**Black Panther, Wakandan King** is one of five heroes featured in the latest release of **Magic: The Gathering’s** Marvel Superdrop. This Superdrop includes five distinctive Secret Lairs, each spotlighting a unique hero. Among these are four reprints with new artwork and, in some cases, revised names, along with a legendary creature that introduces an original game mechanic.
This legendary commander excels in overwhelming the battlefield with numerous creatures while distributing +1/+1 counters to enhance them. The optimal strategy for building **Black Panther, Wakandan King** is to blend a token strategy with +1/+1 counters, maximizing the potential of his abilities.
Decklist
Commander: Black Panther, Wakandan King | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aragorn and Arwen, Wed | Arwen, Weaver of Hope | Avacyn’s Pilgrim | Bess, Soul Nourisher | Botanical Brawler | Bristly Bill, Spine Sower |
Byrke, Long Ear of the Law | Champion of Lambholt | Elvish Mystic | Evolution Sage | Faithful Watchdog | Finneas, Ace Archer |
Forgotten Ancient | Jacked Rabbit | Kalonian Hydra | Kami of Whispered Hopes | Lae’zel, Vlaakith’s Champion | Leinore, Autumn Sovereign |
Llanowar Elves | Maja, Bretagard Protector | Managorger Hydra | Rampaging Baloths | Rishkar, Peema Renegade | Scute Swarm |
Sovereign Okinec Ahau | Torens, Fist of the Angels | Damning Verdict | Farseek | Hop to It | Nature’s Lore |
Rampant Growth | Release the Dogs | Three Visits | Beast Within | Call the Coppercoats | Grand Crescendo |
Heroic Intervention | Inspiring Call | March of the Multitudes | Path to Exile | Pledge of Unity | Raise the Alarm |
Secure the Wastes | Swords to Plowshares | White Sun’s Zenith | Arcane Signet | Halo Fountain | Ozolith, the Shattered Spire |
Scepter of Celebration | Selesnya Signet | Sol Ring | Talisman of Unity | Branching Evolution | Cathars’ Crusade |
Communal Brewing | Court of Garenbrig | Court of Grace | Felidar Retreat | Hardened Scales | Innkeeper’s Talent |
Primal Vigor | Rabble Rousing | Sigarda’s Summons | Tribute to the World Tree | Blighted Woodland | Brushland |
Canopy Vista | Castle Ardenvale | Command Tower | Exotic Orchard | x10 Forest | Gavony Township |
Horizon Canopy | Hushwood Verge | Idyllic Grange | Karn’s Bastion | Llanowar Reborn | Minas Tirith |
Mosswort Bridge | Overgrown Farmland | x7 | Razorverge Thicket | Sunpetal Grove | |
This deck includes **27 creatures, 7 sorceries, 12 instants, 7 artifacts, 12 enchantments**, and **34 lands**. The majority of the cards either create creature tokens or distribute additional +1/+1 counters.
Key Cards
Black Panther, Wakandan King
**Black Panther, Wakandan King** stands out as the commander and the most powerful card in the deck. Although placing a +1/+1 counter on a land doesn’t alter its functionality, Black Panther’s secondary ability allows those counters to be placed on a creature, earning you life and drawing you cards in the process.
Once on the field, **Black Panther** doesn’t need to engage in attacks or defense to accumulate counters, as it retains its effectiveness throughout the game. Thanks to its first strike ability, **Black Panther** becomes an excellent target for counters, significantly improving its performance in battle.
Scute Swarm
Maintaining a steady flow of creatures is crucial, and **Scute Swarm** is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this. When you have six or more lands, you can keep creating copies of **Scute Swarm**, leading to even more copies down the line.
Each duplicate of **Scute Swarm** carries all the abilities of the original. If you have five copies of **Scute Swarm**, they will each trigger when one land enters, subsequently creating five additional **Scute Swarm** tokens.
**Scute Swarm** not only enhances the triggering of **Black Panther’s** abilities but also fosters a formidable token army for defense. Provided the original **Scute Swarm** remains intact, you will continue to generate tokens unless confronted with a board wipe.
Halo Fountain
**Halo Fountain** serves as a means to generate tokens, draw cards, and presents an alternative win condition. With **Black Panther** focusing on tokens, reaching the threshold of 15 creatures is relatively simple. To win with **Halo Fountain**, you simply need to pay five mana and untap 15 creatures.
The power of **Halo Fountain** lies in its ability to compel opponents to respond or risk defeat. While it’s not essential for victory, it provides a reliable backup plan against opponents that may not anticipate its disruptive potential.
Jacked Rabbit
**Jacked Rabbit** is an excellent card for receiving +1/+1 counters. It can already enter with multiple counters, and by assigning +1/+1 counters from a land onto it, you can generate a significant number of 1/1 Rabbit tokens with just one attack.
With its boosted stats, you can avoid concerns about it falling in combat. Even if it comes into play with its base stats, **Black Panther** can supply it with a multitude of +1/+1 counters, preserving mana for further interactions since this action can be performed at instant speed.
Champion of Lambholt
**Champion of Lambholt** is a valuable asset for achieving victory through combat. By equipping it with many counters, all creatures with lower power will be unable to block not just **Champion of Lambholt** but all of your creatures.
There’s no need to invest additional resources into countering **Champion of Lambholt** since it self-regulates its counters with each trigger. The deck naturally produces plenty of creatures to activate **Black Panther**, which repeatedly triggers **Champion of Lambholt** to help clinch the win with your creatures.
How To Play The Deck
This deck built around **Black Panther, Wakandan King** emphasizes **the creation of a multitude of tokens while distributing +1/+1 counters between your lands and creatures**. Cards like **Branching Evolution**, **Hardened Scales**, and **Primal Vigor** that grant extra counters are extremely beneficial.
Numerous cards provide extra counters, meaning your lands receive additional counters through **Black Panther’s** triggers. When moving counters, these permanents that grant extras continue to contribute, allowing for significant scalability on the counters your creatures accumulate.
It’s crucial to have many token generators quickly enter the battlefield since these are your primary means of effectively triggering **Black Panther**. Cards like **Maja, Bretagard Protector**, **Rampaging Baloths**, and **Scute Swarm** produce tokens with each land entry. Spells like **Secure the Wastes**, **Raise the Alarm**, and **Hop to It** are also fantastic token generators.
While **Black Panther** is capable of distributing counters, other cards can achieve this as well, so you need not rely solely on him for your +1/+1 counter requirements. For instance, **Aragorn and Arwen, Wed** grants counters upon attacking; **Finneas, Ace Archer** does this for tokens and nets you a card, and **Byrke, Long Ear of the Law** doubles counters on your creatures.
The **primary win condition** of the deck is to achieve victory through combat. This is accomplished by scattering +1/+1 counters across all your creatures, which allows for massive swings against your opponents. Alternatively, you can win through **Halo Fountain’s** ability to untap 15 creatures.
The major drawback of the deck is its heavy dependence on counters. Although it generates significant field presence, without the counters, you’ll simply be left with an army of 1/1 tokens, which aren’t particularly imposing. Fortunately, there are ample ways to initiate the counter-generation engine, and good ramp strategies will help get those key counter-generating permanents into play swiftly.