Outside of reprint only Masters sets (rest in peace), every MTG release introduces a few new mechanics. Continuing this trend, Marvel Super Heroes is technically introducing three brand-new mechanics to MTG this time around. Realistically, though, these mechanics are more twists on existing ones, rather than anything brand new.
Thankfully, while remixed mechanics might not sound like a massive leap forward, they are still innovative. Plans, in particular, open up a sweet new design space that, hopefully, Wizards will continue to explore. Even if they’re just one-offs, however, all of the MTG Marvel Super Heroes mechanics should make limited formats a fantastic experience.
MTG Plan
If you remember the Quest cards from 2009’s Zendikar, the new Plan mechanic will likely feel familiar to you. Much like this old mechanic, Plans have you accrue counters through game actions to enable a powerful ability after clearing a threshold. In the case of Doom Reigns Supreme, this means playing Villains, which should be trivial in Limited and a focused Commander deck.
Notably, should Doom Reigns Supreme be the template for all Plan cards, they’ll be sacrificed upon getting enough Plan Counters. In theory, this will allow Wizards to give these cards bigger, splashier effects, but it’s unclear if this is an actual trend yet. For now, the only other Plan adjacent card we’ve seen is The Masters of Evil, which itself is just a Plan tutor.
While its color identity could be slightly limiting if in the Command zone, The Masters of Evil looks like a very solid Villain Typal card. Depending on what you need in that moment, you can find one of many plans, or just buff your board. As useful as this could be, however, for six mana, this card is hardly a future Commander staple.
MTG Teamwork
For better or worse, Teamwork in Marvel Super Heroes feels like a real hodgepodge of MTG mechanics. Technically, this means it’s the closest to being a new thing, but it’s definitely got the hallmarks of Kicker and Convoke. Essentially, Teamwork is a new additional casting cost that can be paid by tapping creatures of the relevant power.
For HULK SMASH! you’ll need to tap creatures with power four or more; however, other Teamwork spells should have different costs. If you do pay this cost, you get to use both of this spell’s modes, essentially letting you double up on removal. That said, since this card’s second ability is a bite effect, it’ll likely only see play in Commander and Limited.
MTG Power-Up
Following Exhaust’s debut in Aetherdrift, Wizards of the Coast has been eagerly exploring the “once-per-game” design space. Now, we have a whole new mechanic that riffs on this in Power-up. Essentially, this is the same once-per-game core, with a temporary cost-reduction twist on top.
Notably, while the cost reduction can be quite steep, since it’s based on the creature’s mana cost, it’s only temporary. If you don’t Power-Up on the turn the card enters, the cost reduction goes away entirely. Thankfully, Flickering can reset this, while also giving you another activation of the once-per-game ability.
In the case of the recently revealed Thanos, the Mad Titan, this means you can use their selective board wipe immediately for three mana. In both Limited and Commander, this is bound to be one hell of a play, although you do still need the full CWUBRG. Thankfully, Captain Marvel, Earth’s Protector is a lot less color-intensive; however, the effect you get is much weaker.
Essentially, for seven mana, Captain Marvel, Earth’s Protector is a 6/5 with Flash, Flying, Indestructible, and Lifelink. While this is a lot of keywords, as a Commander, she doesn’t do much, and even in the 99, she’s just okay. Due to this, there’s a good chance that Captain Marvel will be confined to Hero Typal lists and Limited.
As for the mechanic itself, Power-Up feels like a bit of a weird one. On the surface, it’s great for limited as you can pay for creatures normally first before using the Power-Up ability later on. At the same time, it doesn’t feel good to miss out on a massive discount. While this psychological element could dramatically influence gameplay, ultimately, how this mechanic plays remains to be seen.
Plenty More to See
On top of the three new remixed mechanics in MTG Marvel Super Heroes, there are tons more old returning ones. Just from the debut alone, for instance, we already know that Improvise, Sneak, and Connive appear in the main set. These, however, are surely just the start, as we’re bound to see more during the full spoiler season. With spoilers running until June 12th, we’ll just have to wait and see what gets revealed.
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