The game of Magic: the Gathering is again wildly swinging back out of its own universe and into a world that feels completely different. This time we're diving into the world of Marvel Super Heroes with a set that is likely to have an insane number of Legendary Creatures for Commander players to build around.

While I may not love UB, I do love brewing up decks around interesting new Commanders, and today I think I've got something pretty special. Though, when I try to remember the name of today's Legendary Human God Hero's, I keep thinking of Jane Goodall. That would be a very different Thor. The Mighty Thor.

No, we're not building a deck around Jane Goodall, internationally renowned Primatologist. We're looking at The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster.

The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster is a 3/3 Azorius Flyer with a pair of really interesting abilities. Whenever she attacks, we exile up to one target nontoken Artifact or Creature and I'll return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. That's spicy, but what's even spicier is that whenever an Equipment we control enters, we draw a card.

For three mana, The Mighty Thor represents a really intriguing angle on an Equipment deck. I'd normally expect a card like this to be mono-White or Boros so I'm excited to see what we can build in White and Blue.

Let's Draw Some Cards

Any time a Legendary Creature has the words "draw a card" in its text box, it catches my attention. Drawing a card whenever an Equipment I control enters play is what I'm going to be building around, and if I'm willing to reach across the multiverse there are plenty of support cards I can add in to keep this deck drawing cards at a decent rate.

Playing an Equipment like Swiftfoot Boots or Lightning Greaves and drawing a card when it enters is pretty good. As long as Jane Foster is in play, my Equipment will replace itself by drawing me a card. Brass Knuckles does one better.

When I cast Brass Knuckles I'll copy it so I'll draw two cards. Brass Knuckles will also give equipped Creature Double Strike as long as it has two or more Equipment attached to it. I don't have to put both Brass Knuckles on the same creature, so if I've got two other Equipments I can give two Creatures Double Strike. It doesn't give any pump at all, but drawing two cards is more than enough reason to run it in this list.

Bloodforged Battle-Axe is the Scute Swarm of Equipment cards. This Axe gives +2/+0, and whenever equipped Creature deals combat damage to a player I'll create a token that's a copy of Bloodforged Battle-Axe. Keeping up with Equip costs could become a challenge, but all of those copies mean more cards in my hand. Even if I can't equip them all, I thought that this was as much of an auto-include as The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster, was likely to find. I thought that until I saw this next card.

Swordsman's Steel is a new Equipment that will draw a card for each Equipment I control. It also gives +2/+2 for each Equipment I control, but it's going to really shine when targeted with Jane Foster's attack trigger. Exiling Swordsman's Steel and blinking it every combat should really fill up my hand.

With 21 pieces of Equipment in today's list I might be overdoing it a little, but my goal is to always have Lands to drop and spells to cast, even if it's just playing a lowly Lightning Greaves so I can draw yet another card.

Let's Draw More Cards

I'm not going to rely solely on Jane Foster to put cards in my hand, but she's definitely a central part of this deck's game plan. I'm also running a few additional support cards to help keep the cards flowing.

Sram, Senior Edificer is a two-mana Dwarf Advisor who will have me draw a card whenever I cast an Aura, Equipment, or Vehicle spell. Puresteel Paladin is also in the list. He's a Human Knight who will draw me a card whenever an Equipment I control enters play, and as long as I control three or more Artifacts my Equipment will have an equip cost of zero.

Shimmer Dragon is one of my favorite support cards for decks that run a lot of Artifacts. This Flying Blue Dragon has hexproof as long as I control four or more Artifacts, and it will let me tap two untapped Artifacts I control to draw a card. One of the neat things about Shimmer Dragon and Equipment is that you don't usually need to tap Equipment for anything. Extra mana rocks that I'm not using can help, but I'll always be happy to tap my swords, axes and brass knuckles to draw cards with Shimmer Dragon.

Creatures that have a base power equal to the number of Artifacts I control will always shine in decks that run a lot of Equipment, but Mendicant Core, Guidelight also has Start Your Engines and a Max Speed ability.

When it enters, my Speed becomes one, and if an opponent loses life on my turn that speed will increase to a maximum of four. That speed increase is limited to once each turn, and when it's at four I'll be able to pay one mana when I cast an Artifact spell to copy that spell. Making copies of Equipment won't give extra card draw from someone like Sram, but both Jane Foster and Puresteel Paladin will see those copies enter play and each will put an extra card into my hand.

Making copies of Equipment can give me extra card draw, so Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant fits in perfectly. It might be too much for some lower powered pods, as this Praetor is oppressive to play against. Whenever I cast an Artifact, Instant, or Sorcery spell, I may copy that spell. This ability only triggers once each turn. Whenever an opponent casts an Artifact, Instant, or Sorcery spell, Jin-Gitaxias will counter that spell, but again that only triggers once each turn.

Praetors are often major headaches to play against, but getting an extra copy of Equipment is why it's in today's list. The fact that it counters some of my opponents' spells is just icing on the cake.

Braided Net is a Transforming Double-Faced Card that enters play with three net counters. I can tap it and remove a net counter to tap another target nonland permanent and shut down its activated abilities for as long as it remains tapped. I can pay one and a Blue and exile an Artifact from my graveyard or battlefield to transform it using its Craft ability. Braided Net's backside is Braided Quipu, an Artifact that can tap for three and a Blue to draw a card for each Artifact I control. Then I'll put Braided Quipu into its owner's library third from the top.

Let's Win The Game

Most Equipment decks need to try to win the game through combat, and this is no exception. The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster, has Flying, so she represents a decent Commander damage threat if I'm able to play the right Equipment and start hitting people.

Excalibur, Sword of Eden gives a cool +10/+0 and Vigilance to equipped Creature, and has become a Voltron staple in Commander. I'm also running a few old favorites in Blackblade Reforged and Strata Scythe. The former gives +1/+1 for each Land I control and can equip for to a Legendary Creature. The latter will have me search my library for a Land and exile it. Equipped Creature will get +1/+1 for each Land on the battlefield with the same name as the exiled card.

Nettlecyst and Adaptive Omnitool are in the list as ways to pump up a Creature based upon the number of Artifacts I control. Nettlecyst gives +1/+1 for each Artifact and/or Enchantment I control, and has Living Weapon, so it will create a 0/0 Germ Creature token and attach to it when it enters.

Omnitool gives +1/+1 per Artifact, and whenever equipped Creature attacks I'll look at the top six cards of my library. I may reveal an Artifact from among them and put the rest on the bottom of my library in a random order.

Brass Knuckles already gives Double Strike, but Genji Glove is better. It gives Double Strike and whenever equipped Creature attacks, if it's the first combat phase of the turn I'll untap it and get an additional combat phase. Swinging with a six-power Commander means I can kill someone without Reach or Flying blockers, hitting them for 24 Commander Damage. If I've got a bunch of other creatures to throw into the fray, all the better.

Evasive threats are always important when playing Magic, as I don't want to get bogged down in a boardstate where nobody can get attackers through a log jam of blockers. Flying is one of the most common ways to get past your opponents' defenses and this deck has some decent Creatures with Flying.

I've got some old Legends in the mix. Medomai the Ageless is a 4/4 Sphinx with a fantastic combat damage trigger. It can't attack during extra turns, but when it deals combat damage to a player I'll take an extra turn. Double Strike never looked better than on a Creature like Medomai the Ageless.

Brago, King Eternal is also in the list. King Brago has a combat damage trigger that will let me exile any number of nonland permanents I control and return them to the battlefield under my control. Blinking Equipment will always feel a little bad as I'll need to play Equip costs again, but if I'm looking for more card draw Brago and Jane Foster make for a pretty good team.

I've got a few Creatures that can get around equip costs. I already mentioned Puresteel Paladin, which makes my Equipment equip for zero mana. Heavenly Blademaster is an Angel with Flying and Double Strike who will let me attach any number of Auras and Equipment I control to it when it enters the battlefield. Other Creatures I control will get +1/+1 for each Aura and Equipment attached to Heavenly Blademaster.

I'm also running Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist and Balan, Wandering Knight. The former lets me attach any number of Auras and Equipment I control to target permanent or player at the beginning of combat on my turn. The latter has First Strike and a two-mana activated ability that lets me attach all Equipment I control to it.

If I want to keep things simple, I can just play and attack with Wraith, Vicious Vigilante. This Human Detective Hero has Double Strike and can't be blocked. It's just a 1/1 and I'll need to suit her up if she's going to do much damage, but those two abilities make her an excellent option if I need to get through an army of blockers and my Flyers aren't going to do the job.

I'm running Trailblazer's Boots and Bilbo's Ring, but I could see adding a few more ways to make a Creature unblockable. This first draft is mostly going to be leaning on Flying for evasion.

Multiverse Madness

Earlier I mentioned that I'd be reaching across the Multiverse when brewing up this list, and I wasn't kidding. I don't love the visual of The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster slipping on Bilbo's Ring, strapping Excalibur across her back with a little help from Codsworth, Handy Helper, and leaping into battle alongside Cloud, Midgar Mercenary. I could have stretched credibility even more, adding a Sonic Screwdriver, Lucille, Appa and the shark from Jaws for good measure.

My own personal distaste for Universes Beyond aside, I do still like seeing what kind of fun I can brew up with these new Marvel Super Heroes cards. Brewing is fun, and sometimes I'm even able to get these lists into games. Let's take a look at the list I ended up with.

The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster | Commander | Stephen Johnson

• Commander (1)
• 1 The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster

• Creatures (24)
• 1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
• 1 Ayesha Tanaka, Armorer
• 1 Balan, Wandering Knight
• 1 Brago, King Eternal
• 1 Brass Squire
• 1 Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
• 1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
• 1 Esper Sentinel
• 1 Etherium Sculptor
• 1 Foundry Inspector
• 1 Halvar, God of Battle
• 1 Heavenly Blademaster
• 1 Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant
• 1 King T'Challa
• 1 Medomai the Ageless
• 1 Mendicant Core, Guidelight
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Puresteel Paladin
• 1 Shimmer Dragon
• 1 SP//dr, Piloted by Peni
• 1 Sram, Senior Edificer
• 1 Stoneforge Mystic
• 1 Stonehewer Giant
• 1 Wraith, Vicious Vigilante

• Instants (10)
• 1 Aetherize
• 1 Aetherspouts
• 1 Arcane Denial
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Pongify
• 1 Rapid Hybridization
• 1 Stoic Rebuttal
• 1 Swan Song
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (2)
• 1 Fabricate
• 1 Steelshaper's Gift

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Sigarda's Aid

• Artifacts (25)
• 1 Adaptive Omnitool
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Assimilation Aegis
• 1 Azorius Signet
• 1 Bilbo's Ring
• 1 Biorganic Carapace
• 1 Blackblade Reforged
• 1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
• 1 Braided Net
• 1 Brass Knuckles
• 1 Conqueror's Flail
• 1 Excalibur, Sword of Eden
• 1 Genji Glove
• 1 Hammer of Nazahn
• 1 Hero's Blade
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Machinist's Arsenal
• 1 Nettlecyst
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Strata Scythe
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Sword of Hearth and Home
• 1 Sword of the Animist
• 1 Swordsman's Steel
• 1 Trailblazer's Boots

• Lands (37)
• 13 Island
• 13 Plains
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Deserted Beach
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Port Town
• 1 Prairie Stream
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Sea of Clouds

Buy This Deck Export text

If you wanted to power this deck down, one easy way would be to restrict yourself to only cards from Marvel Super Heroes. You'd end up somewhere down in Bracket 1 or 2. If you instead were to only play MSH cards and nonlegendary cards from Magic sets, you'd have a much easier time and you could still have a decent Bracket 2 or 3 list to play with. Beyond that you might consider dropping out tutors, which in this deck will consistently let you find your most powerful Equipment.

This list could be powered up a bit, but combat decks that rely on Equipment definitely have a power ceiling. You're simply not going to be edging into cEDH territory with Jane Foster. You could still add in a few Game Changers and make improvements to this list, and you are in the right colors to play control or even build a stax list. I don't think you'll find that Jane Foster is your best option for that kind of Commander, and you might just wind up moving toward running Brago, King Eternal or possibly Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.

Early Results

I was able to get this list into a game, and not only was I able to grab the win, but I got to see a bunch of the cards I was excited about putting into this list. Genji Glove was fantastic, giving me Double Strike and the occasional extra combat step. Brass Knuckles made an appearance, followed soon after by Bloodforged Battle-Axe, and I ended up with eleven extra copies before it was all over.

Having Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist in play made equipping all those Artifacts effortless. A late Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant locked a tablemate's colorless deck out of the game, and an Adaptive Omnitool was huge in the late game with all of those Axe tokens on my battlefield.

The most impactful card might have been Assimilation Aegis. That Equipment enters and lets me exile up to one target Creature until it leaves the battlefield. When it becomes attached to a Creature, for as long as it remains attached that Creature becomes a copy of the exiled card. I chose to target and exile an Ornithopter of Paradise, so I had an easy way to give an attacker Flying. The Ornithopter's zero power wasn't an issue, as I had enough Equipment to make up for that deficit.

A big help as the game played out was a Conqueror's Flail, which I had out for most of the game and never got removed. It gives +1/+1 for each color among permanents I control, but more importantly it locks my tablemates out of casting spells on my turn.

I drew a lot of cards during the game and was blessed with an early Reliquary Tower so I never had to discard. The win was sealed with some lucky pulls, drawing into a Swords to Plowshares and later a Path to Exile just when I needed it. I wasn't up against high powered decks, but it was a back-and-forth game with moments where several players had a chance to look pretty scary.

Final Thoughts

The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster is a really neat twist on an Equipment Commander, and adding Blue to an already familiar archetype gives you a lot of options you might not normally run with a White or Boros Equipment deck. Even without Game Changers, you can play this in Bracket 3 without much trouble. If you feel the need, you can always power it up a bit. I like to play without Game Changers, but I might be an outlier doing that in Bracket 3.

I should note that my opponent on the Colorless deck was playing The Vision. That opponent was my buddy Mike Gallagher. He may be contributing some articles to CoolStuffInc.com in the coming months, and he told me that he had also been brewing up a Jane Foster deck. His build is going to be focused on Equipment that has interesting Enters The Battlefield triggers. My focus was more on card draw and a traditional Voltron approach, but I can see an ETB focus working really well.

Keep an eye out for his content because he's really smart and will probably have great insights on whatever he's writing about.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!