Marvel

Spider-Man shows no love for B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric Decks

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

If I needed evidence that the gaming gods sometimes listen, it came through pretty loud and clear with the full reveal of the Marvel’s Spider-Man set for Magic: The Gathering. Remember how I complained that sets were coming out too fast? Well, they have not slowed down any but I will definitely be able to catch my breath when it comes to my B01 Standard Orzhov Cleric deck. Why, you ask. Simply because there are no Clerics at all in the new set. Absolutely none. Nary a one. Zilch.

A quick aside: You may have noticed that posts on this site have slowed down. I can confirm that this is the case because I’ve started playing Dungeons & Dragons and have foolishly agreed to recap each session. It’s taking me longer to do these than I had anticipated. With that, back to our normal programming.

When Edge of Eternities came out (and rotation hit), I landed on the following deck to resume the Standard journey.

Sunstar Chaplain
Rosa, Resolute White Mage

Deck

  • 3 Murder (J25) 467
  • 2 Bitter Triumph (LXI) 91
  • 2 Sanguine Savior (MKM) 230
  • 4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
  • 2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
  • 2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
  • 3 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
  • 3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
  • 2 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
  • 3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
  • 2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
  • 3 Sunstar Chaplain (EOE) 40
  • 2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
  • 8 Plains (THB) 250
  • 6 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 1 Susur Secundi, Void Altar (EOE) 259
  • 1 Adagia, Windswept Bastion (EOE) 250
  • 3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
  • 1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
  • 2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244

Sideboard

  • 1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
  • 1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
  • 1 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
  • 1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
  • 1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
  • 1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
  • 1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115
  • 1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
  • 1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258

Since then, the deck has evolved into the following after some small tweaks, primarily around removal. As for the creatures, Sunstar Chaplain has worked better than I thought but the real star after rotation continues to be Preacher of the Schism and Rosa, Resolute White Mage.

Deck

  • 3 Murder (J25) 467
  • 2 Bitter Triumph (LCI) 91
  • 4 Essence Channeler (BLB) 12
  • 2 Grand Abolisher (BIG) 2
  • 2 Authority of the Consuls (FDN) 137
  • 4 Preacher of the Schism (LCI) 113
  • 3 Rosa, Resolute White Mage (FIN) 555
  • 3 Starscape Cleric (BLB) 116
  • 3 Minwu, White Mage (FIN) 26
  • 3 Aerith Gainsborough (FIN) 4
  • 2 Sheltered by Ghosts (DSK) 30
  • 3 Sunstar Chaplain (EOE) 40
  • 2 Get Lost (LCI) 14
  • 2 Cavern of Souls (LCI) 269
  • 2 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244
  • 9 Plains (THB) 250
  • 7 Swamp (THB) 252
  • 3 Scoured Barrens (IKO) 254
  • 1 Valgavoth’s Lair (DSK) 271

Sideboard

  • 1 Sanguine Evangelist (LCI) 34
  • 1 Zoraline, Cosmos Caller (BLB) 242
  • 1 Pest Control (BIG) 22
  • 1 The Witch’s Vanity (WOE) 119
  • 1 Moonrise Cleric (BLB) 226
  • 1 Krumar Initiate (TDM) 84
  • 1 Roaming Throne (LCI) 258
  • 1 Virtue of Persistence (WOE) 115

Looking through what else the Spider-Man (aka Through the Omenpath) set offers, I’ve not seen anything yet that makes me want to make further alterations to the deck. I did consider the following:

  • The Soul Stone (The Terminus of Return) – Harnessing it is just too expensive!
  • Spectacular Tactics – Perhaps instead of Get Lost?
  • Clandestine Work – Card draw is never a bad thing but what do I give up for it?
  • Villainous Wrath – I like it until the last sentence: “Then destroy all creatures.” That does not help my creature focused deck.

In the end, I don’t think that there is much that I can do except experiment a bit with these cards and perhaps go back to older sets to see how I can improve the deck a bit but it looks like consistent wins are going to be a while away still.

With Avatar up next, we’ll have to see if there are real improvements to be found. I’m not familiar with the lore so not sure that there are any clerics but I will be disappointed if we have two sets in a row without any.

Spider-Man and More: Upcoming Marvel Sets in Magic: The Gathering (And my thoughts)

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

We’ve known for nearly a year that Marvel superheroes and supervillains were coming to Magic: The Gathering. The partnership between Marvel and Wizards of the Coast was first announced on October 23rd 2023. While there has been sporadic information since then, this week, the taps started to open in a more meaningful way with two major announcements.

First up is a number of new Secret Lair sets collectively announced as the Marvel Superdrop. Five sets were announced, each around a specific superhero: Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, and Wolverine. Each of the sets features one superhero card (a legendary creature), and four spells. There are some great reprints, including a few pricey ones Commander’s Plate in the Iron Man set, Ice Storm in the Storm one, and The Ozolith in the Wolverine set.

For example, the Marvel’s Captain America set comes with the following:

One more – Here is what you’ll find in the Marvel’s Wolverine set:

Wizards has also revealed that the first Marvel set will be focused on Spider-Man. The release date is sometime in 2025. No word yet on exactly when but I’m wondering if it could come out in the summer around the same time as Core sets used to come out. Or could it be in the tail-end of the year, just in time for the holidays? Maybe we’ll find out at MagicCon: Las Vegas at the end of the month.

As you probably know by now, I’m not a fan of Universes Beyond (and don’t get me started on Secret Lair sets). It fundamentally feels weird to me to have a deck where the cards are so thematically different. I cannot see Wolverine lining up next to Ajani or Ruhan. It will always feel strange to me. Granted that Magic sets have ranged quite a bit in this space but they have almost always felt inter-connected into one larger world or universe, especially with Planeswalkers and the stories behind them.

I think that my fundamental issue is with slamming together disparate established universes. It harkens back to cross-overs in comics. Most of these, going as far back as when I was an avid collector, was just how forced some of these were. Anyone remember DC vs. Marvel in the 1990s where they went as far as blending characters (Dark Claw was a blend of Batman and Wolverine for example)? Or Aliens vs Predator or Star Trek and Green Lantern? Some worked but more were just painful in my opinion.

Talking to the boys yesterday as well as in the past, they don’t have the same hang up as I do. Christian actually pointed out something that really made sense: “People don’t like Universes Beyond until there is a set that they like.” And I will confess that Marvel coming to Magic does have me more excited than any other such set before. Count me in for Spider-Man!

Maybe we need a couple of new formats to address this. The first would be inclusive of Universes Beyond sets and the second would focus exclusively on cards not in Universes Beyond. The first would allow you to throw everything in while the second would provide an answer to the purists among us. There will still be sets that will invite debate. For example, where does The Lord of the Rings sets fit? It is one of those sets that thematically slots into Magic better than some other sets we have seen (eg, the recent Outlaws of Thunder Junction). I know that this will be something that will be discussed around our game table.

As always, I invite everyone to chime in with their thoughts.