Avengers DisassembledAvengers Disassembled | Illustrated by David Szabo

The entirety of both Marvel Superheroes and Marvel Superheroes Commander have been revealed, and it's set review time! As usual, I'll be taking a look at all the best instants and sorceries that'll be hitting the format in just a couple weeks. There's a lot of cards to look at this time around, and unsuprisingly I have a lot of thoughts. Let's get into it!

White

Invisible Force Field

Invisible Force FieldInvisible Force Field is a fascinating protection spell. For just two mana, Invisible Force Field gives four permanents indestructible at instant speed, and then again on your next turn thanks to rebound. The choice to give such a reactive spell rebound pushes decks that use it to look for proactive ways to take advantage of indestructible. When I read it, my mind immediately went to combining it with mass land destruction spells, like JokulhaupsJokulhaups and ObliterateObliterate, as being able to save a few lands or your one or two best creatures while sending everyone else at the table back to the stone age is really appealing. I'm going to be experimenting with this combination in Bracket 4 (Optimized) builds of commanders like Ajani, Nacatl PariahAjani, Nacatl Pariah, Narset, Enlightened MasterNarset, Enlightened Master, and Hazezon, Shaper of SandHazezon, Shaper of Sand.

Ultimate Nullification

Ultimate NullificationUltimate Nullification is an incredibly thorough board wipe. It asks you to sacrifice a legendary creature to cast it, but in return it exiles all creatures, all graveyards, and puts itself on the bottom of your library. This is a very easy inclusion in any white control deck that isn't too attached to its graveyard. My top commander to take full advantage of Ultimate Nullification is Athreos, Shroud-VeiledAthreos, Shroud-Veiled.

Outside of dedicated control strategies, I see Ultimate Nullification as a really good tech for a local meta that is very recursion-heavy. If the decks in your playgroup feature big recursion spells, like Living DeathLiving Death or Behold the Sinister Six!Behold the Sinister Six!, having a board wipe that proactively neutralizes those cards is really good. I expect this to make a bigger splash in Bracket 2 (Core) where FarewellFarewell is prohibited.

Blue

Dismissive Denial

I can guarantee that Dismissive DenialDismissive Denial will be the card from Marvel Superheroes that ends up in more of my decks that any other card from the set. Why? Opportunity costs. This spell can always replace a basic land with little to no deleterious effect on a deck's consistency. Dismissive Denial is a fairly unimpressive four-mana counterspell that you can cycle for to find a basic land. Its ability to turn itself into a land when it isn't needed is just so powerful, and it will be another great tool for deck builders looking to get their effective land count up to a healthy number without adding to the risk of flooding out in the late game. I'd rank Dismissive Denial as the third best blue land cycler, behind Lórien RevealedLórien Revealed and Mental JourneyMental Journey.

I can see Dismissive Denial at its best in decks with an ArchaeomancerArchaeomancer-based recursion package, like Brago, King EternalBrago, King Eternal, Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter, and Y'shtola RhulY'shtola Rhul. Being able to cycle Dismissive Denial for a land in the early game and then recur it later, either to search for more lands or to cast it to protect yourself, adds a very compelling element to the card.

Extract Power

I've always had a soft spot for theft spells. Extract PowerExtract Power is a six-mana sorcery that exiles the top card of each player's library and lets you play them without paying their mana costs for as long as they remain exiled. This is definitely a payoff card for big Spellslinger decks that make enough mana to slam big haymakers every turn after they're done ramping. Additionally, Extract Power can have a leg up on other theft spells, like Dream HarvestDream Harvest, because it doesn't force the exiled cards to be cast immediately. That allows you to hold up instant-speed interaction that the spell stole or sandbag big plays for a turn after a board wipe where you're trying to rebuild.

Commanders like Galazeth PrismariGalazeth Prismari, Cormela, Glamour ThiefCormela, Glamour Thief, or Rootha, Mastering the MomentRootha, Mastering the Moment are in the market for this high cost, high impact sorcery. There's also a few commanders that would be drawn towards Extract Power due to the theft aspect of the card, like Don Andres, the RenegadeDon Andres, the Renegade or Tasha, the Witch QueenTasha, the Witch Queen.

Black

Infernal Rebirth

Black doesn't have much to note in the way of instants and sorceries this time around. However, Infernal RebirthInfernal Rebirth is the black's version of Dismissive DenialDismissive Denial, and it's definitely worth mentioning. Recurring two creatures to hand for four mana is more proactive than countering one spell, and black is a color that's typically very capable of maximizing recursion pieces. Given the low opportunity cost of including Infernal Rebirth, I expect it to see more play than any other black instant or sorcery in the set.

Red

Avengers Disassembled

Avengers DisassembledAvengers Disassembled is a board wipe that deals three damage to each creature, like Brotherhood's EndBrotherhood's End, with an optional second mode that blows up a land and lets that land's controller get a tapped basic, like Cleansing WildfireCleansing Wildfire or Ghost QuarterGhost Quarter. Commander is at a point where there are more juicy targets for a land destruction spell than ever. Between the new cycle of Planets from Edge of Eternities and traditionally powerful lands, like Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle, Serra's SanctumSerra's Sanctum, and Glacial ChasmGlacial Chasm, all of which I've both seen played against me and have included in my deck's more often in recent times, having one or two options to mess with opposing lands is critical to having a well-rounded deck. A commander deck that's in red and often has creatures with four or more toughness can slot in Avenger's Disassembled as one of those tools to combat opposing lands.

Prowess commanders, like Eris, Roar of the StormEris, Roar of the Storm, Elsha, Threefold MasterElsha, Threefold Master, and Sokka, Tenacious TacticianSokka, Tenacious Tactician, are best positioned to take advantage of Avengers Disassembled due to how easy it is to ensure that your whole board clears the four toughness threshold required to make the board wipe asymmetrical. I also love these effects in Torbran, Thane of Red FellTorbran, Thane of Red Fell, as Torbran himself always survives them, and it does even more damage to opposing creatures.

If your deck ends up playing Avengers Disassembled, I'd also heavily consider replacing some tapped lands with the cycle of indestructible tapped duals from Modern Horizons 2, or a Darksteel CitadelDarksteel Citadel if you're in a mono-red deck. These will allow the land destruction mode of the card to sometimes be used as a ramp spell!

Hex Magic

Hex Magic is an incredibly potent card advantage spell for Storm decks. For three mana, you exile your hand, draw that many cards, and get to play the exiled cards until end of turn. It also has the Arcane subtype for potential Eerie ProcessionEerie Procession purposes! I'm expecting this card to show up in the 99 of popular storm commanders, like Ral, Monsoon MageRal, Monsoon Mage, Krark, the ThumblessKrark, the Thumbless, Birgi, God of StorytellingBirgi, God of Storytelling, and Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier.

Ordinarily, the part of a card like this that would give me pause is the mana cost. Three mana is a lot to invest if I want to cast the cards that I exiled from my hand. However, Storm decks are almost never paying full price to cast a spell like this. When they do, they're usually getting a kickback from a Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist or Birgi, God of StorytellingBirgi, God of Storytelling. Where Hex Magic really shines is on the turn where you're casting Past in FlamesPast in Flames and casting it twice with cost-reducers in play. It's difficult to imagine a Bracket 3 (Upgraded) Storm deck that can't win the game from there.

Green

Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Earth's Mightiest Heroes is the latest in a long line of green spells that look at some number of cards from the top of the library and plop some creatures in play from among them, like Collected CompanyCollected Company, Turntimber SymbiosisTurntimber Symbiosis, or Aang, at the CrossroadsAang, at the Crossroads. This spell has one of the new set mechanics, teamwork. When you cast Earth's Mightiest Heroes, you can tap any number of creatures with total power five or more as an additional cost, and get a more powerful effect. Here, that's the difference between getting one creature from the top eight cards or any number of creatures from the top eight.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes reads to me like a top end spell that can give a green Stompy deck a sudden explosion of advantage, like a more mana-efficient Last March of the EntsLast March of the Ents. Decks that will have an easy time maximizing this spell are stompy-leaning commanders that tend to have a high density of high mana value creatures in the 99. These decks are usually helmed by commanders like Goreclaw, Terror of Qal SismaGoreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, Pantlaza, Sun-FavoredPantlaza, Sun-Favored, and Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels.

Multicolor

Worlds Within Worlds

Worlds Within WorldsWorlds Within Worlds is essentially a Simic () version of Living DeathLiving Death. For , it exiles all creatures, allows all players to put any number of creatures from their hand onto the battlefield, and then puts the exiled cards back into their owners hands. This effect is incredibly big, splashy, and game-warping. I'm willing to bet that, outside of another player having a board wipe or a Containment PriestContainment Priest effect, the resolution of Worlds Within Worlds will usually end the game either on the spot or when the player that cast it gets to their next turn.

Any deck that has a lot of big creatures and a lot of card draw should consider whether or not it can get away with playing Worlds Within Worlds, and that describes most Simic decks. Tatyova, Benthic DruidTatyova, Benthic Druid, Tamiyo, Inquisitive StudentTamiyo, Inquisitive Student, Kenessos, Priest of ThassaKenessos, Priest of Thassa, and Edric, Spymaster of TrestEdric, Spymaster of Trest are the first commanders I'd try to fit this spell into, but the list of Simic commanders that could win the game after casting Worlds Within Worlds is miles long.

Honorable Mentions

Multiversal IncursionMultiversal Incursion is firmly in the camp of what I'd call a win more card, as it really only works if you've already built a good board. However, the card is definitely a flavor win and I'm sure there will be a few decks that can get away with playing it.

Black didn't receive much love as far as instants and sorceries in this set go, but red was given an embarrassment of riches to revel in. Flame On!Flame On! and Team TacticsTeam Tactics are great options to secure commander damage kills. Team Tactics in particular is effectively a second copy of Temur Battle RageTemur Battle Rage, which I'll be slotting into all my decks that are already on Temur Battle Rage.

Conclusion

As usual with Universes Beyond sets as of late, it seems like the designers have steered more towards filling out the set with good, inoffensive, nuts and bolts functional cards that will make their way into a lot of decks without being completely overpowered or must-include staples. I love this approach, and I'm always excited to improve my decks by a couple percentage points as the pool of options grows.

Now it's time that I turn it to the lovely readers. What'd I miss? Do you think I missed the mark on any of the cards I went over? Let me know in the comments.