Marvel Super Heroes: The Draft Guide

In this issue...

The Mechanics

Seven powers to master before your first pack. Know them cold and the draft reads itself.

Power Up NEWA once-per-creature activated ability. Its cost drops by the creature's full mana cost if the creature entered this turn, so the strongest line is often: play it late, power up immediately, guaranteed two-for-one that dodges countermagic.

Teamwork NEWOptional extra cost on instants/sorceries: tap creatures with total power at or above the teamwork number for an upgraded effect. Summoning-sick creatures CAN be tapped, and vigilance lets you attack first, then pay teamwork after.

Plans NEWEnchantments that build plan counters when their condition triggers, then sacrifice at a threshold for a payoff. Strong engines, terrible late topdecks: run at most two or three.

ConniveDraw a card, discard a card; a nonland discard adds a +1/+1 counter. Card selection, a discard outlet, and the engine behind the set's many "draw your second card" payoffs. Villain-affiliated.

Double-Faced HeroesCast the cheap alter ego on the front, transform later at sorcery speed, or just hard-cast the powered-up back face directly. Usually you want the back.

SagasChapter enchantments that front-load removal or theft and end on a game-swinging payoff.

Harness (Infinity Stones)Only on Infinity Stones: pay once (The Mind Stone: six mana and tap) and the stone is permanently harnessed, its Infinity ability online for good.

Suddenly...

The Heavy Hitters

Bombs that win games on their own. If one appears in your pool or pack, bend the deck around it. Damage prevention, hexproof, and indestructible are premium here: red burn and green fight removal cannot touch them.

Colorless (fits every deck)

**The Vision**Always makes the deck: on every noncreature spell, draw a card, go indestructible, or gain double strike. Take the draw first so he nets a card even if answered.

**Iron Man Armor**Mythic equipment that turns any lone attacker into the whole plan; backbone of white-black.

White

**Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector**5/4 flash flying lifelink that powers up to a 6/5 indestructible. Flash-eats attackers and creates unraceable life swings.

Monica Rambeau // Photon, Living Light — **Monica Rambeau**The Photon side is a 4/4 flying hexproof prowess threat that counters up your whole team on every noncreature spell. Usually just cast the back half.

**The Mind Stone**Open it, harness it for six, and its Infinity ability is online for the rest of the game.

Blue

**Namor the Sub-Mariner**Must-kill: pumps out a wide board fast with any other blue cards in the deck.

**Leader, Super-Genius**Connives at every combat, drawing two and discarding one all by himself, and upgrades every other connive. Nets a card even if answered instantly.

Black

**Doctor Doom**Nine power and toughness across three bodies for six mana, indestructible with an artifact creature or Plan out, and a card every end step. An army-in-a-can.

Red

**Thor, God of Thunder**5/5 flyer that rebuys a spell from the graveyard, then turns every noncreature spell into damage equal to its mana value. Great on every axis.

Green

**The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl**Lives up to the name: untap with her and the squirrel army takes over.

Multicolor

King T'Challa // Black Panther, Hope Enduring — **King T'Challa**Flash double striker that prevents ALL damage dealt to it, so burn and fight removal whiff. Eats attackers mid-combat and draws two per connected hit.

**The Coming of Galactus**Removal up front, life drained along the way, and a 16/16 flying trample token at the end. Removal plus a win condition in one card.

**The Super Hero Civil War**Steals up to two enemy creatures, pumps the team for a massive vigilant attack, then fights for a permanent answer.

**Alien Invasion**An escalating hasty attacker every combat, forever. Enchantments are hard to answer here, so this is pure inevitability for red-green.

Meanwhile, in every single draft...

The Reliables

Ten cards to always pick highly: value creatures that trade a body while banking a card, plus removal that answers anything. Value creatures are the strongest card class in this format.

**Hero in Training**A 2/2 that always replaces itself, plus 2 life with another Hero. One of the set's best commons, whatever the rarity says.

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Deployment Drone**Three power over two bodies for three mana; the flyer is an artifact creature for the synergy decks.

**Klaw, Sonic Subjugator**Body plus targeted discard that scales with your graveyard. Every black deck wants him.

**Dark Deed**Minus 4/4 for two mana at instant speed. Kills nearly every must-answer threat in the set.

**Ka-Zar of the Savage Land**Two bodies in one card, free lands off the top, and a growing Zabu token. Card advantage with claws.

**Justice, Vance Astrovik**Flying bounce tempo that can also re-buy your own enter-the-battlefield creatures and grow doing it.

**Jessica Jones, Private Eye**Snowballing repeatable card advantage on a 3-drop. Kill on sight or lose to her.

**Red Guardian, Super-Soldier**Flash 2/2 that executes a creature that dealt damage this turn. Free two-for-ones against 4- and 5-drops.

**She-Hulk, Jade Defender**4/4 reach trample with artifact/enchant removal stapled on. Reach matters: this set flies.

**Agent 13, Sharon Carter**A Clue every time a creature attacks alone. Left alone, she draws the whole game for you.

Choose your team-up!

All Ten Archetypes

Every color pair has a real deck in this set. Gold uncommon legends are the signposts. One rule of law: every uncommon creature is legendary, so never run more than two copies of the same legend.

Teamwork / Flyers Tempo

Nominally the teamwork deck, but teamwork support is thin. Often better as tempo flyers: Captain America untaps creatures the first time they tap on your turn, so attackers double as blockers and teamwork payers.

Second Card Each Turn

Connive and cheap draw trigger the "draw your second card each turn" payoffs: drains, menace villain tokens, growing threats.

Villains & Sacrifice

Flood the board with villain tokens and sacrifice them for value. Madame Hydra is a must-answer engine the moment tokens start flowing.

Power-Up Stompy

Big creatures leveraging power up. Hulk discounts every other activation by three, and Wonder Man lets creatures power up an extra time. Build the 11/5 trampler; make them find an answer.

Heroes Go Wide

Flood with hero creatures and tokens, then buff the team. Black Panther pays you for every nontoken hero; Okoye gives attacking tokens first strike.

Attack Alone

One creature goes in at a time, stacking buffs, clues, and indestructible. Equipment turns the lone attacker into a wrecking ball; black mostly supplies the removal.

Artifacts

Accumulate artifacts; payoffs grow and draw as they enter. Treasures and cheap artifact creatures keep the triggers flowing.

Graveyard Threshold

Two creature cards in your graveyard switch on stat boosts, discard, and one-mana premium removal. Fill the yard proactively with connive and self-mill, not by waiting for things to die.

Noncreature Aggro

Aggro that counts noncreature spells, especially ones targeting your own creatures, with double-prowess Thor as the payoff. Hold the line at 15 creatures, counting token-makers.

+1/+1 Counters

Stack and multiply counters; effectively a second power-up deck with hexproof protection and insect tokens along the way.

Hybrid uncommons are hidden gems. Cards like U.S.Agent, John Walker and Ghost, Spectral Saboteur slot into either color's decks and keep your draft flexible: take them a touch earlier than they look. Synergy pieces that overlap several archetypes (Crimson Operative, Arnim Zola, HYDRA Assault Robot) are the safest early picks of all.

The rank and file!

Top Commons by Color

Ranked one-two-three per color, plus honorable mentions. Removal is starred: take it highly in every deck.

White

**Web Up**★ #2. Answers any nonland permanent for three.

**Brave Brawler**#3. Lifelink two-drop that powers up into a race-winner.

**Raft Security Officer**Flexible tapper, great on offense or defense.

Blue

**Trickster's Stratagem**★ #2. Library removal with connive stapled on.

**We Say Thee Nay!**#3. Teamwork scales it to counter-unless-4.

Black

**Hour of Defeat**★ #1. Instant destroy plus surveil 1.

**Cruel Alliance**★ #2. Exile small, or teamwork to exile anything and gain 3.

**Ninja of the Hand**#3. Deathtouch now, two-for-one power up later.

Red

**Lightning Strike**★ #1. Two mana, three damage, any target. The gold standard.

**Crimson Operative**#2. Prowess plus impulse draw; artifact AND villain.

**Repulsor Blast**★ #3. Deal 5; teamwork adds 2 to the opponent.

Green

**Undercover Skrull**#1. Mana dork early, 3/3 late. Good at every stage.

**Go Nuts!**★ #2. One-mana fight; teamwork gives both modes.

**Knight of Wundagore**#3. Grows passively off every counter you place.

**Restorative Technique**Counters plus basic-fetching for splashes.

Beware! A trap!

Villainous Traps

Cards that look better than they play. Draft with your eyes open.

**Rewrite History**Too slow if attacking is your only counter source; dead on the back foot. Needs non-attack tap outlets.

**Too Evil to Stay Dead**Usually worse than just another three-drop. Only with premium 3-4 drops to rebuy.

**Training Regimen**One counter per turn for four mana; does nothing for turns if the target dies. Needs heavy counter payoffs.

**Atlantean Cavalry**Blank without steady second-card draws or an Attuma in the deck.

**Super-Skrull**Strong, but the strict multicolor mana means you rarely get full value.

Behind you!

Play Around This

The tricks each color holds. General law: prowess is everywhere, so even small pumps hit harder than they read.

White

Panther Pounce: pump, flying, untap, and a Clue
Take Up the Shield: counter, lifelink, indestructible

Blue

Depower: -4/-0 and a card, often for ONE island. Respect one open blue.
Super Suit: +1/+2, untaps, and the equipment stays
I Am Iron Man: any artifact becomes a 4/4, draws a card

Black

Widow's Bite: -2/-2 or deathtouch; teamwork can give both
Stolen Stark Tech: pump plus temporary indestructible, equipment stays

Red

Super Speed: first strike (and haste) out of nowhere
Team Tactics: double strike, plus trample with teamwork
Blazing Crescendo: +3/+1 and card advantage
Hire a Crew: team pump plus a menace token; respect it on alpha strikes

Green

Giant Growth: the classic. +3/+3 for one.

Everyone

Flash bombs exist: Captain Marvel and Black Panther eat attackers mid-combat
Tricks are for offense; casting one into open mana on defense invites a blowout

The plot thickens...

Mana & Splashes

Splashing is well supported: half of all packs carry a common gain-dual in the basic slot (one exists for every pair). The rare allied duals only enter untapped if a land entered this turn or you control a basic.

**Borough Backup**Best of the five common landcyclers: late it is two bodies for five.

**Surveillance Room**Common fixing that keeps working.

**Baxter Building**Uncommon fixing with upside.

**Avengers Tower**Splash enabler for a bomb hero.

**Villainous Hideout**Same job for a bomb villain.

Treasure discipline: splashing off treasure makers (Stark Industries Executive, Ant-Man's Army, Death to Our Enemies) only works if you SAVE the treasures for the splash card. Spend them frivolously and the splash is a mulligan.

Origin story!

Building & Playing

Sealed build, in order

Sort by color, commons apart from uncommons and rares. The gold signpost uncommons tell you which of the ten decks your pool actually supports.
Start from the bombs and build to optimize any you opened; mana fixing decides whether a splash is affordable.
Value creatures first, then super-efficient removal. A body that banks a card is this format's best card class.
Legend check: never more than two copies of the same uncommon legend.
Plan check: two or three plan enchantments maximum.
Creature floor: around 15 creatures, counting token-making spells.

Play like a pro

Power-up timing: of two equal drops, cast the one WITHOUT power up first; save the other for a full-cost turn.
Teamwork bodies: summoning-sick creatures pay teamwork; vigilance attackers pay it after combat starts.
DFC heroes: usually wait and hard-cast the powered back face.
Counterspell poker: holding We Say Thee Nay!, keep a power-up ability as a backup mana sink so the mana is never wasted.
Race math: small hero life bonuses and reach both matter; the set is full of flyers and close races.

Special Feature: The Fantastic Four-Piece Combo!

Four uncommons, one infinite engine: pings, counters, walls, and card draw looping forever. Hard to assemble, absurd when it happens. If three pieces wheel your way, chase the fourth.