Spidey swings into Magic
After years of speculation, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) confirmed that Magic: The Gathering will team up with Marvel for a multi‑year collaboration. The first product, Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider‑Man, debuts with a preview stream on 29 August 2025 and the full set releases 26 September 2025. This Universes Beyond set brings Spider‑Man’s sixty‑year comic history into Magic, featuring heroes and villains from multiple timelines and introducing new mechanics such as mayhem (similar to madness: letting players cast discarded cards at a reduced cost) and web‑slinging (tapped creatures help pay for spells, similar to convoke).
As with recent Universes Beyond sets like Final Fantasy, Marvel’s Spider‑Man will be Standard‑legal and will come in Play Booster, Collector Booster and Welcome Deck product lines. The collaboration also introduces Magic’s first Infinity Stone card – The Soul Stone – which will appear as a special cosmic‑foil card exclusive to collector boosters.
Why players are excited
The set celebrates iconic Spider‑heroes (Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy and more) alongside fan‑favourite villains and symbiotes. New mechanics encourage dynamic, aggressive play while Web‑Slinger treatments and borderless panel art capture the look of comic books. Many of the early previews hint at powerful or flavourful cards that could shake up multiple formats. Below are some of the most eagerly anticipated cards, based on official previews and community discussion.
Spider‑Punk – game‑warping rocker
Spider‑Punk has drawn enormous interest because its symmetrical rules fundamentally change how games play. The two‑mana legendary Spider hero has riot and gives all spiders riot, letting players choose between a +1/+1 counter or haste. More importantly, it imposes two global effects:
- Spells and abilities can’t be countered.
- Damage can’t be prevented.
These rules apply to both players, effectively turning off countermagic and damage‑prevention spells. It means board wipes like Settle the Wreckage or protection spells like Heroic Intervention no longer work, and controlling decks must win through creatures on the battlefield. Many players are excited to build riot‑focused spider tribal decks or use Spider‑Punk as a disruptive commander that forces aggressive, high‑variance games.
Symbiote Spider‑Man – card filtering and graveyard recursion
In the multiverse, Peter Parker sometimes bonds with a symbiote. The Symbiote Spider‑Man card captures this synergy. It is a 2/4 legendary creature that rewards combat damage: whenever it deals combat damage to a player, you look at that many cards from the top of your library, choose one to put into your hand and put the rest into your graveyard. This effect combines card draw and self‑mill, fueling graveyard strategies.
It also has Find New Host: for {2}{U/B}, you may exile Symbiote Spider‑Man from your graveyard to put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control; that creature gains all of Symbiote Spider‑Man’s abilities. Because it can transfer its card‑draw ability to other creatures, players are eager to test it in reanimator decks or as an engine in Commander.
Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade – artifact synergy
The Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade card turns Mary Jane’s high‑tech suit into an artifact creature. It is a 2/3 legendary artifact creature with vigilance. Tapping it lets you put a +1/+1 counter on each artifact creature and/or Vehicle you control, and paying {2} and removing two +1/+1 counters from among your artifacts allows you to draw a card. This design rewards decks full of vehicles or artifact creatures, making Iron Spider a powerful engine for Standard vehicles decks and a potential commander for artifact‑focused brews.
Kraven’s Last Hunt – saga of survival
Kraven’s Last Hunt is a rare Saga that tells the story of Sergei Kravenoff’s obsessive pursuit of Spider‑Man. The Saga costs 3G and has three chapters:
- Mill five cards, then deal damage to a creature equal to the greatest power among creatures in your graveyard.
- Target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
- Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
This sequence mills to set up a big strike, pumps a creature mid‑turn, then returns a threat to your hand. Green players anticipate using it to fill their graveyard and recur bombs in midrange decks.
Doctor Octopus, Master Planner – villain support and card advantage
Doctor Octopus leads a villain‑centric strategy. The 4/8 legendary creature gives other Villains you control +2/+2 and increases your maximum hand size to eight. At each end step, if you have fewer than eight cards in hand, you draw up to eight. While expensive to cast, his ability to pump villain creatures and ensure you never run out of cards makes him a potential finisher for villain‑tribal commander decks.
Green Goblin, Revenant – discard for value
Norman Osborn returns as the Green Goblin, Revenant. The 3/3 legendary creature has flying and deathtouch. Whenever he attacks, you discard a card and then draw a card for each card you’ve discarded that turn. This design synergizes with mayhem (the set’s discard mechanic) and rewards building around graveyard recursion. Aggro decks in Rakdos colours (black/red) will likely use him to filter hands while pressuring opponents in the air.
Anti‑Venom, Horrifying Healer – resilient reanimator
Anti‑Venom, Horrifying Healer depicts Eddie Brock’s symbiote healing powers. The mono‑white legendary creature returns a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield if it was cast. Moreover, whenever damage would be dealt to Anti‑Venom, that damage is prevented and he instead gets that many +1/+1 counters. This combination of mass reanimation and damage‑prevention counters makes Anti‑Venom a unique commander for white reanimator strategies and a potent card in lifegain decks.
Miles Morales // Ultimate Spider‑Man – growth and transformation
The double‑faced Miles Morales // Ultimate Spider‑Man offers versatility. On the front side, Miles is a 1/2 legendary creature that puts +1/+1 counters on up to two target creatures when he enters. You can then pay {R}{G}{U}{C} to transform him into Ultimate Spider‑Man. The transformed side has first strike and haste, and a camouflage ability that lets you pay {2} to put a +1/+1 counter on him and grant him hexproof until end of turn. Cardsrealm notes that this card shines in Gruul (red/green) aggro decks focused on counters and fast attacks. Because it offers both early‑game support and a powerful late‑game threat, players expect it to be a headliner.
Gwen Stacy // Ghost‑Spider – spellslinger support
Another double‑faced card, Gwen Stacy // Ghost‑Spider, fits into spellslinger strategies. When Gwen enters, you exile the top card of your library and may play it while you control Gwen. Paying {U}{R}{W}{1} transforms her into Ghost‑Spider, a flying, vigilant and hasty creature. Cardsrealm highlights that this card encourages a playstyle that casts spells from exile and triggers multiple times when transforming. While less efficient than some staple commanders, its flavour and synergy with exile‑play effects make it an anticipated build‑around.
Spectacular Spider‑Man – defensive hero
The rare Spectacular Spider‑Man is a 3/2 legendary creature with flash, letting you cast it at instant speed. For {1}, it can gain flying until end of turn, and you can pay {1} and sacrifice Spectacular Spider‑Man to give all creatures you control hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. This makes it a surprise blocker or a protective spell to counter board wipes. Decks with lots of small creatures may run this card as both an evasive threat and a protective counterspell on a body.
The Soul Stone – cosmic foil chase card
The Soul Stone is Magic’s first Infinity Stone card and will only appear in collector boosters. WotC has not yet revealed its game text, but its rarity and unique treatment have already made it a coveted chase card among collectors. Expect the Soul Stone to have a game‑changing effect involving life totals or graveyards and to command a high price on the secondary market.
Final thoughts
Marvel’s Spider‑Man set promises to blend beloved comic characters with innovative mechanics. Between the game‑warping disruption of Spider‑Punk, the graveyard synergies of Symbiote Spider‑Man, and support for villain and artifact strategies, the set offers something for players of every style. The Infinity Stone card and Web‑Slinger treatments will attract collectors, while dramatic story moments like Kraven’s Last Hunt provide flavourful gameplay. With the set releasing on 26 September 2025 and preview season starting soon, now is the perfect time for Magic and Marvel fans to start brewing decks and pre‑ordering their favourite cards. Keep an eye on official preview outlets, and get ready to sling some spells!