In this life there are many great mysteries. Why are we here? What happens after we die? Is the global economy about to collapse? And, will I have enough money for pretty cardboard during the next recession/depression? Such mysteries have baffled people for years, decades, centuries, and sometimes entire millennia, but unlike those mysteries, today's object of inquiry has recently been spoiled!

**Mystery Booster Commander Edition** has a lot of fantastic new mechanics and cards. Many of them feel like a love letter to Magic fans with exciting and innovative new card designs. The Magic fans I've talked with and the Magic creators I've listened to online all seem fairly excited about the cards from this new set. So without any further ado, let's talk about it.

## Rulebreaking with Tolabow

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MBC-12" size="lg" />
 

Many of the **rulebreaker** mechanics seem fresh and intriguing without completely throwing balance out the window. I like the idea of granting a second color identity while still fitting within a very strict build style. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-12" title="Tolabow, Loch Rascal" /> being limited to only one extra color of instants and sorceries — and only basics for that extra color — gives deckbuilders more of a chance to make a Tolabow deck their own. This feels reminiscent of partner and choose a background commanders without actually having a second commander in the command zone. It also adds an extra air of mystery to Commander. In 60-card formats you generally don't know what colors your opponents are playing. In this case there will be some mystery while still obviously being a Tolabow deck. Finally, the limitation of only using instants and sorceries in the new color prevents anyone from just throwing in extra value cards. If this was Tolabow with white added, there would be no Smothering Tithe. If this was Tolabow with black, Bolas's Citadel would still be illegal. This rulebreaker mechanic honestly seems more balanced and focused compared to partner and choose a background. Many of the rulebreaker cards are forced to stay on theme, whether they're dealing with Angels, Auras, Equipment, or Phyrexians.

A concluding note on rulebreaker: <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-57" title="Whtz, the Bibliophile" /> is fairly funny. Finally, you can run Yorion, the Sky Nomad as a companion in Commander (sarcasm). You can also now win with Battle of Wits. What I look forward to most with this commander is watching people try to shuffle their 250-card pile and then have to take a mulligan. Please, build a deck around this little guy and only run cards that make you shuffle.

## A Sorcery in the Command Zone?

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MBC-34" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-34" title="Ashaya's Enduring Bond" /> looks intriguing. I don't think it's good, but it could enable some cascade combo I'm unaware of. It's unfortunate that you need a legendary creature or planeswalker in play to cast it, but with the massive amount of legendaries printed this year alone, low-CMC legends are easier and easier to come by. The only other instance of a sorcery in the command zone that I know of is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-STX-149" title="Extus, Oriq Overlord" /> // Awaken the Blood Avatar. Let me know in the comments if there are any other examples I'm missing, because I do like the idea of command zone sorceries. I've built a few versions of Awaken the Blood Avatar decks in Arena Brawl, and it can be quite the strong aggro deck in two-player games. As for Ashaya's Enduring Bond, I think it would be smart to build it with the discovery hits you want in mind. The biggest problem is needing a legend out first to cast it, though. Let me know if you have any ideas to make this commander good in the comments — I'm curious to see if anyone can make this sorcery work.

## Eminence is Back?

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MBC-18" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-18" title="Sahir, Visitor in Darkness" /> is a new eminence commander that pings you in the face whether he's alive or in the command zone. Now this is the kind of value I want out of an eminence commander. If they were all like this, no one would have a problem with the Ur-Dragon or Edgar Markov. If this is the future of eminence as a mechanic, I look forward to more commanders with that keyword. Eminence doing something bad while still synergizing with your commander is exactly the way to balance such a strong ability.

## Lightning Round of Funny Commanders

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-MBC-17,MTG-MBC-32,MTG-MBC-41,MTG-MBC-28,MTG-MBC-48" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-17" title="Olinda the Oblivious" /> can make other commanders stinky. This is a clear innovation as well as untapped design space that must be further explored in the future if we hope to ever achieve world peace. Stinkifying your opponents' creatures is objectively hilarious, and one should make stinky jokes while piloting this commander.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-32" title="Meatsqueak, Hoard Lord" /> is a king among squirrels. Hoarding food as an archetype is great. This is the kind of food deck I can get behind — one that just hopes to make the food but not eat the food. Plus, the theme of a squirrel hiding away its food for winter feels pretty on point.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-41" title="Itazura, Lingering Wick" /> might be my favorite new group slug commander. Making your opponents bid to cast your cool stuff is so much fun! Fill the deck with value (and maybe some artifacts that give Itazura lifelink) and watch the chaos ensue.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-28" title="Blor the Impervious" /> would be a 0/0 without his Overprotect spell — a true genius.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-48" title="Olag and Miau, New Friends" /> pairs two unlikely archetypes and is the perfect home for the perfect card, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-AKH-27" title="Sacred Cat" />. Overall a solid commander that can likely get some solid wins. The art really sells me on this new archetype of cats with zombies.

## But, Is There Evil?!?

There are a few commanders in this set that do seem kind of evil. The most obvious one is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-40" title="Homer, the Hermit" />, the new mill crab. It probably isn't too evil, but mill can generate some ire from the table for sure. If you build this as a mill deck, you might get got, but if you build this as a reanimator deck, you might win lots.

There are many planeswalker commanders, and a lot of people generally don't like playing against those. Personally I don't mind them, but it is wild that there is a planeswalker aristocrat in the command zone known as <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-51" title="Sifa Grent" />. She might be the most evil of the new planeswalker commanders, but she does seem like she could be pretty fun in an aristocrat goad deck.

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MBC-50" size="lg" />
 

As for me, the one I think is the most evil is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MBC-50" title="Selenia, the Cursed Heart" />. Orzhov lifegain can often imply some of the most heinous and easy to achieve combos in Commander, such as the infamous Exquisite Blood - Sanguine Bond infinite. You don't have to build Selenia like that, and could build a relatively moral lifegain deck, but what seems wicked to me is her death trigger. A deck built around spamming that death trigger, or even just doubling it, could prove to be quite evil. There are so many cheap spells like Supernatural Stamina and Feign Death, and methods to auto-sacrifice creatures like Viscera Seer, that it could be possible to build a deck with the sole purpose of creating Selenia's Curse. Is this strategy a strong one? Probably not, with a six-mana commander, but it does seem like a spite-filled build. You could also conceivably stack curses on a single player if you wanted. Selenia is no Tergrid, God of Fright, but she does seem pretty evil.

All in all, I am excited for this set, but not as stoked for how it's slated to be distributed. Hey, if you can't get your hands on any of these cards, or if they end up really expensive, proxying is great for casual games. Are there any Mystery Booster Commanders that you're interested in? Are there any that you think I should have covered? Please continue the conversation in the comments below!

Mystery Booster Commander Edition is Full of Great New Cards

# Kykar's Cars

Cars are cool. This is an indisputable maxim that anyone capable of rational thought knows to be true. Cars go fast, they starred in Mad Max, and they make epic explosions from time to time. Unfortunately, most vehicles in Magic the Gathering are not very cool. Cards like Skyseer's Chariot, Boommobile, and Mukotai Soulripper are too weak to compensate for the major downside of requiring actual creatures to become creatures. This also isn't an uncommon occurrence for most vehicles in the game. Aside from Greasefang reanimation combo decks, vehicle decks generally struggle to pose any meaningful threat. In fact, most vehicle cards suffer from being too balanced in a game where most other archetypes aren't very balanced. After sifting through many vehicles cards within Magic, it became apparent that any vehicle deck (barring Greasefang) has two major hurdles to overcome. Essentially, a good vehicle deck has to both create a lot of mana and generate enough creatures to compensate for crew costs.

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MOC-334" size="lg" />
 

And here is where <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MOC-334" title="Kykar" /> comes in! This goofy Jeskai bird person can make bodies to crew each vehicle and can also make mana by sacrificing those creatures after they have been tapped to crew. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this commander is better than most dedicated vehicle commanders. I do include many common vehicle commanders in the main deck, but it seems to me that Kykar works better at the helm than any of them. So without any further ado, let's look under the hood!

## Full Deck List

<BlogDeckList deckListIndex="0" />

## The Engine

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOC-176,MTG-EOC-118,MTG-NEC-16,MTG-LCC-75,MTG-FIN-60,MTG-LCI-225,MTG-PM20-233p" />

For this deck I wanted to draw a lot of cards and cast a lot of cars. With a commander like Kykar it's good to fall into a spellslinger styled archetype. Cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-176" title="Sram, Senior Edificer" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOC-118" title="Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain" /> are great for refilling your hand. Anything that lets you draw cards from casting artifacts/vehicles/noncreature spells work as amazing draw engines. Cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-NEC-16" title="Research Thief" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-LCC-75" title="The Indomitable" /> are great draw engines in decks like this that want to win through combat damage. Finally, card you play the top of your library like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-FIN-60" title="The Lunar Whale" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-LCI-225" title="The Belligerent" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PM20-233p" title="Mystic Forge" /> not only let you see what is coming up but also work as an extra card slot in your hand.

## The Fuel

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-EOC-114,MTG-EOC-72,MTG-CMM-385,MTG-PEOE-226p" />

Any two cost ramp cards work well with Kykar because optimally you should play it on turn three. There are enough two cost mana rocks in this deck that such a feat shouldn't be too hard to achieve. Further, any of the cards that reduce the cost of artifacts like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOC-114" title="Enthusiastic Mechanaut" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOC-72" title="Etherium Sculptor" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-CMM-385" title="Foundry Inspector" /> all allow you to cast more artifacts per turn. With Kykar out, you're also recouping some of the mana you use to cast said artifacts in the form of spirit tokens. Perhaps the craziest card in this deck that really pushes things into overdrive is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PEOE-226p" title="Sami, Wildcat Captain" />. I have no idea how this card only costs $1-$2 right now but it is absolutely crazy value in any commander artifact deck that includes Boros colors. Giving anything you cast affinity for artifacts makes many spells in this deck free and most other just cost their mana pips. If you have Sami and any permanent that draws cards whenever you cast vehicles/artifacts/noncreature spells, you're in for some crazy turns.

## The Cars

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-PEOE-238p,MTG-EOC-2,MTG-PEOE-35p,MTG-EOC-7,MTG-EOE-25,MTG-WAR-24,MTG-PIP-22,MTG-BLC-39,MTG-WHO-177,MTG-DFT-27,MTG-MOC-108,MTG-NEO-249,MTG-PIP-128" />

I naturally am using a very vague definition of the word 'car' in the title of this deck. Spaceships, boats, automobiles, and aircraft are all being lumped into this category. The standout spaceships in this deck are <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PEOE-238p" title="Dawnsire" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOC-2" title="Inspirit" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PEOE-35p" title="The Seriema" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOC-7" title="Uthros Research Craft" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-EOE-25" title="Lumen-Class Frigate" />. With Seriema, you should usually tutor for Sami or one of the draw engine cards like Jhoira or Sram. Also Lumen-Class Frigate can be quite useful for turning all of Kykar's spirits into much buffer crew members. Getting to shoot a creature with Dawnsire is always fun and Inspirit is just solid protection.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WAR-24" title="Parhelion II" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PIP-22" title="The Prydwen" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-BLC-39" title="Rolling Hamsphere" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WHO-177" title="Cybership" /> are all just fun big vehicles that are great for generating tokens. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DFT-27" title="Salvation Engine" /> is fantastic for making your cars stronger and occasionally works well for vehicle reanimation. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MOC-108" title="Deluxe Dragster" /> is just such a fun wildcard spell that lets you cast your opponents previously played spells. Cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-NEO-249" title="Mechtitan Core" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PIP-128" title="Brotherhood Vertibird" /> are solid for finishing out games with high power evasive creatures. The deck is mainly attempting to go wide and utilize flying but it helps to have big creatures to finish off at least one player.

## The Drivers

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-ORI-165,MTG-KLD-132,MTG-DFT-210,MTG-DFT-379,MTG-DFT-213" />

Most of the crew are tokens but some of the better drivers give haste like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-ORI-165" title="Thopter Engineer" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-KLD-132" title="Speedway Fanatic" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DFT-210" title="Kolodin, Triumph Caster" />. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DFT-379" title="Mu Yanling, Wind Rider" /> is also great because she gives vehicles flying. For some extra spice, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DFT-213" title="Mendicant Core, Guidelight" />'s Max Speed copy ability is great for doubling your vehicle value.

## Final Notes

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-PDSK-32p,MTG-ELD-126,MTG-WAR-24,MTG-PEOE-226p" />

Admittedly, one could make a vehicle deck decently strong with more board wipes. I don't run many in this one because it aims to overwhelm the board with tokens. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PDSK-32p" title="Split Up" /> is a great add though because you can tap all of your creatures at will with crew abilities. I included <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-ELD-126" title="Fling" /> in the removal category because the idea of flinging a car at someone seemed hilarious. This thought then led me to the rabbit hole of thinking up a Ziatora vehicle deck, but I don't think that would work as well as this one. It would be a funny theme though. Another interesting car commander is Bello, Bard of the Brambles. He might be stronger than Kykar but the blue draw engine in this deck plus the ability to run <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WAR-24" title="Parhelion II" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PEOE-226p" title="Sami" /> is just so good.

Let me know your thoughts on the deck below. Also, are there any underrated vehicle commanders that you like?

Kykar's Cars

Magic and Marvel have been flirting for a while now. The Spider-Man set dipped a toe in. Marvel Universe tested the waters. But Marvel Super Heroes? This is the full cannonball into the deep end — 453 cards, four commander precons, double-faced transforming heroes, and enough iconic artifacts to make Tony Stark jealous.

Prerelease starts **June 19**, with the full release on **June 26**. Whether you're cracking packs, eyeing commander upgrades, or just want to know what cards your opponents will be slamming down next month, here are the ten cards you absolutely need to know — plus some sleeper picks the rest of the internet is sleeping on.

## The Headliners

### 1. Thanos, the Mad Titan

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-233" size="lg" />
 

Let's start with the big bad. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-233" title="Thanos, the Mad Titan" /> costs just <BlogMana text="{R}{W}{B}" /> for a 4/4 with deathtouch and lifelink — already an absurd rate for three mana. But his **Power-up** ability is where things get truly ridiculous: pay <BlogMana text="{C}{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}" />, put two +1/+1 counters on him, then choose odd or even and destroy every other creature whose mana value matches the chosen parity.

That's a one-sided board wipe on a stick. In Commander, where five-color mana bases are trivial, Thanos will end games. Note the <BlogMana text="{C}" /> in the Power-up cost — that's specifically colorless mana, so you'll need a Sol Ring, pain land, or similar source. The fact that he dodges his own wipe means you're always ahead after activating. Expect this to be one of the most-built commanders from the set.

### 2. Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-49" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-49" title="Bruce Banner" /> starts humble — a <BlogMana text="{U}" /> 1/1 that taps to draw X cards for <BlogMana text="{X}{X}" /> (sorcery speed only) and transforms for <BlogMana text="{2}{R}{R}{G}{G}" />. But once he flips into The Incredible Hulk, things get out of hand fast. An 8/8 with reach and trample is already a clock, but his **Enrage** ability — put a +1/+1 counter on him whenever he's dealt damage, and if he's attacking, untap him and get an extra combat — creates infinite combat loops with any reliable ping source.

One damage. Untap. Extra combat. One more damage from blockers. Untap again. You get the idea. Wargamer ranked him the #3 commander in the entire set, and honestly, the only reason he's not #1 is that the wins can feel repetitive. But if you like turning sideways until your opponents are paste, Banner's your guy.

### 3. Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-146" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-146" title="Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor" /> might be the most versatile card in the set. At <BlogMana text="{3}{R}" />, when it enters it deals 4 damage to a creature — removal stapled to an equipment. Then it **doubles all damage** the equipped creature would deal. It even has a discard mode: <BlogMana text="{2}{R}" />, discard it to deal 2 damage to each creature, giving you a sweeper option when you don't have the mana to cast and equip. In a format where <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-156" title="Thor, God of Thunder" /> exists in the same set, this is terrifying.

The "equip worthy" cost of just <BlogMana text="{1}" /> means any legendary non-Villain that's red and/or white picks this up for cheap. In Standard, this slots into red aggro and midrange strategies. In Commander, it's an auto-include in any red equipment deck. MTG Rocks called it the best card in the entire set, and it's hard to argue.

### 4. Ultron, Artificial Malevolence

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-252" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-252" title="Ultron, Artificial Malevolence" /> is a colorless commander, which already makes him unique. Whenever another nontoken artifact enters under your control, pay <BlogMana text="{2}" /> to create a token copy — and if it's not already a creature, it becomes a 2/2 Robot Villain too.

Copy your Sol Ring. Copy your Mana Crypt. Copy your opponent's artifact that you stole. The flexibility here is staggering. Wargamer ranked Ultron the **#1 commander** in the set for good reason — the ceiling is absurdly high while the floor is still a 2/4 for three mana that generates an artifact army. Being colorless means he slots into literally any collection.

## The Must-Haves

### 5. The Mind Stone

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-21" size="lg" />
 

Not to be confused with the regular Mind Stone you already own twelve copies of. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-21" title="The Mind Stone" /> is a legendary, indestructible mana rock for <BlogMana text="{1}{W}" /> that taps for white. But once you pay <BlogMana text="{5}{W}" /> and tap it to **Harness** it, you unlock an Infinity ability that exiles and returns another target nonland permanent you control at end of turn — a repeatable flicker engine on an artifact that already pays for itself as ramp.

This is the headliner of the set for a reason. An indestructible two-mana rock that later becomes a value engine is exactly what white Commander decks have been begging for. Note that it does require <BlogMana text="{W}" /> to cast, so this is a white deck staple, not a universal rock. The premium Gauntlet version (with Thanos art) has fewer than 150 printings worldwide — chase card alert.

### 6. King T'Challa // Black Panther, Hope Enduring

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-219" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-219" title="King T'Challa" /> has flash, costs <BlogMana text="{1}{W}{U}" />, and draws you a card whenever _any_ player draws their second card each turn. In a four-player Commander pod, that's potentially three extra cards per turn cycle just for existing.

He transforms into Black Panther, Hope Enduring for late-game power, but honestly, the front face is so efficient that you might never bother flipping him. This card is generating serious buzz for competitive formats too — a flash 3/2 that draws cards in Azorius is exactly where control decks want to be.

### 7. World War Hulk

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-197" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-197" title="World War Hulk" /> is a Saga that doesn't waste your time. Chapter I lets you cast your next red or green creature spell this turn **without paying its mana cost**. That means cheating out an Etali, a Ghalta, or whatever enormous red or green threat you've been sandbagging — all for <BlogMana text="{3}{G}{G}" />.

In Commander, this offsets a huge chunk of what you'd normally pay for expensive creatures. The remaining chapters continue to provide value, but let's be honest — Chapter I is doing all the heavy lifting and it's doing it immediately.

## The Sleeper Picks

These are the cards that aren't making headlines yet but absolutely should be on your radar.

### 8. Hawkeye's Bow

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-132" size="lg" />
 

At just <BlogMana text="{R}" />, this common equipment gives +1/+0, reach, and — here's the kicker — deals 1 damage to each opponent whenever the equipped creature becomes tapped. That's every attack, every tap ability, every mana dork activation.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-132" title="Hawkeye's Bow" /> has already caused a **massive price spike** on Seeker of Skybreak (Tempest), which jumped from $0.40 to $10 overnight. Seeker of Skybreak can tap to untap a creature — equip it with the Bow, add another untapper, and you've got an infinite damage loop pinging each opponent to death. A one-mana red common driving $10 price spikes on 30-year-old cards is the kind of chaos we love to see.

### 9. Mole Man, Moloid Master

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-177" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-177" title="Mole Man, Moloid Master" /> is Crucible of Worlds on a creature with a landfall payoff stapled on. Play lands from your graveyard, and every land entering creates a 1/1 Moloid token that mills when it attacks.

In Standard, this mono-green three-drop slots into any landfall shell immediately. In Commander, combine with fetch lands and you're creating tokens while filling your graveyard with more lands to replay. This card is quietly one of the best value engines in the set and it's only a rare.

### 10. Avengers Disassembled

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-124" size="lg" />
 

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-124" title="Avengers Disassembled" /> lets you choose one or both: deal 3 damage to each creature, **or** destroy a land (with a Path to Exile-style basic land search for the opponent). At <BlogMana text="{1}{R}{R}" />, this is an incredibly efficient sweeper that can also snipe problem lands.

The flexibility is what makes this special. Sometimes you need a board wipe. Sometimes you need to blow up Nykthos. Sometimes you need both. Keep in mind it's a sorcery, so you'll need to be proactive, but Pioneer and Modern sideboards should take note — three mana for a modal sweeper plus land destruction is a rate that doesn't come around often.

## The Commander Precons at a Glance

The set comes with four commander precons, each built around a Marvel faction:

| Precon | Commander | Colors | Strategy |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Avengers Assemble | <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSC-5" title="Captain America, Team Leader" /> | Jeskai (URW) | Hero tribal with +1/+1 counters and equipment |
| Doom Prevails | <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSC-6" title="Doctor Doom, King of Latveria" /> | Grixis (UBR) | Villain connive with land-discard synergy |
| First Family | <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSC-2" title="Mister Fantastic" /> | WURG | Noncreature spells and triggered ability copying |
| Wakanda Forever | <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSC-7" title="T'Challa, the Black Panther" /> | Selesnya (GW) | Vibranium artifact tokens and big artifact payoffs |

**Best out of the box**: Captain America. Hero tribal gets natural support from both the main set and the precon. Whenever another Hero enters under your control, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSC-5" title="Captain America, Team Leader" /> gives it haste and vigilance until end of turn, puts a +1/+1 counter on it _and_ on himself. Every Hero you play makes your whole board scarier.

**Best upgrade potential**: Doctor Doom. Connive is one of the most powerful mechanics in Commander, and a Grixis shell gives you access to the best card selection and reanimation in the game. The precon is a solid starting point that gets terrifying with a few targeted upgrades.

**Most unique**: Mister Fantastic. A four-color commander that copies triggered abilities you control _twice_ is uncharted territory. The ceiling is sky-high if you build around it, but the precon needs more work out of the box.

**Most flavorful**: Wakanda Forever. T'Challa creating Vibranium tokens and caring about artifacts in Selesnya is a fun twist on colors that don't usually go artifact-heavy.

## New Mechanics to Watch

**Power Up** is the set's signature mechanic. It gives you a powerful activated ability with a high mana cost, but that cost is reduced if the creature entered the battlefield this turn. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-233" title="Thanos" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-62" title="Kang the Conqueror" /> both use Power Up to devastating effect — Kang's gives you an extra turn for <BlogMana text="{5}{U}{U}{U}" />, with a significant discount on the turn you cast him.

**Plan** is a new enchantment subtype for Villains. Plans gain counters whenever a Villain enters the battlefield, and sacrifice themselves at five counters for a big payoff. Think of them as Sagas that your opponents can see coming but can't easily stop.

**Harness** appears on the Infinity Stones (like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-21" title="The Mind Stone" />) and permanently upgrades the artifact once you pay the harness cost. It's a clean, flavorful way to represent powering up iconic items.

## Final Thoughts

Marvel Super Heroes is shaping up to be one of the most impactful Universes Beyond sets we've seen. The commander options alone could keep deckbuilders busy for months, and cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-146" title="Mjölnir" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-21" title="The Mind Stone" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-252" title="Ultron" /> have the power level to become format staples.

If you're hitting prerelease this weekend, keep an eye out for <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-132" title="Hawkeye's Bow" /> in your commons — that unassuming little equipment is already moving markets. And if you're a Commander player, start making room in your collection. Between four precons and 128 new legendary creatures in the main set alone, you're going to need more deck boxes.

What card are you most excited to play? Let us know in the comments!

Marvel Super Heroes Set Preview: The 10 Cards You Need to Know

With the previous Spiderman set and the upcoming Marvel set, Magic the Gathering and Marvel now are one. For better or for worse, those universes are married, meaning that all characters in each of those universes may interact with one another.

This does beg the question, in the Magic the Marveling Universe, who is the strongest character? Is it <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-M19-218" title="Nicol Bolas" />? Or is it perhaps <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-HOC-36" title="Sauron" />? Could it be <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-AFR-112" title="Lolth" />? Or is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PSPL-9" title="Super Shredder" /> just a bit stronger? Who would win in combat, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-233" title="Thanos" /> or a <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-155" title="Noxious Newt" /> that just equipped a flashed-in <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-ACR-216" title="Hidden Footblade" />?

Perhaps these questions will all be answered in the countless future magic games played utilizing these characters as pawns in metaphorical duels to the death. I tell you, all of us were deceived, for another OP card was made. In the land of WotC, in the fires of Hasbro, was forged a secret master card to conquer all others. Into this one card, the devs poured all their cruelty, malice, and will to dominate all casual commander matchups. One Squirrel to rule them all. One Squirrel to find them. One Squirrel to beat them all and in the game stores bind them.

<BlogCard cardId="MTG-MSH-193" size="lg" />

## The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-193" title="The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl" /> is a positively insane commander. Doubling the amount of squirrels you control at instant speed alone is incredibly strong. If that was the sole ability she had, Squirrel Girl would be a solid commander, but on top of all that she also makes squirrels when she enters or attacks.

If you put zero squirrel cards in the main deck, Squirrel Girl would still be able to function independently. In many of my play-tests, it often seemed better to cast or activate Squirrel Girl rather than cast any spells from hand. The main two goals of a Squirrel Girl deck are 1) getting ridiculous amounts of mana to create squirrels and 2) making those squirrels big enough to defeat your opponents.

## Ramping Into Squirrels

For the first goal, any cards that let you tap creatures for mana like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PDSK-176p" title="Enduring Vitality" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-INR-408" title="Cryptolith Rite" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-LTR-160" title="Elven Chorus" />, etc. will balloon the amount of mana at your disposal with each activation of Squirrel Girl.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-PDSK-176p,MTG-INR-408,MTG-LTR-160" />

At a base level, any one or two mana ramp spell can really help speed up getting to initially cast Squirrel Girl. This includes common green ramp spells like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-10E-274" title="Llanowar Elves" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-PLST-DIS-99" title="Utopia Sprawl" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DSC-193" title="Rampant Growth" />, and so on.

As for mid to later game ramp, higher CMC cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WAR-169" title="Nissa, Who Shakes the World" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-WOE-284" title="Virtue of Strength" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-CM2-178" title="Caged Sun" /> are fantastic for generating the amount of mana we're trying to produce with Squirrel Girl.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-WAR-169,MTG-WOE-284,MTG-CM2-178" />

## Making Squirrels Massive

For the second goal, there are many different great ways to make the squirrels massive. From a simple <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-M12-186" title="Overrun" /> to the much funnier <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-FDN-109" title="Preposterous Proportions" />, green has a plethora of great options for turning each squirrel into a gigantic monster.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-M12-186,MTG-FDN-109" />

Some creatures like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-BLB-202" title="Valley Mightcaller" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-BLB-178" title="Honored Dreyleader" /> individually become massive, but I mostly prefer cards that buff the whole board. <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-DFT-388" title="March of the World Ooze" /> might be my personal favorite but <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-FDN-127" title="Banner of Kinship" /> is likely the most powerful game-ending card in this deck.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-BLB-202,MTG-BLB-178,MTG-DFT-388,MTG-FDN-127" />

Because so much of the value engine of the deck comes from the commander, you have a lot of open slots for Overrun and Anthem effects.

## Piloting the Deck

The first couple turns will hopefully ramp you a little so that you can cast Squirrel Girl by turn three. Hopefully by turn four you'll be able to safely attack with Squirrel Girl to create another squirrel.

On turn four you should in most cases hold up enough mana to protect your commander and/or activate her on an opponent's end step. On turn five it's nice to cast a low CMC spell and be able to activate Squirrel Girl again.

In any of the following turns you should either be doubling squirrels, drawing lots of cards, or knocking out players with some sort of Overrun effect.

## Final Thoughts

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MSH-193" title="The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl" /> is a strong new commander with great potential in casual brackets. This deck is very weak to board wipes so spending a bit more money on <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-AER-109" title="Heroic Intervention" /> or <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-C15-253" title="Eldrazi Monument" /> could make the deck less likely to get crushed by a single board wipe.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-AER-109,MTG-C15-253" />

Any deck that permanently gives creatures -1/-1 also is the bane of this sort of deck. If you're facing off against a Squirrel Girl deck, those are the best ways to combat it, besides just shooting Squirrel Girl on sight.

Is The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl the new strongest Magic card? Probably not. But she is the strongest Squirrel Human Hero we've seen so far…and that's more than can be said of Nicol Bolas.

## The Full Deck List

Want to try this deck yourself? [The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl](https://manytcg.com/decks/cmq02sams0001jv04zkat93fo)

<BlogDeckList deckListIndex="0" />
 
Let us know who your favorite Squirrel Human Hero is in the comments below!

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Marvel Super Heroes Set Preview: The 10 Cards You Need to Know

The Strongest Character in the Marvel-Magic Universe!