Since yesterday’s Debut, Marvel Super Heroes spoilers have been coming thick and fast. We’ve seen a range of exciting new cards, but as you’d expect from a Universes Beyond set, it’s the legendary creatures in the spotlight here. Among today’s fresh lineup of icons is M.O.D.O.K., bringing its distinct look to MTG in the form of a seriously potent new Commander.
M.O.D.O.K. MTG
M.O.D.O.K. essentially offers unlimited card selection as long as you have the life to pay for it. Unlike past options, like Doom Whisperer, however, M.O.D.O.K. actually impacts your hand, giving you fresh options immediately. This makes it a fantastic consistency booster alongside lifegain sources like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and Bloodchief Ascension.
As a discard outlet, this ability also works great alongside engines like Monument to Endurance, or Madness cards like Grave Scrabbler. Going further, you can turn it into straight-up card advantage using tools like Containment Construct and Bone Miser. Repeatable Connive is also just a nice way to fill the ‘yard, opening up Reanimator lines by tossing big creatures like Valgavoth, Terror Eater, or synergy pieces like Dread Return.
The Connive ability alone makes M.O.D.O.K. an intriguing proposition, but the tacked-on Night of Souls’ Betrayal takes things to the next level. This flat-out crushes Token decks while also softening up other attackers, letting you maintain life to Connive more often. On its own, this ability is plenty useful, but you can lean harder into it with similar cards like Ascendant Evincar to really keep the board in check.
The fact that M.O.D.O.K. lets you pay life with no limits gives it some surprising combo potential as well. With a card like Platinum Angel in the mix, you can even take your life all the way to zero, then use Repay in Kind to take the whole table out. For a different kind of combo, you can pair M.O.D.O.K. with Maha, Its Feathers Night to lock out opposing creatures entirely. Expect a frosty reception if you pull this one off against your pod, mind you.
In The Zone
As viable as M.O.D.O.K. is at the helm of an MTG Commander deck, I actually think it’ll be even better in the 99 of other lists. There are a ton of different decks that want what this Villain is offering, from Discard decks like Green Goblin, to Villain Typal strategies like Doctor Octopus, Master Planner.
Running M.O.D.O.K. in the 99 also opens up a bunch of new combos, such as using Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator to exile your whole deck. This is technically doable in Mono-Black, but without blue, you lack access to cards like Thassa’s Oracle that actually enable the win. You can also drop your life deliberately to win on the spot with Near-Death Experience, or to discount Exsanguinate via Rowan, Scion of War for a huge swing.
Ultimately, M.O.D.O.K.’s biggest strength is its flexibility. There are few decks that can’t make use of a scaling card selection machine, especially one with a mini board wipe attached. For that reason, I expect to see this card in a ton of black lists going forward. Despite the moniker, it seems that M.O.D.O.K. is designed for a lot more than just killing, in MTG at least.
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