Did you catch our exciting reveal of the Magic: The Gathering crossover with Final Fantasy last week and find yourself wondering, "What about superheroes?" If so, you're in for a treat! Today, we're thrilled to unveil a sneak peek at six stunning new cards from the upcoming Spider-Man set, along with a comprehensive look at the accompanying products and packaging.
**Dive into the image gallery below** to explore all the Spider-Man cards featured in the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the set directly from Wizards of the Coast.
Marvel's Spider-Man x Magic: The Gathering - First Card and Packaging Reveal
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Scheduled for release on September 26, Marvel's Spider-Man marks the second fully draftable, Standard-legal set in Magic's Universes Beyond line, following Final Fantasy, and the third overall after the Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set in 2023. Unlike what you might expect, this set will not feature preconstructed Commander decks. However, **the cards in the Scene Box**, as showcased above, **are designed specifically for Commander and won't be Standard-legal**.
While a Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and more marked Magic's initial foray into the Marvel universe last year, Spider-Man represents the first full set inspired by the comics. According to Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer Max McCall, a full set was necessary to truly capture the essence of Spider-Man. "Spider-Man needs a full set to do justice to the character and incorporate the many villains he's encountered over the years," McCall explains. "Including characters from the Spider-Man universe in a broader set would mean leaving too many important characters out. We might have included Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-specific set, but there wouldn't have been room for Aunt May."
McCall highlights that designing for a Universes Beyond set "flips the worldbuilding on its head." Unlike typical Magic sets that need to establish a setting and location while being engaging to play, Universes Beyond sets can leverage the familiarity fans have with characters like Spider-Man. "When we create a card that speaks to great power bearing great responsibility, we can introduce mechanical complexity because the story is already familiar to players. We don't need to simplify Universes Beyond cards; we just need to choose iconic moments that fans will recognize and understand."
AnswerSee ResultsWhen it comes to translating the world and moments of Spider-Man into a Magic set, Head Designer Mark Rosewater emphasizes the versatility of Magic's color pie. "It's robust enough to depict heroism and villainy across all five colors," he says. He illustrates this with Spider-Man, noting that the character would typically be represented in white, blue, and green colors, although the version in the Scene Box is limited to the first two. "Spider-Man's obligation to use his power for good aligns with the white color pie. His origin, stemming from scientific exposure to a radioactive spider, along with his inventions like web-slingers, fits the blue color pie. Finally, his animal-based powers and the destiny tied to spiders and the Spider-Man universe resonate with the green color pie."
"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 of which are detailed in the gallery above. Although there won't be preconstructed Commander decks, the set will bring back Welcome Decks – these are themed introductory decks often distributed for free by game stores, offering new players an easy and engaging way to learn the game.
In addition to this year's Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast has also announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender. Before that, two more in-universe sets will be released: Tarkir: Dragontsorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities.
*Continue reading for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Max McCall and Mark Rosewater:*
