# 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!

The Strongest Character in the Marvel-Magic Universe!

Many many years ago, when I was still young and the sun burned slightly less red, I was tasked with hosting a great banquet to celebrate the lord of the house's return from war. It was to be a grand celebration full of festivities, laughter, and joy. All of our lord's family and friends from near and far were slated to attend and no expense was to be spared. Dancers from Milan, singers from Venice, chefs all the way from Syracuse came for this momentous occasion. We had magicians, fire eaters, and acrobats, lion tamers and sword-swallowers too! We shipped in wines, cheeses, ales, meats, cakes, fruits, vegetables, and other foods from all around Europe and beyond. But when the day for the banquet finally came, we still weren't prepared.

The new **Prepared** mechanic in Magic the Gathering's **Secrets of Strixhaven** (SOS) is one of the most exciting and fresh innovations in card design in recent memory. Reminiscent to mechanics like Omen and Adventure, the prepared ability gives a player more options and more spells per card in their deck. To celebrate SOS and to explore these new Prepared cards, I felt like it would be fun to sort them into a tier list.

## Metrics for Determining Good vs Bad

There are four questions to ask when ranking Prepared spells:

1. How good is the creature?
2. How good is the prepared spell?
3. How easy is it to prepare the spell?
4. How hard is it to re-prepare the spell?

Depending on how well a card ranks in those four categories will determine how good the card actually is. I personally view these cards from a commander player's perspective and this is, of course, my opinion. So if you have any cards you think are better or worse than I ranked them, please let me know in the comments below. This ranking list includes all of the prepared creatures in both the main set and the commander decks for Secrets of Strixhaven.

Now, without further ado, let's commence with the ranking from worst to best!

## F Tier

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-76,MTG-SOS-72,MTG-SOS-19" />

Cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-76" title="Cheerful Osteomancer" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-72" title="Adventurous Eater" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-19" title="Honorbound Page" /> are cards that fall into the draft chaff category. They are under-statted creatures, with weak cantrips, and can only be re-prepared by flickering them. The only plus side is they are prepared when they enter, but in this case their one use spells might only be useful in draft or maybe pauper.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-56,MTG-SOS-131" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-56" title="Landscape Painter" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-131" title="Strife Scholar" /> fall into this category for similar reasons but might be even worse than the previous two because their prepared spells cost so much mana.

## D Tier

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-152,MTG-SOS-68,MTG-SOS-98,MTG-SOS-40,MTG-SOS-122" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-152" title="Infirmary Healer" /> almost made it into F tier, but it passes the stat test and Stream of Life can be useful late-game. It's not great, but could have some use in a low power deck. It could even be an alright addition to a cat deck if one is looking for half decent cats. Similarly, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-68" title="Spellbook Seeker" /> could function alright in a bird deck. Having the option to loot two cards for one mana is a good one to have.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-98" title="Scathing Shadelock" /> barely passes the stat test and its ability to re-prepare easily is nice, however, if this were a 7/6 with deathtouch for six mana, one wouldn't have to keep paying <BlogMana text="{1}" /> every turn to buff it. Further, if Venomous Words was an instant, the card would be much more nuanced and useful. There can be some niches where this card is good but it isn't quite strong enough to be in C tier.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-40" title="Campus Composer" /> costs too much mana for what you get and so does its sorcery Aqueous Aria.

The final D tier card is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-122" title="Maelstrom Artisan" />. It's a weak creature with haste that immediately puts a target on you in commander. If you want to commit land destruction, there are more effective cards out there, and in casual commander this mines too much salt to be worth it.

## C Tier

This is the tier for cards that are still not great, but still not terrible.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-12,MTG-SOS-109,MTG-SOS-117" />

First up, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-12" title="Elite Interceptor" /> is low enough mana, for an overstated body, that has an ok tap/card draw spell. Probably not fantastic in commander but it could be ok in some human decks. It's a somewhat better version of Thraben Inspector too so any deck that runs that card might like this card as well.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-109" title="Blazing Firesinger" /> is not a good creature, and in spite of it not being able to be re-prepared, it has a really good spell stapled to it. Seething Song is a fantastic impulse ramp spell in a color that doesn't have great options for ramp. Six mana total to get a 2/3 and five mana back isn't too bad. Plus, if you find a way to copy Seething Song, suddenly this becomes absolutely worth it.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-117" title="Goblin Glasswright" /> is here for similar reasons as Blazing Firesinger. Red ramp is good. The creature isn't terrible. If it were any better it'd be in a higher tier.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-126,MTG-SOS-46,MTG-SOS-88" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-126" title="Pigment Wrangler" /> has a good spell stapled to it, especially in a spell-slinger set. Plus a 4/4 with flying for five mana isn't terrible either. This could be alright in some commander decks. I would rank this one higher but it takes too much mana to get this to do something cool. If Pigment Wrangler cost less mana for a slightly worse creature, the card would be much better.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-46" title="Encouraging Aviator" /> is easy to re-prepare and granting evasion can be useful. This might go well in a Choco, Seeker of Paradise deck, because it could give chocobos flying. It just isn't very powerful though.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-88" title="Leech Collector" /> is also easy to re-prepare, and slowly draining the board for one mana isn't terrible either. This card isn't strong but it seems somewhat usable.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-170,MTG-SOS-237" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-170" title="Abigale, Poet Laureate" /> can be prepared easily but her spell isn't great for what you pay for it. This could be interesting to build around but I don't think it is very strong. Two mana for her prepared spell is a bit too steep for what it gives. The final C tier card on this list is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-237" title="Tam, Observant Sequencer" />. Like the previous three, Tam can be easily re-prepared. She also has an alright spell. This seems like a fun pauper commander but in traditional commander, there are so many more explosive cards in Simic.

## B Tier

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-223,MTG-SOS-198,MTG-SOS-199" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-223" title="Sanar, Unfinished Genius" /> is a two mana Izzet commander that can easily make treasure tokens. If there's one thing that commander players learn quickly, it's that you can't trust an Izzet player with mana. Sanar also has a tutor attached to him. This card is a functional commander on its own and it could also work well in the 99 of a spell-slinger deck.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-198" title="Kirol, History Buff" /> is over-statted, easy to prepare, and has a spell that works well for a voltron strat. This card seems like it could be a fun and unique commander to build around as well. It's not the best commander but it looks like an enjoyable commander that most people probably won't run.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-199" title="Lluwen, Exchange Student" /> is primarily in B tier because of the ability to exile a card from your graveyard. This ability has a healthy amount of combo potential. Commanders like Tormod, the Desecrator and Teval, the Balanced Scale love cards like this. Lluwen's spell is passable but the ability to exile as many selective cards from your graveyard at sorcery speed is superb in the right deck.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-33,MTG-SOC-18,MTG-SOC-50" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-33" title="Spiritcall Enthusiast" /> is perfect for a cat deck. It's easy to prepare if you make tokens and its spell is good for strategies that just want to hit people in the faces. Overall a good card for the 99 with passable stats.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-18" title="Dirgur Focusmage" /> has a great passive ability of reducing the cost of instants and sorceries. It has a good spell attached to it. Plus, it's not too hard to prepare. This is a solid card to slot into any spellslinger deck that can fit it.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-50" title="Striding Shotcaller" /> is great for counters decks. The opportunity to grant repeated evasion for your big creatures can be very strong in decks that care about counters. The biggest downside to this card is it is quite dependent on you having a board state to make use of it. This might enable wins but it doesn't win on its own.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-23,MTG-SOC-29,MTG-SOS-85" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-23" title="Joined Researchers" /> shine particularly in pods of three or more. Having Secret Rendezvous on a stick can be a solid way to politic your way into having friends at the commander table. Plus a 2/2 for two with first strike isn't bad at all.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-29" title="Stensian Sanguinist" /> might be a little tricky at times to prepare but the ability to just give deathtouch to a creature can be very strong. The Exsanguinate stapled to it is definitely a late game option so it can be awkward getting this out turn two but it is a solid spell if you have the mana for it.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-85" title="Grave Researcher" /> would be higher on this list if it entered prepared. The fact that you have to wait until your upkeep to prepare such a powerful spell means this will be a target. If you get the ability to cast Reanimate, it will likely be worth it, but you might be better off just running spells like Zombify in certain games. Grave Researcher is still really good, just not quite A tier.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOC-49,MTG-SOS-145" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-49" title="Lorehold Archivist" /> is not hard to prepare and re-prepare, it has good stats for a first striker, and its spell is super cool. For a Boros deck that has any graveyard focus, this card is superb. This is in B tier for the same reasons the previous card is. Admittedly, Grave Researcher is better than Lorehold Archivist, but it might not be the removal magnet that Grave Researcher is simply because of how powerful Reanimate is.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-145" title="Emeritus of Abundance" /> is unfortunately not in A tier because Regrowth isn't super useful and having to attack while having many lands already basically means this card is only good mid to late game, depending on how well you've ramped. It has good stats and can be re-prepared but doesn't seem super great. Honestly, this one might be closer to B tier but it can be strong in certain situations. If this card even had a spell like Giant Growth, it would have been so much more.

## A Tier

This is the most populated tier in this list. So many wonderful and versatile cards were created to debut the Prepared mechanic in Secrets of Strixhaven.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-113,MTG-SOS-13" />

First up, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-113" title="Emeritus of Conflict" /> and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-13" title="Emeritus of Truce" /> are all good cards with good stats and classic spells. If Emeritus of Conflict was easier to prepare, it would be ranked higher. This goes in a spell slinger deck but it seems more niche than any of the other emeriti. Emeritus of Truce comes with one of the best removal spells in the game. If it was easier to re-prepare other than by flickering it, then this would be ranked higher as well.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-322,MTG-SOC-48,MTG-SOC-45" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-322" title="Skycoach Conductor" /> is perfect for flicker decks. It cannot flicker itself, but anything that flickers creatures when it enters will immediately re-prepare this. Plus, always being able to flicker a creature at instant speed can be a very powerful option to have. Because this one specially goes in flicker decks, this is the only one that enters prepared that I would classify as easy to re-prepare.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-48" title="Inspired Skypainter" /> is a 2/2 for two mana with flying. Its spell is a solid way to copy creatures and is easy to re-prepare. Also, because it can target itself, if you find a way to get infinite mana in Izzet, you could make infinite copies of itself with haste. Overall a stellar card.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-45" title="Defacing Duskmage" /> is a good boy who makes for a great blocker. The fact that his spell hurts everyone and draws you cards all while being fairly easy to prepare solidifies this dapper doggo as an A tier friend!

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOC-94,MTG-SOS-52,MTG-SOS-55" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-94" title="Eccentric Pestfinder" /> is a 5/5 with trample for four mana. His spell isn't the best but it is a nice option. It's also a spell that becomes prepared whenever you gain life, so it's not really hard to prepare in Golgari colors. It's basically an S tier creature with a B tier spell so this one averages out to A tier.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-52" title="Harmonized Trio" /> is nice to have in any deck that makes tokens and runs blue. It's also a merfolk so putting this in a merfolk specific deck could also work really well. Being able to recast Brainstorm is a nice little card draw engine. Further, any deck that cares about card draw triggers would love to include this card in the 99.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-55" title="Jadzi, Steward of Fate" /> would make for an alright commander if you could get the mana to make her Oracle's Gift really pop off. Jadzi is hard to re-prepare but if you cast her prepared spell for a lot of mana, she alone could build you a huge army. I prefer her in the 99 but she would be an interesting commander to build around. Her ETB looting is also nice but I don't think it matters too much in the strategies that would build around Jadzi. If I were to build around her, the deck would be about ramping to afford a big version of Jadzi's spell.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-27,MTG-SOS-329,MTG-SOC-44" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-27" title="Quill-Blade Laureate" /> is a more humble spell than Jadzi. Honestly, a creature with doublestrike that can give another creature doublestrike is great to have. If it could be re-prepared it would likely rank higher but overall, for the mana you pay, it is a good card.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-329" title="Scheming Silvertongue" /> is fantastic. The fact that it can contribute to its own preparing is wonderful. Sign in Blood is a classic spell and it goes in any deck that runs a healthy amount of swamps. Being able to recur Sign in Blood is so good and all you really have to do is keep gaining that two life back.

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-44" title="Yavimaya Bloomsage" /> has Channel stapled to it. The only reason this isn't in S tier is because preparing it might take some effort and mana. If this came in prepared it would be a different story. Channel is very strong and could easily make this creature a target for removal. The free +1/+1 counter at your end step is a nice bonus though. I'm glad this exists but it likely won't be breaking games because of how much effort and time it takes to get Channel online.

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-SOS-166,MTG-SOS-162" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-166" title="Vastlands Scavenger" /> is over-statted for what you pay for it plus it has a green reanimation spell attached to it. The only reason this isn't in S tier is it is hard to re-prepare but beyond that it has everything you want in a prepared card.

The final A tier prepared creature is quite obviously, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-162" title="Studious First-Year" />. Does it have good stats? Not really. Can it be re-prepared? Not easily. But is it a bear that can ramp? Yes. Now by my own metrics this should be closer to C or B tier but I love this bear and this is my list so Studious First-Year is clearly A tier. The only reason it isn't in S tier is it isn't a 2/2 bear... but I guess you can't win 'em all.

## S Tier

Naturally, this is where the best of the best reside. Everything about these cards just work.

### <BlogCard cardId="MTG-SOC-13" size="lg" />

Our first S tier selection is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-13" title="Eiganjo Dynastorian" />. As a creature itself, it is nothing super special, but having a Replenish that can also be recurred is just so strong. It is not hard to prepare and re-prepare and any enchantment heavy deck would love to slot this in.

### <BlogCard cardId="MTG-SOC-33" size="lg" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOC-33" title="Naktamun Lorespinner" /> is a reusable Wheel of Fortune on a 3/3 Jackal Wizard. If you burn through cards quickly, this is very easy to keep re-preparing too. This goes in decks with a lot of low CMC spells and wants to cast all of them fast.

### <BlogCard cardId="MTG-SOS-80" size="lg" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-80" title="Emeritus of Woe" /> enters prepared and isn't hard to re-prepare. Getting the ability to recur Demonic Tutor of all things will likely get this thing killed but it is just so strong if you get it to work. Also the creature is only four mana for a 5/4 so that's fairly solid.

### <BlogCard cardId="MTG-SOS-45" size="lg" />

Our final S tier pick among prepared cards is <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-SOS-45" title="Emeritus of Ideation" />. This one was spoiled early because one of the Power Nine is printed on it. **Ancestral Recall** is an outstanding draw spell. Because this creature enters prepared and can be re-prepared by exiling cards from your graveyard, this Emeritus is just so strong. All of that and it is a flying 5/5 with ward two, of course it is S tier. It's not as good as just Ancestral Recall but I do love the creativity and the work around to get one of the Power Nine back into current Magic. This card doesn't seem strong enough to need to be banned, all while being fantastic in commander.

## The Full Tier List

<BlogTierList
 S="MTG-SOC-13,MTG-SOC-33,MTG-SOS-80,MTG-SOS-45"
 A="MTG-SOS-113,MTG-SOS-13,MTG-SOS-322,MTG-SOC-48,MTG-SOC-45,MTG-SOC-94,MTG-SOS-52,MTG-SOS-55,MTG-SOS-27,MTG-SOS-329,MTG-SOC-44,MTG-SOS-166,MTG-SOS-162"
 B="MTG-SOS-223,MTG-SOS-198,MTG-SOS-199,MTG-SOS-33,MTG-SOC-18,MTG-SOC-50,MTG-SOS-23,MTG-SOC-29,MTG-SOS-85,MTG-SOC-49,MTG-SOS-145"
 C="MTG-SOS-12,MTG-SOS-109,MTG-SOS-117,MTG-SOS-126,MTG-SOS-46,MTG-SOS-88,MTG-SOS-170,MTG-SOS-237"
 D="MTG-SOS-152,MTG-SOS-68,MTG-SOS-98,MTG-SOS-40,MTG-SOS-122"
 F="MTG-SOS-76,MTG-SOS-72,MTG-SOS-19,MTG-SOS-56,MTG-SOS-131"
/>

If you made it this far, thank you for your continued support of ManyTCG. We really appreciate you being here. If you have any thoughts on this list, please share them in the comments. Did I rank something too harshly or too leniently? Do you now feel more **prepared** to build decks around Secrets of Strixhaven cards? Do the trolls in Strixhaven have a hard time eating with those obnoxious tusks in the way? Please tell me; I need to know.

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