WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Excalibur #22 by Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega & VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now.
Gambit has been serving as a member of Excalibur recently, helping deal with the more mystical threats to the mutant nation of Krakoa. While he may not have the experience or mystical proficiency that his teammates possess, his key eye and slick hands have made him a surprisingly useful player in their adventures.
He repeatedly proves himself in Excalibur #22, and along the way even manages to steal perhaps his greatest power boost in recent memory: a mystical deck of tarot cards that may give his powers some real variety going forward.
Typically, Gambit's powers are well-defined. His mutant ability allows him to charge objects with kinetic energy to turn them into miniature explosives, with his most frequent weapon being a deck of playing cards. He's even fast enough with them that he's able to catch a sniper shot taken by Gia Whitechapel, the Sheriff of Blightspoke in Otherworld, showing how fast he can be on the draw with his abilities. But after a meeting with the Otherworld Congress and a mission into Merlyn's domain (The Holy Republic of Fae), Gambit reveals that he left the Starlight Citadel with a surprising prize that no one else realized he was going to take: Saturnyne's Tarot Card Deck.
Saturnyne recently used these cards during the events of X of Swords, teasing the fate of the mutants in their contest with their counterparts from the lost land of Arakko. Coming to Merlyn's private chambers, the group initially isn't able to break through. However, Gambit has figured out that if he charges the mystical cards with his powers, he can effectively weaponize their effect. Drawing the Wheel of Fortune Card -- which represents good luck, and features a picture of Longshot -- Gambit is able to charge the card and throw it at the lock on the door. Thanks to the properties of the card, it causes good luck to occur and for the lock to give way, allowing the group to advance into Merlyn's chambers without any difficulties.
It's a very creative and impressive use of Gambit's powers, and it sets up Saturnye's tarot deck as his most versatile weapon. This could give Gambit a serious edge in future conflicts, and gives him a mystical attribute to his attacks that fits well with the rest of his team. While this could set up some serious conflict with Saturnyne -- who already has a somewhat strained relationship with the mutant heroes of Earth-616 -- it's possible she even foresaw this theft and allowed it, granting him the ability to use his powers in a variety of new ways.
It's possible that his new deck of cards could induce serious changes in the world around him. Either way, Gambit has just acquired his biggest magical upgrade ever and could become a genuinely flexible player in the future -- which might explain why Gambit is one of the figures featured on the preview of the upcoming Inferno.
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