While many recent MTG sets have included a Jumpstart spinoff, Marvel Super Heroes’ collection looks extremely powerful. From new empty deck win conditions to new potential super staples, this isn’t a set you want to sleep on. The recently revealed Loki, Lord of Misrule is yet another banger from here, functioning as both a win condition and a combo enabler.
MTG Loki, Lord of Misrule
Loki, Lord of Misrule, excels on an established board, turning every creature you control into one massive threat of your choice. Because of this, effects that can generate tokens consistently, like Scuttletide or Tezzeret, Artificer Master, are absolutely necessary for Loki to perform. Sadly, there aren’t many other conditionless token generators in blue, but there are a fair few that share a similar theme.
A whole bunch of different blue creatures that can create tokens once you’ve drawn your second card. Mischevious Mystic, Hermes, Overseer of Elphis, and Emrakul’s Messenger all do this, flooding the board with copy fodder. Blue is extremely good at drawing cards, too, making trivial inclusions like Ponder and Brainstorm a very easy way to trigger these consistently.
Since you’re going wide already, tons of blue payoff cards become extremely effective with Loki naturally. Cards like Enduring Curiosity and Bident of Thassa, for example, can easily refill your hand with a wide board. You can also use some general typal payoffs, like Door of Destinies, to buff either a group of tokens or all your creatures after Loki works his magic.
Once you’ve established an army, you’ll need creatures that Loki can copy for value. Massive draw engines, like Archanis, the Omnipotent and Overlord of the Floodpits excel here. Once you’re deeper into the game, copying massive threats like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, or Cybermen Squadron can end things outright.
Going Infinite
While copying a gigantic creature can easily run your opponents over, Loki can also win the game by pulling off some sneaky infinite combos. For example, you can take infinite turns by using Timestream Navigator and a token creator, like Tezzeret, Artificer Master.
Once you have City’s Blessing active and a token that doesn’t have summoning sickness, activate Loki’s ability to make everything a copy of Timestream Navigator. You can then use the token to activate Timestream Navigator’s ability, taking an extra turn. So long as you create a new token with Tezzeret, it will be ready to activate Timestream Navigator’s ability next turn, establishing a loop.
In a similar vein, Loki, Lord of Misrule has a two-card combo available with Avatar Kuruk, who allows you to take an extra turn for 20 mana. The resources required make this sketchy, at best, but Waterbending can help if you already have a wide board.
Applications in the 99
While Loki, Lord of Misrule is a rather interesting Commander, his color identity limits things somewhat. With only blue to work with, many of the best cards and combos to use with Loki aren’t available for him as a Commander.
Once you branch out of mono-blue, all kinds of two-card combos become accessible to Loki, Lord of Misrule. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Loki, for example, can create infinite token copies, setting up lethal with Impact Tremors. With enough bodies in play, Loki is also capable of knocking an opponent out with Etrata the Silencer or winning the game outright with Biovisionary.
Loki’s synergies don’t stop with just combos, either, as he’s really scary with a wide range of different Commanders. Making your whole board copies of Adrix and Nev, Twincasters, for example, can make any token generator overload your board with permanents. Similarly, copying any engine Commander, like Marvo, Deep Operative, or Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief can quickly overrun your opponents with value.
Between its uses in the 99 and as a Commander, Loki, Lord of Misrule is likely one of the most interesting Commander cards from Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart. Whether you use him as an infinite combo enabler or a win condition on a wide board, this legend should create a fair share of silly situations.
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