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Marvel's Spider-Man Swings into Magic: The Gathering! A First Look at Cards and Packaging
Last week's reveal of Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy crossover had many wondering – what about superheroes? Well, get ready, because we have an exclusive preview of six new cards from the upcoming Spider-Man set, along with a look at the accompanying products.
Explore the Image Gallery Below!
The gallery showcases the Spider-Man cards featured in the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Read on for insights from Wizards of the Coast.
Marvel's Spider-Man x Magic: The Gathering – A Closer Look
21 Images
Launching September 26th, Marvel's Spider-Man will be the second fully draftable, Standard-legal set in Magic's Universes Beyond line, following Final Fantasy. Unlike what you might expect, there won't be preconstructed Commander decks; however, the cards in the Scene Box (pictured above) are specifically designed for Commander play and are not Standard-legal.
This set marks Magic's first full set based on a Marvel comic book property (following last year's Secret Lair featuring Wolverine and Captain America). Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer, Max McCall, explains the decision: "Spider-Man needs a full set to do him justice, incorporating his many villains. A smaller product wouldn't accommodate all the characters and moments we wanted to include. We could fit Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales into a non-Spider-Man set, but there wouldn't be room for Aunt May."
McCall describes designing for Universes Beyond as "flipping the worldbuilding on its head." Typical Magic sets require cards to establish the setting, while Universes Beyond leverages pre-existing familiarity. "When we create a card representing 'great power, great responsibility,' we can add mechanical complexity because players understand the narrative. Universes Beyond cards don't need to be simple; we just need recognizable moments."
AnswerSee ResultsHead Designer Mark Rosewater explains how they translate these moments into Magic: "Magic's color pie is robust enough to portray heroism and villainy across all five colors." He uses Spider-Man as an example: white, blue, and green (though the Scene Box version is only white and blue). "Spider-Man's obligation to help people aligns with white. His scientific background and inventions are blue. His connection to spiders and destiny is green."
"We aren't limiting ourselves to any one comic run or series."
Beyond the Scene Box, the set includes Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs (shown in the gallery). Welcome Decks will also return, offering new players a low-pressure introduction to the game.
Following this year's Final Fantasy and the recently announced Avatar: The Last Airbender sets, two more in-universe sets are planned: Tarkir: Dragonstorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities.
A full, unedited interview with Max McCall and Mark Rosewater follows:
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