<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loki, the Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Loki, the Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by Alexander Mokhov</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As mentioned <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-hero-typal-with-captain-america-super-soldier">a couple of weeks ago</a>, <em>Marvel Super Heroes</em> pits Heroes and Villains against each other. In that article, we looked at Heroes, creatures that represent law, order, truth, and justice, all of which are featured strongly in their base color of white. This week, we’re going to look at their antithesis, a deliciously complicated group of folks, representing a wide range of personalities.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you guessed it? It’s Villains!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Villains are deliciously complex, exploring flaws in humanity and society that Heroes don’t often get to. While Heroes are the characters the audience is meant to connect with, Life is rarely black and white…and neither is the conflict between Heroes and Villains in <em>Magic</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Heroes are fairly solidly in white, perhaps splashing other colors, Villains are based in the selfishness, ambition, and pragmatism of black but with plenty of blue’s creativity and manipulation and red’s impulsiveness and passion. Some Villains even dip into white, imposing a warped view of law and order for the purposes of subjugation. They may even see themselves as the Heroes!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doctor Doom, King of Latveria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thanos, the Mad Titan"></div></div>
<h2><strong>Villain History</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Villains are a complicated type to unpack in <em>Magic</em>, as the creature type has only been around since <em>Spider-Man</em> despite the fact that <em>Magic</em> has a history of classic Villains in-universe that don’t have the type. Nicol Bolas, the Phyrexian Praetors…even Dr. Eggman, if we’re going to Universes Beyond.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Marvel Super Heroes</em> gave Villains a mechanical identity although their thematic one is still a bit controversial. Menacing and conniving are two adjectives used to describe powerful and insidious Villains, and those are the two mechanics most closely intertwined with Villains. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Their menacing henchmen are solid at strong-arming opponents but can be beaten by the teamwork of Heroes, while the leaders are conniving, sneakily stacking the deck in their favor and accruing power while not hesitating to throw away what they deem dispensable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we win a game with mooks and plans? And what kind of commander could unite these selfish and ambitious people?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loki, the Deceiver"></div></div>
<h2><strong>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loki, the Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Loki, the Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Loki can be seen as more of an antihero in his own series, and has largely been seen as an agent of chaos in the <em>Avengers</em> movies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loki, the Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Loki, the Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a unifier for Villains in <em>Magic</em>. Even his art features this, as Loki, staff in hand, is joined by Ultron, Dr. Doom, and Kang (although I needed some help to verify that one…shout out to my newly-reformed Skull Symbol Discord server).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When our 4/4, 4-mana commander attacks, he makes a nonlegendary illusory copy of a Villain we control, also attacking, which dissipates at end of turn. These tokens trigger enters-the-battlefield (ETB) effects, so we want to load our deck up with those. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also has a Villain-centered <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coastal Piracy" href="#" target="_blank">Coastal Piracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect, which definitely leans into the thieving and looting that Villains tend to engage in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what would a Villain deck look like? And how do we get the selfish to work together?</span></p>
<h2><strong>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loki, the Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Loki, the Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Villains occupy a strange set of divergent gameplans. Some care about attacking alone, like exalted in Bant and the base-black draft strategy in <em>Avacyn Restored</em>. Others go wide with an army of mooks and henchmen. Our Villains will specialize in conniving to set our plans in motion and menacing opposing battlefields.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ultron, Unlimited"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kang, Temporal Tyrant"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ultron and Kang both connive on attack, making them a nasty 1-2 (technically 3-4) combo. Ultron makes Robot Villains when we pay a mana anytime a creature connives, while Kang drains a life from each opponent when we draw our second card each turn. These are two of the main Villains depicted in Loki’s art, and they are two of the masterminds behind our card draw plan.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chameleon, Master of Disguise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moonstone, Harsh Mistress"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chameleon and Moonstone both allow us to cast spells we’ve discarded, synergizing nicely with the conniving of our primary engine. Chameleon is a Clone that has mayhem, making him castable from the grave if discarded in the same turn, while Moonstone lets us exile discarded cards and cast them from exile until the end of the next turn, also working well with spells connived to the graveyard.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what makes this a Villainous deck?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Villainous Wrath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lethal Scheme"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Commander games, the Villain of the table is often not only a player with a commanding board, but one who holds the power of yes or no. We have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Villainous Wrath" href="#" target="_blank">Villainous Wrath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a mass removal effect that can take out a player and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lethal Scheme" href="#" target="_blank">Lethal Scheme</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a spot removal effect that can be cast while our lands are tapped out by convoking it, which also lets those creatures connive. Both of these are on-theme ways to say “no”.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Villainous Hideout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spymaster&#039;s Vault"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like Heroes, Villains need a place to set their plans in motion and to recover after doing battle with the forces of justice. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Villainous Hideout" href="#" target="_blank">Villainous Hideout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cool land that fixes our mana and lets our Villains connive, although I do wish it were more specific to a particular Villain or locale, like the Hero ones. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spymaster&#039;s Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Spymaster&#039;s Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another land that lets us connive, this time when creatures die (and Villains are more apt to kill than Heroes).</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="Loki, the Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Loki, the Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</strong></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vulture, Scheming Scavenger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Madame Hydra"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like Heroes, Villains primarily win through combat, but they don’t play fair. Vulture gives our Villains flying, so they can soar over most of the mundane heroes, like Captain America and the Incredible Hulk. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Madame Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Madame Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes an army of menacing mooks, which swarm the board and are tough to block. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Putting them together creates a scenario where opponents are hard-pressed to find ways to defend themselves within the rules of the game.</span></p>
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Loki, the Deceiver Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Loki, the Deceiver
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 A.I.M. Scientists
*1 Ares, God of War
*1 Baron Helmut Zemo
*1 Baron Strucker, HYDRA Overlord
*1 Carnage, Crimson Chaos
*1 Chameleon, Master of Disguise
*1 Crimson Cowl, Master of Evil
*1 Crossbones, Malicious Mercenary
*1 Doc Ock&#039;s Henchmen
*1 Doctor Doom, King of Latveria
*1 Doctor Octopus, Master Planner
*1 Flying Octobot
*1 Green Goblin, Revenant
*1 HYDRA Assault Robot
*1 Iron Monger, Sadistic Tycoon
*1 Kang, Temporal Tyrant
*1 Kid Loki
*1 Killmonger, Ruthless Usurper
*1 Leader, Super-Genius
*1 Living Lies of Loki
*1 Loki Laufeyson
*1 Loki, God of Mischief
*1 Loki, Lord of Misrule
*1 M.O.D.O.K.
*1 Madame Hydra
*1 Madame Masque
*1 Mechanical Mobster
*1 Mob Lookout
*1 Moonstone, Harsh Mistress
*1 Mysterio, Master of Illusion
*1 Namor, Scourge of the Seas
*1 Norman Osborn // Green Goblin
*1 Pharaoh Rama-Tut
*1 Prowler, Clawed Thief
*1 Puppet Master, String Puller
*1 Red Ghost, Intangible Genius
*1 Red Room Recruit
*1 Scorpion, Seething Striker
*1 Swordsman, Sharp Scoundrel
*1 Taskmaster, Mercenary Mimic
*1 The Masters of Evil
*1 The Squadron Sinister
*1 Tiger Shark, Abyssal Hunter
*1 Titania, Proud Pummeler
*1 Tombstone, Career Criminal
*1 Typhoid Mary, Fractured
*1 Ultron, Unlimited
*1 Vulture, Scheming Scavenger
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Change of Plans
*1 Dark Deed
*1 Lethal Scheme
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Kindred Dominance
*1 Raise the Palisade
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Trickster&#039;s Stratagem
*1 Vandalblast
*1 Villainous Wrath
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Levitation
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*10 Island
*10 Mountain
*1 Oscorp Industries
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Seething Landscape
*1 Spymaster&#039;s Vault
*10 Swamp
*1 Unclaimed Territory
*1 Villainous Hideout
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Villains are intriguing creatures, with far-reaching implications on <em>Magic</em> lore and errata. If nothing else, they’re a fun way of looking at the paradoxical relationship between selfishness and power in numbers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Villains? And who would lead your sneaky scoundrels?</span></p>


loki the deceiver

Building Villain Typal with Loki, the Deceiver