Hide on the CeilingHide on the Ceiling | Art by Fariba Khamseh

This week, Marvel makes its debut in Magic. I enjoy Spider-Man as a concept, but I do sit the camp of people who enjoy Spider-Man over there, and the Through the Omenpaths versions of these cards therefore push buttons for me that, for the most part, the Spider-Man cards themselves do not.

However, as with all Universes Beyond sets, the love and respect that has clearly gone into the design of these cards is evident, and this article is as always a celebration of the card design behind the set – so strap in, brace your inner arachnophobe and let’s have a look.

As always, I approach this list with the aim of selecting cards that make for interesting and memorable games – where you leave your evening with the warm feeling of having had good and interactive games where things happened.

These cards aren't necessarily going to help you win games, and they aren't selected to introduce chaos or randomness, but I hope that they'll help to inject some interest and interactivity, keeping players engaged with games and perhaps generating new and interesting situations.

Whether or not a card is interesting is subjective, so this is an inescapably biased list, but I hope that it'll make for an interesting read - perhaps make you think about a card that's passed you by in the maelstrom of new sets and products. And maybe generate a discussion or two.

Honorable Mention

Because J. Jonah JamesonJ. Jonah Jameson was previewed earlier than most of the rest of the set, there's already been a lot of conversation about the brilliance of its design. Every word on the card aligns perfectly with the character of Jameson in-Marvelverse, from flinging out suspicions as to the identity of New York’s friendly neighborhood vigilante to making money off the actions of menacing characters (bad news sells!).

I also want to take the opportunity here to discuss Through the Omenpaths. Magic the Gathering’s Marvel’s Spider-Man is not a large set, but it should still be noted that the designers have created a second set alongside it containing in-universe characters and events, and that they're consistently as compelling if not more so than the original card designs.

It's an incredible feat to be outputting two concurrent sets of flavorful and interesting cards.

#10 – Hydro-Man, Fluid FelonHydro-Man, Fluid Felon

The card design for Hydro-Man, Fluid FelonHydro-Man, Fluid Felon is wild. It captures the flavor of a guy who sometimes turns into water (which I assume is something that he does), giving you a strange sort of blue ramp piece that's sometimes a low-level villainous threat.

A creature flip-flopping between land and creature is new, so it's an interesting design space, and the fact that it gives you an extra blue mana exclusively outside of your own turn means that it supports an interactive playstyle, making it that much easier to pass the turn with the confidence of a blue mage with a handful of counterspells loaded.

#9 – Flash Thompson, Spider-FanFlash Thompson, Spider-Fan & Amazing AcrobaticsAmazing Acrobatics

Number 9 is the Por qué no los dos section of today’s article – both Flash Thompson, Spider-FanFlash Thompson, Spider-Fan and Amazing AcrobaticsAmazing Acrobatics are fairly simple cards designs that not only have the flexibility of choosing between two options, but give you the ability to do both if the mood takes you.

In both cases the combination of effects have the potential to blow out certain game moments, and if leveraged at the right times I could see both winning games.

Flash Thompson, Spider-FanFlash Thompson, Spider-Fan is a combat math nightmare. He represents a surprise addition to the combat, but on entry he has the ability to wake up another blocker and potentially knock somebody else’s out of the equation.

What might have at first seemed like a hopeless situation may suddenly turn into a combat in your favor, presumably because of how much he likes Spider-Man.

Amazing AcrobaticsAmazing Acrobatics, on the other hand, is more of a small Cryptic CommandCryptic Command deal. You can be simultaneously saying no to something, which is truly one of the most powerful feelings in the game, and denying somebody a functional combat step, or knocking over some key blockers to pave the way to a victory in the next turn.

#8 – Black Cat, Cunning ThiefBlack Cat, Cunning Thief

Nine cards is a lot. Even in Commander, where decks can be tall enough as to lack structural integrity, by the time an opening hand has been drawn and a couple of turns have been taken, nine cards is comfortably a tenth of the resources remaining in a deck.

And let’s not pretend that Black Cat, Cunning ThiefBlack Cat, Cunning Thief is only going to be entering once. With cards like Conjurer's ClosetConjurer's Closet and Sword of Hearth and HomeSword of Hearth and Home, or even Y'shtola RhulY'shtola Rhul, Thassa, Deep-DwellingThassa, Deep-Dwelling, and SoulherderSoulherder outside of Black CatBlack Cat’s own color identity, I forsee this card digging so deep into its targeted decks that it’ll be tantamount to Praetor's GraspPraetor's Grasp on a stick over the course of a game.

#7 – Strength of WillStrength of Will

Strength of WillStrength of Will is a top-tier call-an-ambulance-but-not-for-me card. It's a reactive protection piece that not only keeps your thing alive, but in many circumstances turns it into an even more dangerous thing than it already was.

Consider the plethora of popular damage-based sweepers in Commander, ranging from Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act to Ezuri's PredationEzuri's Predation, or fight-based single target removal spells.

And that doesn’t even cover the combat applications of the card. If somebody makes the mistake of attacking you with something big, whatever you block with suddenly becoming +that-big/+that-big is most likely not what your opponent was hoping to get out of their combat step.

And, and, and. This card exists in the same game as Dawnsire, Sunstar DreadnoughtDawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought. Now that I’m thinking about this, I sort of wish I’d put this card higher up the list. I don’t think I can think of a cooler way to win a game than attacking, dealing 100 damage to your own creature and Strength of WillStrength of Willing 100 counters onto it before damage. Bonus points if it’s something like a Hydra OmnivoreHydra Omnivore.

#6 – Cheering CrowdCheering Crowd

Everything seems flat and devoid of color after briefly living in Dawnsire, Sunstar DreadnoughtDawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought magical Christmas land, but let’s talk about Cheering CrowdCheering Crowd. This is an interesting new Group Hug card, but with a sort of risk associated with it that will give your opponents at least a brief pause.

Each turn, the active player may choose to put a +1/+1 counter on Cheering CrowdCheering Crowd. (Side note – I like this because it’s indicative of the crowd getting bigger and more excited as the game goes on.) If they do so, they add for each +1/+1 counter currently on the card. So it's free mana, but it also represents an additional free mana for the next opponent.

This card is far more interactive than it first appears, as people will need to assess the relative value that each subsequent player would get out of the free mana and grow the crowd themselves or not accordingly. Check out Jeremy's article all about this card here.

#5 – Rhino's RampageRhino's Rampage

Rhino's RampageRhino's Rampage is a small and simple card, but it does a whole lot of interacting for a single mana. Not only does it allow you to remove something by fighting it, but if you manage to deal even a single excess damage in the fight, you have the opportunity to destroy a noncreature artifact with mana value three or less.

Your first instinct might be that you’ll be limited to destroying the likes of Sol RingSol Rings and Arcane SignetArcane Signets, but there's a wide array of key utility pieces that you'll also find to be destructible. Removing mana rocks from a search of the top EDHREC-ranked artifacts in the format, you'll find things like Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves, SkullclampSkullclamp, and Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel - all very attractive removal targets.

And the best thing is you aren’t even limited to fighting a creature and destroying an artifact controlled by the same opponent – if the two best targets are in different corners of the table, you can spread the rampage as widely as you need to.

And to reiterate: one mana!

#4 – Jackal, Genius GeneticistJackal, Genius Geneticist

Realistically, the best place for Jackal, Genius GeneticistJackal, Genius Geneticist in Commander is in the command zone. But whether he’s at the center of your deck or in the 99, his design is exciting and absolutely dripping with flavor.

Similar to Yisan, the Wanderer BardYisan, the Wanderer Bard before him, Jackal, Genius GeneticistJackal, Genius Geneticist asks that your deck contains a range of creatures from across the mana value spectrum, but once you start marching up the mana values you’re in absolute business.

Let’s once again take a look at the top EDHREC-ranked creatures in the format. Starting at mana value one, we have: Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise, Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel (again), and Ragavan, Nimble PilfererRagavan, Nimble Pilferer. All disgusting in multiples.

At mana value two: Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters, Bloom TenderBloom Tender, and Baleful StrixBaleful Strix, at three: Dryad of the Ilysian GroveDryad of the Ilysian Grove, Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker, and Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor. You get the idea.

I’ve not stuck to Jackal, Genius GeneticistJackal, Genius Geneticist’s color identity in the first instance simply because I don’t want to assume that people will be limiting him to the command zone, but rest assured that even if limiting yourself to Simic, the available curve of creatures to copy is disgusting.

And all the while, the flavor is wonderful, as he iterates on his craft throughout every game to improve the size and quality of his clones towards sinister ends.

#3 – Spider-SenseSpider-Sense

I have a soft spot for counterspells like Disappearing ActDisappearing Act and Familiar's RuseFamiliar's Ruse. While I appreciate that they have significant downsides, they also have the potential for huge value.

Picking up something to reuse its enters effect while getting rid of an unwanted spell feels great, but I do concede that not having the option to not pick up the thing can feel pretty bad when you need the spell gone but would rather retain your board as-is.

Enter: Spider-SenseSpider-Sense. For all the reasons listed above, it's better. You’re looking at the ability to counter a spell (or triggered ability, which is significant) with the option of picking something up to make it cheaper.

The level of interaction here is huge, and if you're in the position of just wanting a particular creature back in your hand for whatever reason the ability to target a triggered ability with Spider-SenseSpider-Sense will make it far easier to incidentally fire this off rather than waiting for a suitable spell to counter.

#2 – Hide on the CeilingHide on the Ceiling

This is another card that has been discussed at reasonable length elsewhere, so I won’t spend ages on it, but I couldn’t not include it. Hide on the CeilingHide on the Ceiling sends X things to exile, and those X things don't have to be yours. If they are, you’re looking at a protection spell and/or a flicker spell, flexibly dodging removal and reusing enters effects.

If they aren’t, you’re looking at clearing blockers (permanently, if they’re tokens) or even turning off impactful triggered abilities in response to a triggering event.

It's an incredibly flexible and interactive card, and it'll find a home in many decks.

#1 – Parker LuckParker Luck

Keen DuelistKeen Duelist is one of my favorite parts of a black card draw package. It introduces some political leverage and reliably generates memorable game moments where one player reveals a land and the other flips over an Ulamog, the DefilerUlamog, the Defiler, for example. Parker LuckParker Luck therefore is exactly this, but with some extra spice.

Now one of the players doesn’t have to be you. Don’t get me wrong; it often will be. You won’t often give away card draw, but a) you can now leverage political favors with two players, and b) occasionally you'll be in a position where you could actually have two players take each other out of the game simply by revealing the top card of their libraries.

This enchantment will be going in multiple decks for me, and I will be trying to do this. I’ll report back in future articles.

As I said at the start, I'm not the target audience for this set. But even for those of us who aren’t necessarily tapped into Marvel things, there are still some incredible card designs coming through in the sets.

I hope that this has helped to highlight some cards that you might have otherwise overlooked, and I'll see you for Avatar the Last Airbender (hype). Thanks for reading!

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