"Spider-Man Magic: The Gathering Crossover Unveiled"

Did you catch our reveal of Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy crossover last week and find yourself thinking, "Video games are great, but where are the superheroes?" If so, you're in for a treat. Today, we're thrilled to give you an exclusive first look at six exciting new cards from Magic's upcoming Spider-Man set, along with all the products and packaging you can expect to see.

Click through the image gallery below to explore all the Spider-Man cards featured in the Commander-focused Scene Box, booster packs, Welcome Decks, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the set directly from Wizards of the Coast.

Marvel's Spider-Man x Magic: The Gathering - First Card and Packaging Reveal

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Set to launch on September 26, Marvel's Spider-Man will be the second fully draftable, Standard-legal set in Magic's Universes Beyond line, following the Final Fantasy set and coming after the Modern-legal Lord of the Rings set from 2023. Unlike previous expectations, this set won't include preconstructed Commander decks. Instead, the cards in the Scene Box shown above won't be Standard-legal and are crafted specifically for Commander play.

While the Secret Lair featuring Wolverine, Captain America, and other heroes marked Magic's initial foray into the Marvel universe last year, Spider-Man will be the first full set inspired by the comics. According to Wizards of the Coast Executive Producer Max McCall, a full set was necessary to do justice to the character and his extensive roster of villains.

"Spider-Man needs a full set to do justice to the character and incorporate the many villains he's come across over the years," McCall explains. "Including characters from the Spider-Man canon in a broader set would mean leaving out too many important figures. We could have included Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales in a non-specific set, but there wouldn't have been room for characters like Aunt May."

McCall also notes that designing for a Universes Beyond set "flips the worldbuilding on its head." Unlike typical Magic sets, where cards must establish the setting and be engaging to play, Universes Beyond sets can leverage existing familiarity with characters like Spider-Man. "When we create a card that embodies great power and great responsibility, we can add mechanical complexity because fans already understand the story. We don't need to simplify Universes Beyond cards; we just need to choose moments that resonate with fans."

Head Designer Mark Rosewater shares insights on how they translate Spider-Man's world into Magic's color pie, which is versatile enough to represent heroism and villainy across all five colors. "Spider-Man's obligation to use his power to help others aligns with the white color pie. His origin from a scientific experiment and his inventions, like the web-slingers, fit into the blue color pie. Finally, his animal-based powers and the destiny tied to spiders and the Spider-Man universe are core to the green color pie."

"We're not limiting ourselves to any one comic run or series," Rosewater adds. Alongside the Scene Box, the set will include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs, all showcased in the gallery above. While there won't be preconstructed Commander decks, the set will feature the return of Welcome Decks, which are introductory decks given out by game stores to help new players learn the game in a low-pressure environment.

In addition to this year's Final Fantasy set, Wizards of the Coast has also announced a set themed around Avatar: The Last Airbender. Before that, two more in-universe sets will be released: Tarkir: Dragonsorm and the space-themed Edge of Eternities.

Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast's Max McCall and Mark Rosewater: