Did you catch our reveal of Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover last week and wonder where the superheroes were? If so, you're in for a treat! Today, we're unveiling six new cards from Magic's upcoming Spider-Man set, along with a detailed look at all the accompanying products and packaging.
Click through the image gallery below to explore all the Spider-Man cards from the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the set from Wizards of the Coast.
Marvel's Spider-Man x Magic: The Gathering - First Card and Packaging Reveal
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Set to launch on September 26, Marvel's Spider-Man will be the second fully draftable, Standard-legal set in Magic's Universes Beyond line, following the Final Fantasy set and succeeding the Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set from 2023. Unlike what you might expect, there won't be any preconstructed Commander decks, but the cards featured in the Scene Box shown above won't be Standard-legal and are specifically tailored for Commander gameplay.
While a Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and others marked Magic's initial foray into the Marvel universe last year, Spider-Man marks the first full set inspired by the comics. Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer Max McCall explains the decision: "Spider-Man needs a full set to do justice to the character and incorporate the many villains he’s encountered over the years. Including characters from the Spider-Man canon in a broader set would leave out too many important figures. We could have included Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-specific set, but there wouldn’t have been room for Aunt May."
McCall emphasizes that designing for a Universes Beyond set "flips the worldbuilding on its head." While a typical Magic set must establish its world and be engaging, with Spider-Man, most players already know the character. "When we create a card that embodies the theme of great power bearing great responsibility, we can add mechanical complexity because fans understand the story. We don’t need to keep Universes Beyond cards simple; we just need to select recognizable moments that fans will easily grasp."
AnswerSee ResultsHead Designer Mark Rosewater discusses how they translate Spider-Man's world into Magic: The Gathering, noting that the color pie "is robust enough to depict heroism and villainy across all five colors." He exemplifies this by stating that Spider-Man aligns with white, blue, and green (though the version in the Scene Box is only white and blue). "Spider-Man's obligation to use his powers for good fits the white color pie. His origin as a product of science, including his web-slingers, aligns with blue. And his powers being animal-based, along with his connection to spiders and destiny, reflect green."
"We're not limiting ourselves to any one [comic] run or series," McCall adds. Alongside the Scene Box, the set will include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs, all showcased in the gallery above. While there won't be preconstructed Commander decks, the set will bring back Welcome Decks—introductory decks often distributed for free by game stores to help new players learn the game.
In addition to this year's Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast has announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender, along with two more in-universe sets: Tarkir: Dragontsorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities.
Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast's Max McCall and Mark Rosewater:
