Spider-Man has swung into Magic: The Gathering and this Universes Beyond crossover feels like the perfect meeting of two worlds.
On one side, you’ve got the high-stakes, superhero drama of Spider-Man and his rogues’ gallery. On the other, the deep strategy and collectable fun that Magic has been perfecting for over thirty years. The result? A set that’s smaller than most, but one that feels tailor-made to welcome Marvel fans, first-time players, and Magic veterans alike.
A Smaller Set with Big Flavour
Most Magic expansions are huge, often overflowing with mechanics and cards that can be overwhelming if you’re new. Magic The Gathering x Spider-Man takes the opposite approach. With around 193 cards, it’s intentionally streamlined, making it easier to learn while still delivering on the big Marvel flavour.
Heroes and villains step into the spotlight as legendary creatures, hybrid mana costs open up more flexibility when you’re building decks, and many cards are designed to slot into multiple strategies rather than pigeonhole you into one path.
And, of course, there’s plenty here for collectors. Classic comic-style borderless cards, textured foils, and special variants bring the Spider-verse to life on the table. Wizards has even added Secret Lair drops, reimagining staple Magic cards with Spider-Man art. It’s a blend of nostalgia and playability that makes cracking boosters as exciting as flipping through the pages of a comic.
Pick-Two Draft
The biggest shake-up in this set isn’t a character or a card, it’s a brand-new draft format. Pick-Two Draft is Magic designed for four players, not eight. That alone makes it a game-changer for casual nights.
Here’s how it works: when you open a pack, you don’t take one card, you take two. You pass the rest to your neighbour, pick two from the next pack, and so on. The first pack rotates left, the second goes right, and the third swings back left again. By the end you’ve got about 42 cards to whittle down into a limited 40-card deck.
What makes it sing is the pacing. Drafts are quicker, easier to set up and, because you’re taking two cards at once, your deck actually feels like it’s coming together instead of stumbling over dead picks. It’s drafting stripped down to its friendliest, most accessible form, and it feels perfect for the theme of Spider-Man: quick, agile, and full of momentum.
The Five Archetypes
Instead of juggling a dozen possible strategies, the set narrows things down to five two-colour archetypes. Each one feels distinct, flavourful and most importantly, easy to follow:
- White-Blue: Modified – You’re upgrading creatures with counters or auras, keeping your board consistently stronger than your opponent’s.
- Blue-Black: Villains + Connive – This archetype leans into classic villain behaviour: drawing cards, discarding what you don’t need, and turning those discards into power plays.
- Black-Red: Mayhem – Pure chaos. Discard cards, then cast them back with their cheaper mayhem costs while flooding the board with threats.
- Red-Green: Large Spells – Big, splashy plays are the name of the game here, rewarding you every time you cast spells with mana value four or greater.
- Green-White: Web-Slinging – This one feels the most “Spidey.” You bounce tapped creatures back to hand for alternate casting costs, replaying them for extra value and chaining together your team’s abilities.
With only five archetypes, the set makes it easy to see what your deck wants to do. There’s no confusion, just clean, straightforward strategies that still leave room for creative twists.
Mechanics
The set mixes new and returning mechanics, all tailored to Spider-Man’s themes:
Web-Slinging (New): This is Spider-Man to a tee. Instead of paying full mana, you can return a tapped creature to your hand to pay a reduced cost. It’s agile, it’s efficient, and it combos beautifully with creatures that have enters-the-battlefield effects.
Mayhem (New): Discard a card with mayhem, and you can cast it from your graveyard that turn, often for a cheaper cost. It captures the unpredictable chaos of Spidey’s villains, especially in Black-Red colours.
Connive (Returning): Draw, discard, and if the discarded card was a nonland, your creature gets a +1/+1 counter. It keeps your hand flowing while powering up your threats.
Modified (Returning): Any creature with an aura, counter, or Equipment attached counts as “modified.” It’s a simple, flexible upgrade mechanic that ties into the white-blue archetype.
Together, these mechanics give each archetype its own feel while still being straightforward enough that new players won’t get lost.
Building a Sealed Deck
For casual sealed play, the format is as beginner-friendly as the set itself. Open six packs, sort your cards by colour, and pick the two strongest colours with a good mix of creatures and removal.
From there, keep it tight: 40 cards total, usually around 23 spells and 17 lands.
Curve is key. You’ll want a few cheap creatures to establish early pressure, some midgame plays to hold the board, and a couple of big finishers to close it out.
And don’t forget to lean into the mechanics. Web-slinging creatures can be bounced and replayed for extra value, Connive keeps your hand smooth, and Mayhem turns every discard into a potential power play.
Even if you’ve never built a sealed deck before, the smaller card pool naturally funnels you into one of the five archetypes, so it won’t feel overwhelming.
Conclusion
The Magic The Gathering x Spider-Man set is as much a celebration of Marvel’s hero as it is a fresh way to experience Magic. A smaller card pool, simplified archetypes, and the all-new Pick-Two Draft format make it one of the most approachable Universes Beyond releases yet.
For Marvel fans, the nostalgic artwork and iconic references will feel instantly rewarding. For Magic veterans, the new mechanics keep draft games lively. And for new players? This might just be the friendliest neighbourhood introduction to Magic ever made.
