Quoted from WJxxxx:

My take on it is that to reach the wizard mode in each, you need different skill sets.
LotR you need to be able to play multiballs well, whereas in Met you can get to wizard mode in single ball play.
I've owned both, and LotR only lasted a month or so before I was bored with it, I've had Met well over a year and can't see it ever leaving me.
FWIW On standard factory settings, I reached Valinor 3 or 4 times in the month I had it, I've reached EotL maybe 5 times but over a much longer period of time.

Quoted from TheLaw:

He might have the British version that has a center post and post in the outlanes.
That's a weird version though

Quoted from WJxxxx:

There USED to be a law that games of chance could not be played without a license. To try and combat this 'skill posts' were added which allowed you to use additional buttons to raise a post on either outlane, or if you pressed both together a centre post (like Family Guy). I've only ever played a couple of games with the buttons/posts activated and I found it significantly harder to play that way. Most people simply remove the buttons and fit lollipop side rails to cover the resulting holes, or failing that simply deactivate the skill posts from the settings.
The law has changed and this is not now required, it hasn't been for about 20 years.

That may be your assumption - it may be that you would consider me a "High end A player", personally I don't see myself as such. To be regarded as a top, top player I would suggest that you need to be able to have the consistency to be able to do this time and time again with very few crappy games in between; but there are plenty of people I know in the UK who have achieved similar, some ranked below me according to IFPA. I've seen a player get to Do or Die Mulitiball TWICE on consecutive games.
These are not games set to easy, or with "rubber bands over the outlanes", there are players out there who can reach the wizard modes who you may not be aware of because they don't come from the US and/or can't/don't compete in the major comps all over Europe
The only 3 games I have had in my possession which I haven't got to the wizard mode are SDMEWM on TSPP (I was just missing a single super jackpot in Couch MB), Gauntlet on PotC (I got to 4 winds numerous times, but could never actually complete it.) and KI on WPT (That's my next goal and WPT will not be leaving until I have done it!) I've got an AS coming in this weekend, so will see how that goes