Only exception is The Lidless Eye set, where the icon may not be visible on all cards. The Wizards set doesn't have the icon either, so for those sets you need to look for print year.
Really enjoyed this. This game is super fun and very thematic. The challenge decks are a great way to start but there are also deck lists that Ice put into some of the players guides. One or two of the decks are all commons if I recall and are pretty cheap to build.
I second this. I built the Radagast Speed deck which is only commons from the Wizards Unlimited set(the cheapest set) and it was about $30. And compared to the challenge decks it was incredibly consistent. The biggest recommendation I would make to anyone is to buy one of the maps that came with the game. I got a super nice neoprene one but it makes the game just bleed theme.
Yessss! I have all cards complete, most of them 3 times since 1995. I played a lot in the older days but my friend and I still play once a month via Videocall, because we are 500 km apart. It is still great fun :D I never played the minion one ring or one of the dragon factions, but now you triggered me and I think about a deck with them. Thank you for the talk :)
I've always been really intrigued by this game. Seems like it has this really amazing amount of Tolkien lore that isn't available in any other game. By the time I read the Lord of the Rings, this game was winding down. I really should look into playing it now, at least a bit.
Longbottom Leaf is a playset (3 of in MECCG) in every competitive hero deck. It allows the player to use an instant speed card to shuffle two sideboard cards into his or her deck. Very powerful effect. The only other card that comes close is the card Smoke Rings from Dark Minions, and that card only shuffles in one card. Competitive decks use 3 Longbottom Leaf and 3 Smoke Rings.
Our local playgroup really loves this game. It becomes a lot smoother to handle the movement once you start using the Map-Movement Variant. I'm happy that the multiple card games of LOTR that have come out since have each kept some reminder of this game, mechanically (although that might just be because the story of LOTR leads developers to the same top-down designs)
If you want to do a follow-up to this video, it would be awesome to see an interview with some of the guys doing the dreamcards expansions. They are releasing a new set this spring, and are some deep ccg-players/designers!
I loved the game and artwork, i have a complete set of the first two sets and some more, but no one to play with 😢 and that was from the beginnig of the game until now.
As a huge Tolkien fan, I have always been intrigued by MECCG, but I found out about it too late as I was already neck deep in all of Decipher's CCGs and couldn't branch out further. It is cool to learn more about the most desirable cards in the game. And its always good to see @Categoryonegames Scott! Thanks for another great vid, @BoardMatt!
The artistic work behind this set is trully amazing. Worth mentioning also is how the LORT trilogy visualisation was infuenced by this game! I am collecting all possible languages. The finnish set is by far the rarest. There are some graded already in various languages including some crazy rare finnish ones according to CGC database.
@@boardmatt Ah, I'm not even sure mine was purposeful foresight. I just happened to want to start collecting the game and found a place online that had them (though they didn't even have an online ordering system... I called and did credit card over the phone lol - it's okay, they were a legit gaming company! Haha). I had no idea they'd blow up in price like they did. Yikes!
I have several sealed booster and starter deck sets as well as about 6000 loose cards if you or Scot might be interested! This video was great. Did you ever sort your cards?
@@FrizzleFratz I know Japanese Fury of The Iron Crown was sold for 1200€ last year. Definitely the most expensive card in MECCG. And the story of this card is also amazing :)
@@barry1902 i threw away a lot of these cards like not too terribly long ago, 4 years or so? During a depression thinking it had little value, ive since calculated many thousands lost. Had an entire initial set, and all of the dragons set plus, that shit was 99 cent a pack for a while in my area. Traded my one ring for a time walk in 1998.
Love the video! They actually have set icons. Look for a small rune icon in the border on the bottom right 🙂
Ah, good catch. I wasn't able to find them earlier. Thanks!
Only exception is The Lidless Eye set, where the icon may not be visible on all cards. The Wizards set doesn't have the icon either, so for those sets you need to look for print year.
Really enjoyed this. This game is super fun and very thematic. The challenge decks are a great way to start but there are also deck lists that Ice put into some of the players guides. One or two of the decks are all commons if I recall and are pretty cheap to build.
I second this. I built the Radagast Speed deck which is only commons from the Wizards Unlimited set(the cheapest set) and it was about $30. And compared to the challenge decks it was incredibly consistent.
The biggest recommendation I would make to anyone is to buy one of the maps that came with the game. I got a super nice neoprene one but it makes the game just bleed theme.
Yessss! I have all cards complete, most of them 3 times since 1995. I played a lot in the older days but my friend and I still play once a month via Videocall, because we are 500 km apart. It is still great fun :D
I never played the minion one ring or one of the dragon factions, but now you triggered me and I think about a deck with them.
Thank you for the talk :)
I've always been really intrigued by this game. Seems like it has this really amazing amount of Tolkien lore that isn't available in any other game. By the time I read the Lord of the Rings, this game was winding down. I really should look into playing it now, at least a bit.
Longbottom Leaf is a playset (3 of in MECCG) in every competitive hero deck. It allows the player to use an instant speed card to shuffle two sideboard cards into his or her deck. Very powerful effect. The only other card that comes close is the card Smoke Rings from Dark Minions, and that card only shuffles in one card. Competitive decks use 3 Longbottom Leaf and 3 Smoke Rings.
Our local playgroup really loves this game. It becomes a lot smoother to handle the movement once you start using the Map-Movement Variant. I'm happy that the multiple card games of LOTR that have come out since have each kept some reminder of this game, mechanically (although that might just be because the story of LOTR leads developers to the same top-down designs)
Awesome! Thanks for the discount Scott! I bought some LotR TCG from him last month and was very happy with my purchases!
If you want to do a follow-up to this video, it would be awesome to see an interview with some of the guys doing the dreamcards expansions. They are releasing a new set this spring, and are some deep ccg-players/designers!
I used to play Star Wars CCG. Now I wish I could trade ALL my Star Wars CCG cards for Middle Earth cards.
Awesome! Got some listening material for my drive tomorrow
I loved the game and artwork, i have a complete set of the first two sets and some more, but no one to play with 😢 and that was from the beginnig of the game until now.
There’s a pretty active group on Facebook. Perhaps check that out and find some local folks?
Great vid. Thank you both!
As a huge Tolkien fan, I have always been intrigued by MECCG, but I found out about it too late as I was already neck deep in all of Decipher's CCGs and couldn't branch out further. It is cool to learn more about the most desirable cards in the game. And its always good to see @Categoryonegames Scott! Thanks for another great vid, @BoardMatt!
The artistic work behind this set is trully amazing. Worth mentioning also is how the LORT trilogy visualisation was infuenced by this game! I am collecting all possible languages. The finnish set is by far the rarest. There are some graded already in various languages including some crazy rare finnish ones according to CGC database.
I had no idea there was a Finnish set! This is definitely a game I’ve considered buying sets of and collecting. Incredible art work.
NEW INTRO GRAPHICS!
Special thanks for Kyle! Upgrading this video seriously.
I bought 9 of the 10 Challenge decks (missing "I") about 10 years ago, sealed, for $5 a piece!
Excellent pickup! Wish I had the foresight to do that!
@@boardmatt Ah, I'm not even sure mine was purposeful foresight. I just happened to want to start collecting the game and found a place online that had them (though they didn't even have an online ordering system... I called and did credit card over the phone lol - it's okay, they were a legit gaming company! Haha).
I had no idea they'd blow up in price like they did. Yikes!
I have a TON of cards somewhere in a closet.. now I'm thinking of getting them out and playing a bit with them. Been a LOT of years....
Do it! There’s a pretty robust and growing community, particularly on Facebook.
I have several sealed booster and starter deck sets as well as about 6000 loose cards if you or Scot might be interested! This video was great. Did you ever sort your cards?
Need more around about this great game
That editing though…
👀 👀
Maybe you excluded foreign cards, but the infamous dutch Test of Form is the rarest!
I think Japanese Fury of The Iron Crown is actually the rarest card and most valuable as well.
@@-tyhjaarpa it may be close, but I’d put the test of form ‘without’ the gold embossing as the rarest, along with an amazing story.
I don't know much about the non-English cards. That might be a great future video for Matt and yourself!
@@FrizzleFratz I know Japanese Fury of The Iron Crown was sold for 1200€ last year. Definitely the most expensive card in MECCG. And the story of this card is also amazing :)
so underground! ❤
guess i threw away thousand of middle earth cards, great.
Why? That's crazy
@@barry1902 i threw away a lot of these cards like not too terribly long ago, 4 years or so? During a depression thinking it had little value, ive since calculated many thousands lost.
Had an entire initial set, and all of the dragons set plus, that shit was 99 cent a pack for a while in my area. Traded my one ring for a time walk in 1998.