Marvel x MAGIC: THE GATHERING’s Collab Kicks Off with 5 Secret Lair Commander Decks—Storm, Cap, Wolverine and More Lead the Way

As a long-time Marvel and Magic: The Gathering fanatic, I must say that this collaboration has me over the moon! The nostalgia it brings with cards like Ice Storm from Beta is simply incredible, reminding me of my early days playing Magic. The reimagining of classic cards like Lightning Bolt and Arcane Signet as Storm and Earth’s Mightiest Emblem respectively, adds a fresh twist to the game while still keeping the essence intact.

Back in October 2023, we first caught wind of the collaboration between Magic: The Gathering and Marvel. Exactly a year has passed since then, and the anticipation for this project has been building ever since we saw that initial teaser. Now, the moment everyone’s been waiting for is finally here – the first cards from this eagerly awaited collection have been unveiled! Magic: The Gathering recently announced that the initial offering from their Marvel collaboration will be a Secret Lair drop featuring five unique Commander Decks available for purchase. Each of these new decks, naturally, centers around a Marvel hero commander card.

The main characters emphasized in the initial Marvel x Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair release include Captain America, Black Panther, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Storm. Each of these Magic sets will feature at least four additional Marvel-themed cards (all reprints from Magic’s past) that complement their commander effectively. Some cards are picked for their mechanical compatibility, while others are chosen more for their thematic fit. That’s exactly the way we prefer it!

Of course, it’s just the opening act. The upcoming release of a major Spider-Man-focused expansion pack for Magic: The Gathering in 2025 has been announced. And this is merely the first glimpse into the exciting possibilities that the collaboration between Marvel and Magic: The Gathering will bring to fans of both universes.

Without further ado, let’s dive into this first Marvel x Magic Secret Lair card and its five decks.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Captain America Commander Deck Secret Lair Drop

Initially, the Marvel and Magic: The Gathering partnership introduces the Captain America Commander Deck as its first offering. As a hero known for his nobility, Captain America’s card is classified as a White mana Magic card that symbolizes morality and order. Despite being associated with white, the iconic red, white, and blue colors of Captain America are prominently featured across his cards. The Magic: The Gathering team found it hard to resist this cool combination. They also express their desire to create mono-white versions of the cards if there are additional Captain America cards in Magic: The Gathering in the future.

Apart from the Captain America Commander card, this Marvel Magic card set also comprises four assisting cards. These are: Sigarda’s Aid (Captain America’s Aid), Flawless Maneuver, In the Trenches, and Sword of War and Peace (Shield of War and Peace). Each of these cards reflects the history of Captain America, various moments, and different periods in his character, while also paying tribute to his shield. On a gameplay level, they work synergistically since Captain America values equipment.

Furthermore, Captain America’s narrative consistently ventures to diverse locations and attempts various endeavors within the Marvel Universe, which is why Magic: The Gathering decided to pay tribute to Falcon/Sam Wilson as Captain America, particularly as he readies for his solo MCU film debut imminently. Similarly, key aspects of Captain America’s odyssey, like his bond with Bucky Barnes, are also highlighted in this deck. In the card “In the Trenches,” you can observe World War II Bucky donning his red and blue sidekick outfit as a supporting character for Captain America. Interestingly, Namor the Mariner and the Human Torch are also depicted on this Magic card, serving as an appreciative tribute to Captain America’s comic book roots with Marvel.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Black Panther Commander Deck Secret Lair Drop

Coming up next is Black Panther. Contrary to what his name might suggest, this “Magic: The Gathering” card isn’t a Black card; instead, it’s a blend of Green and White mana. This designation fits our noble king of Wakanda, Black Panther, in the world of “Magic: The Gathering,” as it symbolizes his deep-rooted goodness, strength, power, and connection to the land and nature of Wakanda.

The card “Black Panther” from Commander Marvel x Magic proved challenging for Aaron Forsythe, Vice President of Design, and Daniel Nguyen, Senior Product Designer, due to its complex and lofty messaging of a benevolent king leading his people. Unlike other collaborations that emphasized their battle prowess, this card’s focus on character nobility and compassion was more advanced for the Magic: The Gathering universe. However, ensuring Black Panther embodied these noble traits felt perfectly fitting.

In the popular game Magic: The Gathering, Black Panther and Captain America share the “Hero” creature type, a concept the game has employed before but will emphasize more as additional Marvel sets are released. Expect further iterations of Black Panther portraying him as an influential leader and formidable fighter as the collaboration between Magic: The Gathering and Marvel unfolds. At present, the developers are focusing on Black Panther as the sovereign of a kingdom rich in the world’s most valuable resource, Vibranium, which is reflected in the mechanics of his card.

In the Marvel-themed Magic: The Gathering deck featuring Black Panther, several cards complement the theme. These include Secure the Wastes, Warrior Token, Bast’s Blessing as Primal Figure, and Wakandan Skyscraper as Karn’s Bastion. Moreover, Heroic Intervention is another support card in this deck, although it doesn’t directly tie into the mechanics, it fits perfectly well. The Black Panther version of this card shows a battle between Black Panther and Klaw, which makes sense since Klaw is always after Vibranium, aligning with the theme of the deck. It’s worth mentioning that this Klaw character represents the comic version. When designing these decks, Magic: The Gathering aimed to appeal to fans of Marvel Comics.

The Black Panther cards aim to depict various eras and iterations of the character. The game “Secure the Wastes” introduces Bashenga, the original Black Panther from the Bronze Age, while “Karn’s Skyscraper” transports us to the contemporary era of Wakanda.

To wrap up, here’s an intriguing tidbit for enthusiasts of “Magic: The Gathering”: cat decks in the game are usually green-white. Interestingly, the Black Panther deck resembles this, which Shuri might find amusing.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Wolverine Commander Deck Secret Lair Drop

In our upcoming Marvel expansion, the chosen leader is Wolverine. The peak of his Magic: The Gathering card presents a briefened rendition of Wolverine’s extensive Marvel motto, “I’m the best there is at what I do, and what I do isn’t very admirable.” Wolverine carries the labels of ‘Mutant’ and ‘Berserker’, traits that have been utilized sparingly in Magic before. Although the MCU couldn’t utilize Mutant for a while, Magic: The Gathering is diving headfirst into it. Wolverine also possesses the “regenerate” ability, a feature not commonly seen in Magic, but one with a rich history in its lore, making it fitting for this Marvel partnership.

Wolverine’s card indicates that he loves fighting, really loves fighting, and he never dies. That sounds about right to us. Wolverine’s support cards includes Bezerk, which is a card all the way back from Magic: The Gathering Beta, so it’s a thirty-something-year-old card. It shows Wolverine in his brown and yellow suit, which is a fan favorite, busting out of the head of a Sentinal in an iconic fit of rage. Additionally, Wolverine’s Magic deck has the Right of Passage card. This version of the card shows Laura Kinney, aka X-23. Next up is Rhythm of the Wild. This Marvel Magic version of the card depicts Wolverine as James Howlett, a fun deep-cut for fans, and shows Wolverine running with the wolves. Finally, Wolverin’s deck has The Ozolith as the Adamantium Bonding Tank. This card shows off the Weapon X origin story for Wolverine.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Iron Man Commander Deck Secret Lair Drop

Of course, we couldn’t have a Marvel x Magic: The Gathering collaboration without Iron Man. The Iron Man commander card tips its hat to the MCU movies, showing Tony Stark mid-way through his iconic transformation into Iron Man, with all his suit parts floating around him. (But we also see some of his literal fabric business suit on his arm.) This Iron Man card is built around the idea of artifacts. When he attacks, Iron Man receives a treasure token with a meta value of 0; Iron Man can then sacrifice this to find something a little better. This speaks to Iron Man building and crafting as he attacks. Iron Man himself is an artifact creature, which is something a little different than the other cards.

The magical reinforcements for Iron Man in Marvel are Treasure Token, Galvanic Blast, Commander’s Play, Soul Ring, and Inventor’s Fair. These cards illustrate various phases of Iron Man, and you can observe the suit alterations across them. Particularly, Soul Ring represents the initial arc reactor with its copper circles. This matches perfectly as Soul Ring signifies the fundamental energy source for a Commander, while the arc reactor symbolizes the primary power source for Iron Man. Additionally, both are rings.

The team deliberated over the Iron Man treasure token for quite some time, considering various alternatives such as a stack of cash or a box of limbs, but ultimately opted to maintain the Iron Man armor motif. In an amusing twist of fate, they also appreciated that the Hasbro Iron Man helmet was depicted in ‘Iron Man 2’ on a child attempting to halt drones at Stark Expo (speculated to be Spider-Man), and now this same helmet has been incorporated into a Marvel Magic card in this era’s fusion of the two intellectual properties.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Storm Commander Deck Secret Lair Drop

Ultimately, we’ve got Storm – a formidable mutant character who can fly and defend justice. Interestingly enough, the character known as Storm from Marvel Comics could appear on a Magic: The Gathering card labeled “Storm.” Both versions of Storm are remarkably potent. The creators of Magic were eager to incorporate a character not yet featured in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). They aimed to demonstrate that this partnership encompasses the vastness of the comic universe, not merely references to Marvel movies. Given Storm’s popularity, it was thrilling to reintroduce her in this context.

In Storm’s representation, Magic aimed to portray Storm as a goddess embodying her most pristine, natural form, interacting with the powerful elements of nature rather than a figure not to be trifled with. Eventually, Storm received a Yellow card classification. Subsequently, her assist cards were colored green, blue, and red – hues symbolizing various weather events within Magic.

What are the Magic Support Cards for Storm’s Marvel character? We have Lightning Bolt, which showcases a ’90s punk-style Storm. This is followed by Storm’s Well, a reinterpretation of Jessica’s Well, with artwork reminiscent of the original. Additionally, there’s Ice Storm, although it doesn’t have a mechanical alignment, it brings a wonderful flavor to the Marvel deck and is a nod to Magic’s past. This card hails from the Beta set and hasn’t been reprinted in a playable form for about 30 years. The card also features Colossus, Bishop, Jean Grey, and Ice Man, giving a glimpse of other X-Men. Lastly, Metamorphosis has been renamed as Aurora Borealis, a card often seen in Storm decks historically.

Marvel x Magic: The Gathering—Avengers’ Tower Card

In addition to the five Commander Decks, Magic: The Gathering’s initial Marvel Secret Lair release will feature Earth’s Mightiest Emblem, a revamped version of Arcane Signet, which is essential for every Commander Deck. On this card, you’ll find an image of Avenger’s Tower. This special card will retail at approximately $200. If you purchase one of each Marvel x Magic Commander Deck, you’ll receive an Arcane Signet as a bonus.

Coming Soon: A Spider-Man Tentpole Booster Release

This marks only the start of a long-term collaboration, but keep in mind that by 2025, there will be a significant boost to our partnership with the announcement of a flagship booster pack release centered around Spider-Man in Magic: The Gathering. His absence was quite noticeable in the previous statement.

When Will the First Marve x Magic: The Gathering Decks and Cards Be Available for Purchase?

Available November 4

The Future of the Marvel x Magic: The Gathering Collaboration

Narrowing down the initial five characters for the Marvel x Magic: The Gathering collaboration proved challenging. Nevertheless, the team sifted through more than a dozen potential candidates and decided on an inaugural group. They aimed for a harmonious blend of themes, combined characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with those from the comics, and ensured a wide range of representation. Essentially, they wanted to present a comprehensive selection of what the Marvel universe has in store. It so happened that Wolverine was creating quite a buzz in the MCU at the time with Deadpool & Wolverine, but they’re not too disappointed about it. Moreover, Magic hints that there might be other characters from the Marvel universe they plan to feature at some point.

In the progression of the Marvel and Magic: The Gathering collaboration, fans can look forward to encountering a variety of characters in unique manifestations, along with entirely new cards being introduced into the Magic universe. Notably, past Magic history will also influence these sets, much like how the Commander decks do.

When inquired about anything similar to the One Ring card from Magic: The Lord of the Rings, Nguyen mentions he can’t reveal specific details, but the Marvel and Magic collaboration is going to be incredibly exciting, so let’s all start feeling excited!

2024-10-19 01:33