The long-awaited MTG x Marvel collaboration is finally here. Well, sort of. While we won’t be getting a full Marvel set until next year, Wizards is giving us a taste of the superhero goodness it’ll contain now with a series of Secret Lair drops. Each drop contains a different legendary hero, all of which feel hand-made for leading Commander decks. We’ve ranked these five MTG x Marvel Commanders from most to least powerful, to help you choose a leader for your superhero squad.
5 | Wolverine, Best There Is
- Mana Value: 1RG
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- Card Text: Unrivaled Lethality — Double all damage Wolverine would deal. At the beginning of each end step, if Wolverine dealt damage to another creature this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on him. 1G: Regenerate Wolverine. (The next time he would be destroyed this turn, instead tap him, remove him from combat, and heal all damage on him.)
Despite being one of the most iconic characters in Marvel’s repertoire, Wolverine gets a bit of a bum deal in his MTG debut. A 2/2 for three is weak even by older Magic standards, and the double damage is unlikely to be relevant with such low starting toughness. Sure you can Regenerate Wolverine, but two mana is a pretty big cost, making him even clunkier than he already is.
There are certainly specific builds that can make use of Wolverine. He’s a solid Voltron Commander and can kill players incredibly quickly with a few Auras and Equipment attached. That’s quite a linear game plan, though, and he’s underwhelming compared to other options. Not all of the MTG x Marvel Commanders could be bangers, and it gives me no pleasure to say that Wolverine is ranked last among them.
4 | Black Panther, Wakandan King
- Mana Value: GW
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- Card Text: First strike. Survey the Realm — Whenever Black Panther or another creature you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target land you control. Mine Vibranium — 3: Move all +1/+1 counters from target land you control onto target creature. If one or more +1/+1 counters are moved this way, you gain that much life and draw a card.
From the most boring of the new Marvel Commanders to the most interesting. Black Panther brings something totally unique to the Commander table. The ability to place +1/+1 counters directly onto lands without animating them is something we just haven’t seen before. This works particularly well in token decks since the trigger counts all creatures that enter.
You can use this purely to fuel Mine Vibranium, making Black Panther a solid card advantage engine. Alternatively, you can lean into a ‘creature lands matter’ theme and run the likes of Restless Prairie and Cave of the Frost Dragon. There are multiple directions to take this one, and he’s cheap enough to support all of them well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Black Panther rise higher in my rankings once players get their hands on him.
3 | Captain America, First Avenger
- Mana Value: RWU
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 4/4
- Card Text: Throw … — 3, Unattach an Equipment from Captain America: He deals damage equal to that Equipment’s mana value divided as you choose among one, two, or three targets. … Catch — At the beginning of combat on your turn, attach up to one target Equipment you control to Captain America.
Landing squarely in the middle of our list of MTG x Marvel Commanders is Captain America himself. A fitting place for perhaps the most ‘vanilla’ hero of the bunch. Just because he’s not at the top doesn’t mean Cap is a slouch, however. He’s a terrific choice for a Voltron Commander and one that offers a much more flexible playstyle than Wolverine.
You can play Captain America as straight Voltron, certainly, using that equip ability to build him up over multiple turns. Alternatively, you can run him more like a Control deck, holding up mana to remove threats by throwing Equipment at them. Whichever path you choose, Cap’s low cost and high stats provide a solid baseline for victory. If you’re interested, we’ve put together a list of great budget cards you can pick up to play in the 99 of a Captain America deck.
2 | Iron Man, Titan Of Innovation
- Mana Value: 3UR
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 4/4
- Card Text: Flying, Haste. Genius Industrialist — Whenever Iron Man attacks, create a Treasure token, then you may sacrifice a noncreature artifact. If you do, search your library for an artifact card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed artifact’s mana value, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Those who came down on Steve Rogers’ side during Civil War may balk at Iron Man being ranked above Cap. In this case, though, I think it’s more than fair. While Captain America is a solid value card, Iron Man has much more explosive potential. He essentially serves as a Birthing Pod for artifacts, which any Commander player will tell you is a great deal. Repeatable tutoring, directly into play no less, is an ability that gets out of hand fast.
Even with no other artifacts out, Iron Man can grab you a Sol Ring immediately by sacrificing the free attack Treasure. In a dedicated deck, however, he’ll be able to grab you pretty much whatever you want in most scenarios. He’s also a 4/4 Hasty Flier, and an artifact to boot. This makes him extremely synergistic in the kinds of decks he’s clearly meant to lead.
1 | Storm, Force Of Nature
- Mana Value: 1GUR
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 3/4
- Card Text: Flying, Vigilance. Ceaseless Tempest — Whenever Storm deals combat damage to a player, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn has Storm. (When you cast it, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
As much as Iron Man looks like the most fun of the Marvel x MTG Commanders to build around, there’s only one hero who can be ranked first. Storm’s Ceaseless Tempest ability is so ridiculous that it propels her mediocre stats to the top of this list. As long-time players will know, Storm is the baseline by which broken mechanics are measured. The ability to grant it to any instant or sorcery, then, is pretty wild indeed.
Storm does make you work for that power, however. You’ll likely need to build up your Storm count pre-combat, which means no carrying mana over to cast your spell with Storm. You can get around this with the likes of Borne Upon a Wind and a bunch of combat phase spells, but it’s still an extra step. Once you’re set up, multiplying any kind of mass damage or ramp spell can end the game very quickly. Storm is by far the scariest of these new superhero Commanders. Don’t be surprised if your opponents focus you down when you bust her out.