Stingerfling SpiderStingerfling Spider | Art by Dave Allsop

Are you arachnophobic? Cause I'm not.

In fact, I'd much rather encounter a spider over an insect. Perhaps that's just me, but spiders are cool!

Insects are gross.

But in Magic, both are just creature types. They have their synergies, they have theirs strengths, and they have their ridiculous amount of token generation. But it's not as if they're as core to the identity of a color as, say, Vampires. And they overlap much more than you might initially expect.

What Is Playing "Out Of Type?"

There are many ways to engage with the game, but not all of them are designed around winning. Many playstyles and methods of deckbuilding are thereby forgotten or abandoned, given that Magic is a game where you are intended to win.

Or at least, attempt to win.

Playing "Out Of Type" is what happens when you play with unconventional or obtuse strategies. You're still trying to win, you just give up the luxury of intended synergies and well-known combos. The goal is to explore new cards and strategies, to pick up on facets of the game that very few have even stopped to consider, and to maybe even win a few games along the way, though that's not necessarily likely. You'll sure have a unique experience, though!

What Spiders Do Well

While there are certainly a variety in the types of Spiders in Magic, overwhelmingly they fall into one a few different archetypes. This should be expected, given that they're overwhelmingly green-aligned, though it does mean that they fill a rather specific niche in the game.

Reach Blockers

A fair amount of Spiders are simply mid-range, medium-cost creatures that have little more than reach. Quite useful for blocking fliers, though certainly not the most exciting thing to be known for.

Many take this a step further, giving some additional form of utility or enter-the-battlefield effect, such as Arachnus SpinnerArachnus Spinner. Others, like Ancient SpiderAncient Spider, just gain an additional keyword on top of their ability to block fliers.

These baseline-Spiders tend not to be worth including in a deck outside of filling space, and even then you have better options. Their cost-to-benefit ratio simply isn't viable.

Deathtouch Strikers

A far more deadly subcategory of Spider are those that take inspiration from why many people fear them: their venom.

Deathtouch might be the second-most common keyword across Spiders after reach. As is typical with creatures that have deathtouch, their power struggles but is more than made up for by their ability to destroy any creature they deal damage to.

There're also some that have either wither or infect, such as BlightwidowBlightwidow. These accomplish a similar effect to deathtouch, just with some more work involved. This can be made easier with Spiders like Copper LonglegsCopper Longlegs, but Spiders usually don't survive more than a single combat.

Nevertheless, many Spiders are able to give pause to even the most gallant opponents. Creature removal is never in short supply with them.

Destruction

Speaking of creature removal, many Spiders specialize in destroying permanents. In line with green, this is usually relegated to flying creatures, though more generalized options are certainly available. Some, like Obelisk SpiderObelisk Spider, function quite similarly to the wither keyword, while others take an ETB approach. They usually struggle to remove other, noncreature permanents, though this isn't always the case!

Just as green is inclined to do, artifacts and enchantments are in danger as well.

Token Generation

Of course, it wouldn't be green without massive investments into token generation.

Arasta of the Endless WebArasta of the Endless Web is the most well-regarded of such Spiders, swarming your board far faster than any opponent can easily respond to, and while they only fill the role of baseline "reach" Spiders, that's still a wall! When combined with something that increases the power of your Spiders, it becomes oppressive.

But these decks are fragile, given their dependence on those centerpiece permanents. There are ways to scale off of this in more sustainable ways, such as holding onto Spider SpawningSpider Spawning for after a board wipe, but the strength of Spiders is often in numbers buffed by a few select creatures.

Spiders Strong Together

There are a few notable cards that buff your Spiders, and they tend to be quite powerful. You already have many mid-range Spiders that can block flying creatures. Some have deathtouch, others trample or first strike.

Then you give them +2/+2 or ward or something similar. It's no joke, though it certainly isn't the strongest setup as removing those few support pieces will dismantle your board state. You might be able to return them with something like Nyx WeaverNyx Weaver, but a web's only as strong as its weakest thread.

In Magic, disparate Spiders just don't synergize with one another as well as other creature types.

But What If You Didn't Play Arachnids?

Of course by that, I mean what if you played a bunch of Spider-related cards that were not, themselves, "typical" Spiders?

Entomology

Spiders are not insects. Therefore, you have a prime opportunity to make a mixed-kindred deck of the two and upset every entomologist you play against.

It's justifiable if you just call the deck "Creepy Crawlies kindred," but it's actually not that mechanically unsound. There are Spiders that create Insects, Insects that buff Spiders, and pests that pretend like they were invited.

Insects are at their strongest in swarms, funnily enough, so you could get quite the board when pairing them with Spiders. They often involve black in addition to green, meaning you'll have fantastic sacrificial fodder. A good few even have deathtouch, cracking some of those tough nuts you'll be dealing with.

Spiders, Man

Then there's the Spider-Man set. Just about the entire set revolves around Spiders, though some specify "Spider Hero" as opposed to the generalized form. Whether you're web-slinging with Universes Beyond or you're traveling Through the Omenpaths, you have new options for Spider support without ever getting creepy or crawly!

A form of support common to these Spider-Man decks is token generation, given that the set seems to quite enjoy the idea of the Spider from the comics being a 2/1 green Spider with reach.

... despite the fact that the card these tokens are based on is a 1/1 with reach and deathtouch. Certainly it's a matter of balance, though it is an interesting distinction to make.

Though there are also many, many abilities that trigger off of or benefit from possessing multiple Spiders. These might be indirect, like Spider ManifestationSpider Manifestation being able to reduce the cost of your more powerful Spiders consistently. Or it could be one of the many supporting cast members of the Spider-Man set who revolve around Spiders.

You can get card draw, life gain, mana production. There's also quite a few nongreen cards and commanders released in this set, meaning you could quite reasonably keep it as an anchor but otherwise go off the deep end into white or red. Even blue and black have support, though that's primarily with Villains and Symbiotes.

Also Fynn

I can't neglect Fynn, the FangbearerFynn, the Fangbearer.

By himself, he can turn a smattering of weak, spamming deathtouch Spiders into a swarm of poison counters. Forget proliferate or infect or toxic: all you need is him, a way to produce Spiders, and a means of keeping him alive.

He might not single-handedly win you games, but he'll sure make them a lot easier. Particularly when paired with Shelob, Child of UngoliantShelob, Child of Ungoliant, any degree of token generation will grant a warded, poisonous army.

Spiders Are Weird

In Magic, Spiders can almost do most things. That sounds like a nothing sentence, but bear with me.

Spiders as a creature type can create many tokens very easily. They have a range of costs with smaller and larger creatures in their number. They have in-and-out of type benefits to Spiders!

But they can't do much on their own. At least, not in the same way archetypal creature types of the color pie can.

Even with the recent Spider-Man set, Spiders give you some card draw and make themselves stronger. Perhaps you'll gain some life depending on what creatures you're playing, but you won't sweep across tables and make your friends tear their hair out.

Which, probably, is a good thing. Still, a shame that they don't quite stack up the way I hoped they would.