Iron Fist, Living WeaponIron Fist, Living Weapon | Art by: Erikas Perl

 What does it take to be a Super Hero? If you are a Legendary creature in the new Marvel Super Heroes set, then honestly, not much. Universes Beyond jokes aside, sometimes it takes a bit of evil tactics and some trickery. Those tricks, well, they come right out of the Standard format, and the Hero using them, for us, that is Iron Fist, Living WeaponIron Fist, Living Weapon.

Take a look at my build of this deck using one of the most broken cards in the Standard format, paired with some of the strangest cards not often seen in the Commander format.

Living Weapon, No Germs Allowed

I had a single thought enter my mind when I first laid eyes on Iron Fist, Living WeaponIron Fist, Living Weapon, and that was turning it into its very own win condition. The ability of Iron Fist is similar to that seen in creatures of the past.

What intrigues me about Iron Fist and what sets it apart in my mind from similar cards is the scalability of the card. Every point of power put onto Iron Fist is another point of damage that it can do to anything or anyone. As strange as it sounds, the other part that gets my brain juices flowing is the fact that it has a tap ability. If you have played Standard any time since the release of Wilds of Eldraine, you may be familiar with a not-so-nice artifact: Agatha's Soul CauldronAgatha's Soul Cauldron.

This was the first card that I thought of when I saw Iron Fist. Finding a creature and throwing it into the soup of the Cauldron not only gives Iron Fist the untap ability but also pumps it up. Now that's a deck. But how to do this in ?

If we had other colors, then it would become fairly easy, using cards such as TwiddleTwiddle and Hidden StringsHidden Strings or even a Benefactor's DraughtBenefactor's Draught or MobilizeMobilize.

In mono-red, we have to work a bit harder, however. So let's look at what might be going into the soup to fuel our living weapon.

Protein

One of the biggest bottlenecks on this deck is that we need a good amount of mana to do things. Whether that be casting spells to pump up Iron Fist or untapping it before we find a creature to throw into the cauldron.

But what creatures are we looking to throw into the cauldron anyway? Ones that untap "for free," or at extremely low cost. And ones that we can activate multiple times as we try to burn out the table.

To me, the best creature to get into the cauldron when it comes to the untappers is a forgotten member of a cycle, TorchlingTorchling. This creature does so much for the strategy of the deck. I was ecstatic when I was reminded of its existence. First and foremost, it has a cheap way to untap itself, which, once in the soup, Iron Fist will get. On top of that, it has a small form of protection with the ability to change the target of a spell, and it can give a small boost to the power of Iron Fist if needed.

Second place is a bit of a strange card, Farmstead GleanerFarmstead Gleaner. A card that might not have been played outside of a Reaper KingReaper King deck, it seems almost made for this one. An untap ability that gives a +1/+1 counter on it comes close to rivaling our first choice of meat. Costing two mana on the untap keeps it in the number two spot, but it's very close.

In third place is a classic creature for untap-focused decks as well as another Scarecrow, Pili-PalaPili-Pala. For as close as Farmstead Gleaner was to being in first place, Pili-Pala is that close to getting out of third. I value the ability to pump power a bit more than making some mana back, since the one thing I don't think this deck will struggle with is making mana once we get going.

Veggies

Normally, when talking about veggies in MTG terms, we are referencing cards that keep the deck humming, usually something such as FarseekFarseek or OptOpt. Sticking with the soup metaphor, we mean something different. For this, we are looking at monsters to put into the soup that can help Iron Fist punch very, very hard.

Another two artifact creatures to throw right into the grave, Moltensteel DragonMoltensteel Dragon and Immolating SouleaterImmolating Souleater, both allow us to pump up Iron Fist's power for the low cost of two life. With one or both of these in the graveyard, we can significantly speed up the clock when it comes to burning out the table.

What's better than burn damage when we tap our commander? Burn damage when we untap our commander. With HateflayerHateflayer, anytime we have an extra three mana lying around, we can use this untap ability to throw damage at a player in between throwing damage at a player.

Mana

Speaking of mana, we have two different suites of cards that are going to allow us to get mana as we go through our deck constantly. The first suite is a set of creatures.

Many players are familiar with Birgi, God of StorytellingBirgi, God of Storytelling, from red-based Storm or Spellslinger decks in the format. Runaway Steam-KinRunaway Steam-Kin might need a break after every three spells, but it's an underused powerhouse when it comes to the earlier-mentioned strategies.

Brand new to the deck and the format is another Marvel card in The Vision and Scarlet WitchThe Vision and Scarlet Witch. In a pinch, this card can also be used to hit for quite a bit of damage thanks to flying and all the added +1/+1 counters.

In the second suite: boring mono-red spells that make mana.

Starting strong with a card so good they made it a Game Changer, Jeska's WillJeska's Will. It adds mana and provides card advantage. Simple and yet very powerful. Some cards that we might be trying to hit off Jeska's Will are Mana GeyserMana Geyser and Seething SongSeething Song.

Both the Geyser and the Song are some of the best burst mana cards in the color red. In addition to these, we run Desperate RitualDesperate Ritual and Pyretic RitualPyretic Ritual to go mana positive as often as we can. None of these rituals is "game-changing" outside of Jeska's Will in both the figurative and literal sense, but they're needed to keep the wheels turning.

Stirring the Soup

One thing that could cause the deck to stumble is the fact that the Soul Cauldron can't untap itself, and if we draw the wrong suite of cards, we could be an untap or mana short of winning the game. Fortunately, there are artifacts to fix this situation.

A card I keep finding myself adding to more and more decklists is the Sonic ScrewdriverSonic Screwdriver. Mana when you need it, card selection when you don't, unblockability, and untapping as well. I'll always tell people to try out more three-mana-value rocks, and this one is near the top of my list.

Staff of DominationStaff of Domination is one of the OG win-condition cards in the format. Many games have ended with a way to make infinite mana, and this card. Here, the main purpose is to untap a creature, but the rest of the card is icing on the cake.

Lastly, another semi-familiar card, Umbral MantleUmbral Mantle. As mentioned with the cards above, this has the one-two punch of untapping Iron Fist and pumping up their power. Not to mention a nice equip cost of , making the to untap easier to bear.

Spicy Soup

Every good soup, just like every good deck, needs a bit of spice in the recipe. For this deck, I found some cards that are not too high on the Scoville scale but will give it a bit of an extra kick.

Bonus RoundBonus Round is a card that I have loved ever since it came out in Battlebond. A very effective way to get a copy of every single instant and sorcery spell that you cast for the rest of the turn. If you're ever able to get a copy or second cast of the Bonus Round itself, then it becomes nearly impossible for you to lose the game from that point on. This card is criminally underplayed at only 0.66% of eligible decks. Don't let the cost scare you off from this card.

Kari Zev's ExpertiseKari Zev's Expertise highlights the spells in the deck that can allow us to untap Iron Fist and give it haste. You can indeed gain control of a creature that you already control, so this spell is an untap, haste enabler, and free spell cast rolled up in one convenient package.

The final card to talk about is Artist's TalentArtist's Talent. Every level of this card is surprisingly effective for the overall strategy of this deck. The looting effect on level one. The cost reduction of spells when you get to level two. Finally, the bonus non-combat damage when and if you level it up all the way to three.

Getting to level three is maybe not the best use of mana, but if you have some lying around, there are worse things you could spend it on.

Wrap Up

Yes, there are many new commanders featured in Marvel Super Heroes. Iron Fist, Living Weapon is a drop in a bathtub-sized bucket when it comes to legendary creatures in the set. But this one is pretty neat and allows for a large swath of underplayed cards to make an appearance.

While it took me a bit to put all the pieces of this deck together, the original thought hit me immediately upon seeing it, and that is always fun when it comes to new cards. I understand if the set is not every player's cup of tea, but I would urge you to take a glance at what this set has to offer; you might find something that you like.

When you do, let me know over on Bluesky or Instagram @nicnax96. Don't forget to check out all the great content on the site by all our fabulous writers. Remember to ask Honey where your supersuit is before jumping into battle.

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