In an unexpected April Fools twist, Wizards of the Coast actually released a new Secret Lair drop yesterday. Known as Secret Lair x Marvel’s Deadpool, the drop brings the Merc with a Mouth to Magic in fine fashion. All five feature the irreverent Deadpool attitude fans have come to expect, but one stands out above the rest. Deadpool, Trading Card isn’t just a reskin, but rather a brand-new, mechanically-unique MTG legend.
It’s a damn good one, too, with an ability that totally changes the game in many situations. So much so that the card is already being eyed up for cEDH lists by high-level players. Seeing a Secret Lair-exclusive card like this come out so well stirs mixed emotions. On one hand, such a powerful card being so hard to get isn’t great. On the other, it’s fantastic to see Deadpool get a worthy representation in Magic: The Gathering.
Deadpool, Trading Card MTG
- Mana Value: 2BR
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Type: Legendary Creature – Mutant Mercenary Hero
- Stats: 5/3
- Card Text: As Deadpool enters, you may exchange his text box and another creature’s.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 3 life.
3, Sacrifice this creature: Each other player draws a card.
Deadpool, Trading Card is an excellent translation of the character into the confines of MTG. The name itself is a fun little meta-joke as well as a pun on the card’s ability, which lets it swap text boxes with another creature in play. To top it off there’s even a visual joke here: you can see Deadpool cutting his own text box off with his katana, ready to swap.
The Deadpool flavor here is impressive, but what’s more impressive is that Wizards has crafted a very playable card here, too. Joke cards like this tend to be restricted to meme decks rather than actual play, but Deadpool looks to buck that trend. Stealing a creature’s text box wholesale, funny as it sounds, is actually an extremely powerful ability. We’ve seen it once before on Phoebe, Head of S.N.E.A.K., but that was an Un-set card restricted purely to casual play. Deadpool gets to do the same thing in eternal formats.
Not only does he steal all the text from the creature you choose, but he gives it a downside in the process. Whichever creature Deadpool trades with will burn its controller for three on their upkeep. They have the option to sacrifice it to stop the damage, but that requires they spend three mana and give everyone else at the table a card.
There are a couple of very powerful extra nuances to this ability. First of all, the swap happens as Deadpool enters, not when it enters, which means the ability doesn’t go on the stack for your opponent to respond to. Second, it doesn’t target, which means it gets around Hexproof, Shroud, etc. It’s very, very difficult to stop Deadpool from stealing your creature’s text, in other words.
Competitive Commander Combos
Because of this unexpected power level, MTG players are already considering Deadpool, Trading Card for spots in cEDH decks. Turns out it’s an enabler for some pretty degenerate infinite combos, which is exactly what that format is all about.
So far, the most likely-looking of these combos is a spin on the classic Worldgorger Dragon loop. Worldgorger is a huge red Dragon that exiles all your other permanents when it enters, then returns them when it leaves. Combined with reanimation auras like Animate Dead and Necromancy, you can loop your board infinite times and win in all manner of ways. Deadpool adds a new, flashy way to do so.
To start this combo, you’ll need to tap a Forbidden Orchard to create a 1/1 Spirit for an opponent. This is a commonly-played cEDH card anyway, so no great effort needed there. Once that’s done you’ll need to get Worldgorger in the graveyard, and a reanimation aura in hand. Next, drop Deadpool and switch text boxes with the Spirit, giving it the ‘damage on upkeep’ trigger. Follow up with the reanimation aura to blink your board and put Worldgorger back in the yard again.
With a second reanimation trigger on the stack, you can create a second Spirit and give it Deadpool’s text box yet again. Repeat this process until you’ve given each player infinite Spirits with Deadpool’s text, then break the loop and pass the turn. Each of your opponents will then die to the collective Spirit damage on their upkeep. With the sheer volume of fast mana in cEDH, it’s possible to pull this off very early in the game. It’s also undeniably wacky and hilarious, which fits perfectly with the Deadpool flavor.
Just Here For A Good Time
Of course, Deadpool, Trading Card will find plenty of use at more casual MTG tables too. Stealing full text boxes is an ability ripe for shenanigans, and Commander is the ideal format to explore those in.
One important thing to note is that Deadpool’s text theft persists even after he leaves play. This means that blinking him repeatedly is a great way to deal with problem creatures en masse. Using blink classics like Conjurer’s Closet, or even Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s Mardu Siegebreaker, you can rob multiple creatures of abilities at a time. Saw in Half, which comes in the same drop as Deadpool, is another great option in this vein.
When used on opposing Commanders, this can actually be a pretty devastating play. Not only do you deny your opponents access to their core engines this way, but you snatch them for your own use. Sure they can sacrifice them with Deadpool’s ability to reset the swap, but you’ll get a card in the process.
In any case, giving your opponents multiple instances of three damage on their upkeeps will end games fast. There are more specific use cases for the card, too. It makes a great addition to Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls, as a way to damage your opponents on their turns. As one of the best precon Commanders of last year, it’s great to see this card getting more support already. It’s also a shoo-in for Xantcha, Sleeper Agent, as a close flavor fit for the ‘sneaking creatures behind enemy lines’ theme.
Overall, Deadpool, Trading Card is a fantastic new Rakdos Commander option for all levels of play. Given that the drop containing it is sold out already, it will likely be incredibly expensive as a result.
