New Marvel Super Heroes MTG Set Brings Iconic Heroes and Villains to Magic

Marvel is everywhere right now—from blockbuster multiplayer hits like Marvel Rivals to the studio’s constantly growing cinematic universe—and its latest bid for your attention comes in the form of a new Magic: The Gathering release. The new Marvel Super Heroes Universes Beyond set brings Marvel heroes and villains into Magic in a way that’s aimed at both long-time TCG players and comic-first superhero fans. After going hands-on at Summer Game Fest ahead of the set’s June 26 launch, I get why it’s pulling people in: it made me seriously consider learning Magic.

Hands-On: Choosing Decks and Finding Combos

Early in a practice match, you’re given a simple starting decision: pick one of five superhero Welcome Decks—Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, or Black Widow. Each one corresponds to one of Magic’s five main color identities. From there, the structure is familiar but tailored—each deck includes a half-deck built around the chosen superhero, then gets paired with another half-deck made by inserting 30 additional cards at random.

As someone who collects TCGs before they play them, I ignored “best option” talk and chose my personal favorite: Spider-Man. (Tobey Maguire remains my top pick—sorry Tom Holland.) Almost immediately, I felt the gap between my understanding and what my opponent clearly brought. Their strategy guide knowledge was noticeably stronger, and my “spider deck” fell behind early. I was also pressured by an opponent’s flying threat, and I struggled to find a clean way to remove it.

Then the match swung. I landed a combo that let me draw an extra card every turn, and that single shift changed the pace. With stronger draw and a better flow of options, I was finally able to cast the kind of cards that made my opponent’s creatures stop being the center of the board. I managed to overwhelm their blocking plans and push through an unexpected win—Spider-Man and allies doing the heavy lifting.

My performance wasn’t expert-level, but it proved something important about the set’s design: even without deep Magic knowledge, you can win by leaning into card combinations and the special abilities they bring. I didn’t know everything about Magic, yet what I did know about Spider-Man and his supporting cast helped me recognize and assemble interactions I might have missed otherwise.

Design Intent: Making Characters Play Like Themselves

That “recognizable connection” between Marvel familiarity and Magic gameplay is exactly what the Wizards of the Coast team set out to build. With two brands merging—where iconic, naturally powerful characters have to be balanced into competitive card mechanics—the big question becomes unavoidable: did the character inspiration come first, or did the balancing come first?

Lead designer Mark Rosewater addressed that directly. He explained that the card has to represent the character first, but it can’t stop at theme alone. If the card is only a character reference and doesn’t function well in play, it won’t matter. In his view, the process was to choose one primary focus, commit to it, and then ensure the result plays strongly.

Rosewater’s enthusiasm was hard to miss during the discussion. As a long-standing central figure in Magic’s history, his passion for Marvel helped guide the collaboration toward a balance between a character’s identity and how that identity shows up on the card.

Staying True to Magic: Rosewater on Process, Detail, and Flavor

Rosewater’s Marvel fandom also plays into his role. He described how he approached the early portion of the set, saying he’s been reading Marvel for a long time and knows it well. In his account of how Wizards of the Coast structures work, one team handles the first half of set development, then hands off to another group for the second half—so different perspectives can shape the final product.

He specifically called his first phase “Vision Design,” framing it as the foundation for how the set would be built and interpreted as it moved through later stages.

Memorable Card Work Before Abilities Were Final

As the set progressed into later phases, Rosewater looked back at cards he helped review before their abilities were locked in. One example stood out: Hulk’s rage. He described the canonical idea that when Hulk gets angrier, he grows stronger—so the mechanical expression needed to “deliver” that identity. The solution involved adding a plus one, plus one counter mechanic, which he said reflects the kind of detail the team wanted to get right.

That care is visible, even to a newcomer like me. Each character comes across as tied to their lore, and the overall approach feels authentic, fair, and approachable—whether you’re brand-new to Magic or just new to how Marvel fits into it. For fans, the set also leans into flavor text and playful interactions that capture the core spirit of both Marvel’s most recognizable personalities and Magic’s own style.

What’s Next: Launch Date and Rosewater’s Favorite

As the conversation wrapped up, one question remained: what’s Rosewater’s favorite card in the new set? Before I could fully ask, he had an immediate answer. He said he loves Squirrel Girl, praised how green “is awesome,” and explained that seeing everyone embrace Squirrel Girl made him especially happy. His favorite is the card that lets you double things—because, as he put it, he loves squirrels and he loves Squirrel Girl.

Whether you’re building around Spider-Man, Hulk, Killmonger, Dr. Doom, Black Widow, or Black Panther, the set gives plenty of options for assembling a deck of your absolute favorites. Marvel fans and Magic superfans alike can get their hands on the anticipated release starting June 26.