The Mind StoneThe Mind Stone | Art by: Leinil Francis Yu & Sunny Gho

I love facts. Fun facts, strange facts, sports facts. I'm a sucker for facts. What I also love are artiFACTS. So with every new set, artifacts are always on my mind. With that being said, Marvel Super Heroes brings a plethora of brand-new artifacts to look at.

Some lands have also found their way into the review, but we all know who or what the real star of the show is. Either way, let's get to the crème de la crème of The Best Artifacts and Lands in Marvel Super Heroes.

Artifacts

The Mind StoneThe Mind Stone

This is the second Infinity Stone to enter the game, not to be confused with Mind StoneMind Stone. An indestructible mana rock for with a harness ability that lets you blink a nonland permanent on your end step. A strong card for the right strategy if, like Thanos, you can get your hands on it. I expect this card to show up more than The Soul StoneThe Soul Stone, and time will tell which stone will see the most play.

M.O.D.O.K.M.O.D.O.K.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish that Ad NauseamAd Nauseam was a creature?" Then, good news, M.O.D.O.K.M.O.D.O.K. is the card for you. An incredibly strong ability to pay three life and connive, allowing you to not only sculpt your hand, but also fill up your graveyard. Giving M.O.D.O.K. lifelink also means that using your life as a resource comes with almost no drawback, provided you get the +1/+1 when you connive. If you feel like embracing your villain arc while playing this card, add a Maha, Its Feathers NightMaha, Its Feathers Night to the board.

Ultron the AnnihilatorUltron the Annihilator

The first appearance for this character on the list, Ultron the AnnihilatorUltron the Annihilator is doing its best impression of Syr Konrad, the GrimSyr Konrad, the Grim. Not only does Ultron net you a 2/2 robot on enter or attack, but every time another artifact is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you drain the table for one. The perfect commander to run all the Necrons, Disciple of the VaultDisciple of the Vault, and artifact recursion cards you can find in mono-black.

This is one of the artifact creatures I'm personally the most excited for. Thankfully, the casting cost is not that prohibitive when you jam your deck with all the cards that artifact decks love to run.

Ultron, Artificial MalevolenceUltron, Artificial Malevolence

A great card to run in your Ultron deck is, believe it or not, Ultron, Artificial MalevolenceUltron, Artificial Malevolence. The ability to get copies of artifact cards you play is nothing new. Cards like MirrorworksMirrorworks have been around and in decks for a while now. What Ultron does that makes the card interesting is that it turns your utility artifacts and mana rocks that you want to have copies of, but come late game, aren't too excited by, into a 2/2 robot.

Making cards like a late-game Sol RingSol Ring or a utility card, such as Ichor WellspringIchor Wellspring, into threats makes me like the cards I already want to play even more.

The Vision and Scarlet WitchThe Vision and Scarlet Witch

I thought it would be a long time before I saw another red creature that makes me mana for every spell I cast.

The Vision and Scarlet WitchThe Vision and Scarlet Witch is not only another addition to the ever-growing list, but it might be the best one. While you lose out on the ability to store mana across steps and phases or even turns when considering Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist, The Vision and Scarlet Witch are the only ones that can become a permanent game-ending threat all on their own. Electro, Assaulting BatteryElectro, Assaulting Battery can use the mana created as a one-time explosion, but +1/+1 counters stick around.

Expect to see this card all over the place for, I would say, a while, but with how Wizards seems to have embraced this effect, it could be a shorter run than anticipated.

H.E.R.B.I.E. Scout UnitH.E.R.B.I.E. Scout Unit

Simple and clean. That's the best way to describe Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum... I mean H.E.R.B.I.E. Scout UnitH.E.R.B.I.E. Scout Unit. A flying 2/1 that draws a card and lets you put any land from your hand onto the battlefield when it enters. Any deck that plays sad robot or many newer versions of that card should look at H.E.R.B.I.E. as an addition to the 99. Just a solid role-player card that should make an appearance at many tables for many years to come.

Jocasta, Automaton AvengerJocasta, Automaton Avenger

Jocasta, Automaton AvengerJocasta, Automaton Avenger, wants to be in a deck that turns creatures sideways, specifically the commander—returning to the battlefield, tapping and attacking as long as you have swung with your commander, causing a lot of problems for defenders. If you haven't been convinced to run cards like Dolmen GateDolmen Gate or Bubble MatrixBubble Matrix in your aggressive creature decks, what if, when you swung, it now came with a flying body attached?

This card being colorless is both a flavor win and a gameplay win. Allowing any deck that wants to get into the red zone an additional evasive body for the low cost of mana.

Hawkeye's BowHawkeye's Bow

Hawkeye's BowHawkeye's Bow is a card getting talked about thanks to being an infinite combo in competitive formats. A great thing about the Commander format is that the card pool is seemingly endless. So if something like this bow can go infinite in 60-card competitive formats, think of what it can do here. Infinite combos aside, this is a cheap-to-cast and cheap-to-equip card that pumps power and gives the sneakiest reach seen on a card since World BreakerWorld Breaker.

Pop this onto a commander such as Iron Fist, Living WeaponIron Fist, Living Weapon or any creature that wants to tap itself early and often and watch life totals go down fast.

Mjölnir, Hammer of ThorMjölnir, Hammer of Thor

One of the best pieces of Equipment in the entire set, Mjölnir, Hammer of ThorMjölnir, Hammer of Thor, shows who is and isn't worthy of the power. Not only does it deal four damage on entering, but in the rare case you don't want to use the card, you can discard it and get a PyroclasmPyroclasm for the trouble. Double damage means any creature with high power or a form of evasion, such as trample, will be crushing opponents as only the thunder god truly could.

This is also one of the funniest pieces of Equipment, thanks to the equip-worthy ability. Only allowing this card to be equipped to a legendary non-Villain or creature can lead to some hilarious board states. What is your favorite worthy creature? I'm partial to Jalum GrifterJalum Grifter and Hazduhr the AbbotHazduhr the Abbot.

Grim Reaper's ScytheGrim Reaper's Scythe

Black is well known in the color pie for reanimation effects on cards. Not often are those paired together with token makers and artifacts. Grim Reaper's ScytheGrim Reaper's Scythe plays into the growing archetype of moving game objects in and out of the graveyard. Every time you take a card out, you get a 2/2 zombie. Throw two of those zombies or any two creatures you have lying around into the grave and bring a creature back to the battlefield. This will net you a zombie, so getting that creature back is effectively half-free.

Not the cheapest reanimation effect around, and while the creature does come back with a finality counter, which I hate personally, a self-fueling engine is a card that needs attention paid to it, lest it catch you off guard.

Loki's ScepterLoki's Scepter

Three mana rocks are cool, and no one can change my mind. Loki's ScepterLoki's Scepter is a Chef's KissChef's Kiss when it comes to card design. Referential to the source material. Check. Interesting from a gameplay perspective. Double check. Stealing a creature and getting the ability to add a mana of any color is huge for a card that will often find itself getting cut due to preconceived notions about the format.

The dream is having just enough mana to pair this with Cursed MirrorCursed Mirror and copy the creature you just borrowed from an opponent's board. A move the trickster god would be more than proud of.

Iron Man ArmorIron Man Armor

A brand new way to suit up with Iron Man ArmorIron Man Armor, fixing one of the biggest issues with Equipment in the game. What to do with them when you have no creatures? No matter what edition of the Iron Man Armor you want this to be, all of them can turn into a Karnstruct, getting +1/+1 for each artifact you control. Only to get a massive flyer that can, for a turn, hold all the Equipment you have lying around is massive for a Voltron strategy.

If you can get your commander or an important creature to stick around, this becomes an auto-attaching Equipment that gives +2/+1 and flying for just . I expect to see this at many tables upon release because this is a must-have piece of Equipment.

Daily Bugle NewspaperDaily Bugle Newspaper

After so many exciting cards, we need a bit of a palate cleanser. What better to do that with than a good old-fashioned newspaper? The Daily Bugle NewspaperDaily Bugle Newspaper, to be exact. Two mana to cast and two mana plus a tap to activate gets you a loot and a treasure token. While not game-breaking or meta warping, sometimes you need a good utility card to make a deck hum, and this does that in spades.

Heart-Shaped HerbHeart-Shaped Herb

The strangest card on the entire list, Heart-Shaped HerbHeart-Shaped Herb, does a good job of giving me a headache. I'll be honest: I'm not sure what deck wants this card over other options, but I know some will. The damage prevention ability isn't seen frequently, especially when paired with a baffling sacrifice/reanimation effect. Thrown on the monarch ability, and you have a card that has far too many words not to be worth playing, especially when all the words on the card are pretty good.

Swordsman's SteelSwordsman's Steel

The undisputed best new Equipment on the list outside of Mjölnir, and while I don't like to throw around the word "staple" that often, this is a staple for Equipment decks of all varieties. If there's any downside to this card, it's the casting and equip cost. However, if the numbers were cheaper, this card would be truly broken. Swordsman's SteelSwordsman's Steel gives a power and toughness boost on par with enchantments like All That GlittersAll That Glitters and Ethereal ArmorEthereal Armor, but better.

Not to mention that when entering, you get to draw a card for every single piece of Equipment you control. This card will do nothing but win games, even if it only draws a single card—a solid piece of Equipment to start with and a better one to end on.

The Thanos-CopterThe Thanos-Copter

Is this card a bit of a meme? Not as much as you think. While six mana for a vehicle is on the more expensive side, this card has a lot going for it. The Thanos-CopterThe Thanos-Copter can be a great commander for a Vehicle-heavy deck or just a solid top end. Doing a good impression of Cyberdrive AwakenerCyberdrive Awakener but without costing any colored mana.

Even if you are not blinking this to reuse the animation effect, at a very low crew cost of only two, attacking with a 5/5 hasty flier that brings a Coastal PiracyCoastal Piracy ability for your vehicles is more than enough.

Panther HabitPanther Habit

When running Equipment in a deck, you are almost always going to be going to combat. An obvious downside of combat is that sometimes, your creatures will lose. Lose no longer, or at least a lot less, thanks to Panther HabitPanther Habit. A very neat artifact that prevents damage to your creature and turns that damage into +1/+1 counters.

What's even better about this card is that damage isn't specific to combat damage. So if you run this in a deck that can cast Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act, not only does your creature live, but that creature is eliminating players very quickly after the fact.

Vibranium Strike GauntletsVibranium Strike Gauntlets

The Vibranium Strike GauntletsVibranium Strike Gauntlets might be on the higher mana value side when it comes to casting and equipping. The good news is that you can skip the first payment for the Equipment when this card enters, thanks to it attaching to a creature for free. The +3/+0 buff and trample are huge for a combat-focused Equipment, and the card draw on player damage is a great pairing.

Unlike the previous card, this one does need you to hit the player to get the card draw, so no added benefits when you block or damage in another way. But these gauntlets only wish to know violence, and they aim to reward you for it.

N'Yami-Class Mother ShipN'Yami-Class Mother Ship

Six mana to cast and a crew cost of three. Not the best numbers out there. But when those numbers come with three keywords and the ability to get continued value, well then, we have a N'Yami-Class Mother ShipN'Yami-Class Mother Ship on our hands. With flying, vigilance, and haste, once you crew this card, you are more than likely getting to hit with it.

When you do hit, you get another permanent for free onto the battlefield, and any non-permanent goes into your hand. No hurting us today, Notion ThiefNotion Thief. A very cool new vehicle that plays well in a deck full of big bombs.

Lands

We were not given many more New York City locations to serve as lands this visit, but that isn't to say that we got nothing.

First up is a group of new dual lands, without the land types, that do get worse the more colors you play in a deck.

The upside of these, compared to the Verge cycle, is that you can get colorless mana out of them if needed, and any basic land gets you both colors. The more colors you add to a deck, the fewer basics are usually found in the mana base. So the value of these lands will diminish. Outside of a two-color or maybe a basic heavy three-color deck, I would suggest other lands. But if you run enough basics, these will do wonders for a mana base. Hopefully, we see the rest of the color combinations in future sets.

Castle DoomCastle Doom

Castle DoomCastle Doom is a great mana fixing land for colored artifact decks, but I especially like it in ones that have sacrifice fodder lying around. Any time you have a land that can do more than make you mana, it's always worth looking at. The cost of inclusion for this card in an artifact deck is next to nothing. The only doom this card will bring is some to your opponents because of all the value you're getting.

The Great MoundThe Great Mound

Are you playing a deck that wants to make artifact tokens? Do you have extra mana lying around? Then you should play The Great MoundThe Great Mound. This is a very good land for an artifact-heavy deck. Making Vibranium tokens that allow you to cast more artifacts turn after turn for only mana is pretty good. I don't like having to pay  mana to draw a card, and there are other lands I would want to play if I am trying to find more card draw.

War RoomWar Room, for example, especially in a colorless deck. Honestly, this card is more of a miss for me, but it's interesting enough that I want to try it out.

Wrap Up

What is your favorite Artifact and/or Land from the new Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel Super Heroes Commander sets? What cards are you excited to get your hands on first? Are you a The Mind StoneThe Mind Stone or a The Soul StoneThe Soul Stone enjoyer? Let me know here or anywhere that you can find nicnax96.

Don't forget to check out all the other great content coming out for what should be a very exciting set release. Excelsior!