Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
From Minas Morgul to the Battlefield: Alex Brock’s Top Card Picks
If you’ve pored over The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set and found yourself lingering on the dark silhouettes of orcs and goblins, you’re not alone. Gorbag of Minas Morgul, illustrated by Alex Brock, stands out not just for its evocative artwork but for the way its design rewards aggression and resourceful play. This uncommon legendary creature from the 2023 release is a compact package: a 2/2 for two mana that pairs classic Orc/Goblin tribal vibes with a clever payoff that scales with the board’s chaos. 🧙♂️🔥💎
Two words that define this card’s philosophy are tempo and payoff. Gorbag invites you to push damage with your underworld minions and then sac those attackers to flip the script: draw a card to keep the pressure going, or create a Treasure token that can ramp you into the heavier black or splashy multi-color spells you’ve got tucked away. It’s a flexible engine tucked into a small body, a design flourish that feels both thematic and ingeniously practical in a Commander or modern-leaning arena environment. ⚔️🎨
Card profile at a glance
- Name: Gorbag of Minas Morgul
- Mana cost: {1}{B}
- Type: Legendary Creature — Orc Soldier
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Set: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) — a draft-integration concept blending Middle-earth lore with MTG mechanics
- Power/Toughness: 2/2
- Abilities: Whenever a Goblin or Orc you control deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice it. When you do, choose one — Draw a card; or Create a Treasure token. Treasure is an artifact with “{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.”
- Colors: Black (B)
- Flavor/art: Artwork by Alex Brock; border and frame reflect the 2015-era Legendary treatment
“A crisp little engine that loves your goblins and orcs enough to let you cash out some value the moment you swing in.”
The oracle text is straightforward but filled with strategic texture. If you’re running a Goblin or Orc swarm, Gorbag’s trigger celebrates the damage you deal and rewards you with a choice that can pull you out of tight spots. The treasure part of the equation is especially potent in black or in multi-color decks, because those Treasure tokens can produce mana of any color, giving you unexpected reach for your next big spell or flashy play. This is the kind of card that pays for itself over a short turn cycle, turning modest board presence into cards in hand and mana to spend. 🧙♂️💎
Why Gorbag shines in a deck built around Orcs and Goblins
- Sacrifice as a tool, not a cost: The sacrifice clause isn’t a drawback here; it becomes a deliberate acceleration mechanic. If you’ve stacked your board with Goblins or Orcs, Gorbag can transform a combat damage event into card advantage or mana—sometimes both in a single swing. ⚔️
- Treasure for tempo and fixing: Treasure tokens accelerate your curve and unlock options you wouldn’t have with black alone. The ability to generate colorless treasure tokens and then convert them into any color mana makes Gorbag a surprisingly potent ramp engine, especially in formats that love flexibility. 🎲
- Tribal synergy with black’s toolbox: Orcs and Goblins are classic MTG archetypes that thrive on aggression and synergy. Gorbag plugs into those shells while offering an extra route to card advantage—hand replenishment when you need it, or ramp when you’re ahead. 🧙♂️
From a gameplay design perspective, Gorbag is a microcosm of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth’s ambitions—mixing lore-friendly flavor with practical, game-ready effects. The uncommon slot often becomes a sweet spot in EDH/Commander, where noise happens and a resilient engine can churn out value across multiple turns. And yes, that subtle nod to Treasure as a color-flexible resource is a wink to the broader Treasure tribe that Wizards has embraced for years. It’s a carryover from pirates and raiders into a Tolkien-flavored world, and the result is delightfully cohesive. 🔥
Art, flavor, and the artist’s signature
Alex Brock’s work on Gorbag captures the rough charisma of Minas Morgul’s underworld—tousled armor, a grim smile, eyes glinting with a schemer’s light. The piece sits in a frame that’s distinctly “legendary” in feel, yet it remains accessible enough for players to connect with a villain who isn’t a towering menace but a cunning operator in a crowded combat zone. For collectors, the the Lord of the Rings crossover has added a layer of narrative crave to every card’s art, making Gorbag among the more memorable visuals in the set. The card’s foil and nonfoil finishes further invite a look at how a single image can shine across different print runs. 🧙♂️🎨
Collector’s notes and the market snapshot
In terms of market presence, Gorbag of Minas Morgul sits in an accessible price band. The listed prices hover around a few cents to a couple of dollars for foil variants, with nonfoil copies typically more affordable. For players chasing a personal collection, it’s a robust pick that offers both utility in gameplay and a fun narrative anchor for LotR-themed decks. The card’s EDH/Commander viability rests on how you build around it—pairing it with board wipe protection, sacrifice outlets, and tempo spikes can turn a two-mana 2/2 into a lasting headache for opponents. And yes, the Treasure payoff means you could accelerate into a hordes-wide spell or last-mimbalance big-ticket artifact if the board state cooperates. The card’s presence in MTG Arena and MTG Online reinforces its appeal as a multi-format pick. 💎
Design takeaway: a little engine with big flavor
Gorbag is a testament to how modern design can weave lore-friendly archetypes into compact, modular cards that scale with the game state. It rewards you for investing in the right units, then returns value in a way that feels like a natural extension of Orc and Goblin tribes rather than a generic “mana rock” push. The Treasure mechanic—now a familiar pillar in many archetypes—receives a flavorful twist here, letting Gorbag become a catalyst for late-game plays while staying thematically tethered to the Tolkien universe. If you’re building around him, you’re embracing a style of play that’s aggressive, a bit reckless, and absolutely satisfying when the plan comes together. 🧙♂️🔥
Curious about a hands-on showcase or want to explore more of Alex Brock’s art in this set? You can find Gorbag and its fellow Orcs and Goblins in a range of printings, and if you’re feeling tactile, consider picking up a neat accessory or two to commemorate your favorite pieces—like the rugged, reliable case linked below for everyday carry and show. 🎲