Spider-Man's Magic: The Gathering Crossover Unveiled

Did you catch our reveal of Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy crossover last week and wonder, "Video games are fantastic, but what about *superheroes*?" Well, we've got exciting news for you: Today, we're giving you an exclusive 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 from 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 the third overall after the Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set in 2023. While it won't include preconstructed Commander decks, **the cards in the Scene Box showcased above** are designed specifically for Commander and **will not be Standard-legal**.

Although Magic's first venture into the Marvel universe was through a Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and others, Spider-Man will be the inaugural full set inspired by the comics. Max McCall, Executive Producer at Wizards of the Coast, explains that a full set was necessary to do justice to Spider-Man and his vast array of villains. "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 states. "Including characters from the Spider-Man canon in a broader set would have left too many on the cutting room floor. We could have included Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-specific set, but there wouldn't have been space for Aunt May."

McCall notes that designing for a Universes Beyond set "flips the worldbuilding on its head." While a typical Magic set must establish its setting and location while also being engaging to play, Universes Beyond sets can leverage the familiarity fans already have with characters like Spider-Man. "When we create a card that speaks to great power bearing great responsibility, there’s room to add mechanical complexity because fans understand the story the card is telling. We don't have to make Universes Beyond cards 'simple'—we just need to pick moments that are recognizable, and they’ll be easy for fans to understand."

Regarding how these moments and their world are translated into Magic, Head Designer Mark Rosewater highlights the versatility of Magic’s color pie. "It's robust enough that we have the ability to show heroism and villainy in all five colors," he says. For example, Rosewater explains that Spider-Man would fit in white, blue, and green colors (though the specific version in the Scene Box above is only white and blue). "Spider-Man feeling obligated to use his power to help people is core to him being part of the white color pie. His origin from a radioactive spider bite and his aptitude for science and invention, like his web-slingers, aligns with blue. Finally, Spider-Man's powers are animal-based, and the comics have shown a certain destiny to his connection to spiders and the Spider-Man universe, which is all core green."

"We're not limiting ourselves to any one [comic] run or series." Alongside the Scene Box, the set will include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs, which you can see in the gallery above. Although there won't be preconstructed Commander decks, this set will bring back Welcome Decks—themed introductory decks given out 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 has also announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender. Before that, two more in-universe sets, Tarkir: Dragontsorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities, will be released.

*Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Max McCall and Mark Rosewater:*