Wolverine, Best There IsWolverine, Best There Is | Art by Victor Adame Minguez

Hello, and welcome back to Beyond the Multiverse. This week we're back in the Marvel universe. But don't worry about Marvel fatigue; this might be the last time until the Spider-Man set drops, as we're currently getting daily doses of Final Fantasy previews (I can barely contain my hype for the set at this point).

In the meantime, let's see what Marvel deck I should tackle next...

Snikt!

Oh, right.

Without further ado, let's look at Wolverine, Best There IsWolverine, Best There Is.

The Wolverine of Canada

Wolverine is an alias of James Howlett (aka Logan) who was born in Alberta, Canada. He was most prominent as a member of the X-Men, and has been one of the Avengers in some continuities. He's portrayed as a gruff loner with a rebellious attitude against authority figures. A deeper look reveals a heavily traumatized life, a struggle to balance between his human and "wild" self (including his "berserker rages"), and a code of honor and morality. He has been known to leave the team(s) for a time to deal with his issues (something we see in the Rhythm of the WildRhythm of the Wild card depicting him.

His card does exactly what it says on the tin: build him up and *snikt* your opponents' life totals. All he wants to do is attack, and attack he will, because we're going to give our opponents a serious case of overkill. Fortunately, the Universes Beyond card pool helps with this, since we have a nice blend of old and new cards that can make Wolverine deadly.

Going Berserk With Wolverine

We'll need ways to power Wolverine up. He starts with a small statline, so we'll need to make him bigger. Firstly, Bone SabresBone Sabres (22,152 decks) will give him four +1/+1 counters on attack, making him a lethal threat. Similarly, Power FistPower Fist (44,023 decks) gives him trample, and also gives him a lot of counters whenever he connects to a player (a lovely synergy with his first ability, which I'll get to momentarily). Thirdly, Champion's HelmChampion's Helm (68,400 decks) serves two purposes: it gives Wolverine a smaller buff, and it also shields him from targeted removal.

However, improving Wolverine's statline isn't the only way we can make him into a deadly force. Before I go over that, I need to mention that first ability, Unrivaled Lethality, which doubles the damage that he deals. With this, we can make him deal even more havoc. Crucially, double strike is a major player, allowing Wolverine to devastate your opponents. Chaos Terminator LordChaos Terminator Lord (6,928 decks) gives it to him each combat. Both FireshriekerFireshrieker (96,257 decks) and The Spear of LeonidasThe Spear of Leonidas (21,477 decks) provide double strike, and the Spear comes with additional utility as well, if needed.

In addition, trample is another keyword that works with Wolverine. RancorRancor (128,140 decks) gives his power a small buff, but also gives him the trample ability. ShadowspearShadowspear (reskinned as Totec's Spear; 199,617 decks) bestows the trample, lifelink, and tears down indestructible and hexproof creatures as well. In a similar vein, Loxodon WarhammerLoxodon Warhammer (reskinned as Ghal Maraz, the Great Shatterer; 106,676 decks) does this with an even bigger boost to his power. Thirdly, Bloodcrusher of KhorneBloodcrusher of Khorne (14,807 decks) gives trample to all of our creatures. Finally, Gimli's FuryGimli's Fury (6,330 decks) is a one shot that can potentially eliminate opponents with a jump-scare.

Of Immortality and Regeneration

Wolverine has the ability to regenerate himself, but we can't always rely on that because it requires two mana open. Worse, you may have to protect him multiple times, as he is a removal magnet. Fortunately we have other ways to protect him. I mentioned Champion's HelmChampion's Helm, and that helps. In addition, Mithril CoatMithril Coat (257,689 decks) grants him indestructibility, especially at instant speed, and can auto-equip onto Wolverine. Further, Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention (821,880 decks) protects our board while Bombadil's SongBombadil's Song (16,261 decks) protects just our commander. Finally, since Wolverine will be subject to counterspells when casting him, Rhythm of the WildRhythm of the Wild (302,108 decks) ensures that he gets to land while rudely telling those pesky blue players to bother someone else.

Rite of PassageRite of Passage (15,550 decks) can grow Wolverine with each time he's dealt damage, but be sure to keep him from dying when doing so. Lastly, if Wolverine gets too expensive to cast, Command BeaconCommand Beacon (269,829 decks) can be sacrificed to get him out of the command zone, so you can cast him again.

Wolverine, Best There Is Commander Deck List

Using Deadly Force

If I was using in-universe cards with this list, we'd get a lot more power-doubling cards in here. BerserkBerserk (24,694 decks) is like Gimli's FuryGimli's Fury in that it can kill someone out of nowhere. In addition, we can regenerate Wolverine and nullify Berserk's end step trigger, ensuring his survival. In a similar vein, Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth (162,583 decks) makes Wolverine's stats double. A high enough statline will make this lethal.

That said, what we also really need are extra combat steps. Firstly, Seize the DaySeize the Day (reskinned as Round Two; 63,495 decks) only targets Wolverine, but it can be cast again from your graveyard for, befitting its Universes Beyond name, a second round of combat. Secondly, BloodthirsterBloodthirster (which is also really good with double strike, by the way) and Scourge of the ThroneScourge of the Throne (44,711 decks and 70,116 decks, respectively) are two creatures that achieve this, with the former netting us multiple combat steps if the stars align.

Moreover, Grim Reaper's SprintGrim Reaper's Sprint (19,267 decks) gives a small buff to Wolverine as well as the above, but a creature will need to die to cast it cheaply. While it's not in the list, Last Night TogetherLast Night Together (9,188 decks) has two creatures attack on the next combat. That said, it provides counters and some useful keywords. Finally, Overpowering AttackOverpowering Attack's (40,140 decks) cost can be reduced if Wolverine was able to connect the first time around.

Other Cards For Wolverine

There's a few other noteworthy cards I wanted to mention. First of these is Chandra's IgnitionChandra's Ignition (reskinned as Miku's Ignition; 141,494 decks). Wolverine's first ability gives it more reach, letting you remove more creatures than you typically would. Secondly, The OzolithThe Ozolith (reskinned as Admantium Bonding Tank; 203,856 decks) will store any +1/+1 counters that Wolverine had, should he be removed. Then, you recast him and move the counters back on him. Next, Gimli's AxeGimli's Axe (7,820 decks) not only gives our commander a big power boost, but the Equipment grants him evasion as well.

Next, both Hunter's BowHunter's Bow and Gimli's Reckless MightGimli's Reckless Might (11,306 and 20,745 decks, respectively) allow Wolverine to pick off opposing creatures (and the latter gives him haste). Inscription of AbundanceInscription of Abundance (51,870 decks) packs a lot of utility: it buoys our life total, buffs Wolverine, and allows him to pick off a pesky creature. Speaking of haste, Rising of the DayRising of the Day (138,156 decks) gives our commander a tiny buff, but it more importantly gives him haste. Excalibur, Sword of EdenExcalibur, Sword of Eden (61,469 decks) is among the most terrifying cards in the deck. Equipping it to our commander means he's automatically in lethal range, whether it'd be commander damage, or ordinary damage.

We also have a couple of creatures that could use a boost to achieve their effects. Atalan JackalAtalan Jackal (26,236 decks) ramps us on connecting, and it already has trample and taste. Also, Crimson CaravaneerCrimson Caravaneer (6,082 decks) comes with double strike and trample, plus nets us some treasure tokens when it connects. Finally, Cavern-Hoard DragonCavern-Hoard Dragon (70,080 decks) gives us a ton of Treasures when they hit someone relying too much on their precious trinkets. Unlike the other two, the Dragon doesn't need much support, since it's got a decent statline.

We're Done Here, Bub

In conclusion, the stars mostly aligned with this build. Using the Universes Beyond card pool, most of the key pieces found their way into the deck, and I'm sure there will be more support for Wolverine in the future (a reskinned Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels would be nice). This deck is one of those where you don't want to do any thinking and help wind down for the night. Simple decks like that are good to have on hand.

Half of the Marvel legends are now covered, and at this point I'm using multiple legends from certain sets. I imagine we could do with a break from the likes of The Lord of the Rings, and find something fresh. Maybe something from the Secret Lair Drops, perhaps (provided, of course, I can assemble the deck with the card pool)?

On a different note, I did receive an idea for an article a little bit ago, and I'll soon get to it. Feel free to let me know in the comments which Universes Beyond commander you'd like me to cover next, especially those from franchises I haven't covered yet. Join me next time when we venture off the beaten path for a change of scenery.