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The Best Combo Cards from Marvel Superheroes

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <em>| art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></em></h6>
<p>Hello, everyone, my name's Jonathan and today I'm going to revisit an iconic commander with the help of the new cards from the upcoming <em>Marvel Super Heroes </em>set. The general I'll be talking about is one of the most beloved and hated at the same time: it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. So, let's see what new direction I decided to follow to build such an (in)famous commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Twist: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Living Laser" href="#" target="_blank">Living Laser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Purphoros, God of the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Living Laser"></div></div>
<p>Personally, one of the most interesting cards coming with the new sets is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Living Laser" href="#" target="_blank">Living Laser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a bit clunky to get going, but once you do, it dishes out a ton of damage. And that's exactly what I sit down at Commander tables to do. But, rather than building a deck around it, I thought it would be interesting to slot it as a <em>secret</em> commander in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</p>
<p>Just to be clear, with "secret commander" I refer to a creature that <em>isn't</em> officially the commander in a deck, but that <em>is</em> a core piece of its strategy, to the point that it might as well be considered as a second commander.</p>
<p>The synergy between our two legends is pretty clear: discard a bunch of cards, get a bunch of attacking <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Living Laser" href="#" target="_blank">Living Laser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> copies and a bunch of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> triggers. All of this will result in a ton of direct damage to our opponents' faces and a horde of 4/4s coming their way.</p>
<p>This is also the perfect chance to build <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a new way. Rather than piling up on token generators, we want to include a lot of discard effects and creatures that synergize with those effects. In this way, we will churn through our deck to set up the perfect winning board state.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Discarding Our Way to Victory</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faithless Looting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quarrel&#039;s End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Founding of Omashu"></div></div>
<p>Our main engine revolves around continuously drawing and discarding cards. And if we can pair this effect up with some token generation, it'll be even better. For this reason, we gladly include some old goodies like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faithless Looting" href="#" target="_blank">Faithless Looting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but we also love to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quarrel&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Quarrel&#039;s End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is way more expensive, but we can use the creature it comes with to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shock" href="#" target="_blank">Shock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> our opponents. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Founding of Omashu" href="#" target="_blank">Founding of Omashu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another good inclusion, as it does everything I've just mentioned <em>and</em> it pumps our board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliversmith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sparkspitter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div></div>
<p>But how about cards that only discard and create tokens? Well, we do have those as well. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliversmith" href="#" target="_blank">Sliversmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is cheap and reliable: it can get going in the very first turns of the game and it'll always be there to trigger all of our payoffs. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sparkspitter" href="#" target="_blank">Sparkspitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is more aggressive, creating 3/1s that are eager to attack and deal damage themselves, in addition to triggering <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can truly live up to its name: it can create tokens that are copies of creatures that create tokens, creating a very long chain of damage.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Discard Synergies: Phoenixes, Madness and Cycling</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cool but Rude"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monument to Endurance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bag of Holding"></div></div>
<p>Of course, we want to run a few additional payoffs other than our commander(s). First off, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cool but Rude" href="#" target="_blank">Cool but Rude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes from another <em>Universe</em> but it synergizes very well with this one. Right off the bat it is a repeatable looting effect, which can easily become a source of consistent damage. We're not immediately interested in unlocking the third level, but it might prove crucial for a topic I'll develop later.</p>
<p>Then, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monument to Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Monument to Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Jack-of-all-trades that fits perfectly with our strategy: it can get us mana and/or cards if we run low on either of these resources, but it can propel us towards the finish line with some extra damage.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bag of Holding" href="#" target="_blank">Bag of Holding</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is our safety net. It sits on the board and slowly stashes cards; then, whenever we run out of gas in the tank, we can crack it and start all over again.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flamewake Phoenix"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warcry Phoenix"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nemesis Phoenix"></div></div>
<p>While building the deck, I noticed that Phoenixes make for incredible discard fodder. First off, you always want them in the graveyard, so that you can recur them; additionally, this triggers <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is always good. Then, expanding on the damage theme, they can be brought back again and again, giving us a ton of possibilities to deal damage to our opponents.</p>
<p>Among the most notable ones, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamewake Phoenix" href="#" target="_blank">Flamewake Phoenix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very easy to reanimate, considering it can trigger off of our commander. Then, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warcry Phoenix" href="#" target="_blank">Warcry Phoenix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nemesis Phoenix" href="#" target="_blank">Nemesis Phoenix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> interact very well with our all-out aggressive plan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje&#039;s Ravager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blazing Rootwalla"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magmakin Artillerist"></div></div>
<p>An honorable mention also goes to the mechanics that interact positively with our plan, such as Madness and Cycling. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anje&#039;s Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Anje&#039;s Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is always a bit of a risky play, but it can also be a saving grace if we run out of gas. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a free <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> trigger (as well as the mascot of the deck). Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magmakin Artillerist" href="#" target="_blank">Magmakin Artillerist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can truly get out of hand if it manages to stick on the board for a few turns.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Quest for Consistency</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gamble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flamekin Harbinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Desecrate Reality"></div></div>
<p>Sadly, we're not playing black and/or green, two colors that would have helped a lot in terms of consistency. Those two colors give access to a lot of tutors, which are crucial in a secret commander deck. Nonetheless, we can make up for it with the huge amounts of cards we draw every turn.</p>
<p>But this is also where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cool but Rude" href="#" target="_blank">Cool but Rude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s third level comes into play.</p>
<p>In fact, we also run <em>some </em>tutors in a mono-red style. Obviously, we are including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gamble" href="#" target="_blank">Gamble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the closest this color can get to an actual tutor. On the same line, we are also playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fervent Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Fervent Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is way more expensive, but it might also grant us a way bigger reward in terms of tutoring. The glaring drawback for both of these spells is the random discard effect: at the very least, we could get something useful out of it.</p>
<p>We actually do have one unconditional tutor: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamekin Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Flamekin Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is one of the best in the deck, because it can tutor any Elemental creature to the top of our deck. And guess what creature type <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Living Laser" href="#" target="_blank">Living Laser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just so happens to be? Exactly.</p>
<p>Lastly, we also have some kind of recursion with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Desecrate Reality" href="#" target="_blank">Desecrate Reality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which also doubles as a removal spell.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The New Cards</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fogwell&#039;s Gym"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Misty Knight, Hero for Hire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Molten Lavamancer"></div></div>
<p>There are actually quite a few cards coming from the <em>Marvel Super Heroes</em> main and commander sets that fit very well in this build.</p>
<p>We can start with some simple rummaging effects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fogwell&#039;s Gym" href="#" target="_blank">Fogwell&#039;s Gym</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which makes for a good utility land, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="K&#039;un-Lun Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">K&#039;un-Lun Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vision of Love" href="#" target="_blank">Vision of Love</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both of which are rebrandings of some already-known cards.</p>
<p>But we also get access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Master Marksman" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Master Marksman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can also count on two additional modes that can be useful at pushing more damage. Even more interesting, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misty Knight, Hero for Hire" href="#" target="_blank">Misty Knight, Hero for Hire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be an excellent payoff at the end of a long turn of discarding cards. And how about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Man, New Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Man, New Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Just make sure you have it on the battlefield before discarding a bunch of cards and the game might be over in the blink of an eye.</p>
<p>We also get some nice complementary pieces to our strategy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Lavamancer" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Lavamancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a homerun of a card, since it'll instantly become a token-producing, damage-dealing machine in combination with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom&#039;s Time Platform" href="#" target="_blank">Doom&#039;s Time Platform</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heart-Shaped Herb" href="#" target="_blank">Heart-Shaped Herb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both somewhat of a protection/recursion tool, which are always welcome in this color. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iron Man, Tony Stark" href="#" target="_blank">Iron Man, Tony Stark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> simply goes crazy with our commander, basically saying that every spell we cast has three <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shock" href="#" target="_blank">Shock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s stapled onto it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Complete Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Purphoros 2.0" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Living Laser
*1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Anje&#039;s Ravager
*1 Blazing Rootwalla
*1 Chase Stein, Runaway
*1 Conspiracy Theorist
*1 Detective&#039;s Phoenix
*1 Flamekin Harbinger
*1 Flamewake Phoenix
*1 Hawkeye, Master Marksman
*1 Hawkeye, Young Avenger
*1 Hulkling, Young Avenger
*1 Iron Man, Tony Stark
*1 Jack of Hearts, Volatile Hero
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 K&#039;un-Lun Warrior
*1 Lamplight Phoenix
*1 Lightning Phoenix
*1 Magmakin Artillerist
*1 Misty Knight, Hero for Hire
*1 Molten Gatekeeper
*1 Molten Lavamancer
*1 Nemesis Phoenix
*1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power
*1 Phoenix Chick
*1 Phoenix of Ash
*1 Rekindling Phoenix
*1 Scrapwork Mutt
*1 Seasoned Pyromancer
*1 Sliversmith
*1 Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
*1 Sparkspitter
*1 Spider-Man, New Champion
*1 Thrill-Kill Disciple
*1 Warcry Phoenix
*1 Yidaro, Wandering Monster
[/Creature]
[Instant]
*1 Desecrate Reality
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Vision of Love
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Fervent Mastery
*1 Gamble
*1 Illuminate History
*1 Quarrel&#039;s End
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bag of Holding
*1 Currency Converter
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Doom&#039;s Time Platform
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Heart-Shaped Herb
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Monument to Endurance
*1 Ruby Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sword of Light and Shadow
*1 Trading Post
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*1 Cool but Rude
*1 Founding of Omashu
[/Enchantment]
[Planeswalker]
*1 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Planeswalker]
[Battle]
*1 Invasion of Mercadia // Kyren Flamewright
[/Battle]
[Land]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Fogwell&#039;s Gym
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*26 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
*1 Spinerock Knoll
*1 War Room
*1 Witch&#039;s Clinic
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>So, what do you think? Will you give this deck a try? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see you next time!</p>


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