of the Rings - Tales of Middle-Earth set would be a gigantic success, no one doubted. However, fans and players alike have been wondering just how much - and the quarterly financial report, published by Wizards of the Coast this week, shows that the Tolkien set will be, very soon, the most successful set in whole MTG history.

The joining of two beloved IPs, the retelling of a classic story on its own, and the mythos of the set, including the printing of a one-and-only The One Ring, have all contributed to this success, but reports in the competitive scene have also pointed out how relevant the cards themselves have been for the game itself.

Currently, the title of most successful set in MTG history is still occupied by Modern Horizons 2, which completely turned the format of the same name around. But, considering it has only been one month since the release of Tales of Middle-Earth, we can expect it to become the n.1 most popular set very soon.

To break down the details, Modern Horizons 2 has been the best-selling set at least since October 2022, when Mark Rosewater, one of the most famous Wizards of the Coast developers, stated so on his personal blog. The Lord of the Rings - Tales of Middle-Earth, on the other hand, is expected to make $200,000 in its first year of release alone, something that took Modern Horizons 2 two years to accomplish.

The representatives have also stated on that same quarterly report conference call that they expect this set to be an "evergreen set with a long tail", which means it is expected to surpass Modern Horizons 2 very soon.

However, the call didn't end on only good notes. It was also stated that the total earnings, compared to last year's Q2 earnings, had a drop. The reason is pointed out to be scheduling, as 2022 had WotC releasing 4 sets per quarter, meanwhile 2023 has done only 3 per quarter. Several sources online have also pointed out to how license agreements may have dampened the money, considering Tolkien's work is probably a very expensive investment, and the Doctor Who product is still in pre-release and was most likely very expensive as well.

Nevertheless, there's still half a year to 2023, and we'll be expecting those Q4 reports with great interest, Mr. Wizards of the Coast.