Every Precon Face Commander From Marvel Super Heroes In MTG, From Worst To Best

The Marvel Super Heroes Magic: The Gathering set is already the biggest yet in terms of mechanically unique cards and products, but how exactly is it going to impact the Commander market?

Well, with four precons and a whopping ten new Commanders dropping within them, you can’t say we’re not spoiled for choice. However, I’ve played Magic for long enough to know that if ten new Commanders are on the way, there’s going to be a sizable gap between the best and worst.

So, on that note, I’m going to rank all ten new face and backup Commander cards from the Marvel Super Heroes precons so you know which ones to look out for during your next Friday Night Magic session.

10

Director Nick Fury

Avengers Assemble Backup Commander

It’s painful to put Director Nick Fury this low on the list, but the truth is that the Avengers Assemble deck is arguably the weakest of the four, and while he’s not a big reason why, he just doesn’t do enough to justify leading the entire Commander deck. I like to think that the whole point of having two Commanders per deck is that the decision is supposed to be difficult, or both Commanders are supposed to be fun to play with.

In the case of Director Nick Fury, he lowers the cost of all Hero spells by 1C, which is great for a Hero-focused deck. However, the second half of his ability is completely lackluster. When attacking, you may look at the top four cards of your library and reveal a Hero before placing it into your hand. The remaining cards are then put at the bottom of your library in a random order.

While it’s a great ploy to get Hero cards in your hand, you could end up sending valuable cards from the top of your library to the bottom, and this can mess up your entire flow. Granted, the ability explicitly states “you may” meaning you do not have to do this and could reserve it for times when you have no Heroes in hand, but if that’s how the card needs to be played, then all it is, is a 2/4 creature that lowers the cost of Heroes by 1C, something not worthy of leading a Commander precon deck in the current meta.

9

The Thing

Fantastic Four Backup Commander

The Thing is up next, a 5/5 creature with Trample. Now, I don’t think this placement is too controversial purely because it’s very hard to get into a game with a six-mana (5G, 1C) Commander. Especially given that the first time you’ll be able to cast him is at turn six, but realistically, you wouldn’t reap any benefits until at least turn seven.

Don’t let that fact or this positioning take away from the fact that The Thing is a very scary card to hit the battlefield. If you cast a spell before combat on your turn, he gains four +1/+1 counters.

Should he resolve, you’re realistically going to have a 9/9 creature swinging in the following turn, with Trample. That’s before considering his ability, which lets you double the number of each kind of counter on any number of permanents you control while he is attacking, and if you pay 1R, 1U, 1G, and 1W.

This means that, given the kind of mana you will need to cast him, there is every chance you could cast a cheap spell before combat on your next turn to trigger the additional four +1/+1 counters, then activate his mana ability to double that to eight and have him be a 13/13.

Of course, without protection, he’s very vulnerable and susceptible to immediate removal, but he’s a fun bomb to drop on a battlefield that isn’t expecting it. But he’s also not lead-Commander material.

8

Shuri, The Black Panther

Wakanda Forever Backup Commander

Shuri, the Black Panther, is a Selesnya legendary costing 1G and 1W. She enters play as a 2/3 with Lifelink, and whenever Shuri attacks, you draw a card if you control three or more artifacts. Then, if you control six or more artifacts, the creatures you control get +2/+2 until the end of the turn.

My main issue with Shuri is the direct comparison to T’Challa, who has a built-in ability to generate indestructible artifacts. As a result, Shuri is a phenomenal card to play behind T’Challa, rather than the other way around. Thus, we can’t really put her any higher on this list.

However, she avoids falling into last place because I do see the possibility of playing her as an ultra-cheap Commander within the artifact-heavy Wakanda Forever precon deck, and being able to cast her anywhere between three and six times in a game just to reap the benefits of her abilities, and the deck will still be fun and somewhat competitive.

7

Invisible Woman

Fantastic Four Backup Commander

Next up is the Invisible Woman, yet another great card that just isn’t quite at the Commander level compared to others in the set. She is a three mana (1W, 2C) 3/3 Hero who, at the beginning of combat on your turn, if you’ve cast a noncreature spell before combat, creates a 0/3 colorless wall creature with Defender and Reach.

Whenever you attack, you may pay 1R, 1U, 1W, and 1G to give a target creature +1/0 for each creature you control, and it can’t be blocked.

What separates the Invisible Woman and The Thing is the initial casting cost and the general utility of creating defenders for your board, especially those with Reach to block annoying flying creatures. I would be open to anyone who suggests that she is a capable Commander to lead the Fantastic Four deck, but my preference certainly lies with the remaining two Heroes, which we’ll come to shortly.

6

Human Torch

Fantastic Four Backup Commander

It’s yet another member of the Fantastic Four next, as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, comes in at number six. As an aggressive player, I can really vibe with Human Torch; he’s a four-mana (3R, 1C) 3/2 creature who, if you’ve cast a noncreature spell prior to combat on your turn, gains Flying, Double Strike, and Haste.

His immediate impact is what sees him come in above The Thing and the Invisible Woman, even though his cost sits between the two. Where he really stands out, however, is his mana ability. For 1R, 1G, 1W, and 1U, and combat damage Human Torch deals to an opponent is also dealt as damage to each opponent.

This means if you can resolve Human Torch and get him attacking on your first turn, you have your pick of targets, can choose whoever is defenseless, and you’ll be doing at least six damage to each player.

Yes, his cost is higher than the Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic, but I believe the return you’re getting is worth it, and he’s easily the second-best Commander in the Fantastic Four deck.

5

T’Challa, The Black Panther

Wakanda Forever Lead Commander

But wait, there’s still a backup Commander to list. Surely I can’t suggest that there’s a backup Commander better than a face Commander, right? Well, I am, in fact, suggesting that there’s a backup Commander in this set better than multiple face Commanders.

So, next on this list is T’Challa, the Black Panther. He’s a three mana (1G, 1W, 1C) Hero who creates a Vibranium token any time he enters or attacks. A Vibranium token is an artifact token with Indestructible that can be tapped to generate 1C that can only be spent on artifact spells.

Then, whenever you cast an artifact with mana value four or greater, you put two +1/+1 counters on T’Challa, the Black Panther.

Overall, T’Challa has been purpose-built for Selesnya artifact decks, and I have no doubt that this might find itself as one of the more underrated precons in recent years, but I’m not overly impressed with T’Challa’s board presence. I feel he may find himself being removed quite quickly in most games because nobody in the current state of Commander wants to effectively give away free mana for artifacts while letting a creature get uncontrollably huge. It’s almost as if he’s too powerful, but at the same time, easy to deal with.

4

Mister Fantastic

Fantastic Four Lead Commander

I know, I know, another face Commander before all the backup Commanders are done, I hear you, but it’s worth the wait, trust me.

Mister Fantastic is a three-mana (2U, 1C) 2/4 creature with Vigilance and Reach. At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you’ve cast a noncreature spell, you may draw a card.

His mana ability, which, like the other Fantastic Four Commanders, costs 1U, 1R, 1G, and 1W, lets you copy the triggered ability of a creature you control twice, and you can choose new targets for the copies.

Given how well the Fantastic Four Commanders work as a group, and knowing how powerful some creature abilities can be, Mister Fantastic just stands that little taller than the rest of the group, and he’s the card you want leading the deck and coming back into play time and time again, if possible.

3

Loki, The Deceiver

Doom Prevails Backup Commander

Okay, here we are, perhaps my most controversial take on this list, but I have Loki, The Deceiver, as the third-best Commander from Marvel Super Heroes. I think the early market agrees; in many cases, Doom Prevails is the most expensive deck to buy from retailers.

Loki, the Deceiver is a four-mana (1U, 1B, 1R, 1C) Grixis Commander who enters play as a 4/4 Villain. Whenever Loki attacks, you can create a tapped and attacking token that’s a copy of another Villain you control, only it isn’t legendary, it is an Illusion in addition to its other types, and it is sacrificed at the next end step.

Then, whenever one or more Villains deal combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. This card reads as incredibly powerful for a Villain tribal deck, not only allowing you to choose and copy your biggest creature threat to send risk-free damage to an opponent, but then you get to draw a card if damage makes it through to an opponent.

Even if you’re not using this card as the Commander for the Doom Previals deck, it’s an extremely important creature that can change the direction of a game if used right.

2

Captain America, Team Leader

Avengers Assemble Lead Commander

Captain America, Team Leader is a Jeskai Commander costing three mana (1R, 1W, 1U). He’s a 3/3 creature and, whenever a Hero you control enters, he gives it Vigilance and Haste until the end of the turn. Both the Hero and Captain America, Team Leader, then get a +1/+1 counter.

This is a brilliant Hero Commander, and it plays into the aggression strategy perfectly, thanks to the Haste and Vigilance, even if it’s only until the end of the turn. All it means is that you have the freedom to attack without leaving yourself defenseless.

It may be controversial, but I believe this Commander would have been a good target for Eminence. Hear me out, the Hero type in Magic: The Gathering is relatively restricted, with less than 150 creatures in total carrying the type, and all of them come from the Marvel Super Heroes and Spider-Man sets.

If Captain America, Team Leader, could activate his ability both in and out of the Command zone, we would genuinely have an all-timer on our hands, and not one that could feel cheap or misused. Then again, if Wizards of the Coast is planning at least another three Marvel sets to complete the Infinity Stone cycle, then the Hero pool is likely to grow substantially, and that would be a good reason why Eminence would be a terrible idea. We know now that Heroes In A Half Shell nearly got the Eminence treatment, so I have to wonder whether the same conversation was had about Captain America?

1

Doctor Doom, King Of Latveria

Doom Prevails Lead Commander

My pick for the number one Commander of the Marvel Super Heroes precons is Doctor Doom, King of Latveria. This four-mana (1U, 1B, 1R, 1C) Grixis Commander deals two damage to each opponent every time you discard one or more land cards.

You can trigger this ability easily as a result of Doctor Doom’s other ability, which triggers at the start of combat on your turn. You may target a Villain you control and give it Menace until the end of the turn. It then Connives, meaning you draw a card and discard a card. If the card you discard is a nonland, you put a +1/+1 counter on the creature. If you do discard a land, you trigger Doom’s first ability, so it’s a win-win either way.

Given that Connive is a mechanic assigned to Villains in this set, we can only imagine how annoying it’s going to be for you to consistently chip away at opponents’ health or grow your creatures into intimidating beasts.