Magneto is the undisputed king of the 6-cost slot if you value raw, chaotic power over predictable combos. Most people see his 12 Power and think he's just a big body to slam down on turn six. They’re wrong. Magneto isn't just a stat stick; he’s a strategic vacuum cleaner that relocates your opponent's 3 and 4-cost cards whether they like it or not. If you want to know how to play Magneto effectively, you have to stop thinking about your own side of the board and start obsessing over your opponent’s positioning.
He's a disruptor. A bully.
Look, the game has changed a lot since the early days of Pool 3, but Magneto remains a staple in everything from High Evolutionary decks to Silver Surfer counters. He pulls cards. Specifically, every 3 and 4-cost card at other locations gets sucked into his lane. This can be a godsend or a total suicide mission depending on if you've done the math on the available space.
The Magneto Pull: Why Positioning is Everything
The biggest mistake? Playing Magneto into a lane that's already full. If your opponent has four cards in a lane, Magneto's On Reveal effect does absolutely nothing. Zip. You’re just playing a 12-power Hulk with a cooler helmet. To actually get value, you need to target lanes where your opponent has 1, 2, or 3 slots open.
Think about Kingpin.
When Kingpin is on the board, any card that moves to his location on turn six gets destroyed. This is the "Magneto Trap." You drop Kingpin on turn three or four, then on turn six, you slam Magneto into that same lane. Suddenly, their Maximus, their Polaris, or their Ms. Marvel just... disappears. It’s one of the most satisfying "feels bad" moments you can inflict on someone. But even without Kingpin, pulling a Storm-locked lane or dragging a Wong away from his intended combo pieces is enough to force a retreat.
You’ve got to watch out for the "clog."
If you pull too many high-power 3 or 4-cost cards into Magneto’s lane, you might actually lose the very location you're playing him in. Magneto is 12 power. If you pull a 9-power Gladiator and a 5-power Polaris, you’ve just gifted your opponent 14 power in exchange for your 12. You’ve "won" the other lanes by clearing them out, but you might have just handed them the tiebreaker. It's a delicate balance.
Understanding the Matchups
Knowing how to play Magneto requires a deep understanding of the current meta-game. You aren't playing in a vacuum. You’re playing against specific archetypes that rely on specific 3 and 4-cost engines.
- Against Silver Surfer: This is Magneto's favorite meal. Surfer decks are packed with 3-cost cards like Brood, Forge, and Killmonger. While you can't stop the Surfer buff itself (since Surfer is a 3-cost and usually gets played on turn six alongside something else), you can pull the existing 3-cost cards into a single lane to win the other two.
- Against Zabu/Darkhawk: Darkhawk and Ms. Marvel are 4-cost cards. Shang-Chi is a 4-cost card. If you have priority, Magneto can pull an unrevealed Shang-Chi into a lane where he has nothing to kill, effectively neutralizing the most dangerous card in the game.
- The Move Matchup: Honestly, don't help them. Pulling Vulture or Dagger just gives them free procs. If you're facing a Move deck, Magneto is often a liability unless you're using him strictly for the 12 power in a lane they've already abandoned.
Sometimes the best play isn't playing him at all. If the board is cluttered with 3-costs that have high power, like Lady Deathstrike or even a buffed Sebastian Shaw, pulling them into your Magneto lane is just asking for a loss. You have to count. Count the power, count the slots, and count the probability of a Shang-Chi coming down your throat.
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Advanced Tactics and the "Aero" Problem
Back in the day, Aero was the queen of displacement, but after her nerfs, Magneto took the throne. People expect a Doctor Doom or a Red Hulk on turn six. They rarely expect their entire board state to shift three inches to the left.
One of the slickest ways to use him is in a Ramp deck.
If you use Wave or Electro to get Magneto out on turn four or five, you gain control of the board early. This is huge. If you play Magneto on turn five, you can see where your opponent's 3 and 4-drops end up and then use turn six to react with something like an Alioth or a Leader. It’s about tempo. Most players save him for the final turn, but the "Early Magneto" is a psychological weapon that tilts opponents into making retreat errors.
Is he better than Red Hulk?
Red Hulk gets bigger if your opponent is inefficient with energy. He can hit 19 or 23 power easily. But Red Hulk is a "fair" card—he’s just big. Magneto is "unfair." He changes the rules of the board. He wins games that you have no business winning by dragging a Win-Condition card into a "Dead Lane."
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Synergies to Watch
You shouldn't just jam Magneto into every deck. He needs a shell that can support his high cost and leverage his disruption.
- Jean Grey: This is a nasty combo. Jean Grey forces players to play their first card at her location. If you can fill your side of the Jean lane and then use Magneto to pull their cards into it, you effectively lock them out of the rest of the board.
- Miles Morales: Since Magneto moves enemy cards, he counts as a "move" trigger. This makes your Miles Morales cost 1 energy on the following turn (if you ramped Magneto out early).
- Stegron and Juggernaut: If you’re leaning into the "Control/Disrupt" archetype, combining these cards makes it impossible for your opponent to maintain a presence where they actually want to be.
Common Pitfalls and Why You Keep Losing
Why does your Magneto keep failing? It's usually Priority.
If you don't have priority (your name isn't glowing), Magneto's effect happens after the opponent's cards reveal. If you do have priority, he pulls them before they flip. This is a double-edged sword. If you pull an unrevealed 4-cost card like Shang-Chi, he reveals in the new lane. If that lane has your 10+ power cards, you just killed yourself.
You also have to watch out for the "Ghost-Spider" or "Iron Man" traps. Magneto doesn't pull 5-cost cards. If your opponent is stacking power with Iron Man (5-cost) or Blue Marvel (5-cost), Magneto is just a 12-power body. He can't touch them. You need to be able to identify when your opponent's power is concentrated in the 3/4 bracket versus the 5/6 bracket.
The Mental Game
Playing Magneto is 40% math and 60% psychology. You want your opponent to think they have a lane secured. You want them to feel safe behind their Storm flood or their Professor X (though Prof X blocks the pull, so be careful there). The moment they commit their resources to a lane, you snatch them away.
It's about the "Snap."
If you see a board state where a Magneto pull wins you two out of three lanes, you Snap before you play him. Don't wait for the animation. If the math works, the math works. Most players stay in because they underestimate the displacement. They see 12 power and think "I can beat 12," forgetting that their own 10 power is about to be moved to a lane where it doesn't matter.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Match
To really master the Master of Magnetism, stop playing him as a finisher and start playing him as a chess piece.
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- Check the turn 6 math early: On turn 4, look at their 3 and 4-cost cards. If they have a Bishop or a Wong, start planning which lane you want to drag them to.
- Manage your priority: If you want to dodge a Shang-Chi pull, you actually want to lose priority. If you want to disrupt a combo, you need to win priority.
- Look for the "Empty Lane": Always keep one lane relatively empty on your side if you plan on playing Magneto there. You need the "vacuum" space to pull their cards into.
- Tech in Shadow King: If you pull a bunch of buffed 3-costs (like from a Surfer or Elsa Bloodstone), Shadow King can reset them to their base power in the same lane Magneto just moved them to. It's a devastating 1-2 punch.
Ultimately, Magneto is a card for players who like to be in control. He requires a bit of a mean streak. You aren't just trying to outscore the opponent; you're trying to dismantle their plan. Next time you're looking at that 6-cost slot, ask yourself if you just want power, or if you want to move the world.
Start by tracking how many 3 and 4-cost cards are in the popular decks this week. If the meta is heavy on those costs, Magneto is your best friend. If it's all 6-cost Hela discard or 2-cost Bounce, maybe keep him on the bench for a bit. Context is king.