The spoiler season for Edge of Eternities may have only just finished, but Magic: The Gathering isn’t slowing down. This week, Magic is off to San Diego Comic-Con for a couple of panels that should be chock-full of reveals. King amongst these is the much anticipated First Look for the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man set.
While it’s believed this set won’t be as all-encompassing as the recent Final Fantasy crossover, in some ways it’s bigger. Not only is Spider-Man a colossally popular franchise, but the Magic crossover is basically two sets in one. Thanks to digital licensing issues, digital clients are getting new “Through the Omenpaths” cards, rather than official Spider-Man ones.
As you might expect, this unusual double release has stirred up a lot of questions surrounding the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Thankfully, ahead of the upcoming First Look, MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, has provided some clarity.
It’s All Spiders, Man
“Powroffriendship: Will the first look Spider-Man panel at SDCC also give us a first look at the MTGA Omenpaths versions of the cards? I’m really looking forward to the spidey stuff, but am also looking forward to how you take it in-multiverse too.
Mark Rosewater: It will not.”
Via Blogatog
Unlike many of the teasing answers Mark Rosewater gives on Blogatog, this one is refreshingly clear-cut. There’s no room for interpretation, as there simply won’t be any Through the Omenpaths cards at San Diego Comic-Con 2025. As many MTG players pointed out on social media, this isn’t really too surprising.
As a Universes Beyond release, it’s little wonder that the franchise’s crossover cards are going to be front and center. While many players may want to see them, having Spider-Man be spoiled alongside Arachnid Chap would undoubtedly lessen the impact. In theory, this will remain the case all throughout spoiler season, so we may not see Through the Omenpaths cards for some time.
Two For the Price of One
Right now, there’s no telling when any of the Through the Omenpaths cards will be revealed. All we’ve heard from Wizards so far is that “We’ll have more information on that set as we get closer to the release date.” Potentially, this means we’ll get more information during the upcoming First Look, although that does feel somewhat unlikely.
At the moment, there are a few theories around when Through the Omenpath versions will be released. Potentially, they could be quietly spoiled alongside the main cards, being revealed when the card image gallery updates. Alternatively, Wizards may hold back until the last moment, not showing off anything until the set launches on MTG Arena.
Personally, I suspect Wizards may have a WeeklyMTG livestream dedicated to showing off Through the Omenpaths after the set’s spoiler season concludes. Whether or not this will happen, however, remains to be seen. Ultimately, we’ll just have to stay tuned and watch closely for more information.
A Turning Point?
With the way that Wizards of the Coast announced Through the Omenpaths, you’d be remiss for assuming it’s not a big deal. As the byproduct of digital licensing issues, this is technically true in some regard. For many MTG players, however, Through the Omenpaths is the most interesting MTG set releasing this year.
Since Universes Beyond started getting its own set, players have inadvertently been asking for Through the Omenpaths non-stop. Across social media, players have constantly been requesting in-universe versions of new crossover cards. According to Mark Rosewater, the demand for such a set isn’t there; however, we’re now weirdly getting it anyway.
Arguably, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Unlike The Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy, Spider-Man is pretty far removed from the high fantasy genre. While we haven’t seen the set yet, there’s a concern that Spider-Man cards will stick out like a sore thumb. In theory, this could make Through the Omenpaths more popular than expected, but this could be the vocal minority talking.
For better or worse, even if Through the Omenpaths is popular, it’s unlikely to manifest a major change. It’s clear that Universes Beyond is here to stay, and doubling up on art assets and printing costs is a mountain of extra work. For this reason, it’s unlikely Wizards will make more Through the Omenpaths sets unless they have to.
Regardless of this, it’s nonetheless interesting to see how Wizards will handle Through the Omenpaths cards. Potentially, we may be getting in-universe superheroes, or, as r_lucasite suggests on Reddit, a play. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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