Edge of Eternities hasn’t even been released, yet it’s already being pushed out of the spotlight. Thanks to unfortunate timing and Magic’s relentless release schedule, Marvel’s Spider-Man is now here. We knew this set would be getting a First Look at San Diego Comic-Con this year, but we’re getting a lot more than that.
Ahead of tomorrow’s much-anticipated presentation, Wizards has unveiled the five Spider-Man Welcome Decks. Each containing 30 new cards, these decks are unashamedly for casual players, rather than being anything close to Standard or Commander precons. Notably, these decks contain both Standard legal cards, with the SPM set core, and Eternal legal cards, designated by the SPE code.
While we’ll be going over all the new reveals today, there’s far too much to go over in one place. So, for now, we’ll just be looking at the 20 new Eternal legal SPE cards from Marvel’s Spider-Man set.
Spider-Man White Welcome Deck
Costing five mana, Spider-Man, Peter Parker sets the trend for the Eternal legal Spider-Man cards within the Welcome Decks. While illegal in Standard, this card wouldn’t be remotely playable in that format. This Spider-Man is only really viable in Commander thanks to the format’s slower speed and casual-friendly nature.
At their core, these Welcome Decks are designed to be interesting and approachable, not high-powered and competitive. Due to this, all of the new Eternal legal cards are a little bit meh, in the grand scheme of MTG. That said, Spider-Man, Peter Parker definitely has a place within Lifegain-themed decks in Commander.
The same is true for Amazing Alliance and MJ, Rising Star. Both these cards play around the lifegain theme, which is hugely popular in Commander already. Out of these two, MJ, Rising Star is arguably the better card; however, she’s not really anything new in MTG. Having Vigilance is definitely a nice addition, though.
Lastly, you’ll also get two copies of Amateur Hero in the white Spider-Man Welcome Deck. Sadly, these cards are basically just the Welcome Deck equivalent of Draft Chaff, as they won’t see play anywhere. Even Spider-Man-themed Commander decks will have better options than this.
Spider-Man Blue Welcome Deck
Continuing what will become a running theme, Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara is also pretty meh for a mythic. Offering bounce and once-per-combat locked card draw, Miguel O’Hara is expensive for minimal upside. While you might think about running him in the 99 of a deck, Miguel is definitely not a staple mono-blue Commander.
Similarly, Future Flight is hardly the most impressive new Eternal legal Spider-Man card, but it’s not terrible. The decent buff and card draw, especially, can do work in the right Commander deck. At four mana, however, the value on offer here is hardly world-class.
Thankfully, Lyla, Holographic Assistant looks like an MTG card that may see a decent amount of play. Offering a +1/+1 counter whenever you draw a card, Lyla is a true value engine that many MTG decks could utilize. While she is slightly on the expensive side, the slower pace of Commander should allow Lyla to work wonders.
Much like the white Welcome Deck, the new common Eternal legal card is pretty bad. Alchemax Slayer-Bots does offer marginal utility by tapping down a threat for a bit, but this Robot is largely chaff. Sadly, this Welcome Deck looks like it’s the weakest out of he bunch, which is a pretty low bar in the first place.
Spider-Man Black Welcome Deck
In a very welcome twist, Venom, Eddie Brock is actually Commander playable. While their mono-black identity does make things rather difficult, Venom can provide a good deal of value. Specifically, it’s the Villain-based card draw that will prove most useful; however, he’s a decent Aristocrats card too.
The problem with Venom, Eddie Brock is that current Aristocrats decks in Commander don’t play any Villains. Potentially, the Spider-Man set will support pivoting into this new creature type; however, there may be better Commanders for that role. If this is the case, Venom should still be useful in the 99 of new and existing decks, as they’re definitely not terrible.
Similarly suiting an Aristocrats deck, or at least a Graveyard Matters one, Lethal Protection is a decent MTG card. For four mana, you get two effects that’d typically cost two mana bundled together into one. In the right deck, this will be a useful sorcery speed effect, but you might have to wait to get maximum value.
Dropping down in rarity once again, Grendel, Spawn of Knull is a fairly simple MTG card. Only offering keyword abilities on a moderately sized body, Grendel is a pretty plain French Vanilla creature. This is to say that Grendel isn’t going to set the world of Commander alight, as they might not even get played.
Similarly, Symbiote Spawn is just Welcome Deck chaff. In theory, it is an eight-life swing attached to a 3/2 body, which seems reasonable. In reality, though, both Aristocrats and Sacrifice-focused decks have a lot better tools at their disposal.
Spider-Man Red Welcome Deck
Unlike the other Spider-Man Welcome Decks, this one doesn’t play into an established and synergistic theme… mostly. This deck just cares about turning creatures sideways and dishing out tons of damage, which admittedly is very red. Thankfully, this also means the deck’s Eternal legal cards are actually pretty playable.
Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy isn’t ground-breaking or world-shatteringly powerful, but she is a useful aggro-engine. In a go-wide deck like Goblins, Gwen could dish out a seriously powerful punch. Even outside of this mono-red archetype, Gwen could see play in a fair few token-based Commander decks.
Much like Gwen, Double Trouble is just good in red-aligned Commander decks. If you want to end the game with one big swing using all your creatures, this is the card for you. Admittedly, it is better after a few board-wide buffs and with something that gives Trample, but it definitely has potential.
Sadly, the same isn’t so true for The Mary Janes. Even as a one mana 3/3 with Menace, this card isn’t special in Commander. In constructed this card could be seriously exciting, but in Commander, it’s just okay. Ultimately, we wouldn’t be surprised if this card doesn’t see much play at all outside of Spider-Man-themed decks.
Curiously, despite being the Eternal legal common in the Welcome Deck, Rampaging Classmate is actually pretty interesting. With a wide board, this Lizard can actually pack a pretty serious punch. While you’ll need to give it Trample for maximum effectiveness, Rampaging Classmate could see legitimate Commander play.
Spider-Man Green Welcome Deck
Returning to the land of synergy, the green Spider-Man Welcome Deck plays into the color’s love of counters. The deck’s Eternal legal mythic, Spider-Man, Miles Morales, is actually pretty strong in this regard. Offering an immediate +1/+1 counter on each creature you control, and more if you attack, Miles Morales puts in work.
Beyond just making your creatures bigger, Miles Morales also dishes out Trample, which is especially useful in green. While this mechanic is prevalent in the color, giving it to buffed-up smaller creatures ensures that chump blockers aren’t a concern. In theory, Spider-Man, Miles Morales could be decent as a Commander; however, they’ll likely be better in the 99.
While nothing groundbreaking, Venom Blast also just works well in mono-green Commander decks. Bite spells like this are the color’s go-to form of removal, and getting counters on top is always a nice deal. For four mana, this effect is somewhat expensive; however, if you’ve got counter synergies in play, it should be worth it.
Speaking of chump blockers, Prowler, Misguided Mentor has in-built protection from those. While this should allow him to get in damage and start buffing your creatures, he is rather slow. Without additional counter synergy, Prowler seems a bit meh, but he could still see some play.
Lastly, but by no means least, Twisted Spider-Clone seems like a decent card for counter-focused decks. So long as you’ve got enough +1/+1 counters across the board, Twisted Spider-Clone can provide a sizable buff. At four mana, however, this Spider is fairly situational as you’ll always want maximum value out of it.
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