Did you catch our reveal of Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover last week and wonder, “Video games are great, but where are the *superheroes*?” Well, today, we have exciting news for you: a first look at six new cards from Magic’s upcoming Spider-Man set, along with all the accompanying products and packaging.
**Click through the image gallery below** to explore all the Spider-Man cards featured in the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Continue 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 Final Fantasy and succeeding 2023's Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set. While you might expect preconstructed Commander decks, **the cards in the Scene Box shown above** are designed specifically for Commander and **won’t** be Standard-legal.
Last year, Magic ventured into the Marvel universe with a Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and others. Now, Spider-Man takes the spotlight as the first full set inspired by the comics. Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer Max McCall explains that a smaller product wouldn’t have done justice to the vast array of characters and moments from Spider-Man's world.
"Spider-Man needs a full set to do justice to the character and incorporate the many villains he’s encountered over the years," McCall states. "Including characters from the Spider-Man canon in a broader set would leave too many important figures on the cutting room floor. We might have been able to include Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-Spider-Man specific set, but there wouldn't have been room for someone like Aunt May."
McCall highlights that designing for a Universes Beyond set "flips the worldbuilding on its head." Unlike a typical Magic set that needs to establish its world and setting while being engaging, Universes Beyond can leverage existing familiarity with characters like Spider-Man. "When we create a card that embodies great power bearing great responsibility, we can add mechanical complexity because the audience already understands the narrative. We don't have to simplify Universes Beyond cards; we just need to choose moments that resonate with fans, making them easy to grasp."
AnswerSee ResultsHead Designer Mark Rosewater explains how they translate these iconic moments into Magic cards using the game’s color pie. "The color pie is versatile enough to depict heroism and villainy across all five colors," Rosewater notes. He categorizes Spider-Man as white, blue, and green, with the Scene Box version specifically in white and blue. "Spider-Man’s obligation to use his power to help others is central to his white color pie. The scientific aspect, from being bitten by a radioactive spider to Peter’s inventions like web-slingers, aligns with blue. Finally, Spider-Man's powers derived from an animal and his destiny within the Spider-Man universe fit perfectly into 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 preconstructed Commander decks are absent, the set will feature the return of Welcome Decks, which are themed introductory decks provided by game stores to help new players learn the game in a low-pressure environment.
In addition to this year’s Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast recently announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender. Two more in-universe sets, Tarkir: Dragonsorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities, are also on the horizon.
*Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Max McCall and Mark Rosewater:*
