Treason of Isengard
Sorcery
Put up to one target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard on top of your library.
Amass Orcs 2. (To amass Orcs 2, put two +1/+1 counters 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.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #5935
Treason of Isengard steals a creature and an artifact in one shot — the kind of two-for-one tempo swing that can flip a board state before the target player gets to untap. The cost is real: you need Saruman, the White Hand or another amass-matters payoff in play to make the stolen creature a Ring-bearer, or the card reads as two mediocre effects stapled together.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Saruman, the White Hand
Saruman, the White Hand runs Treason of Isengard in over half its decks because the spell directly feeds his amass trigger, letting you grow the Orc Army token while ripping away both a blocker and an artifact on the same turn.
Sauron, the Dark Lord
Sauron, the Dark Lord wants every amass spell available, and Treason of Isengard pulls double duty by stripping an artifact — often a mana rock or equipment — while padding the Army that Sauron needs to close games.
Sauron, Lord of the Rings
Sauron, Lord of the Rings leans on a wide Orc board, and Treason of Isengard delivers an amass trigger plus a stolen threat that can be sacrificed or crashed in as a disposable attacker before the effect wears off.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Treason of Isengard is firmly a Tolkien-themed amass deck card — it earns its slot in Saruman, the White Hand and Sauron builds but has no real home outside them. In Legacy, Vintage, and Modern, the effect is too slow and conditional for formats where four mana needs to close a game or break parity, not steal one permanent until your next turn. Pauper is the only non-Commander format where a tempo steal plus an artifact grab could theoretically matter, but the sorcery speed and Until-your-next-turn clause make it fragile against any instant-speed interaction. Outside of Middle-earth Commander decks, Treason of Isengard is a bulk rare with a narrow address.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Treason of Isengard is deep bulk — you're paying for the effect, not any scarcity premium. It's unlikely to appreciate unless amass becomes a competitive mechanic, so buy it for the deck and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.