Marvel Smashes Final Fantasy’s Legendary Creature Record

Last updated on June 12, 2026

HULK SMASH! | Illustration by Chris Rahn

The numbers are in, and Marvel Super Heroes has the most legendary creatures printed in any Magic set in history. And not by a small number, either; the runner-up is 2025’s Final Fantasy with 178 legendary creatures. MSH more than doubles that with 363 legendary creatures between the main set, Commander precons, and Jumpstart. Here’s the split between the main set (code MSH) and the Commander/Jumpstart products (which share the code MSC) compared to FIN’s two sets (main set, FIN, and Commander precons, FIC):

• MSH: 128
• MSC: 251
• FIN: 101
• FIC: 77

The major difference between Final Fantasy’s second code and MSH’s is the Jumpstart product, which FIN did not have. But it’s still a major jump, and it’s hard to imagine a set usurping Marvel Super Heroes in legends count (I hope I didn’t say that about FIN…).

379 eclipses many other sets, even those that focus on legendary creatures, either as a theme or by proxy of being a Commander-centered set, like Commander Masters (which had 138 legendary creatures). Even more impressive is that few of these are reprints: A meager 16 heroes and villains from Marvel’s Spider-Man crawled into the Jumpstart boosters or Commander precons. That means Marvel Super Heroes introduced 347 new commanders—for better or for worse.

Universes Beyond = Legends

Gandalf, White Rider | Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

This surge in legends is a feature, not a bug, as legendary creature counts have been way up ever since Magic started crossing over with other franchises. Universes Beyond sets use the legendary type to venerate key characters from the franchises it adapts:

That, plus the general design focus on Commander as Magic’s most popular format, have encouraged Wizards to design and pump out legendary creatures like never before. One way this creeps into design is the influx of uncommon legendary creatures. Once used sparingly to highlight central characters or in sets with a dedicated legendary theme in Draft, like Dominaria United, uncommon legends are the norm in UB sets—every creature in Marvel Super Heroes is uncommon.

In contrast to the literal hundreds of legends flooding Magic from Universes Beyond, in-universe sets have more modest numbers of legends. Secrets of Strixhaven introduced a meager 36 commanders to Magic, and Lorwyn Eclipsed had even fewer at 21. It isn’t surprising to see Marvel Super Heroes top the charts, and I highly doubt any in-universe set could compete with these numbers.

Pros and Cons to Infinite Legendary Creatures

Urza, Lord Protector | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

The flood of legendary creatures carries pros and cons and they’re rather intertwined because the good and bad thing, in my mind, is that there are so many legendary creatures. Depending on your perspective, it might be the downfall of Magic or the best time to be a Commander player.

One perspective is that adding so many legends dilutes the meaning of the type and thins the card pool. Many of the legendary creatures in MSH will never see the command zone, if they even get sleeved up. And yet, we get so many—did you know there are more cards representing Captain America (8) and Iron Man (7) than Nicol Bolas (6) or Urza (5)? So much noise surrounds Commander—though one could argue that product fatigue would be just as prevalent with as many cards but fewer legends. Additionally, there are real gameplay costs as the legend rule imposes limitations on what creatures you can control. While that’s a niche interaction, it because less and less niche every time a duplicate uncommon or common in your card pool gains the supertype.

But. While there’s merit to that, especially in regards to how the legendary type functions as a storytelling mechanic (that’s an entirely different article), there are pros. There are more options for commanders than ever before, at all power levels, with all ideas. This is especially good for new players coming to the game because Magic is adapting their media. Magic is a big, scary game if you don’t know what you’re doing. But, say you love Marvel, and crack some packs, and open Storm, Windrider—your favorite character. You can anchor onto Storm, use her as a lens to explore Magic. And because there are so many legendary creatures, the same is true for so many other characters. Giving new players a foothold keeps them here, and expands the community, and that is good.