Five Aragorn cards exist across Magic: The Gathering's 2023 Lord of the Rings release, and a collector trying to track down the full set quickly notices they're not equally worth chasing.
This ranking looks at the five specifically through a collector's lens: demand, chase-variant appeal, and how likely each one is to hold long-term relevance.
It's a different angle from a simple introduction to the five cards, weighing them against each other rather than just describing what each one does.
Here's how they stack up, from most to least worth prioritizing.
Each card is weighed on three factors: how often it's actually built as a commander, how many premium variant printings exist to chase, and how central it is to the set's overall identity.
A card can rank highly on collector demand without being the most powerful card mechanically, since collecting and competitive power don't always move together.
The clear top pick, backed by tens of thousands of built decks, a genuinely unique four-color design, and four separate printings including two special foil treatments worth chasing.
It's the version most likely to be recognized on sight by other players, which matters for a collector who wants a piece that's actually culturally central to the set.
A close second, carrying real deckbuilding demand of its own plus a genuinely scarce Showcase Scrolls treatment that's become a defined chase target on its own.
Its association with a full preconstructed Commander deck also gives it a completionist angle the Uniter doesn't share, since owning the precon itself is part of the collecting story.
A supplemental card from the Commander decks with a genuinely interesting renown and first-strike mechanic, giving it more mechanical identity than a typical filler legendary.
Collector demand sits well below the top two, but it's a reasonable pickup for anyone building a themed renown or aggressive Jeskai-adjacent deck.
A main-set printing with a thematically significant name, tied to one of the most recognizable relationships in the source material, which gives it narrative weight beyond its counters-and-lifegain ability.
It sees moderate play in go-wide green-white strategies but hasn't developed the same premium-variant chase culture as the top two cards.
The least individually chased of the five, a smaller green-white legendary built around the set's Ring-tempts-you keyword-counter mechanic rather than a standalone splashy ability.
It's still a fine playable card in the right deck, but ranks last here purely on collector demand and variant appeal relative to the other four.
A budget-conscious collector completing the full set of five should expect the bulk of the cost to come from the top two cards, not an even split across all five.
Prioritizing the Uniter and King of Gondor first, then filling in the remaining three as they turn up affordably, is a reasonable and financially sensible order to work through the set, and each pull is worth a quick magnetic holder the day it arrives.
Commander deck popularity is not static, and a future set that reprints, supports, or directly synergizes with any of these five cards could shift collector demand meaningfully.
Aragorn, Hornburg Hero and Aragorn, Company Leader both have real room to climb if a future release leans harder into renown or keyword-counter mechanics and gives either card fresh relevance.
This ranking reflects collector demand as of this guide's writing, and it's worth revisiting periodically rather than treated as a permanent, unchanging order.
Watching EDHREC's deck-count trends for all five cards over the coming months is a simple, free way to track whether this order is holding up or starting to shift.
A collector who bought in early on the lower-ranked three, before any shift happens, is also in the best position to benefit if collector interest does eventually move their way.
None of that speculation should drive the collecting itself; buying what genuinely appeals to a given collector still matters more than chasing a ranking.
Aragorn, the Uniter, based on deckbuilding demand and variant count.
Yes, it's a close second, driven partly by its Showcase Scrolls treatment.
Yes, they're legitimately playable, just lower in collector demand.
Yes, prioritize the top two in base printing before chasing premium variants of any.
Five cards worth tracking down deserve a home that keeps them organized, and EVORETRO's trading card ring binder keeps a themed collection like this one together and viewable.
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