5 Must-Know Facts About the Marvel Super Heroes Prerelease

Marvel Super Heroes Art | Illustration by Chris Rallis

2026 is packed to the brim with set releases (an astonishing seven)—so we never seem to be far from the next set, and thus the next set’s prerelease. It’s almost June, so it’s time to look toward Marvel Super Heroes for our next set.

If you’re a Marvel fan coming to the game who’s never heard of Prerelease or just a new player looking to attend your first event, I have you covered with all the information you need to know about this beginner-friendly event.

What Is the Marvel Super Heroes Prerelease?

Doctor Doom | Illustration by David Palumbo

The Marvel Super Heroes Prerelease is the first official event for players to shuffle up the cards from the newest set. Prerelease events are casual events held the week before their corresponding set releases so the community can celebrate the newest Magic sets.

What Format Is Prerelease?

Prerelease is Sealed, a Limited format. Each player receives a Prerelease Kit with six Play Boosters and a traditional foil promo. They’ll open those boosters and use their contents (plus the promo) to build a 40-card deck, using basic lands provided by the event host.

After you build the deck, you’ll play three best-of-three 1v1 matches—in other words, you’re paired with another player and you play until one player has won two games, with a sideboarding session between each game.

What Comes in a Prerelease Kit?

A Prerelease Kit comes with 6 Play Boosters and one traditional foil rare or mythic rare card, as well as a spindown life counter to track your life. MSH Prerelease Kits don’t have any extra or seeded packs this time.

When Is Marvel Super Heroes Prerelease Weekend?

Prerelease weekend is always the weekend before a set drop; in this case, it’ll be June 19-22, with the set dropping on digital platforms June 23 and its official paper release being June 26. For specific times, consult your local game store!

Where Can You Attend the Prerelease?

Prerelease events are held at game stores registered with the Wizards Play Network, or WPN stores. You can find your nearest prerelease by heading to the Wizards Store Locator and entering location information like ZIP code, city, etc. The Store Locator will show you stores hosting prerelease events and at which time those events are held.

Who Goes to Prereleases?

Anybody and everybody! It’s pretty much the most casual event you can hit up, and players of all skill levels and experience are welcome. If you’re new to Magic and coming in because you love Marvel, the Marvel Super Heroes prerelease is an ideal event to dip your toes into the game and meet your local Magic community.

Is Going to Prerelease Worth It?

Looking at it from a strictly monetary sense, don’t expect to hit up your prerelease at a profit. A Prerelease Kit is typically $35, but this is a Universes Beyond set, so you can expect it to be a little higher—$40-$50, depending on your LGS. The six packs you crack are extremely unlikely to return that in value.

But you’re mostly paying for the experience. $40~ isn’t a terrible price for the event itself. You’ll get a bunch of cards and play in (generally) three Swiss rounds. You’ll have about 45 minutes for deckbuilding, then 45 minutes for each of the three rounds. If you factor in games going to time and the generally casual air of the event, you can expect to spend 4ish hours playing Magic with the community. That’s a pretty good investment as long as you like or are interested in playing Magic—it’s not terribly different than the price you’d pay for a movie and popcorn, and it lasts longer.

Will Through the Omenpaths Affect Prerelease at All?

Through the Omenpaths was a special set released by Wizards of the Coast alongside Marvel’s Spider-Man that reskinned the Marvel cards with in-universe art/themes/characters. It won’t affect the prerelease—in fact, Wizards recently announced MSH won’t receive an Omenpaths treatment at all, so paper and digital players alike can play with Marvel cards.

MSH Sealed Simulator

If you want to get a leg up at Prerelease or simply familiarize yourself with the cards and mechanics before the big day, keep an eye on Draftsim’s Sealed Simulator! You can run through as many Sealed pools as you like to build a strategy. The simulator will go live once the full set has previewed in June.

Wrap Up

Marvel Super Heroes art | Illustration by Stephanie Hans

Prerelease events are some of the most fun you can have playing Magic—new cards, new friends, and Limited! There’s nothing quite like it, and the atmosphere is nice and casual, so everybody can come and have a great time.

Have you been to Prereleases before, or will MSH be your first one? Are you looking forward to it? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord! For more information about Marvel Super Heroes, check out Draftsim’s YouTube channel, The Daily Upkeep!

Thanks for reading, and stay safe!

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