<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://victoradameart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victor Adame Minguez</a></em></p>
<p>We may be over a month out from the full release of Magic's next Universes Beyond crossover, <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/spm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Spider-Man</em></a>, but that doesn't mean the cEDH community isn't already frantically parsing threw previews looking for competitive Commander's next splashy deck.</p>
<p>So, let's get started with Gwen Stacy, Jeskai's newest contender in the competitive arena.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gwen Stacy"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p>First off, a breakdown of an important development showcased on <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: the the blending of modal double-faced cards (MDFCs) with the transform mechanic.</p>
<p>Normally, MDFCS are restricted in that you choose one face of the card to play when you play it (or cast it), and then it's stuck that way as long as it's in play. Casting <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birgi, God of Storytelling" href="#" target="_blank">Birgi, God of Storytelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Well, you won't be able to see the backside - <span class="edhrecp__link only-back"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birgi, God of Storytelling" href="#" target="_blank">Harnfel, Horn of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - any time soon, even if an effect instructed you to "transform target permanent."</p>
<p>With <em>Magic</em>'s <em>Spider-Man</em> crossover, a new slate of cards (Gwen Stacy included) are being revealed which are both MDFCs and traditionally-transformable permanents. Choose one side to cast when you cast it, and - if you choose the front face - you can transform it later on, given some cost (or if an effect instructs you to do so). Alrighty, on to Gwen.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Gwen Stacy is a legendary 2/1 Human Performer Hero creature that causes you to exile the top card of your library when it enters. For as long as you control this creature, you may play that card. Additionally, for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you may transform Gwen Stacy into Ghost-Spider. Do this only at sorcery speed.</p>
<p>On the backside, Ghost-Spider is a legendary 4/4 Spider Human Hero with a mana cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. It has flying, vigilance, haste, and "Whenever you play a land from exile or cast a spell from exile, put a +1/+1 counter on Ghost-Spider."</p>
<p>Additionally, Ghost-Spider has the activated ability "Remove two counters from Ghost Spider: Exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn."</p>
<p>At first glance, Gwen Stacy is somewhere in between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in terms of the value-add for your deck. That is, a cheap creature that provides a small bonus on its own (that being the card exiled thanks to the enters trigger), but really it just exists to provide colors to your color identity and to enable early-game spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deflecting Swat" href="#" target="_blank">Deflecting Swat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springleaf Drum" href="#" target="_blank">Springleaf Drum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Truth be told, for most of the game that is the case; Ghost-Spider is a pretty ineffective engine (cEDH isn't known for casting spells from exile). However, there are just enough cards that red already wants to be running, plus a select few which the deck cranks up to eleven, that make things more interesting.</p>
<p>Let's dig deeper.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>By and large, the key cards for this deck break down into two primary categories:</p>
<ol>
<li>Cards you want to look for to survive the early turns - those which will seed the front side of your commander on the battlefield.</li>
<li>Cards you want to look for to propel you through the midgame - those which bolster Ghost-Spider's role as an extra source of card advantage.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Early Support</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fierce Guardianship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mox Amber"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Springleaf Drum"></div></div>
<p>With the rate at which cEDH players can deploy early mana these days, casting Gwen Stacy turn one is a pretty feasible goal, one which will reward you immensely if properly capitalized on.</p>
<p>Fierce Guardianship and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deflecting Swat" href="#" target="_blank">Deflecting Swat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are two of the strongest interaction pieces in cEDH, both being free when you control your commander. By playing Gwen on the first turn reliably, this deck does a decent job of impersonating Rograkh in its Izzet-plus strategies (RogSi, RogThras, etc.) - setting you up with consistent interaction while the rest of the table gears up for their own game plans.</p>
<p>Similarly, a specialty suite of creature-dependent mana rocks, such as Mox Amber and Springleaf Drum, can be considered eternally active in this deck. Using Mox Amber as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Ruby" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Ruby</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> game after game is the exact kind of marginal boon which can take a deck from Bracket 4 to Bracket 5, and from cEDH obscurity to relevance.</p>
<h3>Exile Support</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grenzo, Havoc Raiser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Party Thrasher"></div></div>
<p>Moving to the mid-to-late game, when Gwen Stacy has become <span class="edhrecp__link only-back"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Ghost-Spider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, several premier cards in red gain a new life, while other mid-tier engines become potent threats.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubles as an opportunity to reliably put a counter on Ghost-Spider each turn, just like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Party Thrasher" href="#" target="_blank">Party Thrasher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card which will also give you card selection and ramp for the from-exile noncreature spells you cast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grenzo, Havoc Raiser" href="#" target="_blank">Grenzo, Havoc Raiser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put a theoretically unlimited number of counters on Ghost-Spider each turn, limited only by your mana and the number of creatures which you can successfully connect with each turn.</p>
<p>Continuing the list of already-potent picks, I can't help but mention <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and, once again, Harnfel, Horn of Bounty. Both of these produce mass-instances of exiling cards, simultaneously serving as opportunities to place a massive number of counters on Ghost-Spider. Combining these with our aforementioned three, and this deck's red contingent shapes up as a full roster of both repeatable and en masse exile opportunities.</p>
<h2>How Does <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Win?</h2>
<p>Like all Jeskai decks out there, Gwen Stacy can pull off the tried-and-true <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo, backed up by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so as to make the package singularly tutorable off of both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gifts Ungiven" href="#" target="_blank">Gifts Ungiven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intuition" href="#" target="_blank">Intuition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Similarly, this deck also runs the classic package of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Duplication" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Duplication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and/or any functional replacements, e.g., <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twinflame" href="#" target="_blank">Twinflame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). That all being said, these combos are the standard.</p>
<p>Where Gwen Stacy really shines - and what makes this deck unique - is Ghost-Spider's interaction with the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo package.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isochron Scepter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dramatic Reversal"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Don't forget to throw in enough nonland permanents to tap for at least three mana in total.</em></p>
<p>First off, combo review. By imprinting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dramatic Reversal" href="#" target="_blank">Dramatic Reversal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on Isochron Scepter, the Scepter functionally gains the ability to infinitely tap and untap all nonland permanents you control, provided nonland permanents you control can collectively add at least two mana.</p>
<p>Once your nonland permanents add three or more mana, you start netting additional mana at each iteration of the loop, effectively making this an infinite mana combo. This is because the imprinted copy of Dramatic Reversal which Isochron Scepter allows you to cast will untap the newly-tapped Isochron Scepter itself.</p>
<p>Ghost-Spider enters the equation here because of a little-known, but very important, part of how Isochron Scepter's ability works. When you cast a copy of the imprinted spell, that spell is cast from exile, as the copy which Isochron Scepter makes is copied in exile (the zone where the imprinted card exists).</p>
<p>As such, each iteration of the infinite combo will also put a +1/+1 counter on Ghost-Spider, leaving you with infinite mana and infinite counters on Ghost-Spider.</p>
<p>From here, you can remove counters in two-counter increments to exile through your deck, at which point either an arbitrarily large stack of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brain Freeze" href="#" target="_blank">Brain Freeze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> copies (since the storm count will be arbitrarily large) or an assembled Dualcaster combo will point you to victory.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwen Stacy" href="#" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cEDH Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Gwen Stacy // Ghost Spider" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Gwen Stacy // Ghost-Spider
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archivist of Oghma
*1 Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
*1 Dualcaster Mage
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Faerie Mastermind
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
*1 Imperial Recruiter
*1 Mockingbird
*1 Party Thrasher
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Ranger-Captain of Eos
*1 Recruiter of the Guard
*1 Simian Spirit Guide
*1 Spellseeker
*1 Treasonous Ogre
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Vivi Ornitier
*1 Voice of Victory
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Gamble
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Merchant Scroll
*1 Molten Duplication
*1 Rite of Flame
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Transmute Artifact
*1 Twinflame
*1 Wheel of Fortune
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Borne Upon a Wind
*1 Brain Freeze
*1 Deflecting Swat
*1 Desperate Ritual
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flare of Duplication
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Gifts Ungiven
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 Intuition
*1 Mental Misstep
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Pact of Negation
*1 Pyretic Ritual
*1 Pyroblast
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Silence
*1 Swan Song
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Whir of Invention
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Defense Grid
*1 Isochron Scepter
*1 Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Mox Opal
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 The One Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Underworld Breach
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 City of Brass
*1 City of Traitors
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Forbidden Orchard
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Plateau
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Starting Town
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Tundra
*1 Volcanic Island
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>Well folks, that's a wrap on Gwen Stacy's <em>Magic</em> debut. My honest take? While Ghost-Spider is far from the strongest engine in a command zone right now, the flexibility provided by the Gwen Stacy herself is potent enough to more than make this deck a worthy contender in the halls of cEDH-Jeskai.</p>
<p>At the very least, an early enabler for mana and protection as you jam through an Underworld Breach combo is nothing to scoff at.</p>
<p>Couple that with midgame resiliency and the potential to make plenty of red staples into more-busted versions of their already stellar selves, and I think that Ghost-Spider has what it takes to put up results.</p>
<h3>More cEDH:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="IifdrOXHGE"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/evaluating-spider-punk-for-cedh/">Evaluating Spider-Punk for cEDH</a></p></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="7hJP2qmXOU"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/can-the-coliseum-format-fix-cedh/">Can the Coliseum Format Fix cEDH?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Can the Coliseum Format Fix cEDH?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/can-the-coliseum-format-fix-cedh/embed/#?secret=1HuUwJGTOi#?secret=7hJP2qmXOU" data-secret="7hJP2qmXOU" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="JqyH18SkuP"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-prepare-for-a-cedh-tournament/">How To Prepare for a cEDH Tournament</a></p></blockquote>
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jeskai combos

Building Gwen Stacy for cEDH