The integration of the Marvel Super Heroes franchise into Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond has sparked considerable discussion among players, but it has undeniably provided a wealth of new legendary creatures for Commander enthusiasts. Data from EDHREC reveals which of these Marvel-themed commanders have captured the attention of the Magic community.
Doctor Doom, King of Latveria, secured the top spot in popularity. As the face commander of the Doom Prevails precon, his appeal likely stems from a combination of his iconic status and his gameplay mechanics. He prompts opponents to lose life when cards are discarded, a process that is enhanced by the connive mechanic available to all villain cards under a player's control. Pairing him with Norman Osborn // Green Goblin from the Spider-Man set is noted as an effective strategy, leveraging Osborn's connive ability and the Goblin side's capacity to cast spells from the graveyard.
Claiming the second position is The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. This mono-green commander, reminiscent of Krenko, generates a 1/1 green Squirrel token upon entering the battlefield and when attacking. Her activated ability allows players to double their Squirrel tokens, fostering an "acorn supremacy" strategy. Synergistic cards like Squirrel Sovereign, which buffs all Squirrels, Chitterspitter, and Scurry of Squirrels are recommended for maximizing her potential.
Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk also proves to be a highly popular choice. The dual-sided card offers card draw as Bruce Banner and transforms into an 8/8 creature with reach and trample as The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk gains a +1/+1 counter and an additional combat phase whenever he takes damage while attacking. Strategies involving Caltrops for consistent damage triggers, Moonmist for instant-speed transformation, and Pyrohemia for easy Hulk activation are highlighted.
Tony Stark // The Invincible Iron Man ranks third. Tony Stark allows players to find artifacts for their hand with an activated ability, and transforms into a 5/5 flyer with haste. As The Invincible Iron Man, he enables the immediate attachment of equipment cards to himself before combat each turn. Building around equipment is key, with Genji Glove and Adaptive Omnitool being strong choices. Artifact lands and Simulacrum Synthesizer can further enhance his power.
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a one-cost five-color commander, introduces the "Power-up" mechanic. Once per game, by spending one mana of each color, Fury gains two +1/+1 counters and can fetch a Hero, Equipment, or Vehicle card from the library to the battlefield, with the ability to cheat double-sided cards into play already transformed. Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk is specifically mentioned as a synergistic card.
The Astonishing Ant-Man is a two-mana 1/1 that gains a +1/+1 counter whenever the player draws a card. Given the frequency of drawing, he can become a significant threat. Blue spells that provide extra draws and green cards that enhance +1/+1 counters, such as Doubling Season, are recommended. Ant-Man can also convert his counters into 1/1 green Insect creature tokens. Kid Loki and The Ten Rings are noted for their synergy with Ant-Man.
Captain America, Team Leader, the face commander of the Avengers Assemble deck, grants vigilance, haste, and a +1/+1 counter to hero creatures upon entering the battlefield, while also receiving his own +1/+1 counter. This strategy centers on deploying as many heroes as possible, with cost reducers like Herald's Horn and Door of Destinies being beneficial. Some Final Fantasy cards that generate hero tokens also show synergy.
Ultron, Artificial Malevolence, a three-cost colorless artifact creature, allows players to copy nontoken artifacts for two colorless mana as they enter the battlefield. If the copied artifact is not a creature, Ultron transforms it into a 2/2 creature. Cards like The Ten Rings and the Arc Reactor from within the set are noted for their synergy, as is Krang, Utrom Warlord for granting abilities to artifact creatures.
T’Challa, the Black Panther, from the Wakanda Forever precon, is a Selesnya (white-green) card that creates a tapped Vibranium token when he attacks. These indestructible tokens tap for colorless mana usable only for artifact spells. T'Challa also gains +1/+1 when an artifact spell costing four or more mana is cast. Equipment like Panther Habit and Vibranium Strike Gauntlets, along with artifact creatures and traditional artifacts, can quickly bolster T'Challa.
Rounding out the list is Crystal, Inhuman Princess, a three-mana 2/3 flyer. She deals damage equal to the number of colors in a noncreature spell's mana value when cast. Building around multicolored noncreature spells and cards that enhance noncombat damage is advised. Crystal can also tap to produce four colors of mana, making her a versatile four-color commander. Hawkeye, Young Avenger is mentioned as a card that can buff noncombat damage.
