Wolverine is shredding his way into Magic: The Gathering with the release of Secret Lair x Marvel’s Wolverine this November!
If you’re looking to build a Wolverine Commander & EDH deck, we’ve got a list of upgrades and cards to help you put together a formidable decklist.
First, let’s take a look at this beast of a Commander:
Before we jump into those abilities, I’ve got to shout out this sick Wolverine artwork showcasing his classic blue and yellow uniform from when Len Wein and Dave Cockrum first brought him into the X-Men back in the ’70s.
Wolverine, Best There Is is a brawler of a Commander. His first ability doubles all his damage. Clearly, he is about combat. His second ability modifies his power and toughness with +1 counters. Finally, his last ability gives him regenerate, a now-retired MTG mechanic brought back just for Wolverine.
When we combine all three abilities together, the cornerstone of any Wolverine deck is a Voltron Commander damage strategy, with a secondary potential focus on +1 counters.
Alright bub, it’s time to prepare to go berserk with our list of the 20 Best Cards to Upgrade a Wolverine, Best There Is Commander Deck:
#1 Xenagos, God of Revels
Wolverine, The Best There Is really lends himself to a Voltron strategy, so you’ll want to run as many doubling abilities as you can. Xenagos is one of the best ways to do that over and over again.
#2 Unnatural Growth
Although slightly harder to cast at four green mana and one colorless, Unnatural Growth is right up there with Xenagos at doubling Wolverine’s stats. If you manage to increase Wolverine’s power to 5, two doubling effects bring his damage to 20! Commander damage becomes pretty relevant in a Wolverine, The Best There Is deck.
#3 Berserk
Berserk is another power doubler, and it only costs one mana! It has a pretty big downside, since it destroys the creature you used it on. But fear not, Wolverine can pay two mana to regenerate.
#4 Rancor / Audacity
Rancor doubles Wolverine from 2 to 4 damage, which is then doubled by Wolverine to 8 damage. That means Rancor is effectively boosting Wolverine by 4 power. And if you aren’t able to regenerate Wolverine, you’ll get Rancor back to your hand when it goes to the graveyard.
Audacity is the same card as Rancor, except it will draw you a card instead of returning to your hand when it goes to the graveyard.#5 Chandra’s Ignition
Since Wolverine is the one dealing the damage, his ability will cause the damage he causes thanks to Chandra’s Ignition to double. This ends up being a one-sided board wipe in most situations and can also dish out 8-plus damage to opponents if there are any enchantments attached to Wolverine pumping his power.
#6 Guardian Augmenter
Opponents won’t be surprised to see you holding two mana open to regenerate Wolverine, but they will be surprised when you counter a Swords to Plowshares with a Guardian Augmenter, granting him hexproof. Not only can this creature protect Wolverine, it can double his power with +2/+2 to push in more damage.
#7 Blossoming Defense
Wolverine is susceptible to exile effects, which are generally targeted removal other than the table-groaning Farewell. Between Wolverine’s regenerate ability and cards that grant hexproof like Blossoming Defense, you’ll be able to ensure your commander stays in play for the long haul.
The power pump is also fairly relevant thanks to the doubling effects you’ll be running. If you’re running more of a counter-based strategy, substitute this for Snakeskin Veil, or run both!
#8 Vines of Vastwood
For one more mana than Blossoming Defense, you get an extra +2/+2 boost here and you can always cast it for one mana in a pinch to save Wolverine from targeted removal.
#9 Court of Garenbrig
Court of Garenbrig introduces a much needed source of card draw into the Wolverine commander deck, while also playing along with the counter strategy and doubling his power fairly effectively. A card you’re almost always happy to have in your opening hand.
#10 Jeska, Thrice Reborn
Wolverine doubles his power and Jeska, Thrice Reborn will triple his power from there. Combined, that’s a 6x pump on Wolverine’s P/T. That means if you have a Wolverine with a measly 2 power pump, this combination will deal 24 damage!
Jeska is a bit of a one-shot, as players will be happy to attack it and remove the threat. It’s better cast when the board is empty or when you’re ready to KO an opponent.
#11 Hunter’s Insight
With all the single-use pump spells you’ll be running, you’re going to need ample card draw to refill your hand. Hunter’s Insight easily draws a fresh grip of cards after Wolverine deals combat damage.
Unlike other green card draw, Hunter’s Insight draws cards equal to the amount of combat damage dealt to a player, rather than that creature’s power, which works perfectly with Wolverine’s damage-doubling ability.
#12 Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar is a staple for any red combat-matters commander build. This essentially triples the amount of damage your commander deals. All for the low price of two mana!
#13 Lizard Blades
Lizard Blades not only made our list of the best commander upgrade cards for Captain America, First Avenger, but also for this Wolverine list. Double strike is, of course, another way to double Wolverine’s damage in combat.
It also helps Wolverine survive combat; ergo, you won’t need to keep mana open as much to regenerate versus a big blocker, thanks to first strike dealing combat damage first.
#14 Invigorate
This gives Wolverine 8 extra damage for free! The life gain is irrelevant thanks to Commander damage rules. You can also have the player furthest behind gain the life, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.
#15 Kodama of the West Tree
Wolverine has a built-in way to modify himself with counters, making him synergistic with Kodama of the West Tree. Thanks to trample, you’re basically guaranteed to be ramping every attack with Kodama in play.
#16 Brotherhood Regalia
You’ll want ways to ensure Wolverine can push through damage. Brotherhood Regalia is perfect for that job. Not only does it make him unblockable for only 3 mana, it also makes it difficult for opponents to target with removal.
#17 Innkeeper’s Talent
Whether you are going with the counter theme or not, Innkeeper’s Talent does work in a Wolverine deck. By the time you attack with Wolverine, he will have two +1 counters on him thanks to Innkeeper’s Talent.
The extra ward can come in handy versus opponents’ free-to-cast removal spells like Snuff Out. Innkeeper’s Talent’s final ability is particularly useful if you’re going with a counter-heavy build.
#18 Wild Defiance
If you’re running a bunch of pump spells, Wild Defiance is an all-star. It turns every Giant Growth into a +6/+6, which Wolverine then turns into a +12 power effect.
#19 Groundswell
Plus four power for only 1 mana is a nigh-unbeatable rate, other than Berserk and the previously mentioned Invigorate. Perfect for the Wild Defiance style deck.
#20 Mark of Sakiko
Last on the list is Mark of Sakiko. Forget Rampant Growth, this is the kind of ramp card you want in the deck. For only two mana, this enchantment will gain you 4 or more mana per turn. It’s an underrated and lesser-known way to get ahead in green.
With these 20 cards in your Wolverine deck, you’re sure to give yourself a fighting chance to claw ahead to victory!
If you’re looking for even more power, consider adding the equipment cards from our list of the best equipment in MTG.
ALSO READ: Captain America, First Avenger: Commander Upgrade Guide
