Sauron, the Dark Lord
Sauron, the Dark Lord: Legendary Creature - Avatar Horror, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. Printings, prices, and format legality on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {3}{U}{B}{R}
- Mana value
- 6
- Type
- Legendary Creature - Avatar Horror
- Colour identity
- Blue, black and red (UBR)
- Power / toughness
- 7/6
- Rarity
- Mythic
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)
- Released
- 2023-06-23
- Collector number
- 224
- Artist
- Kieran Yanner
- Keywords
- Amass, Ward
- Commander
- Can be your commander
Build around this card with Grover
About Sauron, the Dark Lord
Sauron, the Dark Lord is a Magic: The Gathering card, a mythic rare blue, black and red legendary creature from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR), a draft-focused set released in June 2023. It is collector number 224 in that set, with art by Kieran Yanner. It costs {3}{U}{B}{R} (three generic, one blue, one black and one red mana) to cast, for a mana value of 6. It is a 7/6 creature. Its colour identity is blue, black and red. It is legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 3 sets, from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (2023) to The Hobbit Eternal (2026). It can be your commander. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $18.92 (normal finish, as of 2026-10-23).
Card text
Ward-Sacrifice a legendary artifact or legendary creature.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, amass Orcs 1.
Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you.
Whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw four cards.
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $18.92 (as of 2026-10-23).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Sauron, the Dark Lord by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Modern | Legal |
|---|---|
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
Other printings of Sauron, the Dark Lord
Sauron, the Dark Lord has been printed in 3 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The Hobbit Eternal (HOC) #36 | Mythic | 2026 |
| The Hobbit Eternal (HOC) #76 | Mythic | 2026 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #675 | Mythic | 2023 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #744 | Mythic | 2023 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #744z | Mythic | 2023 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #821 | Mythic | 2023 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #301 | Mythic | 2023 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) #329 | Mythic | 2023 |
| Tales of Middle-earth Promos (PLTR) #224s | Mythic | 2023 |
Official rulings
The 8 most recent official rulings for Sauron, the Dark Lord, newest first.
- To amass Goblins N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Goblin Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already a Goblin, it becomes a Goblin in addition to its other types.
- In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you control a creature with changeling) while you amass Goblins, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't a Goblin, it becomes a Goblin in addition to its other types.
- Amass Orcs works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token if you don't control an Army. And if the Army creature you chose isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Goblins, you can end up with a Goblin Orc Army.
- Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
- If you don't control an Army, the Goblin Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
- Some spells and abilities that amass Goblins may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Goblins.
- Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
- Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
Similar cards
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