Hulk SMASH! Magic's Marvel Set Unleashes Reality-Bending Combos That Might Just Break Your Friendships (and the Meta)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
The upcoming Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes set is set to unleash chaotic combos with its Hulk cards, featuring an infinite attack loop with Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk and Caltrops, and a game-breaking free creature cast with World War Hulk.
Alright, listen up, you lovely lot! You know that feeling when you're just innocently tinkering with a new spell, and suddenly, you've accidentally blown a hole through reality? That's pretty much what Wizards of the Coast just did with the upcoming Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes set, especially when it comes to everyone's favourite green goliath, the Hulk.
Word on the digital street – specifically from our mates over at Polygon, who got a peek behind the curtain – is that the Hulk cards are, to put it mildly, absolutely bonkers. And after a bit of a deep dive, I'm not just gently skeptical, I'm cautiously giddy. This isn't just about big numbers, mate; it’s about some truly wild, game-warping interactions that could send your kitchen table meta (and your friendships) spiralling into chaotic fun.
The main event here, the one that’s got my wizard hat spinning, is the transforming creature, **Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk**. Now, Bruce starts off rather unassuming – a cheap 1/1 for a single blue mana. But don't let that fool you. He’s got this neat trick where, for XX mana, he can tap to let you draw X cards. That’s a pretty solid draw engine in itself, right? Keeps your hand full, keeps the options flowing. But that’s just the calm before the gamma-radiated storm.
Pay a bit more (two colorless, two red, two green, for those keeping score), and Bruce transforms into **The Incredible Hulk**. And bloody hell, this isn't just an upgrade; it's a full-blown kaiju event. He clocks in as an 8/8 with reach, trample, *and* enrage. But here's where it gets truly spicy: whenever he’s dealt damage, he gets a +1/+1 counter. And if he’s attacking? He untaps and triggers an *additional combat phase*. Yeah, you heard that right. Additional combat phases are the kind of thing that make a gamer's eye twitch with either fear or maniacal glee.
Now, if you're like me, your brain probably immediately started connecting dots faster than Quicksilver on a caffeine binge. The most obvious, and frankly, completely overpowered, interaction Polygon flagged is with a classic three-cost artifact called **Caltrops**. Caltrops has a simple, seemingly innocent ability: "whenever a creature attacks, Caltrops deals 1 damage to it." See where this is going? If you’ve got Hulk and Caltrops on the board, a single attack kicks off an infinite loop. Hulk attacks, Caltrops pings him for 1 damage. Hulk takes damage, gets a +1/+1 counter, untaps, and triggers *another* combat phase. Rinse and repeat. Hulk just keeps getting bigger, and you just keep attacking. Your opponent probably just keeps packing up their cards. It’s like casting a spell and it works a bit *too* well, turning into an unstoppable force. Unsurprisingly, the market price for Caltrops on TCG Player has already rocketed from around $3.60 to almost $20 in a blink. Money talks, and it's saying "get ready for some infinite smashy-smashy."
And if Caltrops isn't your jam, there's always **Pyrohemia**, an enchantment that, for one red mana, can deal one damage to *each* creature and player. Another fantastic way to trigger Hulk's enrage repeatedly and just keep the combat phases rolling. Farewell, friendships, it was nice knowing ya!
But wait, there's more! The other Hulk card revealed is **World War Hulk**, a Saga Enchantment that’s basically a cheat code for big, beefy creatures. Sagas, for those not deep in the MTG lore, tell a story over several turns, gaining "lore counters" and triggering effects. World War Hulk’s chapters are an absolute rampage:
* **Chapter One:** Lets you cast a red or green creature spell without paying its mana cost. FREE STUFF, folks! * **Chapter Two:** Doles out three +1/+1 counters on a single target creature. * **Chapter Three:** Gives a creature double power and toughness along with trample.
Chapters two and three essentially turn any creature into a Hulk-lite, but it’s that first chapter that has my digital wizard brain buzzing. "Cast a red or green creature spell without paying its mana cost"? That's not just good, mate, that's *problematic* in the best possible way. Imagine cheating out a **Progenitus** – normally a 10/10 Hydra Avatar with protection from everything, costing a staggering 10 mana (two of each colour!). With the right mana ramp, like **Llanowar Elves** on turn one and a **Badgermole Cub** (from the Avatar: The Last Airbender set) on turn two, you could potentially have the five mana needed for World War Hulk on turn three, and then BAM! Progenitus on the board for free. That’s just rude, but oh-so-fun for the caster.
And it’s not just Progenitus; any expensive red or green creature suddenly becomes a viable turn-three threat. World War Hulk elevates an entire category of "too expensive to cast" creatures into genuine contenders. It’s like suddenly finding a magic portal that bypasses all the dungeon traps directly to the treasure chest.
For those who love their Sagas, this card is going to be a staple. Imagine combining it with **Garnet, Princess of Alexandria** from the Final Fantasy set. Garnet can remove lore counters from Sagas when she attacks, gaining +1/+1 counters for each. If World War Hulk is out and Garnet's attacking, she can remove a lore counter from it, triggering chapter one *again*, letting you cheat out *another* massive red or green creature. Keep Garnet protected – perhaps with **Tale of Tinuviel** from the Lord of the Rings set giving her indestructible – and you’ve got an assembly line of giant monsters. That’s not just an army; that's an *invasion*.
And if World War Hulk ever ends up in your graveyard (perish the thought!), you’ve got options. **Yuna, Hope of Spira** can bring an enchantment back to the battlefield, and **Rydia, Summoner of Mist** lets you replay any Saga from your graveyard for its mana cost. Basically, they make sure the Hulk always comes back for more smashing.
So, what does this all mean for the meta? Well, I reckon both Hulk cards are going to be some of the biggest chase cards in the Marvel Super Heroes set, especially for Commander and standard play. Naya (red-green-white) and Gruul (red-green) decks are going to have an absolute field day weaponizing these. And Temur (red-green-blue)? That's the perfect brew for a Bruce Banner // The Incredible Hulk Commander deck, no doubt.
World War Hulk, by itself, is destined to become a staple in pretty much any deck that dabbles in green – a color already obsessed with mana ramp and big creatures. But in decks built specifically around Sagas or enchantments? It won't just end games, it'll end them with a theatrical flourish and possibly a few expletives from your exasperated opponents. Get ready, mate, because the Hulk is coming, and he's bringing the kind of chaos that only a digital wizard (or a gamma-irradiated scientist) could truly appreciate.
Tags: MagicTheGathering, MTGMarvel, CardCombos, TCG, GamingNews
Original article: Polygon