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
Let's start with the big bad.
Thanos, the Mad Titan costs just
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
, 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 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
Bruce Banner starts humble — a
1/1 that taps to draw X cards for
(sorcery speed only) and transforms for
. 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
Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor might be the most versatile card in the set. At
, 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:
, 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
Thor, God of Thunder exists in the same set, this is terrifying.
The "equip worthy" cost of just 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
Ultron, Artificial Malevolence is a colorless commander, which already makes him unique. Whenever another nontoken artifact enters under your control, pay
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
Not to be confused with the regular Mind Stone you already own twelve copies of.
The Mind Stone is a legendary, indestructible mana rock for
that taps for white. But once you pay
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 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
King T'Challa has flash, costs
, 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
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
.
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
At just , 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.
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
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
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
, 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:
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,
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.
Thanos and
Kang the Conqueror both use Power Up to devastating effect — Kang's gives you an extra turn for
, 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
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
Mjölnir,
The Mind Stone, and
Ultron have the power level to become format staples.
If you're hitting prerelease this weekend, keep an eye out for
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!
