Hidden Gems for Deadpool, Trading Card
Step aside, Kool-Aid Man! Everyone’s real favorite wall breaker has made his way to Magic. Deadpool has broken through the fourth wall and been compressed into a delightful, two-dimensional commander. He’s proven to be quite popular at more than just the box office. This not-so-Secret Lair commander has already inspired thousands of decks.
Deadpool’s wacky text-box switching ability isn’t just a joke, a neat trick, or a way to make Ryan Renolds proud. It’s a great tool to tax your opponent’s best creatures and slowly chip away at their life total. As such, cards that create copies of Deadpool are in high demand for this mutant hero and form the foundation of most builds. There are many tricks to keep Deadpool coming back again and again, making him as hard to kill as he is in his stories. (I’d say he regenerates, but that might confuse us older Magic players.)
Here are my five picks for cards that you might have overlooked in your
#1. Cauldron of Souls
Persist and Undying are two powerful keyword mechanics that can double the value of your creatures.
But we want to make sure to diversify card types in order to not be too vulnerable to one type of removal. Enter: Cauldron of Souls, a neat artifact that can bring Deadpool back from the dead and, if you’re lucky, trade back and forth with Mikaeus’ Undying ability.
| Cauldron of Souls |
#2. Ignition Team
Say your opponent is playing a creature-light deck and not giving Deadpool much to do. Or, let’s pretend that your opponent is playing oppressive lands like
There aren’t a lot of cards that a red/black commander can play to turn your opponents’ lands into creatures, but this chonky Goblin boy sure can. If you find yourself in need of dealing with troublesome lands, use Ignition Team’s ability to animate that land and use Deadpool’s ability to switch text boxes. They’ll still have a land, but they’ll have to lose three life per turn to hang onto it.
And you can tell your friends that you’re not being mean, because you’re offering them a choice. Right?
| Ignition Team |
#3. Xenic Poltergeist
Ooh, boy! Who’d have ever thought that Xenic Poltergeist would get this chance to shine? Just like Ignition Team can help you animate lands to trade text boxes, Xenic Poltergeist can do the same for artifacts. Mana rocks abound.
Other options to animate your opponents’ artifacts include:
| Xenic Poltergeist | ||
| Xenic Poltergeist | ||
| Xenic Poltergeist |
#4. Sulfuric Vortex
It’s simple; you want to drain your opponents’ life totals. That makes life gain decks a huge pain in the neck. Including cards to prevent life gain can go a long way. Sulfuric Vortex has the added benefit of speeding up the game by continuously damaging everyone.
It’s nothing fancy, but has the added benefit of starting on turn three and entering the battlefield a turn before Deadpool.
| Sulfuric Vortex |
#5. Darkness
Yes, there’s a black
| Darkness | ||
| Darkness | ||
| Darkness |
That’s all for this week on Hidden Gems. Don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights!
Until next time, happy brewing!
Further Reading:
Checking in on Aetherdrift Prices
Adam Berg
Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.