Marvel Super Heroes mechanics explained by a judge!

Hello, everyone!

We're once again in spoiler season for the next Magic: the Gathering set, and the hype is through the roof! This next set continues the partnership between Wizards of the Coast and the Marvel Universe!

On June 26th, the Marvel Super Heroes set is officially released! With pre-release events, of course, happening a week earlier, starting on the 19th.

Let's then analyze the mechanics of this edition and prepare ourselves for all the challenges that only supers could bring – both Superheroes and Supervillains!

The new set, as usual, brings new mechanics, returning mechanics, and an honorable mention at the end.

Let's start with the returning mechanics and see how they will be addressed in this set:

Connive

Connive is a mechanic we first saw in New Capenna, which was the mechanic of the Obscura family.

Connive is a mechanic that interacts with creatures, which doesn't mean you'll only find the ability on creatures, but that will certainly be the most frequent.

When a creature connives, the controller draws and discards a card, and if the discarded card wasn't a land, the creature gains a +1/+1 counter. Simple, isn't it? Let's then go over some details:

First, the +1/+1 counter is placed during the resolution of the ability. So, for example, if your opponent uses the card above, Leader, Super-Genius, to Connive, and discards a non-land card, the creature immediately gains +1/+1. There won't be a window between the discard and gaining the counter for you to use, for example, a Lightning Bolt on it.

Another important thing to remember is that, in some cases, even removing the creature, Connive can still happen. This isn't the case in our example above, because Leader, Super-Genius uses the word target, so if you remove the target, nothing happens. But for example, activating a M.O.D.O.K., even if your opponent responds by using something to remove it from the battlefield, you will still Connive - ignoring, of course, the part about placing a counter, even if you discard a non-land.

Modal Double-Faced Cards

The Double-Faced Cards in this set serve as flavor for the heroes and their respective secret identities, a very cool use of the mechanic.

Basically, you can cast either side of the DFC - each side, of course, has its own cost. The difference is that the front side - the secret identity - can transform into the other side, as long as you pay the indicated cost!

Remember that each side has its own characteristics. For example, Monica Rambeau is a white creature, and only its hero side, Photon, is white and red.

Also, if a spell or effect directly puts the DFC onto the battlefield - for example, a Goryo's Vengeance - the card will enter on its front side, that is, in our example, Monica Rambeau.

New Mechanic - Power Up

Now let's delve into a new mechanic, Power Up! It's quite similar to the Monstrosity mechanic from the older Theros set, but with some new features!

Basically, Power Up is an ability you can activate once for that creature. As the name suggests, when the ability resolves, the creature gains some kind of bonus, such as counters, extra abilities, etc.

The big difference is that the Power Up ability can have its cost reduced by the creature's mana cost if you activate it on the same turn it enters the battlefield! Let's understand how this works:

If you cast our example card, Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector, you pay . It has a Power Up ability, which would normally cost . However, if you activate it on the same turn it enters the battlefield, that cost will be reduced by ! In other words, the Power Up will only cost !

It's worth remembering that the ability isn't necessarily tied to casting the creature. If you use an Ephemerate, for example, the creature effectively entered the battlefield again, and this will reduce the Power Up accordingly! This will also work if you use reanimation effects, such as Goryo's Vengeance.

New Mechanic - Teamwork

The Teamwork mechanic grants some additional effect when you meet the indicated requirement. Teamwork is always accompanied by a number, which indicates that you must tap creatures whose combined power equals or exceeds the number to fulfill the condition.

In our example, HULK SMASH!, we see that it has Teamwork 4. Therefore, you need to tap creatures whose combined power totals 4 or more to get the Teamwork bonus. It doesn't have to be the exact value – you can, for example, tap a creature with power 2 and another with power 3; or one creature with power 6; and so on. The important thing is that the combined power of what was tapped is equal to or greater than the value indicated in the ability.

New Subtype - Plan

Plan is a new subtype of enchantments, that grant some kind of effect and accumulate counters. Upon reaching a certain number of counters, the Plan is completed, granting you a huge bonus.

Each Plan will have its own unique way of accumulating counters and its respective effect upon completion.

In our example above, Construct a Cosmic Cube requires you to draw a second card in the same turn to create a 2/1 token with Menace and gain a Plan counter. When the seventh counter is placed, you sacrifice the enchantment and gain the effect of controlling target opponent during their next turn!

Honorable Mention - Harness

Harness isn't a new ability, as it technically already appeared in the Spider-Man set, which you can revisit by checking our article!

Back then, the ability appeared on a single card, The Soul Stone. And now, in Marvel Super Heroes, it also appears on a single card - The Mind Stone!

To recap, Harness is a cost that is paid once, and then the card's ∞ ability becomes active. In the case of The Mind Stone, you pay the cost of .

Harness is specific to each object, so activating Harness on a The Mind Stone won't affect a The Soul Stone you already have on the battlefield. Furthermore, it is specifically tied to the object you activate it on, so if The Mind Stone is blinked, for example, the Harness will no longer be active.

And these are the mechanics from the new set!

They seem to have been very well thought out to combine the flavor of the game mechanics with the bombastic effects of superheroes and supervillains, which makes the set look even cooler!

I hope everyone has a lot of fun and enjoys their pre-release events, where it's always easy to have a great time. If you have any questions, leave a comment here in the article!

Best regards, and until next time!