Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored | Art by Aniekan Udofia

I love the monarch mechanic! It's such a fantastic way to get people attacking each other in Commander, breaking up the natural inclination to sit back and wait for something to happen. So when I saw there was a bunch of monarch cards in the Wakanda Forever Marvel Super Heroes Commander deck, I knew I had to build a sweet new monarch brew featuring those new cards.

I settled on building around Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored, so what follows is a deck tech and a full deck list. "I am loyal to that throne, no matter who sits on it."

What Does Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored Do?

When Okoye enters, you become the monarch, so you'll get to draw a card right away during your end step. At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature, which is a fairly small effect unless you lean heavily into +1/+1 counter strategies. Spoiler alert: I do not lean heavily into +1/+1 counter strategies because there is so much of that in Magic these days that I personally find it tedious and boring. That last sentence I find extremely fun, however: whenever the creature you put a +1/+1 counter on attacks the monarch this turn, it gains double strike and trample until end of turn. Pow! I find this an interesting twist on the monarch mechanic, which usually incentivizes opponents to attack you and take monarch from you, but there are certainly consequences if someone other than you is the monarch. Boosting one of your creatures and giving it double strike and trample is no joke!

I find that dilemma delicious for a Commander game. Your opponents don't want you to get a free card each turn, but they also don't want one of your creatures becoming a massive threat against them if they take monarch. And if it's Okoye that you're boosting, commander damage starts to become a big threat.

Key Cards for Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored

The first cards I looked to add to the deck were Wakanda-themed cards from Marvel Super Heroes, particular ones that dealt with the monarch mechanic.

Heart-Shaped HerbHeart-Shaped Herb is a neat way to protect your monarch from a swarm of 1/1 creatures that might otherwise snatch the crown, and if you've lost the monarch and have a creature on the battlefield, you can sacrifice the Herb and a creature to bring it back to the battlefield significantly larger and you become the monarch. King Solomon's FrogsKing Solomon's Frogs is another path to monarch by exiling it, but in the meantime you can use it to exile up to one target permanent each opponent controls that's mana value three or greater, and when you do that opponent draws a card. The Spear of BashengaThe Spear of Bashenga makes you the monarch when it enters if there is no monarch, and the equipped creature gets a solid size boost and vigilance, which is helpful for both attacking and defending against someone trying to take monarch from you. Notably, it has a triggered ability if equipped creature attacks the monarch, letting you destroy target tapped nonland permanent that player controls... perhaps the creature that tapped to attack you and took the monarch!

Queen Mother RamondaQueen Mother Ramonda enters and makes you the monarch, and she has a static ability to make smaller creatures unable to attack you so long as you're the monarch. Fight for the ThroneFight for the Throne is a fun fight spell that could make you the monarch, which could be a fun way to snatch away monarch during that opponent's turn before they get to draw a card.

T'Chaka, Venerable KingT'Chaka, Venerable King and Nakia, Wakandan OperativeNakia, Wakandan Operative are two more ways to snag the monarch, tied to your commander.

Okoye, Dora Milaje LeaderOkoye, Dora Milaje Leader provides both defense and offense. M'Baku, Jabari ChieftainM'Baku, Jabari Chieftain has an interesting ability to give monarch to an opponent, with a similar ability to your commander to boost creatures attacking the monarch. Storm, Queen of WakandaStorm, Queen of Wakanda has impressive offensive and defensive abilities that grow with her power.

Vibranium Strike GauntletsVibranium Strike Gauntlets is a fantastic combat trick to push through damage to draw a card and steal back the monarch. Winter Soldier, Reborn AvengerWinter Soldier, Reborn Avenger is Wakanda flavor from the Marvel movies that has some excellent attacking utility.

Many of the Wakanda cards wanted artifact synergies so I avoided most of them, but I'm playing so many legendary permanents that Dora Milaje EliteDora Milaje Elite has a great ability (especially paired with Winter Soldier). Bast, Panther GoddessBast, Panther Goddess is a pile of awesome abilities, with a manageable drawback in a deck full of creatures.

Neither Black Panther, Most DangerousBlack Panther, Most Dangerous, Black Panther, VanguardBlack Panther, Vanguard, nor Black Panther, Claws of BastBlack Panther, Claws of Bast care about artifact synergies, so they're going in the deck for maximum Wakanda flavor along with their potent abilities.

Since Okoye might dissuade opponents from taking monarch from you, I've piled on a lot of cards that get better when you are the monarch, such as Archon of CoronationArchon of Coronation, Regal BehemothRegal Behemoth, and Champions of Minas TirithChampions of Minas Tirith.

Protector of the CrownProtector of the Crown enters to give you the monarch and then protects you from having the monarch stolen until it's dealt with. Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang is an excellent card drawing engine for creature decks, but in this deck you get the added pressure to steal back the monarch. Everett K. Ross, Hapless AttachéEverett K. Ross, Hapless Attaché gives you a card if an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures, perhaps to try and steal the monarch from you.

Court of GarenbrigCourt of Garenbrig, Court of BountyCourt of Bounty, Court of GraceCourt of Grace, and Court of ArdenvaleCourt of Ardenvale enter and give you the monarch, and then if you keep it provide excellent upgraded upkeep abilities.

Since so many of our creatures have enters abilities, I'm going to run some ways to blink a creature; EphemerateEphemerate and Eerie InterludeEerie Interlude are instant-speed ways to do this.

Avatar's WrathAvatar's Wrath is an incredibly powerful tempo card that lets you temporarily clear the battlefield except for one target creature (notably, you could leave an opponent's creature if it makes political sense). You can redeploy your own airbent creatures and get any enters abilities, while your opponents will need to wait a turn to do the same. Conjurer's ClosetConjurer's Closet gives you that blink effect at the beginning of your end step.

Since a lot of the deck's creatures including the commander are Human, I've peppered in a few cards that synergize. Thalia's LieutenantThalia's Lieutenant distributes +1/+1 counters and then starts racking them up themselves. Katilda, Dawnhart PrimeKatilda, Dawnhart Prime makes all of your Humans into mana critters. Kogla, the Titan ApeKogla, the Titan Ape has excellent enters and attack abilities, but that activated ability can be used to save a Human from a destroy effect, or even just bounce it back to replay its enters ability.

As if being the monarch wasn't enticing enough, how about some loot, too? Coveted JewelCoveted Jewel is like triple monarch without the wait, with mana tossed in, as well. Weathered SentinelsWeathered Sentinels is a capable defender that powers up into revenge mode if someone attacks you. Jolrael, Mwonvuli RecluseJolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse will make a Cat token when you draw your second card each turn, such as from monarch, and the activated ability can be game-ending with enough creatures and enough cards in hand.

On the TrailOn the Trail is another card that benefits from the second card drawn. Oracle en-VecOracle en-Vec is a spicy choice: you can tap it on your turn to force an opponent to decide which if any creatures they want to attack with right then and there. If you squint, you can pretend that Mithril CoatMithril Coat is vibranium armor.

How Does This Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored Commander Deck Win?

Like most of my decks, I'm looking to win through combat, and in this case lubricated by the monarch mechanic to get everyone attacking each other. There are a lot of legendary creatures in the deck, so Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged can be passed around to smash life totals, and if equipped to Okoye while she has trample and double strike, commander damage becomes a real way to win. Then there's the incredibly powerful Akroma's WillAkroma's Will, which just ends games if you control your commander when you cast it. Conformer ShurikenConformer Shuriken is more subtle, but I love it as a way to scale up your equipped creature if your opponents deploy larger monsters.

Okoye, Mighty and AdoredOkoye, Mighty and Adored Commander Deck List

Conclusion

This was built as a Level 2 (Core) bracket deck, so if you're looking for a longer, grindy and interactive game where everyone has the chance to do their thing before it concludes give this a try! I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and the steady card draw from monarch will keep your hand fueled with gas for the entire game.

What cards would you add to the deck that I overlooked? Would you choose one of the other monarch cards as your commander?

Read more:

Marvel Super Heroes Deck Tech: Hit-Monkey

How Good Is Marvel Super Heroes for Commander?