Hey everyone! The main word that comes to mind when thinking about this week’s Midweek Magic event is interesting. To start things off, I have to make quite a few assumptions about exactly what this event is because Wizards hasn’t given us much information to work with.
The event is called Foundations Middle Earth, so my first assumption is based on previous constructed events that combined Foundations with the current set. I feel pretty safe assuming we’re getting something similar here.
My second major assumption is that since it says Middle Earth and not specifically The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings set will be legal as well. That would make sense because The Hobbit is a smaller set, and using it alone would leave some of the archetypes feeling pretty thin.
Of course, there is one slight problem with combining them: one of these sets is significantly more powerful than the other. I’m sure that won’t cause any balance issues whatsoever…
Then again, we all know exactly what happens when you assume. There’s a very real chance I’ll be right back here when the event launches rewriting this entire article.
But I know what you’re really here for, so without further ado, let’s get to the decklists…
…right after these messages.
Event Details
Build a constructed deck consisting only of Foundations, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit
Find out more details about this and upcoming Midweek Magic events HERE.
Duration: September 1st, 2026 @ 2:00 PM PST to September 3rd, 2026 @ 2:00 PM PST
Format: Foundations Middle Earth
Entry Fee: Free
Ends After: You can play as much as you like for the duration of the event.
Do you have a problem with Hobbits, Dwarves, or Elves? Do you want to spend as little time around them as humanly possible? Then this is your quick and easy answer.
There is always a large contingent of players who just want to face-roll an event like this, collect their rewards, and move on with their lives. With those people in mind, I usually put a deck like this right at the top of the list. No scrolling through a bunch of nonsense about synergy or value—you came here to burn down the Shire, grab your prizes, and get out.
These deck names sure do seem pretty anti-Shire so far. What can I say? The evil side of Middle-earth is apparently a lot more powerful than the happy little farmers who spend too much time worrying about pipe-weed.
And yes, before anyone says anything, Tolkien clarified that pipe-weed was tobacco.
More importantly, this deck gave me an excuse to jam all nine Nazgûl into the same list. There was absolutely no chance I was going to pass up that opportunity.
Magic might not be especially prevalent in Middle-earth, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sling a ridiculous number of spells.
You really, really want to find Fiery Inscription. Once that hits the battlefield, just start firing away and watch your opponent’s life total fall faster than a ring into a pit of lava.
We all know people love loading their decks with piles of creatures in these events. The natural evolutionary response, of course, is to play a bunch of sweepers and make them regret every decision that led them to this point.
Which side you choose probably says a lot more about you as a person than you would like to admit. I know which side I’m on. How about you?
You might be wondering why Zetalpa, Primal Dawn is hanging out in the deck. The Arkenstone is mainly here for consistent card advantage, but the Adventure side can also fetch a legendary creature. I figured it would be nice to have another big target besides Lyra Dawnbringer.
Sometimes you just need a giant dinosaur bird to solve your problems.
Josh is a member of the elite limited team The Draft Lab as well as the host of The Draft Lab Podcast. He was qualifying for Pro Tours, Nationals, and Worlds literally before some of you were born. After a Magic hiatus to play poker and go to medical school, he has been dominating Arena with over an 80% win percentage in Bo3 as well as making #1 rank in Mythic.
