Editing Sets

'''Sets''' are collections of cards released together in a single batch. Sets normally have various themes or mechanics that cards emphasize in an effort to give the set an identity and focus.  

There are three major kinds of sets: '''base''' sets, '''expansion''' sets, and '''supplemental''' sets. For example:

* [[The Return of the King]] (set 7) is the '''base set''' for [[King Block]], as it establishes the King Block site path, reprints cards from earlier sets that are necessary workhorse cards for the new block, and otherwise lays the foundations of the new block's identity.

* [[Siege of Gondor]] (set 8) and [[Mount Doom]] (set 10) are '''expansion sets''' for King Block, building on ROTK's foundation and pushing the limits further.

* [[Reflections]] (set 9) is a '''supplemental set''', which cannot be used on its own and instead introduces small groups of special cards which must be injected into some other block.

Each block was defined as one tentpole base set and two expansions, with supplemental sets cropping up here and there as necessity demanded. The [[Promotional]] set (set 0) was a special supplemental set which repeatedly had new cards added to it which were reprints of cards from other sets, usually with alternate images or foiling or handed out in special circumstances.  

Initially, official [[Decipher]] sets were centered around the movies that they were released with and named after: sets 1-3 around [[The Fellowship of the Ring]], sets 4-6 around [[The Two Towers]], and 7/8/10 around [[The Return of the King]]. This era is appropriately dubbed [[Movie Block]].

In November 2004 the new base set, [[Shadows]],  marked a turning point in the game in more ways than one. For the first time, a single set would have cards with imagery and concepts drawn from all three movies, forcing the sets to forge their own identity in something other than plot. In addition, Decipher reworked several core mechanics of the game, including introducing a more dynamic [[Site Path]] and reorganizing the [[Shadow]] [[Cultures]] along different lines. These changes were controversial, and created a permanent rift between the Movie era and everything that came after.

| rowspan="3" | [[Fellowship Block]]  

| 1  

| [[The Fellowship of the Ring]]  

| 6 November, 2001  

| 365 standard +  

 

365 [[Foil]] +  

 

3 [[Oversized]] +  

 

15 [[Tengwar]]  

| style="min-width: 130px" | {{C|Dwarven}}

 

{{C|Elven}}

 

{{C|Gandalf}}

 

{{C|Gondor}}

 

{{C|Isengard}}

 

{{C|Moria}}

 

{{C|Sauron}}

 

{{C|Ringwraith}}

 

{{C|Shire}}  

| Established the baseline of the game.

| 2  

| [[Mines of Moria]]  

| 6/13 March 2002  

| 122 standard +  

 

122 [[Foil]] +  

 

4 [[Oversized]] +  

 

3 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| Introduced [[Artifacts]], [[Twilight (Keyword)|Twilight]] [[Nazgul]], the [[Balrog]], and the [[Creature]] race and [[Tentacle]] keyword.

| 3  

| [[Realms of the Elf-lords]]  

| 19 June / 3 July 2002  

| 122 standard +

 

122 [[Foil]] +

 

2 [[Oversized]]  

| -  

| Introduced [[Saruman]], [[Isengard Orcs]], and [[Ring]] [[Artifact]]s.

| rowspan="3" | [[Towers Block]]  

| 4  

| [[The Two Towers]]  

| 6 November, 2002  

| 365 standard +  

 

365 [[Foil]] +  

 

2 [[Oversized]] +  

 

14 [[Tengwar]]  

| {{C|Dunland}}

 

{{C|Raider}}

 

{{C|Rohan}}  

| Established a new [[Towers Block]] site path. Divided all [[companion]]s into [[unbound]] and [[Ring-bound]], and introduced [[Site Control]], [[culture token]]s, [[discard]]ing [[companion]]s from play, playing characters from the [[dead pile]], and the [[Mount|mounted]] state. Introduced [[Faramir]] and the other Ithilien [[Ranger]]s, [[Treebeard]] and the [[Unhasty]] keyword, and [[Grima]] and the [[Isengard Men]] subculture. Introduced [[Eomer]], [[Eowyn]], and [[Theoden]], the Theoden [[signet]], and the keywords [[Valiant]] and [[Villager]]. Introduced [[Fortification]]s and [[Machine]]s, [[Easterling]]s and [[Southron]]s and the [[Ambush]] keyword, and [[Battleground]] sites. The first set to not have cards for every existing culture. (This set has no cards for {{C|Moria}}, {{C|Ringwraith}}, or {{C|Sauron}}.)

| 5  

| [[Battle of Helm's Deep]]  

| 12 March 2003  

| 128 standard +  

 

128 [[Foil]] +  

 

2 [[Oversized]] +  

 

4 [[Tengwar]]   

| {{C|Gollum}}  

| Introduced both [[Smeagol]] and [[Gollum]], and the first [[Ent]] [[companion]]s. Introduced the [[Knight]] and [[Warg-rider]] keywords.

The 3 random rares in [[Starter Decks]] were replaced with fixed rares, which also had alternate image reprints in [[Booster Packs]].

| 6  

| [[Ents of Fangorn]]  

| 2 July 2003  

| 128 standard +  

 

128 [[Foil]] +  

 

3 [[Oversized]] +  

 

1 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| Introduced the [[Wraith]] race and the first [[Ent]] companions that are not [[Unhasty]].

Continued the fixed rares in Starter Decks.

| rowspan="2" | [[King Block]]  

| 7  

| [[The Return of the King]]  

|5 November 2003  

| 365 standard +  

 

365 [[Foil]] +  

 

7 [[Tengwar]]  

| -  

| Established the [[King Block]] site path. Introduced the [[Initiative]] and [[Threat]] mechanics, and the [[Support Area]] and [[Phase]] subtypes. (Previous cards said "Plays to your support area" or began their gametext with (for example) "'''Skirmish:'''"). Introduced [[Denethor]]. Introduced the {{C|Sauron}} keywords [[Engine]] and [[Besieger]]. Introduced [[Morgul Orcs]].

| 8  

| [[Siege of Gondor]]  

| 10 March, 2004  

| 122 standard + 122 [[Foil]] + 6 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| Introduced [[Corsair]]s, the [[Enduring]] keyword, {{C|Gondor}} [[Wraith]]s, and [[Shelob]].

| -  

| 9  

| [[Reflections]]  

| 12 May 2004  

| 52 [[Foil]]  

| -  

| Introduced alternate [[Ring-bearer]]s besides just Frodo, and included many Weta-designed concepts that never made it to filming, such as {{Card|Tom Bombadil}}, {{Card|Radagast, The Brown}} and {{Card|The Red Arrow}}. Also introduced Second Age characters as playable cards, such as {{Card|Gil-galad, Elven High King}}, {{Card|Elendil, the Tall}}, {{Card|Isildur, Bearer of Heirlooms}}, and {{Card|Sauron, the Lord of the Rings}} himself. The first set that isn't part of a block, and the last set with [[Ally|allies]] and {{C|Dunland}} culture.

| [[King Block]]  

| 10  

| [[Mount Doom]]  

| 14 July, 2004  

| 122 standard +  

 

122 [[Foil]] +  

 

 

5 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| The only set with {{C|Sauron}} [[uruk-hai]]. The last appearance of {{C|Raider}} culture.

| rowspan="3" | [[War of the Ring Block]]  

| 11  

| [[Shadows]]  

| 3 November 2004  

| 266 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

6 [[Tengwar]]  

| {{C|Men}}

 

{{C|Orc}}

 

{{C|Uruk-hai}}  

 

{{C|Wraith}}

|| Established the [[Shadows]] site path, doing away with numbered sites. Restructured all [[Shadow]] [[Cultures]] to follow racial lines rather than faction ones, and renamed {{C|Ringwraith}} culture to {{C|Wraith}} culture. (The other old Shadow cultures were retired except for occasional cameo appearances.) Introduced the [[Resistance]] mechanic to all [[companion]]s, not just [[ring-bearer]]s, adding resistance icons to all [[companion]]s and [[Bear|borne]] cards that modify [[resistance]]. Introduced the [[Dwelling]], [[Lurker]], [[Muster]], and [[Toil]] keywords.

| 12  

| [[Black Rider]]  

| 18 March 2005  

| 194 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

9 [[Legends Masterworks]] +  

 

6 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| Reprinted many workhorse cards from [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] that had been lost with the introduction of [[rotation]] into [[Standard]], a practice that would be continued in later sets.

| 13  

| [[Bloodlines]]  

| 12 August 2005  

| 194 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

9 [[Legends Masterworks]] +  

 

6 [[Tengwar]]   

| -  

| Introduced [[Follower]]s.  

After this set, Decipher's financial troubles began to impact the company's output. From here onward, quality control issues and major delays plagued set releases.

| -  

| 14  

| [[Expanded Middle-earth]]  

| 17 February 2006  

| 15 standard  

| -  

| A small, one-pack set that included more [[Weta]]-designed cards, mainly featuring characters that did not appear in the films. While this wasn't the first set to have {{C|Gandalf}} [[men]], it developed them into a subculture of their own.

| [[Hunters Block]]  

| 15  

| [[The Hunters]]  

| 9 November 2006  

| 194 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

9 [[Legends Masterworks]]  

| -  

| Introduced the [[Hunter]] keyword.

| -  

| 16  

| [[The Wraith Collection]]  

| 26 August 2006  

| 6 [[Foil]]  

| -  

| A stop-gap measure in the face of major set delays, this very small one-pack set included various non-[[Nazgul]] [[Wraith]]s, including [[Weta]]-designed Barrow-Wraiths.  

| rowspan="2" | [[Hunters Block]]  

| 17  

| [[Rise of Saruman]]  

| 1 March 2007  

| 148 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

9 [[Legends Masterworks]]  

| -  

| Includes a {{C|Rohan}} version of [[Aragorn]], the only [[companion]] that appears in a different culture from the character's first appearance. Also includes no less than 5 versions of [[Saruman]]. Riddled with errors and typos.

| 18  

| [[Treachery & Deceit]]  

| May 2007  

| 140 standard +  

 

18 RF [[Legends]] +  

 

9 [[Legends Masterworks]]  

| -  

| Rushed to print in time to beat the expiration of Decipher's license, this set and the previous one had very low print runs and remain rare to this day. This set had several errata issued almost immediately to cover oversights, including one that made it impossible to play {{Card|Frenzy of Arrows}} at all.  

| -  

| 19  

| [[Age's End]]  

| June 2007  

| 40 [[Foil]]  

| -  

| This final farewell set included versions of every major character as a last hurrah, as well as an ill-timed introduction of a [[Fellowship (Keyword)|Fellowship]] keyword.