A New SetWe sound like a broken record, don't we? The worst part about getting new set after new set so fast is that we have to talk about power creep and irrelevant cards. As we go through these sets, many cards appear to have redeemable qualities but are often slightly upgraded versions of a preexisting card that isn't all that playable. Like so, they might see play in Duel Commander (eventually, or even become a staple, albeit a not very important one). Screaming Nemesis is a wonderful card, but most of the time, it is a Hulking Bugbear. While Nemesis is a staple, no one has ever played a Bugbear in Duel Commander.In this review and the next ones, I'll try to ignore these cards, the ones that are between a Nemesis and a Bugbear. They might see play eventually, but they shouldn't do much in the format.What are, then, the 10 promising cards from Marvel Super Heroes that could see play in Duel Commander?10 Promising Marvel Superheroes Cards for Duel Commander10 - Hellcat, Undying VigilanteThere aren't many green creatures with haste in Duel Commander. The greatest difference between Grist, the Hunger Tide and Slimefoot and Squee is that Slimefoot can be a lot more aggressive, not just because it is "bigger" but also because there are many ways to give haste to your cards when you're playing red.However, that has changed lately, and quite a bit. Strangleroot Geist and Questing Beast have been in the format for a long time, but, considering Frenzied Baloth, Axebane Ferox, and so many other cards, every day we need red cards less and less if we want to be aggressive.Do we miss Broadside Bombardiers? Certainly. But as we get more creatures with haste (and better ones), the more we have to worry about creatures with haste.9 - Night Nurse, Healer of HeroesAfter everything we said in the introduction, it's sort of ironic that we put Night Nurse in this article because it is really similar to Samwise the Stouthearted. I believe lifelink is a lot better than The Ring Tempts You, but what made me put it on this list is the "from anywhere" part. It can return milled permanents, countered creatures, and all the targets that Sam already gets you (fetchlands and elementals).8 - Hawkeye, Master MarksmanThis is a red 2/2 for 2 mana that doesn't have haste. As a rule, even if it has an ability, it needs to be incredibly good to see play.Hawkeye has 3 relevant abilities. Not letting a creature block can make sure your other attackers go through. Dealing 2 damage for 1 mana is quite good (particularly because this damage goes through even if Hawkeye is blocked/dead), and looting is also relevant, particularly because in Duel Commander we use graveyards quite a lot.This card is not that promising as a commander (it's too slow and doesn't do all that much), and frankly, I don't know which decks want a "worse Inti, Seneschal of the Sun". But Inti is a pretty strong staple, and Hawkeye is similar enough to earn a spot in this list.7 - Jennifer Walters"Anti-counter" card design is getting more and more aggressive, and The Sensational She-Hulk, Jenny's alter ego, is pretty interesting!If this card has an issue, it's that it costs to transform. In other constructed formats, you could use it as an extra Voice of Victory with a slight upside. But, in Duel Commander, your commander will have to be green if you want to use Jenny.That being said, there are many decks nowadays that could use it well. Brigid lists, Thrasios/Ravos lists, Peter Parker lists, and Nadu widowers (my mistake, today the combo that they use is Cephalid Illusionist and Shuko to self-mill themselves) will love an extra copy.6 - Mole Man, Moloid MasterI still haven't made up my mind on Mole Man, but I believe it is the best Ramunap Excavator we have ever seen. Moloids are excellent blockers, but the self-mill theme in green decks (those with Shifting Woodland and that already play lands from the graveyard naturally) is quite useful as well.I saw some people wondering if it could be a commander. At the end of the day, these engines feature Exploration effects and Crucible of Worlds effects. There are no right or wrong answers regarding which effect is more redundant (that's a lie - there is an answer, but it'll take some pretty boring research to get to it, and frankly this is not that important.)I don't believe this card is that promising, but Mole Man will certainly be a staple in these archetypes, the ones that only get better because of the many power-crept cards that come out for them.5 - The Wondrous WaspThis card is perfect for Spider-Man 2099 and perfect against Spider-Man 2099. Disabling a creature's ability is incredibly strong against the many Barrowgoyfs in the game (I feel bad admitting that this is the example now instead of the ancient Tarmogoyf). There are other interesting abilities you can disable with this card (many death triggers, like Chaos Defiler, some great creatures like Broadside Bombardiers, etc). It's also a 2/1 with flash and flying. It won't make any deck a lot more powerful, but it should become a pretty relevant staple.4 - Loki, God of MischiefPeople called Loki a "fixed Nadu" at first. Without a question, Loki would have been banned lightning-fast if it weren't for the "once per turn" bit.Because of this line of text, Loki is a bit confusing. I don't believe you have to take advantage of it by, for instance, playing Shuko and drawing every turn. I believe a natural sequence for , like Duress, Lightning Bolt, Fatal Push, and Galvanic Discharge, can already make Loki essential in many decks because of the value he creates.Unfortunately, interacts a lot better with spells on the stack than with creatures or players, so Loki probably won't see play as a commander. Still, there are a few decks (including a lot of decks that aren't even tier 1) that should automatically start playing Loki as one of their 99 cards, and I'd bet they'll perform well with him too.3 - Black Widow, Super SpyLet's start our top 3 most promising cards by admitting that Black Widow should probably be our most promising card, but I'm going to take a few chances here. We'll put her in this position and show you a few debatable choices for top 2 and top 1.Black Widow is simply fantastic. The fact it is a Slith with menace (a reference to Slith Firewalker, but, to be fair, Sliths were already a reference to Whirling Dervish) is already great, but she also draws a card, which is simply ridiculous. Considering we can only play one copy of each card in Duel Commander, every resource you steal is a resource you permanently remove from your opponent. You can take down tutor targets and access effects that you usually wouldn't be able to (for instance, a gravehate piece when you're playing Rakdos), and you only have to decide between the counter or casting the card later on.This card is sensational in lists, and, though there aren't many decks that would like it nowadays (I'm thinking of Deadpool, mainly), I believe this card is powerful enough to define games when you play it.2 - Vision QuestI have the feeling I'm wasting our top 2 slot with a card that won't see any play at all. But, if I have this feeling, why did I do it?The reasoning is simple: this card is new and unique. Finale of Devastation is a staple in Duel Commander, and Vision Quest is promising in a similar way. In the past, artifact creatures were heavily overcosted, a way to make up for the fact that they don't need colored mana. The world has changed a lot, though. Breya, Etherium Shaper is an artifact, as is Etched Champion. There are over 1200 artifact creatures, and even interesting combo pieces, like Painter's Servant.The "counters" part means you can also get a Walking Ballista, and haste means this card can really work as a finisher.Maybe the deck that wants this card doesn't have enough effects to work. It probably needs more Chromatic Sphere for Affinity, more tutors to be consistent, etc... But this release, as well as many others, is a sign that a new archetype is about to be born. So, this is an excellent bet.1 - Baron Helmut ZemoHow can a card do so much and nothing at the same time? Baron Helmut Zemo is balanced because it doesn't have haste, and its ability only works when you boast. Like so, you'll have an entire turn to interact with it. That being said, there are many aggressive cards that you can use with it:Baron Zemo has real potential as a commander because he makes sense. A deck with him should play removals and discards (ways to interact with these colors that also end up feeding the graveyard), put him in play eventually to filter some cards with his connive, get a lot of mana with Cabal Coffers, and probably try to end the game with Tendrils of Agony. This is just one of the possibilities, but it's perhaps the main one.I don't know if it will see play, but what would an article like this be without a risky bet? Out of all the combos, Baron Zemo is the one that best seems to accept alternative strategies because his combo pieces are not that particular.Honorable MentionsThis infinity stone is a bit more interesting than The Soul Stone, but it is not that noteworthy. It will certainly see a bit of play as the "colored mana rocks that enters play face-up" (it even comes with an upside!).Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector has flash and lifelink. It can become indestructible (though the power-up is really expensive), but the fact that they put a "fake" haste on Baneslayer Angel is really shocking to me. In any match, blocking with lifelink at instant speed with something that can hit for 5 on the way back (which would give you 10 life points and make your opponent lose 5), besides the damage it dealt to the creature it blocked... Well, it's a lot.Considering Esper Tempo lists (which struggle against fast, red aggro lists) and UW Tempo lists (like Aang, Swift Savior) have been quite popular, I believe that we can try out this card in many decks, and it could exceed our expectations.Finally, The Sentry, Golden Guardian is very interesting. In some cases, it will be removed (by a Sheoldred's Edict or a Swords to Plowshares), and you'll lose the game because you'll have given a Void to your opponent. But, usually, you'll block the Void while you attack (and will get ahead, essentially) or deal with it in other ways, oftentimes not even using a card to do it. You can use a Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd or some other effect that returns a card to your hand or waterbend. It is too big to be ignored, and, though a card like this usually doesn't see play competitively, The Sentry is powerful enough to raise questions.Final WordsI saw a lot of people complain about this set's power level. I haven't seen any card that will completely transform the meta, but I believe this set is somewhat more powerful than usual, and many cards in it should see a reasonable amount of play.What about you? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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