Deceive the Messenger (LTR #47)
Deceive the Messenger is a common printing from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR #47), a Instant. Illustrated by Tomas Duchek.
Card text
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
Details
| Mana cost | {U} |
|---|---|
| Type | Instant |
| Rarity | Common |
| Set | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) |
| Collector number | 47 |
| Artist | Tomas Duchek |
| Released | 2023-06-23 |
Current price
As of 2026-10-19, Scryfall listed this printing at non-foil $0.19, foil $0.24 (USD). Prices change constantly, so check the live price before buying.
Buy Deceive the Messenger on TCGplayer
Legality
| Standard | Not legal |
|---|---|
| Future Standard | Not legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Not legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Not legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Standard Brawl | Not legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Competitive Brawl | Legal |
| Alchemy | Not legal |
| Pauper Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Old School | Not legal |
| Premodern | Not legal |
| PrEDH | Not legal |
| TLR | Legal |
Keep exploring
Search the MTGBrew card database for more cards, or build a deck with the AI Deck Builder.
Rulings
- June 16, 2023 — Amass abilities are now written as "amass [subtype] N." Previous cards with amass have received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
- June 16, 2023 — To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
- June 16, 2023 — Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. If the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
- June 16, 2023 — 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.
- June 16, 2023 — If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
- June 16, 2023 — 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.
- June 16, 2023 — 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.