Spider-Man

Reflections on My Spider-Man Pre-Release Event

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

There is a lot to catch up on since my last post. So let’s dive without further ado.

Edge of Eternities was the first pre-release that I missed in a very long time. Another weekend-long commitment just made it impossible to catch any of the events (it was still a good weekend!). In the meantime, Christian could not make it because of work commitments and other social events. It was down to Noah to defend the family honour. He did so at a Two-headed Giant event where he and his friend went 3-0.

Edge of Eternities was also the last pre-release that we might have been able to attend together as Noah headed off to university out of town at the end of August. I am proud of him for choosing this path forward but I will admit to being sad, knowing that pre-releases that all three of us could attend will now be fewer and farther apart.

The Spider-Man pre-release was upon us quickly after that. Noah skipped his while Christian again missed out due to work commitments. It was up to me this time so I signed up for a Sunday morning event at my LGS. It is still strange to be there without the boys and weirder to attend an unusually quiet pre-release (Sunday morning effect or uninspiring set? Not sure).

I cracked my packs and laid out my cards as I normally do: By colour and separated into creatures and other spells. I also keep my Rares and Mythics separate to see what might be worth building around.

While I pulled no Mythics in my pool, I found that I had enough arachnids to build a spider-loving Gruul deck. I did not think it was a particularly powerful deck but it seemed to have good synergy. Spider-Punk certainly promised to be fun.

In my first game, I got off a good start by winning my first match. I lost the second. In the third, things started evenly but a mana flood sealed my fate as I could no longer keep up with the growing board across from me. Nonetheless, a fun start to the day.

My second game started with a loss. I managed to win the second after my opponent milled down to four cards but it was still too close for comfort. The third was sealed in my favour by the simple fact that my opponent drew nothing but white mana while holding only black spells. That is not a fun way to lose!

My third game reminded me that not all decks need to be built around spiders despite the name of the set. My opponent built a fun deck full of villains and nary a spider. And I found out the hard way that when you pair The Clone Saga with Mysterio, Master of Illusion, you can crank out a lot of 3/3 tokens! And why not throw in a Vulture, Scheming Scavenger to all of them flying? Two quick games and it was a wrap.

The Clone Saga
Mysterio, Master of Illusion

When I got home, Christian asked how I did. “1 and 2,” I told him.
“Ah, your usual then!” he responded with a smirk!

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 Through the Omenpaths

/ Jerome / Leave a comment

Another decision by the company behind Magic: The Gathering had me scratching my head this week.

Wizards of the Coast this week announced that its Marvel’s Spider-Man Universes Beyond set will not be available on Magic: The Gathering Arena or Magic: The Gathering Online when it launches in September. The company went on to say that it will instead launch its “first Through the Omenpaths set” on September 23rd (a few days ahead of Spider-Man’s official release).

Say what? Are we really getting two sets in September? Well, yes and no. Here is how Wizards explained it in a short announcement:

“Through the Omenpaths releases will be digital sets that are Universes Within versions of Universes Beyond sets that otherwise wouldn’t be coming to digital Magic platforms.”

So, yes, we will get two completely new sets in September. But they will be mechanically identical. The only difference will be that the Through the Omenpaths sets will feature different card names and art – And it will only be available digitally. Meanwhile, the Spider-Man set will only exist in a paper version.

To be fair, there is already a bit of a precedent for this. Wizards has duplicated cards in at least two scenarios I can think of. Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths came with a set of Godzilla cards that were re-branded versions of existing cards. Here are two examples:

Yidaro, Wandering Monster
Godzilla, Doom Inevitable

Second, The Secret Lair: The Walking Dead cards received a similar treatment. Wizards released Universes Within equivalents some time after the original cards came out.

Glenn, the Voice of Calm
Gregor, Shrewd Magistrate

What is new here is the distinction between paper and digital sets. Building a deck that spans both will require you to match the paper version of the card to its digital equivalent, a differently named card.

Despite my persistent reservations about Universes Beyond, particularly given that new sets will be Standard-legal, I am excited about the upcoming Marvel sets (I grew up on comics and Spider-Man is still one of my favourite superheroes). I still don’t see myself building a deck that will mix these with Universes Within cards but I do see myself building Marvel-only decks. Now comes the extra wrinkle: Converting such decks to Arena will be a bit of a pain as I will need to match each card to a new set of corresponding cards. As they say, this is a first-world problem.

The reverse is the more frustrating scenario. I can imagine a scenario where I will build a digital deck and find myself wanting to build it in paper for an in-person event. I already know that I will get annoyed when I find a Universes Within card that translates to a Spider-Man card in real life. What then? Knowing myself, I expect that I will not build that paper deck and throw shade at Wizards for what is in my mind a terrible decision. Along with confusing and frustrating players, this is driving a further wedge between paper and digital play (another being Alchemy cards).

There is another wrinkle in this story. Not all Universes Beyond sets will receive a digital-only Through the Omenpaths equivalent. Wizards has confirmed that both Final Fantasy and Avatar: The Last Airbender are coming to MTG Arena and Magic Online.

Wizards provides no explanation as to why the Spider-Man set is so far the only one in getting this treatment. But my guess is that it is related to licensing limitations either imposed by Marvel (to perhaps avoid confusion with its Marvel Snap digital game) or because the two companies could not come to commercial (likely monetary) terms on digital rights.

I fully recognize that not everyone feels the same way I do about Universes Beyond sets. Noah for example has no problem with building decks that mix all these universes together because, in his mind, the game transcends the visual and narrative. But I see an ongoing slippery slope of short-sighted decisions that continue to erode what Magic is and its distinctive voice.

If there is a positive in this news, it is that I will hopefully run into fewer Universes Beyond cards when I’m playing digitally. Too bad it could not be the other way around.

Feel free to drop a comment below and share your own thoughts on this.

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.