Ghost-SpiderGhost-Spider | Art by Victor Adame Minguez

Spider-Gwen is my favorite character in the Spider-Man mythos. After the starter deck spoilers, I was a little worried. However, Gwen's card in the main set is a home run for me. In this deck tech, I'll be taking my first shot at Gwen StacyGwen Stacy. I have really high hopes for this one!

What Does Gwen Stacy Do?

Gwen StacyGwen Stacy is one of several cards with a mechanic unique to Marvel's Spider-Man. She's both a transform card and a modal dual faced card. That is, you can cast both the Gwen Stacy and Ghost-Spider halves of the card and Gwen Stacy also has the option to transform into Ghost-Spider for .

That ability has an interesting implication for command tax, as the first time Ghost-Spider dies, she can be cast as Gwen Stacy for only four mana and then transformed later rather than demanding an up-front investment of seven mana.

Gwen Stacy is a two-mana 2/1 that exiles the top card of your library on entry, and that card remains playable for as long as Gwen Stacy is on the battlefield. Notably, that card remains playable even after Gwen Stacy has transformed into Ghost-Spider.

The real star of the show is Ghost-Spider, a five-mana 4/4 with flying, vigilance, and haste. Ghost-Spider gets a +1/+1 counter each time you play a land or cast a spell from exile. Then, two counters (any kind) can be removed from Ghost-Spider to exile the top card of your library to be played until end of turn.

There are a lot of different directions to go here. I really like the idea of leveraging Ghost-Spider's evasion and built-in pump ability to create a sweet Voltron deck. It's going to feel like a much more aggressive version of the Spider-Man 2099Spider-Man 2099 deck I wrote about last time. The major difference is that Ghost-Spider is a menace in combat from the moment she hits the table.

Key Cards for Gwen Stacy

Etali, Primal StormEtali, Primal Storm is a fun "Timmy" card that I don't often get to put into a deck and feel good about it. Here, I think he fits right in! Etali is able to create up to four Ghost-Spider triggers each time he attacks while also being a big scary Dinosaur that will soak up some of the removal opponents would rather be pointing at Ghost-Spider.

Kami of CelebrationKami of Celebration is an incredible, if a little over-costed, engine piece. Whenever a modified creature attacks, Kami of Celebration exiles the top card of your library to be played until end of turn, and whenever a spell is cast from exile, it puts a +1/+1 counter on target creature.

With Ghost-Spider in play, this will grant two +1/+1 counters per card played from exile. That means each card played from exile will provide enough +1/+1 counters to activate Ghost-Spider and exile another card.

Wild WastelandWild Wasteland is another engine piece that creates some pretty wacky gameplay. It replaces the draw step with exiling two cards that can be played this turn. This practically guarantees a way to trigger Ghost-Spider each turn, at the cost of a being able to build a hand, something an aggressive deck like this isn't really looking to do anyways.

Just like with Spider-Man 2099Spider-Man 2099, Passionate ArchaeologistPassionate Archaeologist is a force in this deck. Any time Gwen Stacy is in play, Passionate Archaeologist provides an excellent source of burn damage that helps close out games. All it asks in return is that you cast spells from exile, something this deck will be doing frequently.

While there's no way to take advantage of the half of the card that cares about energy, Unstable AmuletUnstable Amulet is another source of burn that wears down opposing life totals as the deck does what it's supposed to. The only downside of it is that it will often be difficult to get good value from it if it's drawn in the later stages of the game.

Quintorius KandQuintorius Kand is a planeswalker with three virtually useless loyalty abilities! But his passive ability is the real draw. Dealing two damage to each opponent and gaining two life whenever a spell is cast from exile can be very valuable, especially in grindy games where the life gain can buy extra turns.

How Does This Gwen Stacy Deck Win?

As with any Voltron deck, the win conditions are ways to make the commander deal extra damage. Livaan, Cultist of TiamatLivaan, Cultist of Tiamat, Legion LeadershipLegion Leadership, Jeska, Thrice RebornJeska, Thrice Reborn and Tavern BrawlerTavern Brawler all serve as ways to increase Gwen StacyGwen Stacy's damage output and create a very fast clock.

It should only take one or two attacks to kill a single player given how fast the +1/+1 counters pile up on Gwen. With The OzolithThe Ozolith, removing Gwen doesn't even take care of the problem.

Sometimes Ghost-Spider will need a way to eliminate multiple players in a single turn. Fear of Missing OutFear of Missing Out, Full ThrottleFull Throttle, and Final FortuneFinal Fortune create that possibility through extra turns or combats. Combined, they could even create a scenario where all three opponents are eliminated in a single turn.

I think of these effects like a release valve. In a normal game, it will usually be possible to take it slow and kill one player at a time. Sometimes, everyone will have a terrifying board state and the pressure to do something about it will be extreme. The ability to remove two or more players in one go is one of the few ways to diffuse that pressure.

Gwen Stacy Commander Deck List

Conclusion

I'm really excited to start jamming games with my favorite character at the helm of my deck. I'm positive that there are going to be many waves of major adjustments to this deck as I get to integrate it into my weekly play rotation (and once it becomes available to play in the Brawl queue on Arena!).

This list should be a great starting point for anyone else that's as excited to play with this card as I am. I look forward to reading suggestions in the comments and would absolutely love to see what others have cooked up for this deck, especially other commander damage-focused builds.

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