Helm's Deep #0374 Shinka, The Bloodsoaked Keep The Lord Of The Rings Tales Of Middle-Earth

Defend your legendary creatures and turn difficult combats in your favor with Helm’s Deep #0374!

Helm’s Deep is the Middle-earth version of Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep, a legendary land that produces red mana without entering the battlefield tapped. For one red mana, it can also give a legendary creature first strike until end of turn, allowing that creature to deal combat damage before creatures without first strike.

This makes Helm’s Deep a useful upgrade for Commander decks built around attacking legendary creatures. It occupies a land slot rather than a spell slot, provides immediate red mana, and can remain untapped as a warning to opponents considering a block.

Plays Well With

Queen Marchesa
Combining first strike with deathtouch allows her to destroy most blocking creatures before they can deal regular combat damage.

Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
First strike helps Neheb survive combat and connect with an opponent to trigger his discard, draw, and mana-producing ability.

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
Krenko grows and creates Goblin tokens whenever he attacks, while first strike can help him survive opposing blockers.

Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
Helm’s Deep is a legendary permanent, allowing it to place a +1/+1 counter on Yoshimaru when it enters the battlefield.

Expedition Map
Searches your library for Helm’s Deep when you need another red mana source or a combat advantage for your commander.

Combat Interaction

Helm’s Deep + Queen Marchesa

Queen Marchesa naturally has deathtouch. Giving her first strike allows her to deal lethal damage to most creatures during the first-strike combat-damage step, before those creatures can deal normal combat damage back.

This is not an infinite combo, but it makes Queen Marchesa extremely difficult to block profitably and can discourage opponents from attacking into her.

Card Details

Card Name
Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep

Middle-earth Name
Helm’s Deep

Set
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Commander

Set Code
LTC

Collector Number
#0374

Rarity
Mythic Rare

Card Type
Legendary Land

Treatment
Borderless Realms and Relics

Artist
Logan Feliciano

Original Release
2023

Best Suited For
Commander and legendary-creature strategies

Condition
Near Mint and never played