Metagame: Spider Man's First Week in Competitive Formats

While the competitive Magic spotlight was on Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, last week was also the release of Marvel's Spider-Man on digital platforms. This paved the way for Leagues and Challenges on Magic Online, which showcased the first results of the expanded collaboration between Magic and Marvel in competitive tournaments.

From Jackal, Genius Geneticist in Standard to the creation of a new infinite loop in Pioneer with the Web-Slinging ability, Spider-Man had average results in most Magic formats over the weekend, but several key cards demonstrated potential to impact the Metagame!

As expected, Standard was the format where the inclusion of cards from the new set was most prevalent. Despite this, the appearances of Spider-Man/Through the Omenpaths cards in lists with good results were noticeably more limited than on other sets.

The reasons may involve the format's current state, the increased focus on Modern this weekend, or even the set's power level compared to the most prevalent archetypes today.

In recent weeks, players have experimented with an Izzet Draw/Discard list (dubbed "looters" as a reference to Merfolk Looter) without the Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron combo, placing more emphasis on the interaction between Proft's Eidetic Memory and Winternight Stories, but Izzet Cauldron remains one of the most powerful decks in the format, and Norman Osborn has been a powerful addition to both versions.

With a cheap, unblockable body that fuels draw/discard effects, it becomes a powerful threat alongside Proft, but its true value lies in the transformed side: Green Goblin turns all looting effects into card advantage by allowing you to cast discarded spells.

Simic Counters also gained a powerful addition with Jackal, Genius Geneticist. Besides being in the ideal color combination, the new card gradually grows in the game while copying cheap drops like Pawpatch Recruit and Spyglass Siren until it reaches the point where it can copy Ouroboroid and Enduring Curiosity, burying the opponent in both pressure and card advantage.

In the Golgari combo, Kraven, the Hunter and Morlun, Devourer of Spiders teamed up with Ouroboroid and Jenova, Ancient Calamity for a new Golgari Midrange version that takes advantage of the +1/+1 counter interactions with Hollowmurk Siege.

Lifegain decks also gained support with Aunt May and saw increased representation in League and Ranked as a response to Mono Red Aggro. Now, the archetype features up to twelve cards with a mana value of one that grant extra life when creatures enter, making Ajani's Pridemate and Essence Channeler get out of control faster while also helping to trigger Exemplar of Light and Haliya, Guided by Light.

Heroes' Hangout was one of the main additions of the new set to Pioneer, especially in the format's various Prowess and Mono Red Aggro variants, as a way to enable two Valiant triggers with a single card while offering a selection of cheap cards for just one mana.

The biggest new addition to the format, however, is the interaction between Web-Slinging and Relic of Legends to enable infinite ETBs with legendary creatures. To use it, we need two copies of Arachne, Psionic Weaver or another card with cheap Web-Slinging, then we tap a creature to generate , pay the Web-Slinging cost, return a creature to the hand, and play Arachne. We can then tap the creature to generate and cast the second copy of Arachne, returning the first to the hand.

Once the loop is established, simply use Haliya, Guided by Light for infinite life, Rona, Herald of Invasion for infinite looting, and Silk, Web Weaver for infinite tokens.

Arachne, Psionic Weaver also arrived in Boros Convoke, which allows for easy tapping of creatures to cast its main bombs while also providing a way to reuse Knight-Errant of Eos for card advantage while also enabling Cosmogrand Zenith on its own since Web-Slinging counts as casting a spell.

Mono Blue Belcher was the winning deck at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities with its classic shell, but Magic Online players experimented with the new Lady Octopus, Inspired Inventor to cheat on Lotus Bloom and Sol Talisman, she can even go so far as to cast Goblin Charbelcher for free if she stays in play long enough.

Domain Zoo also received a new addition with Kraven, Proud Predator, whose body grows based on the mana value of your permanents and offers a powerful threat alongside Scion of Draco and Leyline Binding.

Spider-Sense appeared in a few lists as a one-of, the most notable being in Affinity, where two copies were present in the sideboard. With so many zero-mana artifacts and Springleaf Drum, enabling Web-Slinging is a simple task, and if we have Pinnacle Emissary, Weapons Manufacturing, or Kappa Cannoneer in play, we can easily benefit from reusing these spells in the same turn.

Spider-Man's presence in Legacy was composed solely of one-ofs in some lists, without major changes to the format's Metagame. Prime examples included Peter Parker's Camera in Painter decks to search with Urza's Saga, Steel Wrecking Ball in Mystic Forge lists to search with Karn, the Great Creator, and Hide on the Ceiling in the sideboard of a Doomsday list.

After a long absence, Mono White Heroic has returned to Pauper with the addition of Skyward Spider. The new card, in addition to having built-in protection against removal, gains evasion the moment it's enchanted or equipped. Since it's two-colored, it benefits from Steel of the Godhead to gain +2/+2, Lifelink, and become unblockable with a single card.

Madness Burn lists were the biggest beneficiaries of the new set in the first week, with Masked Meower offering an aggressive one-drop that can be sacrificed to trigger Fiery Temper or Kitchen Imp, while Swarm, Being of Bees offers another cheap creature for the archetype, with the bonus of dodging Cast Down.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!