Although Marvel: Darkhold Destiny is still months away from release, some of its revealed cards are already showing promising potential for the Standard format. One of which is today’s blog post feature: Hela’s Arcanum.  

Hela’s Arcanum offers an interesting mix of creature removal, combat tricks, and resilience, making it worth examining for black-based Standard decks. This five-mana instant lets you choose up to five points’ worth of modes, including granting a creature +1/+0 and deathtouch, giving it a temporary death-triggered return ability, or destroying non-Zombie creatures with power 3 or less. Its flexibility allows players to adapt the spell to different board states rather than relying on a single removal effect.

One of its most appealing applications is its potential inclusion in black-based midrange and control decks. Against aggressive strategies that flood the battlefield with small creatures, the mass-removal mode can clear multiple threats at once, provided they are non-Zombies with power 3 or less. However, the five-mana cost makes it relatively expensive compared with cheaper removal spells, so its effectiveness will depend on whether the flexibility and potential card advantage justify holding up that much mana.

The creature-enhancement modes also provide opportunities for more tactical plays. Granting a creature deathtouch can help it trade with a much larger attacker, while the temporary return ability can protect an important creature from destruction and potentially preserve its battlefield value.

Because the spell lets you choose the same mode more than once, it offers extra flexibility, but you must weigh the available modes and their costs when planning each play.

Ultimately, Hela’s Arcanum looks more like a situational utility spell than an automatic Standard staple. It could earn a place in a slower black-based deck if small-creature strategies are common and the ability to combine removal with creature protection proves valuable.

However, its relatively high mana cost and restriction against Zombies mean that deck builders will need to compare it with more efficient removal options before deciding whether it deserves a main-deck or sideboard slot.

Thanks for reading.