<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." href="#" target="_blank">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.marcoturiniart.com/">Marco Turini</a></span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thus far, we’ve gone over a year talking about different creature types, with only one type used twice. Dragons were the first type discussed <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-a-dragon-commander-deck-with-the-ur-dragon">here</a> and were revisited as the winners of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/winning-the-theme-deck-throwdown-with-lathliss-dragon-queen">Theme Deck Throwdown</a>. There is another creature type that deserves revisiting, although it’s a recent one.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you guessed it? It’s Heroes…again!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the interesting elements of the super hero anime <em>My Hero Academia</em> is that it shows a different motivation for becoming a super hero than what most would expect. While some are initially selfless, going into that profession for public service reasons, others see being a super hero as a career first, working hard in the job they selected, in order to earn a living.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When we <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-hero-typal-with-captain-america-super-soldier">last</a> reviewed Heroes, we looked primarily at Heroes as valuing teamwork, truth, justice, and all that. But what if being a Hero was just a role you selected? And what about Heroes in colors other than white? Heroes are far more complex than mere harbingers of justice, and Heroes in <em>Magic</em> existed before <em>Marvel Super Heroes</em>, so this will be a look into different kinds of Heroes.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cosmic Spider-Man"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fantastic Four"></div></div>
<h2><strong>Hero History</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heroes and Villains are relatively new creature types that create interesting implications. Introducing these types to <em>Magic</em> creates a dualism that didn’t exist before, which could hamstring characters in the narrative, which is why it has been limited to Universes Beyond, in <em>Spider-Man</em>, <em>Marvel Super Heroes</em>, and…<em>Final Fantasy</em>?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes, <em>Final Fantasy</em> introduced Heroes as a token type before the creature type saw the light of play! So, what were these Heroes like? Heroes in <em>Final Fantasy</em> were 1/1 creatures that entered with the signature weapons of different <em>Final Fantasy</em> classes via the job select named ability. They were generic characters, the Heroes of the story, who could either specialize in a job or dabble in different ones and dual-wield.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we merge comic book and video game Heroes? And what kind of commander could unite them?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."></div></div>
<h2><strong>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." href="#" target="_blank">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike Captain America, who led the Avengers from the front lines and helped them achieve their Endgame by banding Heroes together, Nick Fury leads from behind the scenes. He’s more of a facilitator, a normal person blessed with the lay-power of recruitment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I mention the lay-power because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." href="#" target="_blank">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a power-up ability, which might seem like an odd choice for a character that lacks super powers. That ability is what gives it the five-color color identity, however, as the card is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savannah Lions" href="#" target="_blank">Savannah Lions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> otherwise.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That ability is the glue of the deck. When Nick Fury powers up, it grows a bit and can put a Hero, Equipment, or Vehicle directly on the battlefield, transformed if desired. Being able to find Equipment is where job select Equipment come in, as Nick Fury lets us slot them alongside Heroes that care about Equipment, giving access to a range of cards left out of the previous build.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what would a Hero and job select mashup deck look like? And how do we get the pieces to work together?</span></p>
<h2><strong>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." href="#" target="_blank">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nick Fury finds Heroes, Equipment, and Vehicles with its power-up ability. As a result, we want to maximize the number of hits available. Our Heroes will either be job select Equipment or creatures with the Hero type, and we’ll try to find examples that do the jobs a deck requires.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Machinist&#039;s Arsenal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Mage&#039;s Rod"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Machinist&#039;s Arsenal" href="#" target="_blank">Machinist&#039;s Arsenal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Mage&#039;s Rod" href="#" target="_blank">Black Mage&#039;s Rod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are two incredibly strong job select Equipment. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Machinist&#039;s Arsenal" href="#" target="_blank">Machinist&#039;s Arsenal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns the equipped creature into an Artificer and gives them two power and toughness for each artifact we control, which should be quite a lot. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Mage&#039;s Rod" href="#" target="_blank">Black Mage&#039;s Rod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes the equipped creature a Wizard and lets it deal a damage to each opponent when we cast a noncreature spell, like any of our Equipment. It also adds a point of power, which can be relevant.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ronin, Shadow Stalker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartseeker"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ronin, Shadow Stalker" href="#" target="_blank">Ronin, Shadow Stalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Heartseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ways to sneak removal into the deck. Ronin can act as a mana dork, trading life for mana to cast or equip Equipment. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Heartseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, on the other hand, is an Equipment that adds a couple of points of power and a toughness and can attach itself at instant speed to destroy a creature. It may cost a lot, but we have ways to circumvent that.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bucky Barnes, Eager Ally"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster" href="#" target="_blank">The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bucky Barnes, Eager Ally" href="#" target="_blank">Bucky Barnes, Eager Ally</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ways to work card draw in. Jane blinks an artifact or creature when it attacks, which can reset our job select Equipment. It also draws a card when an Equipment enters, including what it just blinked. Bucky is a vigilant Hero that wears Equipment well. When it dies, it can put an Equipment, Hero, or Soldier from the top four cards into our hand, giving it extra utility and making it a solid rattlesnake card (which opponents won’t want to block).</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hammer of Nazahn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Super-Soldier Serum"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the original auto-equipper, making our Equipment attach on entry if we so choose, including itself. It also grants a couple of points of power and indestructibility, but be careful when equipping it to a creature that wants to die, like Bucky!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Super-Soldier Serum" href="#" target="_blank">Super-Soldier Serum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, meanwhile, gives the enchanted creature a couple points of power and toughness, first strike, and vigilance, as well as making it a legendary Soldier (because we needed more jobs to give our creatures). The secret sauce, however, is that the enchanted creature attaches any number of Equipment we control when it attacks or blocks, working really well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Heartseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Academy Ruins"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Axgard Armory"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Ruins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Axgard Armory" href="#" target="_blank">Axgard Armory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both artifact-related lands that rarely get to play together, although they do so nicely. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Ruins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> puts an artifact from our grave on top of our library, and can do this every turn. The Armory lets us search for an Aura or Equipment, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Super-Soldier Serum" href="#" target="_blank">Super-Soldier Serum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a job select Equipment, albeit only once.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we close the game out?</span></p>
<h2><strong>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." href="#" target="_blank">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</strong></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="War Machine, Avenging Arsenal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iron Man, Armored Avenger"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we have some ways to win outside of combat damage, our primary win condition is mixing and matching Equipment to either go wide with Hero tokens from job select or go tall by equipping to singular creatures. There’s even the side quest of seeing how many jobs one Hero can have!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="War Machine, Avenging Arsenal" href="#" target="_blank">War Machine, Avenging Arsenal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works with the go-wide strategy by giving our modified creatures, such as our equipped Hero tokens, double strike when it attacks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iron Man, Armored Avenger" href="#" target="_blank">Iron Man, Armored Avenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works much the same way, granting our modified creatures flying, while also growing a creature every time we draw a card, which works well with Jane Foster. Even without the Avengers subtheme, our Heroes still work together!</span></p>
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere
*1 Bard&#039;s Bow
*1 Biorganic Carapace
*1 Black Mage&#039;s Rod
*1 Blue Mage&#039;s Cane
*1 Citizen&#039;s Crowbar
*1 Dancer&#039;s Chakrams
*1 Dark Knight&#039;s Greatsword
*1 Deconstruction Hammer
*1 Dragoon&#039;s Lance
*1 Hammer of Nazahn
*1 Heartseeker
*1 Machinist&#039;s Arsenal
*1 Manriki-Gusari
*1 Meteor Sword
*1 Monk&#039;s Fist
*1 Ninja&#039;s Blades
*1 Paladin&#039;s Arms
*1 Phantom Blade
*1 Reaper&#039;s Scythe
*1 Red Mage&#039;s Rapier
*1 Sage&#039;s Nouliths
*1 Samurai&#039;s Katana
*1 Summoner&#039;s Grimoire
*1 The Spear of Bashenga
*1 Thief&#039;s Knife
*1 Ultima Weapon
*1 Warrior&#039;s Sword
*1 White Mage&#039;s Staff
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Akki Battle Squad
*1 Araña, Heart of the Spider
*1 Bucky Barnes, Eager Ally
*1 Captain America, Liberator
*1 Envoy of the Ancestors
*1 Iron Lad, Diverging Destiny
*1 Iron Man, Armored Avenger
*1 Iron Man, Bleeding Edge
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Red XIII, Proud Warrior
*1 Ronin, Shadow Stalker
*1 SP//dr, Piloted by Peni
*1 Shuri, the Black Panther
*1 Silver Sable, Mercenary Leader
*1 Skyward Spider
*1 Sun-Spider, Nimble Webber
*1 The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster
*1 Thor, God of Thunder
*1 War Machine, Avenging Arsenal
*1 White Widow, Free Agent
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Blacksmith&#039;s Talent
*1 Fighter Class
*1 Forge Anew
*1 Invigorating Hot Spring
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
*1 Super-Soldier Serum
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Nahiri, Storm of Stone
[/Planeswalkers]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Battlefield Improvisation
*1 Inventory Management
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Archway of Innovation
*1 Axgard Armory
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Eclipsed Steppe
*4 Forest
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Ishgard, the Holy See // Faith &amp; Grief
*4 Island
*1 Monumental Henge
*4 Mountain
*4 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Radiant Summit
*1 Scorched Geyser
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sodden Verdure
*1 Sunken Hollow
*4 Swamp
*1 Tournament Grounds
*1 Vernal Fen
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heroes are some of the more iconic creatures to come out of the Marvel crossover, but there are still other ways of building them, including the heroic mechanic and activated abilities like power-up.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Heroes? And who would lead your super squad?</span></p>


job select

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., A Different Kind of Hero Typal

Ranking the Job Select Equipment Cards From Final Fantasy