At the moment, Standard is far from being in an ideal position thanks to the continued dominance of Izzet Cauldron and Mono-Red Aggro. Things are so bad that some local stores are having trouble even firing Standard Regional Championship Qualifier events due to the lack of interest in the format.
That being said, there has still been some innovation in the Standard metagame since MTG Spider Man was released. Many players invested in Standard have been turning to intriguing anti-meta card and deck choices to try to get an edge in the field, causing some cards to spike in price. Now, it appears that a Spider Man legend build-around has increased significantly in value as well.
Superior Spider-Man
It’s clear now that Superior Spider-Man was slept on during the early days of MTG Spider Man. This isn’t too surprising, since most four-mana Clone variants aren’t up to snuff in competitive Constructed formats these days. It didn’t take long, however, for this legend to prove its worth with the right supporting cast.
Soon after getting spoiled, players discovered an incredible synergy between Superior Spider-Man and Bringer of the Last Gift. By casting Superior Spider-Man while Bringer is in your graveyard, you have the luxury of copying Bringer and getting all of its upside. Wiping your opponent’s board for four mana is already brutal, but resurrecting every creature you’ve milled over yourself in the process is a game-breaking play.
While Izzet Cauldron and Mono-Red Aggro are still garnering tons of attention, Sultai Self-Mill has emerged as a strong choice to fight these Standard menaces. Neither of those decks is well-suited to handle a huge board of threats, and the Izzet Cauldron matchup only gets easier when you get to bring in artifact and enchantment removal out of the sideboard.
Beyond its Standard appeal, Superior Spider-Man is beginning to see competitive play in Pioneer and Duel Commander as well. The self-mill core is still strong in Pioneer, and you get plenty of upgrades like Stitcher’s Supplier that aren’t Standard legal. Meanwhile, a Dimir Reanimator deck just won a Magic Online Duel Commander Trial with Superior Spider-Man at the helm. All of this proves that Superior Spider-Man is the real deal, and players are starting to pick it up.
The Spike
Since the official release of MTG Spider Man, Superior Spider-Man has been steadily climbing in value for the most part. The card saw its biggest surge in demand following the set’s release, with a whopping 384 near mint non-foil copies sold on September 26th alone. Even though demand did ease up in the coming weeks, 40 or more copies were consistently being purchased every day. That said, there are still 112 current near-mint non-foil listings available on TCGplayer, and 130 current near mint non-foil listings for the extended art variant.
Despite this, Superior Spider-Man’s price tag has kept rising, with the high end of its recent sales sitting at a semi-consistent $2.86 at the time of writing. This represents a 214% price spike from its lowest point of 91 cents in the last month. All of that said, the market average for Superior Spider-Man is lower than this, sitting around $2.16. The lowest current sales listing sits at $2.18, not including shipping fees, and the following listings aren’t far behind. Meanwhile, multiple traditional copies have sold today for anywhere between $1.50 and $2.87 in the last 24 hours.
The extended art variant follows a similar pattern. Despite the fact that multiple copies sold for $5 yesterday, the market price rests at $3.15. This is still up from $1.98 earlier in the month, but the gap is not as substantial. The lowest current sales listing is at $2.56 before shipping fees, and multiple copies were purchased today for just under $2.
The Future
As we look towards the future, it’s very difficult to predict whether this card will continue to rise in price. While Superior Spider-Man does see some casual Commander play, its demand is largely tied to its Standard appeal. Standard bans are looming, and the inevitable metagame shakeup could play a big role in the card’s long-term price point.
In theory, Sultai Self-Mill should still be an important archetype choice following whatever bans are on the way. Nothing from the deck seems likely to get the axe, even if multiple cards other than Vivi Ornitier earn a ban. Assuming Izzet Cauldron is severely weakened, there may be less graveyard hate to worry about on top of that. On the flip side, however, there’s a chance that red decks become significantly less popular and Sultai Self-Mill loses out on some stronger matchups.
Fortunately, November 10th is only a few weeks away, so we won’t have to wait too long to see how things play out. In spite of the various possibilities, there’s no denying that Superior Spider-Man is a sweet card with a lot of appeal. Make sure to keep it on your radar moving forward.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage!