MTG · Card

◇ Catalog #498

Deceive the Messenger

ltr·#498·common·showcase

Illus. Tomas Duchek

View concept →

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in vault

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for trade

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wishlisted

Nov '23

2 yr ago

Value

$0.26+$0 (+4.2%)

30 days high $0.27 · low $0.25

NM$0.26

LP—

MP—

HP—

DMG—

$0.24–$0.27modeled

30 days ago
today

90-dayhigh $0.37low $0.03range 1133.3%n 99

Where to buy / sell

TCGplayer eBay sold Cardmarket EU Star City

Search links · prices vary by venue

Buy this card

Played in EDH

EDHrec rank #13,916 · Fringe play

Variants

Showcase$0.26

Gameplay

Instant

Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. Amass Orcs 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)

"Tell Gandalf that he must seek my aid at once." —Saruman

Legalities

tlrlegal

duellegal

brawllegal

pennynot legal

PreDH

Rulings · 7

2023-06-16wotc

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.

2023-06-16wotc

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.

2023-06-16wotc

In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.

Context

Last observed on Scryfall 2 months ago at $0.26. Over the trailing 90 days the price moved between $0.03 and $0.37 across 99 observations. Cross-checked across TCGplayer, eBay sold, Cardmarket EU, and Star City.

This printing is one of 2 catalogued treatments from LTR — the lineup includes Showcase alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.

Card #498 of *The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth*, the set that shipped alongside the November 2023 The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth release.

Card type: Instant, color identity blue, printed at common. Commons fill the bulk of a booster pack's volume. Mana cost: {U} (1 converted). Keyword abilities: Amass.

Legal across the major constructed formats — Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander — plus Standard rotation play.

EDHrec ranks this card #13,916 in Commander, putting it in the fringe-play tier of the format's playable pool.

Illustrated by Tomas Duchek. Rarix catalogs 131 other cards credited to this artist.