The 27 Best Black Cards in Marvel Super Heroes Ranked

Baron Helmut Zemo | Illustration by Wero Gallo

Marvel Super Heroes is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to get our hands on these new shiny cardboard pieces. Today, we take a look at the best black cards these Marvel sets have to offer, between the Standard set and the Commander and Jumpstart products.

Black is the selfish color in MTG, so we have a good mix of selfish, morally dubious characters and outright bad ones. We’ll also see support for many common black themes and some new ones, considering that the creature-type villain exists, and most Marvel villains are black cards in these sets, so there’s plenty of typal support.

What Are Black Cards in Marvel Super Heroes?

Black Market Connections | Illustration by Xabi Gaztelua

Black cards in Marvel Super Heroes are all cards that have a black color identity across the Marvel Super Heroes sets. We’re considering the Standard-legal Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) set, the Marvel Super Heroes Eternal set (MSC), and the Marvel Universe bonus sheet reprints (MAR 041–100).

Cards in this list will all be mono-black cards. Sorry Super-Skrull, you’re an awesome card, but those nonblack activation costs disqualify you.

Best Reprints and Bonus Sheet Cards

#7. Kindred Dominance

Kindred Dominance is expensive, but it’s a Plague Wind when you’re playing typal decks. Keeping your creatures alive while destroying everything else is strong; just beware that your opponent could have changelings or overlapping creature types that won’t be destroyed.

#6. Extinction Event

Extinction Event is a nice sweeper that saw some play in Standard and Pioneer. If your deck has restrictions like only odd or even-costed cards, it’s even better, and it plays well with (or against) tokens since they mostly have a mana value of 0.

#5. Dauthi Voidwalker

Dauthi Voidwalker is a creature introduced in Modern via Modern Horizons 2 as a way to combat graveyard decks while having a solid unblockable beater. It’s a card that saw heavy Modern play until recently.

#4. Toxic Deluge

Another Eternal format staple, Toxic Deluge takes care of almost all threats if you have the life to spend. It’s good if you have big creatures so you can shrink the smaller ones and keep something around. And for 3 mana, it’s cheaper than most sweepers.

#3. No Mercy

I guess players won’t be so keen on attacking you if you have No Mercy on the board, and it needs to be really worthwhile, like killing you or drawing a card. This is an old Urza’s Legacy card with its only other easily-accessible reprint coming from Dominaria Remastered.

#2. Black Market Connections

Probably the most expensive reprint in this list, Black Market Connections became an EDH staple. Making changelings supports all sorts of typal strategies, drawing and making Treasures is also good on any occasion, and the life loss is much more comfortable in EDH.

#1. Dark Ritual

One of the best rituals in the game, Dark Ritual, now with Doctor Doom art on it, gets a reprint in Jumpstart boosters. You’ll play this card when you have a good 3-drop like Necropotence, or in storm decks.

Best New Cards

#20. Dark Deed

A Grasp of Darkness that’s a little easier to cast is interesting. Some low-power Cubes are interested in Dark Deed, and they usually play cards like Nowhere to Run. Plus, this is 2 mana, and it’s often killing most 2 MV creatures and a lot of 3-4 MV creatures.

#19. The Masters of Evil

The Masters of Evil looks like a bad card, but there’s a lot going on here. First, you can discard this card to tutor for a plan, and in a villain deck, it’s probably going to be Doom Reigns Supreme. Late in the game, you get a 5/6 that turns your villains into mighty beatsticks. +2/+1 is a strong bonus, after all.

#18. HYDRA Troopers

HYDRA Troopers is a black common that’s actually two villains for one card most of the time. It’s not flashy or anything, but it supports a lot of archetypes, including cards in graveyards, villains, and blinking. If you mill it, you can get it back with Unearth.

#17. Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord

More villain support with Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord. Creature cost reduction is always nice, and this card also gives villains a free connive. Unplayable without villains, but very important in a specific villains deck.

#16. Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire

Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire has a strong attack trigger. Reanimating something and putting it into play tapped and attacking is a way to take advantage of a strong enters trigger, which expands on the amount of worthy targets to bring back. You’re probably happy just trading this creature for the best creature in your graveyard, too.

#15. Construct a Cosmic Cube

If you have any ways to draw cards consistently, getting a 2/1 villain with menace as a payoff is very interesting. Many cards in Marvel sets trigger when a villain enters, usually in RB, so this card bridges the gap between that and UB quite nicely. Construct a Cosmic Cube will be good in villains and in a draw-2 deck.

#14. Whiplash, Vengeful Engineer

An interesting card for aggressive black decks, Whiplash, Vengeful Engineer could certainly fit Modern Horizons 3’s black-red artifacts theme. You’ll equip Whiplash to deal more damage with your attacks, and the more equipment you give it, the better. This can even do work in Standard with cards like Hylderblade or Dark Knight's Greatsword.

#13. Elektra, Daughter of the Hand

A crossover between ninja and villain, Elektra, Daughter of the Hand offers a powerful removal effect, killing 3-power creatures no matter what. It’s especially powerful if you can do that for 3 mana via sneak. Ninja decks and cubes that support ninjutsu themes should appreciate this card.

#12. Ultron the Annihilator

Ultron the Annihilator is a solid flying beater that also gives you a way to reduce your opponents' life totals with artifacts. If you have a nice army of artifacts, they know that attacking you means losing some life while Ultron is on the battlefield. You can even mill some artifacts to make them lose life. Not to mention, it’s a win condition for artifact loops.

#11. Kingpin, Wilson Fisk

Kingpin, Wilson Fisk is excellent in any deck that wants to sacrifice creatures. It’s not going anywhere as a 3/6, and getting two Treasures a turn is excellent, while being safe enough so players aren’t easily breaking the card.

#10. Endless Ranks of HYDRA

Endless Ranks of HYDRA is an interesting way to make token creatures, be they villains, sacrifice fodder, or attackers. The fact that you can easily get them back in a Commander game is what makes it a good card for me. Plus, if you have benefits for when villains enter play, this card gives you three triggers.

#9. Age of Ultron

Age of Ultron is a black saga that offers spot removal right away, so we’re looking at a three-for-one most of the time. You’ll also get 2/2 artifacts and a boost, so this card should slot into black artifact-heavy decks.

#8. Thunderbolts Conspiracy

If you need a little more support in your villains deck, why not give them a second life via flash. You flash Thunderbolts Conspiracy during a combat step, and each villain you control returns with a vengeance. That’s absurd after your opponent wipes the board, and if you have this card, you can choose how you attack and block much better.

#7. Black Widow, Super Spy

Black Widow, Super Spy fits most theft decks as a way to steal cards from your opponent’s library when you hit them. 2/1 with menace gets in sometimes in the early game. You’ll either get a good card to cast, or make this creature into a 3/2 with menace to keep hitting them, often when you exile something too expensive. This card reminds me of Robber of the Rich, which you couldn’t take too many hits from lightly.

#6. Black Widow, Daring Operative

Black Widow, Daring Operative got me at each opponent loses life. Say you have a self-mill deck or a deck that’s heavy with connive cards, and you have five creatures in your graveyard. Each hit from Black Widow makes everybody lose 5 life, and you can put some equipment on it to hit harder, more often, and with double strike.

#5. M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K. is an interesting card. The permanent -1/-1 debuff this card gives your opponent’s creatures is very annoying, and you also have a lifelinker that can grow while conniving. I like that this card is an engine for drawing, discarding, and filling up your graveyard. Once it’s a 5/5 or bigger, the lifegain offsets the life loss.

#4. Doctor Doom, Unrivaled

Take that, blue decks. Black decks can also win via empty libraries now with Doctor Doom, Unrivaled. You can just chill and draw cards, or attack with a 4/4 lifelink. While not as powerful as Thassa's Oracle, this card can still win via Demonic Consultation, Leveler, and other similar cards.

#3. Doom Reigns Supreme

Doom Reigns Supreme is an excellent way to support a villain strategy. Just 2 mana to cast this, and all villain cards you play after that cantrip. Not to mention, some cards also create 2/1 villain tokens, triggering this a couple times.

#2. Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom seems awesome to me across many formats. Indestructible with artifact creatures or plans. Three bodies in one, totaling 9/9 worth of stats. Card draw each turn. Blinkable. If it dies and you reanimate it, you get all the benefits again. It dodges destruction sweepers. And if you exile Doctor Doom, there are still two 3/3s to annoy you.

#1. Baron Helmut Zemo

Baron Helmut Zemo should be an interesting black commander. First, you’ll connive a lot by casting black cards, filling your graveyard with “black devotion“, so to speak. Your Phyrexian Obliterators of this world. Exiling cards with 15 black mana symbols total gives you an opportunity to cast a few of them for free. Cards like Zodiark, Umbral God or Doomsday Excruciator can even make this card a real contender in Standard with a limited card pool, and black devotion could be an interesting way to build a deck around Zemo.

Wrap Up

Ultron's Auxiliary | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov

That’s about it for black cards from Marvel Super Heroes, guys. It’s interesting that the set has a heavy focus on synergy cards, and few brute-force powerful ones. Overall, black’s pretty heavy on some themes, like supporting villains as a creature type, and filling the graveyard via connive, with a little support for drawing two cards a turn. It’s interesting that Marvel’s Spider-Man (yes, that set) already had some sweet villains and a connive theme, so that’s being much more supported here. There’s more cards that already fit established decks rather than inventing new ones.

What are your thoughts on black cards in the new Marvel sets? Are you excited to add any of these to your decks, or maybe build around villains, plans, or Baron Helmut Zemo? Let me know in the comments section below, or let’s discuss it over in the Draftsim Discord. And for more on Magic + Marvel, check out our YouTube Channel, The Daily Upkeep.

Until next time, stay safe!