Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Marvel Cards, Featuring Avengers, X-Men

Magic: The Gathering on Friday revealed the first results of its partnership with Marvel Entertainment at New York Comic Con.

The partnership between the hugely popular card game and the Disney-owned comic book publisher begins with a series of Secret Lair Drops -- limited-time direct sales of cards -- themed around five of Marvel's iconic heroes. The drops all include a legendary creature card, which can be used to headline a deck in the Commander format, along with a handful of reprints that would fit nicely alongside the hero. 

The first Marvel heroes in Magic are Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, Storm and Wolverine. They'll be on sale starting Nov. 4, with each individual drop costing $40, or $50 for the same cards in a foil treatment.

These Secret Lair drops make great gifts for the comics fans and card gamers in your life. Last year, a friend got me the Magic: The Gathering x Tomb Raider drop, which was one of my favorite gifts of the season because I then got to build an entire deck around those cards. (Pro tip: Just do some fishing around to make sure your loved one isn't already buying these drops since they're only available during a limited window.) 

If someone you know is interested in these cards but new to the game of Magic, the upcoming set Magic Foundations will be released next month, including starter collection and beginner box products designed to help people get into (or back into) the game.

I spoke with Aaron Forsythe, VP of design for Magic: The Gathering, ahead of Friday's panel. Forsythe told me that, for this initial selection of cards, the designers chose a specific aspect of each character, aiming for traits that would be immediately recognizable. The Marvel heroes made that easy. "Their character roster does everything you'd want to do in a game," he said. 

Here's a closer look at the cards that were revealed today.

Black Panther

Wizards of the Coast/Marvel

The King of Wakanda is a green and white card, reflecting his status as the leader of a nation deeply connected to nature. The Black Panther card lets you store counters on your lands and then transfer them to buff your creatures, gain life and draw cards -- mirroring how Wakanda mines and benefits from the mythical element vibranium.

Captain America

Wizards of the Coast/Marvel

The First Avenger is, appropriately, a red, white and blue card that gives you access to more colors to build around, even if his character is more centered in the color philosophy of white mana (order, unity and morality). Cap's abilities let you pay mana to throw equipment (for example, a vibranium shield) at opponents and then equip it again for free.

Iron Man

Wizards of the Coast/Marvel

If your money was on Tony Stark being a blue and red artifact-themed card, congratulations -- you were correct along with everyone else! The playboy genius lets you quickly upgrade artifacts into more powerful artifacts, representing Iron Man's mechanical tinkering. I'm preemptively scared by what broken things people will do with this card. (Fun fact: Iron Man's color identity means he fits into a Captain America-led Commander deck and could synergize with the equipment that Cap wants.)

Storm

Wizards of the Coast/Marvel

The former queen of Wakanda and longtime X-Men member is represented as a force of nature in this green, blue and red card. Her ability gives players access to a powerful effect -- also named "Storm" -- that allows you to play additional copies of spells for free. You can also just buy it for the art; no one will blame you.

Wolverine

Wizards of the Coast/Marvel

Fresh off his return to cinemas and debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wolverine shows up in this Secret Lair drop as a red and green card that's tough to kill thanks to his "Regenerate" ability. And he gets angrier -- er, stronger -- the longer he sticks around. As with Cap and Iron Man, Wolverine's color identity means he fits in a Commander deck led by Storm.

We'll get more Marvel in Magic: The Gathering starting next year, including a Spider-Man set, but these Secret Lair Drops are exciting, flavorful ways to kick things off.