The 30 Best Marvel Super Heroes Cards for Standard

Dark Deed | Illustration by Lixin Yin

The Standard format is usually the lowest barrier of entry for most competitive cards, considering that they’re usually balanced for Standard and Limited. Today, I’ll cover the cards in Marvel Super Heroes that I think have the most probability of seeing play, based on my experiences with the current Standard format and a little historical knowledge.

The best cards for Standard are very pushed, do something the format lacks, or add to existing decks. Before we begin, this chart from the MTG Standard subreddit depicts the current Standard meta for context.

Source 

These are the most consistent decks in Standard and the most played on the Arena Ladder:

• Izzet variations (prowess, elementals, lessons): These decks all play a lot of blue and red cantrips/burn/lessons to fill their graveyard and exploit synergies, like lessons in the graveyard, cost reduction, or elemental creatures. Or they attack with massive prowess threats for the win.
• Four-color control: It’s basically a Jeskai () deck that splashes black for Inevitable Defeat, based on the powerful Jeskai Revelation;
• Green Badgermole Cub decks: these decks are aggressive with landfall and cards like Ouroboroid as a top end;
• Dimir Excruciator: This deck plays control and aims to finish with a Doomsday Excruciator + a mill effect;
• Azorius Tempo (Momo): this deck plays fliers and tempo cards, like counterspells, Aven Interrupter, and Aang, Swift Savior.

Other players like mono-red aggro, Golgari midrange, and Mardu discard exist in small numbers, too.

What Marvel Super Heroes Cards Are Standard-Legal?

Mole Man, Moloid Master | Illustration by Michele Giorgi

Marvel Super Heroes has two different sets. The main Standard one is called Marvel Super Heroes, or MSH. All MSH cards are Standard-legal.

Then there’s Marvel Super Heroes Eternal, or MSC, which encompasses the cards in the Marvel Super Heroes Commander precons, and new cards in Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart boosters that aren’t in the main set. These cards aren’t Standard-legal.

Marvel Super Heroes continues the Marvel Universe bonus sheet (MAR) with 60 new entries. Some of these cards are Standard-legal, but only because previous printings are what put them in Standard (Monstrous Rage from Wilds of Eldraine is reprinted in MAR but is still banned in Standard, for example).

#30. Agent Maria Hill

The playability of this card largely depends on teamwork being good. There are many 2/1 creatures for 1 white mana, but if you can make it just into a 3/2 and draw another card, it’s very strong. Having Agent Maria Hill in your deck makes other teamwork cards stronger.

#29. HULK SMASH!

Speaking of teamwork cards getting stronger, HULK SMASH! is more situational because it does nothing on an empty board. But getting a two-for-one here is certainly possible, unlike Abrade and similar cards.

#28. We Say Thee Nay!

Here’s an interesting one. We Say Thee Nay! sits in between It'll Quench Ya! with lesson synergies and Dispelling Exhale with dragon (or Firdoch Core) synergies. If players want some kind of crazy aggro deck with Agent Maria Hill drawing some cards here and there, this card may see play, although it’s much more likely that this happens only in Limited.

#27. Team Tactics

It’s totally possible that Team Tactics sees play in current Standard. We already have decks that attack for a million with Tifa Lockhart or Slickshot Show-Off, and you can power this card with your Elvish Mystic on the sidelines. Remember old Temur Battle Rage?

#26. Baxter Building

Baxter Building is interesting. I see this land being played with converge cards to power up Together as One, especially in heavier mono-color decks. And getting to draw cards each turn isn’t bad either, it just takes something like Beza, the Bounding Spring or Emeritus of Abundance in play to do it.

#25. Super Villain Lockup

Flash removal that exiles an attacking creature is annoying to play against. Seal Away was a good card when it was legal in Standard, and Super Villain Lockup should be good, too.

#24. Pym Particles

Yes, there are some Standard decks for a while now that play a lot of 1-mana cantrips to buff a single creature or two. Granting them vigilance and unblockable is pretty good in these decks, so Pym Particles has a home.

#23. Shuri, Wakandan Inventor

Shuri, Wakandan Inventor screams artifact combos. First, you’ll reduce the cost of artifact spells, and there are already decks in Standard that cast a bunch of them. Second, you get to turn one artifact into another, and between Simulacrum Synthesizer and Weapons Manufacturing, we have some incentive to play multiples of these.

#22. Killmonger, Scourge of Wakanda

Ravenous Chupacabra is a 5/4 these days, huh? Killmonger, Scourge of Wakanda isn’t an auto-include in decks by any means, but removal plus beatdown is an excellent package. It’s not hard to have two creatures in your graveyard, and you can even sacrifice one of them with Killmonger.

#21. Too Evil to Stay Dead

Too Evil to Stay Dead is a nice reanimation spell in a Standard that already has great reanimation targets. Cards like Superior Spider-Man already cost 4 mana and can be reanimated for 3. But then, we have the Overlords from Duskmourn: House of Horror and some big guys from other sets (including MSH and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) that are also too evil.

#20. World War Hulk

Free spells on turn 5? World War Hulk decks can become a problem, although it’s hard to align your saga with your hand. Top-decking this is bad, but if you can put a creature into play for free, it’s not tempo loss (Fires of Invention was strong for this reason). The rest of the card is just upside, making a medium-sized monster into a giant one.

#19. The Coming of Galactus

The Coming of Galactus is certain doom, but it takes time. It’s not going to be effective in a meta filled with fast Izzet decks, but if you’re playing a bunch of midrange mirrors or control decks, this card can be excellent.

Sometimes when you're playing BG, you’re left facing down a threat like Ugin, Eye of the Storms upticking to draw a card and gain life, and you don’t have anything going on. After you play this saga you remove a threat and your opponent has to deal with it, otherwise they’ll take 4 damage and Galactus arrives. And it’s a 16/16.

Even discard decks can splash green to have this remove something and set up a late game plan.

#18. The Serpent Society

Although there’s not a dedicated poison deck in Standard, your opponent can’t target The Serpent Society twice in the same game. If you cast one and they snipe it, the second one effectively has hexproof. Plus, it’s easy to bring this villain back because it costs only 3 mana (Recommission), or you can use Emeritus of Abundance.

#17. Quicksilver, Brash Blur

I predict many future Standard games will begin with Quicksilver, Brash Blur on the battlefield. We love free spells, after all. I’m not entirely convinced that a 1/1 has all that much impact, but it can do a job against decks without Day of Black Sun. It’s also good that you can cast Quicksilver as a 2/2 double striker with haste later in the game.

#16. Vision Quest

I’d dismiss Vision Quest if it weren’t for Resonating Lute or cards like Tablet of Discovery to boost your mana production. That said, I’m not sure what you’re using Vision Quest to find, but there’s Krang, Utrom Warlord, the Gearhulks from Aetherdrift, and more.

#15. The Ruinous Wrecking Crew

This card is like, what, a walking Kolaghan's Command? The Ruinous Wrecking Crew is already a good X creature on curve, but the more mana you pay, the more upside you get. You can rummage, make your opponent sacrifice creatures, or deal direct damage. These all sum up to make a nice aggressive creature that’s good early and late. It’s also a villain in the right colors.

#14. Ares, God of War

It’s not easy to deal with Ares, God of War without exile removal. This card can be key to making a villain deck work, especially if you can pack in enough villainous ETBs. I can see this being that threat you sideboard in the second game against Golgari or Jund () decks.

#13. Alien Invasion

Enchantments that make bigger threats every turn usually see play in Standard, like Urabrask's Forge or Assemble the Legion. Getting to make a token every turn with Alien Invasion is nice, and each turn, the token you make gets stronger. Even if you have to attack every turn, it’s free, and sacrifice outlets can give you even more benefits.

#12. Avengers Dissasembled

The option of both land destruction and a 3-damage sweeper in a converge / creature-land world  is very good. Avengers Disassembled should see at least some sideboard play.

#11. Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor

Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor has an interesting enters trigger for a piece of equipment, and once it’s equipped, it doubles the equipped creature’s damage output. But the best part is the discard effect: It’s an uncounterable cheap damage sweeper (take that, 1/1 prowess tokens), and you can get rid of excess copies if you draw multiples.

#10. Fin Fang Foom

Speaking of land destruction, here’s Fin Fang Foom. Look, land destruction is usually a one-for-one deal, and in many cases it doesn’t help you. But this card? It’s a big flier that copies that spell, or another spot removal you have, while getting some counters. Attacking with a 5/7 flier after you’ve copied a powerful spell is no joke, but the problem will be if your opponent kills your dragon before you get to copy anything.

#9. Doom Reigns Supreme

If you need any payoffs for playing villains, here’s Doom Reigns Supreme. You can play it before your villains because it’s cheap at 2 mana. It’s also good in multiples, and drawing a card each time a villain enters is super strong. With the fifth plan counter, you can get some extra cards from your opponent, but I’m happy if I get to draw two+ extra cards.

#8. Iron Man Armor

Iron Man Armor is excellent as a way to buff your attacking creature with +2/+1 and flying, but it doesn’t stop there. The ability to turn an equipment into a creature is good when your opponent doesn’t have the means to interact. It'll be a 1/1 minimum upon activation, and it can be bigger in an artifact deck.

#7. Rare Allied Dual Lands

• Gleaming Bastion
• Dark Fortress
• Hidden Lair
• Training Compound
• Gathering Place

These all look excellent. The only downside is that you have to control a basic land, but it doesn’t need to be a specific one (like an Island for Gleaming Bastion). They're not amazing in multiples, though, so you can’t put 12 of these in your deck and call it a day, so mix them with shock lands and the like.

#6. Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom is three 3/3 creatures in one card, which is what we call an army-in-a-can. As if that weren’t enough, Doom can be indestructible, and you’ll always draw a card on your end step. There isn’t a specific Toxic Deluge -X/-X effect in Standard right now, so it might align very well with the format’s answers.

#5. Thor, God of Thunder

I love Thor, God of Thunder as a new take on a red control creature. You get card advantage right away from your graveyard, and when you cast your noncreature spells, you’ll distribute some damage around. It’s a flier that’s hard to ignore, and it’s good at being aggressive and controlling.

#4. Captain America, Super-Soldier

I’m putting Captain America, Super-Soldier on this list because the decks I play will hate to face this card on the battlefield, except if I have something like Nowhere to Run at the ready. Cap shuts off direct damage, discard, spot removal, and so much more. It could be very good as a leader of a new hero-dedicated deck, but it’s strong even without any heroes as a 3/3 with an indestructible shield that protects its owner.

#3. Namor the Sub-Mariner

What I like the most about Namor the Sub-Mariner is that each blue noncreature spell you play afterwards give you merfolk tokens. Those Boomerang Basics + Stormchaser's Talent loops or simply countering your opponent’s spells should give you an army. Plus, all those merfolk in Lorwyn Eclipsed need an opportunity to shine.

#2. King T’Challa / Black Panther, Hope Enduring

King T'Challa is a 3/2 flash creature that, despite not having flying, can come in as a flash threat to draw some cards off your opponent’s effects. Or, you can play it later as a 3/3 that hits for 6 and draw two cards. While there’s already a blue-white flying flash deck in Standard, this is more of an Enduring Curiosity + Floodpits Drowner deck. I can see this being played in a WU control or even a crazy heroes deck.

#1. The Mind Stone

The Soul Stone is already seeing plenty of play in Standard, so The Mind Stone should see some play, too. You can blink creatures when this is harnessed, so these should be at home in an Azorius / Orzhov () blink deck.

Bonus Decklist: Golgari Burn in Standard

Professor Dellian Fel | Illustration by Lie Setiawan

This is a deck idea I’ve been playing with a lot in Standard, inspired by a YouTuber (SonioMTG) and a pro player (Shahar Shenhar). It’s mostly a black deck that explores Firdoch Core + Unholy Annex as a win condition to drain your opponent every turn while you’re up on cards.

It’s mainly a black deck, but the dual lands allow you to max out on converge. Together as One drains 4-5 damage and draws that many cards consistently. Professor Dellian Fel has been an important part of this deck.

The cards from MSH I’m most interested in adding to this list are Doctor Doom, The Coming of Galactus, and Baxter Building. I’m willing to put one of each into the main deck for testing, and more, should they be a good fit.

Standard Decks, Assemble!

The Astonishing Ant-Man | Illustration by Randy Gallegos

And that’s my take on the Standard impact Marvel Super Heroes will have. It’s interesting to note that, while this set’s powerful, there aren’t any notable power outliers. Nothing like Badgermole Cub, Quantum Riddler, or anything as splashy as Jeskai Revelation. In fact, my guess is that MSH makes Standard a more diverse format by helping Tier 2 more than Tier 1 decks. Or maybe a new villain or hero deck rises to the top, which both have some interesting tools.

If your favorite MSH card isn’t on the list, it may have been overlooked, or it doesn’t have a home yet. The removal or speed of the format might not align with every Hulk or Iron Man card design.

Let me know what you think of my list in the comments section below or on the Draftsim Discord. We’ll discuss even more of Marvel Super Heroes over on our YouTube channel, The Daily Upkeep.

Thanks for reading, and until next time!