Storm, Force of NatureStorm, Force of Nature | Art by Magali Villeneuve

Hello, and welcome back to Beyond the Multiverse, where we assemble decks using cards only from Universes Beyond. Today we're going all-in on the Spellslinger archetype. Previously, it was two decks with two commanders from the same franchise. This time, we have the oddity of covering two characters from two very different franchises. Without further ado, let's look at Magnus the RedMagnus the Red and Storm, Force of NatureStorm, Force of Nature.

Magnus the Red

Magnus hails from the Warhammer 40K universe, specifically within the Eye of Terror. Before that, he was a son of the Emperor of Mankind with incredibly powerful psychic abilities. Tzeentch, the Dark God of Change, used him as a pawn in exchange to cure Magnus's legion of Chaos mutations. Unfortunately, his eventual actions drew fury from the Emperor, and Magnus sided with Horus during the Horus Heresy. Magnus harbored a special hatred for the Space Wolves, a Space Marine chapter that was responsible for the destruction of his home planet of Prospero.

His card wants us to lean hard into tokens, so he could power up our instants and sorceries. However, we'll need to protect our board constantly to take advantage of the discount Magnus gives us. He can also chip in and give us a token when he deals combat damage.

How to Play Magnus the Red

Crucially, going UB-only cuts out some key token staples, like Young PyromancerYoung Pyromancer and Third Path IconoclastThird Path Iconoclast. However, we do have enough token makers to get by and make the deck work.

Whirler RogueWhirler Rogue (51,835 decks) drops two artifact tokens, which then can be used to make Magnus unblockable. Secondly, Loyal ApprenticeLoyal Apprentice (107,400 decks) nets us a token if Magnus is present. Lastly, Pink HorrorPink Horror (10,867 decks) splits up to become tokens when it dies, and is also a GuttersnipeGuttersnipe effect we can have (as a bonus, the tokens also have this ability, but weaker).

When building Magnus, you'll need the right balance of instants, sorceries, and token makers. A token maker that's either one of the former are at a premium here. However, that number is non-existent for now, so we must rely on generating tokens by other means.

Magnus the Red Commander Deck List

Campaigns of Vengeance

The decklist has no shortage of Spellslinger options for us, largely thanks to the Lord of the Rings set, which gave us a number of essentials. Firstly, we have Fiery InscriptionFiery Inscription (89,413 decks), which damages our opponents with each instant or sorcery cast. Secondly, and one of the best, Exalted Flamer of TzeentchExalted Flamer of Tzeentch (41,235 decks) recurs a random spell and pings our opponents for each one cast. With enough tokens on the board, we can cast multiple spells each turn, and that damage will add up.

However, Magnus himself will have to pull some weight at some point. The best way to create multiple tokens through his damage trigger is double strike. Chaos Terminator LordChaos Terminator Lord (6,811 decks) gives it to him each combat. In addition, The Spear of LeonidasThe Spear of Leonidas (20,697 decks) has a lot of options: the token option will come in handy, but we can also get more cards or give Magnus double strike. Having an extra combat step helps, too, but won't be as effective unless Magnus can deal damage twice.

One of Magnus's main weaknesses is that, aside from trying to protect your board to make him work, there aren't enough finishers that can effectively use his reduction ability. The main two in the list are DeleteDelete and EarthquakeEarthquake (17,336 and 45,951 decks, respectively), which will also deal damage to you, so be careful when you use them.

Fortunately, the Warhammer 40K release gave us the tools we needed to assemble this list, and gave Spellslinger some great cards to use. Magnus is one of those commanders that, I imagine, will gain some new support with time, and the list would be made much stronger. That said, with our second list, I have an unexpected twist planned for you.

Storm, Force of Nature

Firstly, I want to cover who Storm is for those who don't know her. Also known as Ororo, she's an orphan from the continent of Africa who rose to prominence in Kenya for her ability to control the weather. After a fateful meeting with Charles Xavier, and his invitation to join the X-Men, Storm rose to greater heights. This included becoming a part of the Avengers, and a former queen of Wakanda by virtue of being formerly married to the Black Panther.

With Storm, she wants to hit opponents, so the next spell we cast has, well, storm. Normally, I'm a Bracket Two person, but this build calls for a higher power. This will be the series' first Bracket Three deck. Our Game Changers are: Jeska's WillJeska's Will (reskinned as Storm's Will), Rhystic StudyRhystic Study (reskinned as Unstable Harmonics), and, infamously, The One RingThe One Ring.

How to Play Storm, Force of Nature

Compared to Magnus, Storm hits like a bullet train. Firstly, we'll have lots of cantrip spells like Growth SpiralGrowth Spiral (281,093 decks), that'll draw us cards, and potentially hit a land to play. On the other hand, Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling (313,959 decks) ensures that Storm will come down without those pesky blue players uttering a word. In addition, PropagandaPropaganda (345,882 decks) will keep our opponents from attacking us while we prepare to take over the game.

One storm is child's play. Why don't we bump up those numbers? We have BloodthirsterBloodthirster and Scourge of the ThroneScourge of the Throne (44,226 decks and 67,391 decks, respectively) for extra combat. Chaos Terminator LordChaos Terminator Lord carries over from Magnus to give our next spell two instances of storm. Further, Quantum MisalignmentQuantum Misalignment (40,015 decks) can potentially give us two extra copies of Storm. Assuming they all get their triggers, the next instant or sorcery will storm off three times.

Lastly, while they don't increase the number of times we can storm, Rising of the DayRising of the Day (134,445 decks) and cards like Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves give Storm haste, so we can start storming off faster.

That said, we have ways that can boost our storm count without emptying our hand. Call Forth the TempestCall Forth the Tempest (41,531 decks), while expensive, adds three to our storm count, and clears the way for Storm herself to get through. Moreover, Return the PastReturn the Past (9,394 decks) gives the spells in our graveyard flashback, so we can cast them again before they're removed from the game.

Storm, Force of Nature Commander Deck List

Bringing the Thunder

We'll want to play cheap cantrips like ConsiderConsider and ManamorphoseManamorphose (reskinned as Ororo Borealis; 35,094 decks) to build up our storm count, chip someone with our commander, then drop the spell we want to have lots of copies of. It's quite straightforward, but how you close out games will differ from deck to deck.

That said, we'll need ways to protect Storm so she can do her thing. I already mentioned Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves, but cards like Mithril CoatMithril Coat and Brotherhood RegaliaBrotherhood Regalia (251,472 and 84,517 decks, respectively) go a long way to protect her from removal. In a similar vein to the Greaves, Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots (1,587,540 decks) essentially does the same thing. A little redundancy isn't bad in moderation.

As we're working with a much smaller card pool, you'd think finding finishers for the deck would prove difficult. However, the above also illustrates why Storm has a much easier time closing out games than Magnus does. Storm gives us a clear plan, and thus an easier endgame to understand. Consequently, it's what we're copying that'll decide how we win.

Tasha's Hideous LaughterTasha's Hideous Laughter (reskinned as Malcolm's Mercurial Mirth; 31,983 decks) will deck opponents out very quickly, especially after several copies. On the other hand, Ensnared by the MaraEnsnared by the Mara (22,650 decks) will put your opponents in a horrible conundrum: either you steal their stuff, or they remove their libraries and take an enormous amount of damage. Essentially, you're making your opponents choose how they die. So evil!

Speaking of evil, we can always use Ice StormIce Storm (4,201 decks) since we're not making friends anyway.

Clearing Skies

These decks are two different takes on the same archetype. One wants us to make lots of tokens for a major discount, and the other prefers a smaller board, with a more explosive plan. I won't be doing these double features often going forward, but they're good at knocking out multiple decks in one archetype at once. Next week, it'll be time to knock off another deck on my short list. Like the article I did for The Fourteenth DoctorThe Fourteenth Doctor (which I rebuilt shortly before that went up), it's a personal deck of mine that actually has a story behind it, including its card choices.

Until next time, may the weather be good wherever you are (I hate heat, so I prefer some rain).