In the best way possible, Duskmourn: House of Horror is a very strange MTG set. It’s not only filled with actual horror but plenty of on-the-nose references too. As if the set’s theme wasn’t compelling enough, it also contains plenty of truly wild card designs. Between a literal card sequel and whatever Marina Vendrell’s Grimoire is doing, there’s a lot to love.
Should Duskmourn not be weird enough for your tastes, one of the strangest combo engines to date has been spoiled. Coming in at just two mana, Marvin, Murderous Mimic is a very alliterative engine that effortlessly copies abilities. Not only can this provide a whole bunch of utility, but it enables a fair few infinite and OTK combos!
Marvin, Murderous Mimic
Mana Value: 2
Rarity: Rare
Type: Legendary Artifact Creature – Toy
Stats: 2/2
Card Text: Marvin, Murderous Mimic has all activated abilities of creatures you control that don’t have the same name as this creature.
Right out of the gate, Marvin, Murderous Mimic looks capable of creating both haunting nightmares and serious shenanigans. That’s just what you get when you copy almost every single creature you control’s activated abilities. Even before you get into specifics you just know this card is going to create combos and thankfully Marvin doesn’t disappoint.
If you want infinite mana, you simply need Pili-Pala and Palladium Myr in play. This three card combo lets you tap Marvin for two colorless and then untap them for 2 while gaining one mana of any color. Doing this an infinite number of times should allow you to dump mana into a threat like Walking Ballista and kill everything.
Speaking of Walking Ballista, this card can also be used in combination with Phyrexian Devourer and Marvin. Phyrexian Devourer allows you to exile your entire deck, buffing Marvin with counters which can then be turned into damage. Triskelion offers a similar damage-dealing option to give this combo extra redundancy.
Should this game-ending combo not be to your fancy, Marvin can also make winning with Door to Nothingness that much easier. So long as you have Jegantha, the Wellspring in play, you’ll have all the mana you need to win. As entertaining as this combo is, the need to wait for summoning sickness does admittedly weaken it somewhat.
If these combos have too many pieces, you’re in luck, as Grinning Ignus is a one-card infinite ETB combo. On its own, this won’t really do much, however, there are plenty of ways to break it. Having Impact Tremors in play can deal infinite damage while Ajani’s Welcome can gain you infinite life. Alternatively, Tribute to the World Tree can draw you infinite cards or Blessed Sanctuary can create infinite Unicorns.
Best of the Rest
To say that Marvin, Murderous Mimic is strong, especially compared to past cards, would be an understatement. They may be weak, but they’re the cheapest card with this effect by far. As if that wasn’t good enough, they’re also the easiest to activate by a similarly large margin. Compare them to Experiment Kraj, and the stark difference in power is clear.
Not only is Marvin significantly cheaper and colorless, but there are no conditions to their copy effect. There’s no need to distribute counters or even provide them slowly to other creatures. Marvin, Murderous Mimic just works from the moment they hit the battlefield, something few other ability-copying cards can do.
While this is a very powerful effect, as a Commander, Marvin isn’t actually all that. Since they’re colorless, the combo options you can build around a severely limited if they’re in control. That doesn’t mean you can’t build around them, but it might not be the best bet. Instead, Marvin, Murderous Mimic seems better suited for the 99 of existing decks.
In this role, Marvin can take up more of a support position, providing anything from ramp to card draw. As part of the 99, they can also buff Commanders like Mairsil, the Pretender by skirting their “only once each turn” condition. In fact, any Commander with a powerful activated ability will want Marvin, Murderous Mimic in the 99.
Ultimately, all these combos and utility could cause Marvin, Murderous Mimic to be rather expensive once they release. This all depends on the demand for them in Commander, however. Unfortunately, Marvin doesn’t appear to be particularly viable in constructed formats right now, however, that could change rather quickly.
Read More: Duskmourn Brings A Devastating Three Mana 5/5 Flier To MTG
