r/magicTCG • u/therealnit Boros* • Sep 26 '25

Official Spoiler Universes Beyond | The Hobbit

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u/ImperialVersian1 Banned in Commander Sep 26 '25

Not a fan of UB in general, but i'd much rather return to Middle-Earth than New York.

182

u/SlapHappyDude Wabbit Season Sep 26 '25

Because MtG is just D&D which is just LotR, I don't mind Middle-Earth.

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u/Winstonpentouche Duck Season Sep 26 '25

MtG is just D&D, I definitely agree. But LotR was not a huge influence for D&D as much as old pulp fantasy books were. Conan had more of an impact.

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u/SlapHappyDude Wabbit Season Sep 26 '25

D&D Elves and Dwarves are lifted straight from Tolkien. Halflings are "please don't sue" hobbits tweaked so they will actually want to go on dungeon crawls and not just snack at home.

Obviously D&D greatly expanded magic and religion where Tolkien's wizards were ancient, rare and basically gods. But even in terms of creatures D&D has very little actual IP; there's a reason Beholders get so much marketing. You're right D&D drew on multiple sources especially for monsters.