Legacy - Spoiler Highlight: Namor and Attuma

Greetings, Legacy community! In this article, just before 2025 ends, we'll discuss the future, that is, a set that will only come out in June 2026: Marvel Super Heroes!

Recently, during the 2025 MTG World Championship, we got a few spoilers for 2026. Two in particular stood out to me because they offer something very interesting to one of the most beloved archetypes in Legacy: Merfolks, which has been a bit low for some time!

Namor is a bit ambiguous in the Marvel universe. Sometimes he's a hero, sometimes he's a villain, and he is probably one of the first anti-heroes in the multiverse. I confess I was surprised to see his card is only a Villain in MTG (besides, of course, a Merfolk). But, semantics aside, let's see what Namor can offer his kin.

Firstly, Namor has flying and 4 toughness (the magic number to escape Lightning Bolt), which is great against the most popular deck in the format, Izzet Tempo. In addition, Merfolk are usually evasive in an aggressive way against most of the format, as some Merfolk lords give them islandwalk. However, they typically can't defend flying creatures that easily, and that's where Namor could come in. He'll also give them the same evasion against any deck that isn't blue, as usual.

His second ability, which is great with his third ability, makes Namor a great attacker and forces your opponents to find answers to your scaly threats as fast as possible. He is a sort of "inverted" lord, as he gains power from your other Merfolks instead of making them more powerful. He could be the finisher this archetype needs.

That brings us to his third ability, the real reason why you should consider adding him to this deck. Merfolk lists already use the tempo base - Force of Will, Daze, and Wasteland. But, as they usually don't play tempo cantrips, they struggle to refill, and, in particular, to pay alternative costs like Force of Will's.

With Namor in play, Daze will create a 0-cost Merfolk, and the Forces (Will or Negation) will create 2. These Merfolks will not only grow Namor, but also put a lot of pressure on the opponent turn after turn once you play your lords. Like so, you'll be able to build a great board while you do what this deck already does naturally. So, I believe Namor will certainly find a place among his kin.

The second Merfolk spoiler we got is a lord in the most traditional way we understand: a creature that grants +1/+1 to all your other Merfolks. However, unlike traditional lords, Attuma is quite expensive for Legacy, as he costs 4 mana. This means you can't really count on him for the mana curve these archetypes usually lean on. The fact he is also a legendary card doesn't help either.

But that's not what I imagine him to do in this archetype. Attuma, Atlantean Warlord is more akin to Svyelun of Sea and Sky, an "end-of-the-curve" card that refills your hand. Unlike Svyelun, Attuma draws cards on the turn he enters play, all while he also boosts your side of the board. We've already mentioned how this deck struggles to refill cards, so Attuma offers us something we actually want and something we also do in this archetype: global effects that buff your Merfolks. I believe one or two copies of him will eventually show up in current lists as a way to get more resources without compromising the main game plan.

Of course, this is all conjecture. This list is not at the top tiers of the meta now, and these cards won't come out for at least 6 months. But, we should keep this in mind for the future, particularly when we review other cards from the upcoming sets.

The obvious place for these cards is the good old Merfolks. To get more out of Namor's token ability, we should add more cards with alternative costs besides Daze and Force of Will. That's why this list also plays Force of Negation, which usually doesn't see play in these decks.

Harbinger of the Seas and True-Name Nemesis could go in the main deck or sideboard (or even not see play at all), depending on what you expect to find along the way.

But that's not the only deck Namor could see play in. Monoblue Delver is the "budget" list in Legacy, and, in a list like this, Namor could be a pseudo Cori-Steel Cutter. He'll build a large board for you while you play your cards for alternative costs. Stormchaser's Talent has already shown up in tempo lists and is particularly efficient with Boomerang Basics. It will give you Otters that can deal a lot of damage, all while you draw cards.

Could this Atlantean duo put Merfolks back on the map? It's still too early to tell. After all, who knows what will happen in 6 months. But we can always hope, and keep writing.

Happy holidays, thank you for reading, and see you in 2026!