Spider-Man Joins Magic: The Gathering

Missed our Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy reveal last week? Don't worry, we've got something even more exciting: a sneak peek at the upcoming Magic: The Gathering Spider-Man set! Get ready for six brand-new cards and a closer look at the accompanying products.

Browse the image gallery below to see the Spider-Man cards featured in the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Then, dive into our interview with Wizards of the Coast to learn all about this thrilling new set.

Marvel's Spider-Man x Magic: The Gathering - First Card and Packaging Reveal

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Launching September 26th, 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 2023's Lord of the Rings set. While you won't find preconstructed Commander decks, the cards in the Scene Box (pictured above) are specifically designed for Commander and will *not* be Standard-legal.

Following last year's Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and others, Spider-Man marks Magic's first full set based on a Marvel comic property. Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer, Max McCall, explains this choice: "Spider-Man needs a full set to do justice to the character and incorporate the many villains he's faced over the years. A smaller product wouldn't have allowed us to include all the characters and moments we wanted. We could have included Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-Spider-Man set, but there wouldn't have been room for Aunt May."

McCall describes designing a Universes Beyond set as "flipping the worldbuilding on its head." Typical Magic sets need to establish their setting and gameplay, whereas most players are already familiar with Spider-Man. "When we make a card representing 'great power, great responsibility,' we can add mechanical complexity because players understand the narrative. We don't need to make Universes Beyond cards 'simple'—we just need to choose recognizable moments."

Head Designer Mark Rosewater explains how Magic's color pie adapts to these characters: "It's robust enough to depict heroism and villainy across all five colors." He cites Spider-Man as an example of a character spanning white, blue, and green (though the Scene Box version uses only white and blue). "His obligation to help people aligns with white; his scientific background and inventions are blue; and his powers and connection to the Spider-Man universe are green."

Beyond the Scene Box, the set includes Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs (see the gallery for details). While there are no preconstructed Commander decks, Welcome Decks will return—introductory decks often provided by game stores to help new players learn the game.

Following this year's Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast also announced an Avatar: The Last Airbender set, with two more in-universe sets to come before that: Tarkir: Dragonstorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities.

Read the full, unedited interview with Max McCall and Mark Rosewater below: