The 17 Best Red Cards in Marvel Super Heroes Ranked

The Scarlet Witch | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

A new set means new cards, so players should keep an eye out for upgrades to their decks. While Marvel Super Heroes brings plenty of support to the heroes and villains archetypes established in Marvel’s Spider-Man, plenty of other archetypes are supported.

Red in particular cares about its typical damage along with plenty of support for discard and spellslinger strategies; it casts a wide enough net that many decks probably want one or two of these cards, so let’s find the best one for you!

What Are Red Cards in Marvel Super Heroes?

Inspired Fire | Illustration by Ivan Shavrin

Red cards in Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) are all cards with a mono-red color identity associated with the set; this includes cards from the main set, the Commander precons and Jumpstart products (code MSC), and reprints from the Marvel Universe Source Material bonus sheet (set code MAR, shared with Marvel’s Spider-Man). The list acknowledges both reprints and new cards, albeit on separate lists for clarity, with an eye towards Standard and Commander. Note that bonus sheet cards aren’t necessarily legal in Standard.

Best Reprints and Bonus Sheet Cards

#4. Monstrous Rage

Monstrous Rage is one of red’s greatest combat tricks: It adds 3 damage the turn you cast it, plus trample to ruin your opponent’s blocks. Since the Monster role sticks around, you keep the trample and a permanent power buff. Giant Growth is crying in the corner seeing what red gets for a single colored pip.

#3. Chaos Warp

Chaos Warp is one of Commander’s most iconic removal spells because it handles absolutely any permanent of any cost and gets around common forms of protection like indestructible. The 3-mana rate is too much for other formats, but Commander’s slow nature invites lots of big creatures that this instant can handle at a decent rate.

#2. Grapeshot

One of Magic’s classic storm spells is back with Scarlet Witch art, which is extremely appropriate considering how many Scarlet Witch cards lend themselves to storm and spellslinger decks. This is a classic win condition in Modern and other formats that don’t have Brain Freeze or Tendrils of Agony.

#1. Seize the Day

Seize the Day provides a single creature a cheap extra combat. Even though it’s only one creature, that’s often good enough if it’s a Voltron commander stacked high with equipment, auras, and other buffs, or if the creature has a wonderful attack/saboteur trigger like Aisha of Sparks and Smoke or Narset, Enlightened Master. Marvel Super Heroes reprinted this card twice, once on the bonus sheet and again in The Fantastic Four precon.

Best New Cards

#13. Fin Fang Foom

Fin Fang Foom has garnered lots of attention for its ability to copy Stone Rain effects. I have no doubt this legend will spawn a slew of Ponza decks in Standard, likely alongside Maelstrom Artisan, though whether they’ll be good is up for debate (my two cents? Way too slow; even if Badgermole Cub gives it speed, there are better things to do with it).

#12. Misty Knight, Hero for Hire

Misty Knight, Hero for Hire helps discard decks tremendously. Its baseline is a card-neutral rummage that skyrockets in value once other discard synergies hit the board. This will be one of the best support cards for commanders like Doctor Doom, King of Latveria, Captain Howler, Sea Scourge, and so on.

#11. Hawkeye’s Bow

Hawkeye's Bow has caught Pauper buzz because it enables an infinite combo with Seeker of Skybreak. Looking beyond commons-only, it’s pretty easy to set up similar combos, so expect this hyper-efficient equipment to pop up from time to time.

#10. Avengers Disassembled

The modality of Avengers Disassembled makes it a fantastic sideboard card because it can solve multiple matchups. That flexibility also extends to Commander: Maybe your play group is rampant with lands like Cabal Coffers and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx that demand answers, but you can’t cut a sweeper for Stone Rain or support Demolition Field. Well, here’s your answer.

#9. HULK SMASH!

I doubt HULK SMASH! sees play outside EDH as Abrade is generally better, but it has merit in EDH. The 3 damage on Abrade is unimpressive in Commander, so trading that out for a punch spell that can kill big threats is huge, as is the potential two-for-one value.

#8. Jessica Jones, Private Eye

Jessica Jones, Private Eye looks amazing in a certain niche: part of the 99 with commanders that want to cast lots of spells while buffing their team. I’m thinking Zada, Hedron Grinder, Sokka, Tenacious Tactician, Feather, the Redeemed. Since these commanders add a lot of power, Jessica Jones can draw a bunch of cards and fuel even more explosive turns.

#7. Photon Blast Barrage

Photon Blast Barrage is an interesting riff on a Fireball that copies itself to deal damage to creatures, which has a few handy applications. The first is the ability to split damage; X=5 gets five unique pings, which can kill multiple creatures rather than just one. That also results in five spells targeting creatures for cards like The Howling Abomination. It also has mechanical synergies; it generates a bunch of unique enrage triggers and, of course, a spell that copies itself is perfect to pair with magecraft cards like Archmage Emeritus and Storm-Kiln Artist.

#6. Thor, Guardian of Midgard

Thor, Guardian of Midgard is a handy card advantage engine for commanders that deal noncombat damage but aren’t in blue for access to Curiosity (or green for Keen Sense); think Tor Wauki the Younger or Caesar, Legion's Emperor.

#5. Thor, God of Thunder

Thor, God of Thunder is to spellslinger what Terror of the Peaks is to creature-based decks: a threatening burn engine that ends the game swiftly. This is a little weaker since the damage doesn’t come attached to a creature and you can’t combo with token effects, but I still expect it to be one of red’s marque threats. It’s similar to Grapeshot on a stick.

#4. Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor

The flashiest text on Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor is the damage doubler ability, which has incredible implications for any equip worthy commander that either deals damage or cares about how much damage they deal. Oh, and it’s all damage, so that applies to burn from cards like Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph.

That said, the other abilities are also interesting. An equipment that kills a creature means Mjölnir does something even if you don’t equip it, but the discard sweeper might be the most interesting element. Because you discard the card, the Pyroclasm goes on the stack as an ability, not a spell, so it’s difficult to counter. One extra mana for uncounterability on a playable card isn’t insane. I could see decks sideboarding Mjölnir with no intention of casting it, just getting a sweeper.

#3. Alicia Masters, Skilled Sculptor

Spellslinger decks should make room for Alicia Masters, Skilled Sculptor. It’s a super cheap source of Treasure that rewards you for taking basic game actions at a low cost, so it’s hard to argue with its effectiveness. Treasure is a particularly potent form of ramp; you can use it to cast a spell on the same turn or store them for a couple to ramp into a massive threat. Do you want to Counterspell this turn, or Crackle with Power in three?

#2. The Scarlet Witch

The Scarlet Witch has incredible potential as a spellslinger commander or support piece. It only discounts expensive spells, so don’t expect to storm off with Seething Song and other rituals, but the cost reduction is immense, especially with pump spells like Wild Ride and Reckless Charge. With Wanda, those basically become better Dark Rituals because the cost reduction applies to multiple spells. This card will enable so many messed up turns….

#1. Hex Magic

Hex Magic is an absurdly powerful riff on a wheel; not only do you get a fresh hand of cards, but you can cast the ones that are exiled for a full turn cycle! They even work with cast-from-exile synergies off cards like Passionate Archaeologist and Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius. The spellslinger/storm players are getting all kinds of toys. This effect already exists with Invasion of Kaldheim, but this version’s cheaper and has a much better card type.

Wrap Up

Thor, God of Thunder | Illustration by Jesper Ejsing

Red players are eating well with Marvel Super Heroes, especially if they play spellslinger or a similar archetype. It got a little of everything this time around: Card draw, removal, finishers… I imagine most decks will walk away with something to play.

Which MSH red cards are you interested in running? Let me know in the comments below or over on the Draftsim Discord! If you want more Marvel Super Heroes coverage, check out Draftsim’s newsletter and YouTube channel, both called The Daily Upkeep!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!