Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes Mechanics
Wizards of the Coast has detailed the key mechanics debut inside the upcoming Marvel Super Heroes set. Players can look forward to iconic superhero tropes translated into gameplay through new power-up costs, team-based spells, villainous plans, and Thor's legendary hammer.
- Marvel Super Heroes releases worldwide on June 26.
- Power-up grants a mana discount when activated the turn a creature enters.
- Teamwork lets players tap creatures to upgrade instant and sorcery effects.
- Plan enchantments gain plan counters to unlock major late-game rewards.
Unleash Heroic Powers and Teamwork
The new power-up mechanic rewards players for aggressively bringing their champions into battle. Power-up acts as an activated ability that can only be used once per creature, placing at least one +1/+1 counter on it alongside potential game-changing effects. If you activate a power-up ability on the exact same turn the creature hits the battlefield, its cost is reduced by that creature's full mana cost. For example, using the power-up ability on Human Torch during the turn he enters reduces its standard seven-mana activation down to just four generic mana.
When solo heroics are not enough, teamwork allows your whole squad to contribute to noncreature spells. Found on select instants and sorceries like HULK SMASH!, teamwork is an optional additional cost that asks you to tap any number of untapped creatures with total power meeting or exceeding the specified number. Meeting a card's teamwork requirement can grant upgraded spell effects, unlock additional rules text, or allow you to choose all available modes on the card.
Villainous Machinations and Transforming Cards
Evildoers get their own thematic tools via Plan, a brand-new enchantment subtype. Each Plan comes with a triggered ability that outlines a specific gameplay task - such as casting Villain creatures for Doom Reigns Supreme - which awards a plan counter and a small benefit. Once a Plan reaches its targeted number of counters, a secondary trigger fires, forcing you to sacrifice the enchantment to unlock its ultimate, game-ending payoff.
The set also brings back the connive mechanic to help players cycle through their decks and grow their forces. Additionally, modal double-faced cards return with a twist: they can now transform on the battlefield. Casting a modal double-faced card still lets you pick either side, but cards featuring transform instructions can actively turn over during play to reveal hidden alter egos.
Artifacts of Power and Worthiness
A few specific cards in the set introduce unique individual mechanics tied directly to Marvel lore. Mjölner, Hammer of Thor introduces a restrictions check via its equip ability. To naturally equip the hammer, a creature must be a non-Villain legendary creature that is red, white, or both. Non-worthy creatures can still hold the equipment if attached through external card effects, and losing your worthy status while wielding it will not cause the hammer to fall off.
Meanwhile, powerful cosmic artifacts continue to surface with cards like The Mind Stone, which builds upon the design established by The Soul Stone. Beyond providing standard mana generation, players can pay to harness the artifact. Once harnessed, its final ability triggers automatically at the start of every one of your end steps for the remainder of the match.
