"Spider-Man Joins Magic: The Gathering: First Look Revealed"

Did you catch our reveal of Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover last week and wonder, "Video games are great, but what about *superheroes*?" Well, you're in luck! Today, we're giving you a sneak peek at six new cards from Magic's upcoming Spider-Man set, along with a look at all the products and packaging that will come with it. **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 Final Fantasy and the Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set from 2023. Unlike what you might expect, this set won't include preconstructed Commander decks. However, **the cards featured in the Scene Box shown above** ***won’t*** **be Standard-legal; they are tailored for Commander play.**

While a Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and others 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 fully 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 come across over the years," McCall explains. "Including characters from the Spider-Man canon in a broader set would leave too many favorites out. We might have squeezed in Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales, 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." While a typical Magic set needs to establish its setting and location while ensuring playability, Universes Beyond sets benefit from pre-existing character familiarity. "When we design a card that reflects great power bearing great responsibility, we can add mechanical complexity because the story is already known to fans. We don’t need to simplify Universes Beyond cards; we just need to pick iconic moments that resonate with fans."

Head Designer Mark Rosewater discusses how they translate Spider-Man's world into Magic: The Gathering using the game’s color pie. "The color pie is robust enough to showcase heroism and villainy across all five colors," Rosewater states. He explains that Spider-Man would typically be represented in white, blue, and green, with the specific version in the Scene Box being white and blue. "Spider-Man's obligation to use his power for good aligns with the white color pie. His origin as a product of science, along with his inventions like web-slingers, fits the blue color. And his animal-based powers and destiny within the Spider-Man universe resonate with green."

"We're not limiting ourselves to any one \[comic\] run or series." In addition to the Scene Box, the set will include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs, all showcased in the gallery above. Although there won’t be preconstructed Commander decks, the set marks the return of Welcome Decks – free introductory decks distributed by game stores to help new players learn the game.

Alongside this year’s Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast has announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender. Two more in-universe sets, Tarkir: Dragontsorm 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:*