The One Ring May Be The Best Card In Modern! It's Seeing Play In EVERYTHING.

The Lord of the Rings/MTG crossover set and The One Ring (particularly the two million dollars 001/001 version, which was recently found have long been the talk of the town. However, the card is still making waves even with the one-of-one ring found. As a few people pointed out when it was spoiled, The One Ring is incredibly powerful. So powerful that it's quickly becoming the best card in formats like Modern.

Today, I'll be covering what makes The One Ring so good, where it's seeing play, some cool deck lists, list a few cards that are good against opposing rings, and discuss the possibility of a ban. So, without further ado, let's jump into in-depth discussions about The One Ring in Modern MTG.

One Ring To Rule Them All Indeed

The One Ring is all-powerful in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. So, it only makes sense that the card is powerful. And boy, is it powerful. Here is the hover-over link again, The One Ring... Could you give it a nice look over? It's a potent card, and the more you think about it (if it's not immediately apparent), the more you'll understand why. Let's break this thing down.

What Makes The One Ring So Good?

Card Advantage

There are a few factors, but the main one is simple - Card Advantage. You can tap the ring to draw cards. The turn you cast it, you draw one card. The next turn, you draw two cards, then three, then four. Granted, you lose life (and sometimes quite a lot), but paying one life per card is a great deal, and your opponent is often dead before you die to the burden counters.

And let me let you in on a trick you may not have realized if you've not played with or against the card - It's legendary. So, if a copy of the ring builds up enough burden counters to be a problem, you can play another copy, and the one laden with counters will disappear, sparing you further loss of life.

Most of the time, you're happy to pay life to draw cards, assuming you've maintained a somewhat comfortable life total. Playing another The One Ring is a great safety net when you're not. And this isn't some strange corner-case save, either. Swapping a Ring with four burden counters for a fresh one is common.

If you're planning on brewing around The One Ring, try minimizing self-inflicted damage in other areas. For example, running too many fetch lands and cards like Thoughtseize alongside the ring will certainly make you feel the adverse effects of the ring more. That said, plenty of decks run the ring with Thoughtseize, fetch lands, and even Sign in Blood.

Protection From Everything

Protection from everything until your next turn is casually stapled onto the card. It won't be super relevant in every game or every time you cast the ring. That said, it's undoubtedly all upside. And at times, it can be helpful. I've personally seen the protection from everything wreck some big Murktide Regent attacks and blank spells like Invoke Despair, Calibrated Blast, and Cragganwick Cremator.

I've also seen players confused by exactly what "protection from everything" means. First off, your creatures and other permanents don't gain protection. So, a Lightning Bolt could still remove your Orcish Bowmaster. Here is an easy way to remember what protection covers - Remember the acronym DEBT. Nothing you have protection from (in this case, everything) can do any of the following:

• D. Damage/Destroy
• E. Enchanted
• B. Blocked
• T. Targeted

It's Indestructible

This is a big one. There are plenty of powerful things in Modern, but most of the time, you'll be ok if you don't leave home without your removal. However, your typical Naturalize in Modern (or commander, for that matter) will all miss the mark here. Haywire Mite, Fragmentize, Wear // Tear, Abrade, Boseiju, Who Endures, etc, won't help you here. Most permanent removal misses the mark here as well. Many decks find a resolved The One Ring hard to answer.

Worry not; I'll cover cards that do work well against it below. So, if you're struggling to answer the card, stay tuned.

It's colorless

As I alluded to in the title, the card sees play in every archetype imaginable. And that's possible because it is colorless and universally good. With no colored mana requirements, any and every deck that wants to run the ring can, just by opening up four spots in the deck. The playability of this thing is insane.

Generally, I would say it fits better in decks that don't mind the game going a little bit longer. However, you could (and I've seen it) play The One Ring at the top of the curve, even in a more aggressive deck, and have it work well. It is that good.

What Modern Decks Are Playing The One Ring?

It would probably be easier to list decks that aren't playing The One Ring in Modern. As mentioned above, it can slot into nearly any deck and do great things. Of course, it's better in some places than others, though. According to MTGgoldfish, it's the 18th most played card in Modern, with around 20% of all decks playing four copies. Here is a quick rundown of some of the lists with deck lists attached) I've seen running it with success.

• Amulet Titan
• Tron
• Mono black Coffers
• Orzhov Midrange
• Jund
• Blue/White Control
• 4 Color Omnath
• Mill
• Breach

What Cards Are Good Against The One Ring In Modern?

If you're playing Modern, you're either playing The One Ring, building your deck to beat it, or both. Luckily some cards work well against the card for each one of these categories. Here are the best cards against The One Ring in Modern.

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

Sheoldred is fantastic both with and against the ring at the same time. Having this in play will punish opposing rings because they'll lose an additional two life per card they draw from the ring. On the other hand, you'll gain two life for each card you draw, which offsets the life loss from the ring. So, this is one of the best cards with the ring and against it, all in one excellent package.

Narset, Parter of Veils

This one is pretty straightforward. With Narset in play, your opponent can't draw cards off the ring. When it can't draw cards, it'll only serve to damage them until they can deal with Narset. Check out the U/W Control list above to try this hate card out for yourself.

Pithing Needle

A needle is a clear answer to The One Ring. If you "needle" the ring, its activated ability can't be activated until they deal with the needle. Given that the card has play against a ton of other cards in the Modern format and can be fetched with Urza's Saga and Karn, the Great Creator, it's an excellent option because you likely already have it in your board somewhere. Pithing Needle is the most playable option, but similar effects like Sorcerous Spyglass and Phyrexian Revoker work as well.

Countermagic

If your deck can support countermagic, it can be a solid answer if you can play your cards right. A well-timed Spell Pierce can deal with the ring before it ever hits the table for very little mana, as can Counterspell. Similarly to Pithing Needle, these are great options because they're already good in the formats.

Will The One Ring Be Banned In Modern?

Will The One Ring be banned in Modern? I don't know... If I had to guess, I'd say no. At least not right now. That said, perhaps a better question is, should The One Ring be banned in Modern? The answer to that, I believe, is yes. Not for pure power alone (it is incredibly powerful) but more so because it's powerful everywhere, all the time. And if it does get banned, this will be why.

It's a format warping card. I meant it when I said Modern players were either playing the ring, building their decks to beat it, or both. And that's a problem that has historically led to bans. The upcoming Pro Tour will paint an important picture for the future of the card. If an egregious number of decks play the card, and many top decks have four copies, WOTC must at least consider a ban.

You May Also Like: What Happens To LOTR Collector Box Price With The One Ring Found?

It's so playable in every deck that there are no alternative ban options to bring down the playability or power level. If that's the case, perhaps we have a restricted card for the first time in Modern. That would be insane but don't put it past WOTC. Some of the rarer versions of The One Ring are driving LOTR Collector Booster prices high. And while the card is excellent in Legacy and Commander, banning it in Modern would significantly diminish the overall demand.

Knowing Wizards of the Coast prioritizes profit over the game's well-being makes me think they won't ban a cash-cow card outright. However, I think they'll have to do something which leaves them in a tough spot. So, what's left? You heard it here first; I think The One Ring gets restricted in Modern.

Conclusion

There you have it, my friends - My analysis of The One Ring in Modern MTG, why it's the best card in the format, where it's seeing play, what to play against it, and if I think it will be banned. Comment and let me know what you think about the concept of The One Ring being the first-ever restricted card in Modern. As well as your general thoughts on the card. Until next time, take care.