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A comprehensive guide on one of MTG’s most confusing mechanics
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The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth introduced all kinds of LOTR-themed mechanics into Magic: The Gathering. One of them, “The Ring tempts you,” grants an emblem called The Ring (unrelated to the card, “The One Ring”). But even seasoned MTG players end up scratching their head when it comes to The Ring’s temptations. That’s why we’re here to explain how the mechanic works, how you level up The Ring, and how to sort out the odd rule interactions that might have you confused.
“The Ring Tempts You” in MTG: Explained
“The Ring tempts you” is a mechanic in Magic: The Gathering that grants an emblem—“The Ring.” Each time a player is tempted, The Ring levels up and grants a new ability. The Ring’s level cannot change, but the effects are only applied if you have an active ring-bearer in play.
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Section 2 of 7:
What are the rules for “The Ring tempts you” and how does it work?
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You play a card that says “The Ring tempts you” and it resolves. There are a few dozen cards in Magic: The Gathering that contain the text “The Ring tempts you.” If you play any of those cards and the card resolves, you get The Ring emblem. [2] X Research source
- If the card tempting you is countered or fails to resolve, then The Ring does not enter the battlefield and nothing happens.
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You get “The Ring” emblem and the first ability occurs. If you have a physical emblem, put it on the battlefield wherever you’d like. If you don’t have an actual emblem, pull up The Ring on your phone to have quick access to the rules text.
- The Ring’s first ability:
“Your Ring-bearer is legendary and can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.”
- How does this work? You choose any creature you control. That creature is now your “Ring-bearer.” They can only be blocked by creatures with a lower power. So, if your ring bearer is a 3/3, they can only be blocked by 2/X, 1/X, or 0/X creatures. This remains true for the rest of the game until you choose a new ring-bearer or the creature is killed.
- The Ring’s first ability:
“Your Ring-bearer is legendary and can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.”
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Each time “The Ring tempts you” you move down the ability list. Play continues as normal. The next time you play and resolve any card that says “The Ring tempts you,” you add the next ability listed on “The Ring” to play. These abilities continue to remain true. Just as an overview, if you were to resolve three cards that “tempt” you, your ring-bearer has the first three abilities of The Ring. [3] X Research source
- The Ring’s second ability:
“Whenever your Ring-bearer attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.”
- How does this work? Remember when you designated a ring-bearer? In addition to not being blockable by creatures with a higher power, now they loot when they attack, too!
- The Ring’s third ability:
“Whenever your Ring-bearer becomes blocked by a creature, that creature's controller sacrifices it at end of combat.”
- How does this work? Even if your 3/3 ring-bearer is blocked by, say, a 2/4, that 2/4 will be sacrificed at the end of combat (even though they weren’t dealt lethal combat damage).
- The Ring’s second ability:
“Whenever your Ring-bearer attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.”
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Once the fourth temptation occurs you have all four “Ring” abilities. After resolving a fourth “The Ring tempts you” ability, you now have all of the four abilities listed on The Ring. If you are “tempted” again, nothing happens. [4] X Research source
- The Ring’s fourth ability:
“Whenever your ring-bearer deals combat damage to a player, each opponent loses 3 life.”
- How does this work? If the ring-bearer isn’t blocked by anything and they deal combat damage to a player, all of your opponents are drained for 3 life. As a note, this means that all three of your opponents lose life in EDH.
- The Ring’s fourth ability:
“Whenever your ring-bearer deals combat damage to a player, each opponent loses 3 life.”
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Tips
- Just FYI, “The Ring tempts you” has absolutely nothing to do with The One Ring . This can be a little confusing—especially since The One Ring is probably one of the most dominant constructed cards of all time, but the two have nothing to do with one another. [10] X Research sourceThanks
- It can be extremely easy to forget what part of The Ring you’re on. As an emblem designation, there are no tokens to track, though. So, use pebbles or pieces of paper to remind yourself who the ring-bearer is and where you’re at on The Ring.Thanks
- It helps to remember that you are the one being tempted, not the creature that becomes the ring-bearer.Thanks
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- If you’re thinking it’s a little weird that The One Ring, the card meant to represent the legendary ring from Lord of the Rings , doesn’t actually trigger the ability meant to represent the power of the ring, you aren’t the first.
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References
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/crafting-the-ring-part-2
- ↑ https://edhrec.com/articles/achievement-unlocked-what-creatures-make-the-best-ring-bearers/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
- ↑ https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/mtg-the-ring-tempts-you-explained-how-it-works-2254439/
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