In a set as huge as MTG Foundations, it’s inevitable that a few cards will slip under the radar during preview season. Players struggle to catch everything at the best of times, never mind when there are over 700 cards to sift through. While the set’s big mythics are, predictably, soaking up much of the attention right now, there are some sparkling gems hidden among the rest of the set. Spinner of Souls is one such gem, and it may just be one of the most widely played MTG cards from Foundations when all is said and done.
Spinner Of Souls MTG
- Mana Value: 2G
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 4/3
- Card Text: Reach. Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, you may reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
While it’s a brand-new card, Spinner of Souls feels very much like a mash-up of different MTG cards from the past. Cards like Grim Haruspex, which gives you card draw for creature death, and cards like Evolutionary Leap, which digs you into creatures specifically. Unsurprisingly, the two go together like the MTG equivalent of peanut butter and jelly.
While the nontoken clause here is unfortunate, it’s really the only negative I can think of for the card. Its ability triggers multiple times a turn, which is a breath of fresh air in the age of ‘once per turn’ effects. It also feels much more reliable than most similar card draw effects. While simply drawing can get you useless lands later in a game, you’ll almost always find a use for a creature. In grindy creature-based matchups, such as those we see a lot of in Standard right now, an ability like this can be very powerful indeed.
Spinner of Souls also presents some interesting deckbuilding options. If you’re running a creature-based combo deck, you can build a mostly noncreature list and use this to fish out the pieces. In that sense, it can function as a kind of pseudo-tutor. You do still need other creatures to die to get the effect off, of course, but it’s an angle worth considering.
What’s also worth considering is Spinner’s above-rate stats for the cost. Spider purists may balk at an offensively-statted creature in their type, but a 4/3 for three trades very well indeed. Reach is also a significant benefit, and rounds out the overall package here nicely.
A Spider For All Seasons
Where exactly will our friend Spinner of Souls see play? I think there are a number of potential avenues. Naturally, Standard is a safe bet. The format right now is very Midrange-heavy, with Golgari Midrange in particular putting up excellent numbers. Given that Spinner looks excellent both in and against Midrange decks, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t at least tested in the format. Golgari decks may even trial Nine-Lives Familiar as well since the two play beautifully together.
Beyond Standard, I think the card could legitimately have a shot in Pioneer. Selesnya Company is a popular deck right now, and this card does a lot of work in such lists. Bringing in a 4/3 Reach at instant speed via Collected Company is great in itself. On top of that, Spinner’s effect can turn a round of fair trades into a complete blowout thanks to the card advantage it offers. As a great three drop for creature-focused decks, Spinner seems like a natural fit for Selesnya Company.
Finally, as if it needed mentioning, Spinner will be a fantastic Commander card. Draw engines are always in demand in the format, and this is a draw engine with a very high ceiling. There’s also a ton of combo potential here too. You can loop Gravecrawler with Spinner out to dig for a Blood Artist effect to end the game, for example. All of that aside, the fact that it’s a reasonably playable Spider alone will guarantee it a spot in the ever-struggling Spider Typal decks until the end of time.
See, I’m not spinning a web of lies when I say that Spinner of Souls is one of the most subtly powerful cards in Foundations!
