Pioneer Set Review: Marvel's Spider-Man

Spider-Man is upon us. Magic: The Gathering's first collaboration with Marvel officially launches on September 26th, with pre-release starting at the end of next week, September 19th.

Starting the following Tuesday, the Through the Omenpaths set also arrives on Magic Online and Magic Arena, bringing the friendly neighborhood card to the platforms with new looks, but the same abilities, text, and costs.

To be honest, as a writer, I'm very uninspired by this set for a dozen reasons: the design is confusing, the cards feel repetitive, and the confusion worsens when we remember that these are technically two different sets but the same, among other details that leave a lot to be desired in this collaboration.

However, I have a role here: to provide an objective analysis of cards with the potential to impact Magic's main competitive formats, and Pioneer is no exception. Despite the current state of the format (which, honestly, still feels like it was forgotten by WotC), this is still my favorite environment to play Magic on digital platforms today. And in this article, I present my review of Spider-Man (or totally not-Spider-Man) for the format!

Arachne, Psionic Weaver (Yera and Oski, Weaver and Guide) does a bit of everything Humans need: it provides information, delays crucial plays that can be important in games against Red Aggro, complements Thalia, Guardian of Thraben's taxing effects, while also allowing Thalia's Lieutenant to be reused to increase the power of all creatures.

It can complement or even replace slots that commonly belong to Anointed Peacekeeper, or even become a maindeck piece in versions with more ETB effects, such as the Legends variant with Mox Amber, where it becomes another cheap enabler for the artifact.

It's also relevant to Collected Company decks, both in the traditional Selesnya version and possibly in Angels, where it allows new triggers for Bishop of Wings and Righteous Valkyrie.

Rent is Due (Confessor's Binding) is a cheap source of card advantage for go-wide strategies that put plenty of creatures and/or tokens into play each turn, or that can benefit from a one-mana spell that offers constant draws in exchange for speed and/or board presence.

Despite its potential in Boros Convoke or other White Aggro lists with Resolute Reinforcements and cards like the new Peter Parker, the enchantment also seems like a useful tool for Caretaker's Talent lists for extra draws, as it tends to create many tokens each turn and isn't in a rush to use them aggressively.

Spectacular Spider-Man (Ademi of the Silkchutes) is to Legends decks and Humans what Selfless Spirit used to be to Spirits and archetypes like Selesnya Company.

Besides its decent body, being able to play it at instant speed provides a less telegraphed surprise factor compared to other options in this category, and like other cards from this set, it's also another cheap enabler for Mox Amber.

Spectacular Tactics can fit into the sideboard or even one-of-one slots in the maindeck of decks like Boros Mice, Heroic, and the like, where the protection and board interaction abilities complement each other so that no part of the card is irrelevant in different matchups.

It may deserve sideboard slots in other archetypes against midrange. For example, Greasefang, Okiba Boss could benefit from both sides of the card to protect the combo while also resolving Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or the Unholy Annex token with the same card.

With Great Power… (Chosen by Valgavoth) seems like the card category we're trying to build around. It fits both traditional Aura shells with Gladecover Scout and possibly on Hammer decks as a one-of that we can fetch with Kellan, the Fae-Blooded to increase a creature's power, while Cloud, Midgar Mercenary can pursue Swiftfoot Boots to protect the target from board interaction.

I don't think it will see play as anything more than a copy of these archetypes, but it's also an effective tool in preventing players from losing to Red Aggro, even alongside Phyrexian Vindicator.

March of Swirling Mist and Eerie Interlude don't see much play in Pioneer today, and Hide on the Ceiling (Spectral Restitching) is mechanically similar enough to matter in most lists, but the mass Blink effect for Artifacts can easily stack with Simulacrum Synthesizer to create multiple tokens in play.

Recently, we've seen a four-color deck using Raffine, Scheming Seer alongside Valki, God of Lies and Shiko, Paragon of the Way to cast Tibalt without paying its full mana value. Norman Osborn (Gobe, Gene-Splice Savant) seems like a good complementary addition to the archetype, fitting into the Legends subtheme that most lists run to accelerate their play.

The Green Goblin side (Flenn, Goben's Creation) could also be relevant for extracting value from Raffine's Connive ability, since we can cast all the cards we discard each turn.

School Daze (Outsmart the Amateur) may deserve a slot or two in Control lists for its flexibility. A five-mana Draw 3 has seen play before, and the Counter + Draw mode makes it relatively comparable to haf a Cryptic Command, albeit for a higher mana value.

On the other hand, Spellgyre is mechanically similar to this card and has seen almost no presence in competitive Magic, especially in Pioneer.

Spider-Sense (Detect Intrusion) counters Treasure Cruise and the triggers of Arclight Phoenix or Cori-Steel Cutter in the same slot. The spell protects your creature from a Fatal Push while also preventing Greasefang, Okiba Boss from winning the game, responding to both Collected Company and the trigger of [Righteous Valkyrie]] or Skyclave Apparition, and preventing lethal damage from both Monstrous Rage and Sunspine Lynx in a single slot.

This kind of flexibility tends to make a card stand out in Pioneer, and Spider-Sense's biggest problem in the format is that it's not proactive enough: the metagame is dictated by two distinct fronts, both partially driven by the rise of Mono Red Aggro. One tries to ignore the opponent's actions and play faster—Mono Red, Greasefang, Selesnya Angels, Hammer Time, Lotus Combo, Creativity, Golgari Food—and the other tries to fit the right answers into each matchup—Rakdos Demons, Mono Black, Azorius Control, Spirits, Ninjas—and Spider-Sense fits better into archetypes in the second category.

Potential staple for Spirits, Ninjas, and the Azorius Humans variant with Reflector Mage, Mockingbird, and Thalia's Lieutenant.

Eddie Brock (Viggo, Enforcer of Ig's Crossing) and his transformed side have a lot of competition in the archetype that would like to use him: Jund Sacrifice. Even if the deck returns to lines without the Ygra, Eater of All combo, cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER are easier to work around without major changes to accommodate Venom, whose mana cost to transform or cast is also much higher than that of its predecessors.

Furthermore, this card requires two very distinct fronts to function at its full potential: it requires low-cost cards to return from the graveyard to the battlefield, like Gilded Goose, while also requiring cards with higher mana values ​​to feed on and generate card advantage.

These lines, taken together, don't mesh well with Pioneer's Sacrifice lists and also don't seem consistent, given Venom's mana cost, for play in other decks.

Parker Luck (Duskmourn's Claim) may not be the most competitive Spider-Man card (or definitely not Spider-Man), but it's the most fun: add a Shadow of Mortality and some topdeck manipulations and/or cards like Scheming Symmetry and watch the magic happen.

Someone will definitely make a deck with this combo, this list will go 5-0, and I'll have to cover one of the silliest and most fun archetypes of recent years in Pioneer.

The Soul Stone (The Terminus of Return) is an unconditional mana rock for black (and there will be stones of other colors in future Marvel sets) that can facilitate and accelerate the casting of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or Invoke Despair in Mono Black Midrange lists, while in the late game, it becomes a sort of Virtue of Persistence.

The artifact can and should also be considered in other strategies, such as Rakdos or Esper, but it will never be present in multiple copies, since, unlike The One Ring, there is a real cost to using this legend in your deck.

Electro, Assaulting Battery (Bayo, Irritable Instructor) is a weird card to interpret. Between Vivi Ornitier, Birgi, God of Storytelling, Goblin Electromancer, and dozens of cheap cantrips, we've had many unsuccessful opportunities to recreate a Storm deck in Pioneer, and it doesn't seem like the new card does anything well enough to warrant another attempt.

As for Prowess decks, the more aggressive versions don't need a three-drop without immediate impact, while the Izzet versions already do enough in the combination of Vivi Ornitier with Cori-Steel Cutter, making Electro a win more card rather than a necessity.

Heroes’ Hangout (Fire-Brained Scheme) might be one of the best card of the set for Pioneer. As a base, the spell offers both a red Sleight of Hand for one mana or a pump that triggers the Valiant abilities of Emberheart Challenger and Heartfire Hero with the same card for cheap.

In part, it reminds me of Opera Love Song, which didn't see as much play in Pioneer, but perhaps the lower cost and First Strike, which creates more favorable trades in combat, in addition to a lesser restriction on using the “draw” effect, will make the new card have a different fate.

Hobgoblin, Mantled Marauder (Cam and Farrik, Havoc Duo) is a relevant addition to Boros Cycling, especially if the archetype needs a more aggressive line to complement Marauding Mako.

Despite the higher cost, the matchup between Hobgoblin and Flameblade Adept seems fairly balanced due to the immediate impact provided by the new card, which, along with Monument to Endurance, can provide six damage with just one discard.

Masked Meower (Skittering Kitten) is, for the most part, a tweaked and/or improved version of Insolent Neonate, which swaps Menace for Haste. Its biggest advantage is that it offers more consistency for this type of effect in another red one-drop.

Speaking of Monument to Endurance, Shadow of the Goblin (Quint's Insight) seems like a viable option for this archetype. Besides enabling a trigger every turn, it benefits from Flashback and similar costs. Furthermore, it also interacts with Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival, which disappeared from the format a few months ago but easily casts multiple cards from exile every turn.

While it doesn't seem like an immediate need in the current Metagame Spider-Punk (Kraza, the Swarm as One) offers counterspell protection for any spell you cast while sharing the same damage prevention potential as Frenzied Baloth, which could be relevant against specific hates or if the Metagame shifts too heavily toward control decks in the future.

Lizard, Connors's Curse (King of the Coldblood Curse) is the first green creature to permanently alter another creature's stats and take away its abilities… including your opponent's!

Currently, there are few situations where this type of ability seems relevant in Pioneer since we don't have to deal with Emrakul, the Aeons' Torn and the like, but it's still a good answer that could deserve one-of slots in sideboards to pursue with Bring to Light or Chord of Calling in specific metagames.

Scout the City is a flexible addition for archetypes that care about self-mill effects like Abzan Greasefang. The sorcery speed and low number of cards put into the graveyard can be a hindrance, but the life gain and the ability to deal with flying creatures could make it worthy of some slots if three-color versions eventually become relevant in the format again.

Supportive Parents does a great impression of Birchlore Rangers, except for any creature. It seems like a great card to build around with some sort of Aggro-Combo, but with the lack of payoffs for cards like this and/or to fill your list with one-drops, it seems like the card needs a few more tools to work in Pioneer.

Web of Life and Destiny (Through the Omenpath) does a great impression of Storm the Festival for Green Devotion decks, except that instead of putting two cards into play the moment it's cast, it generates added value with each passing turn.

It's an excellent tool for attrition games in archetypes that have an easy time filling the board with cheap creatures or generating rivers of mana to cast the enchantment. Possibly a Sideboard staple for this specific archetype.

A few months ago, a Jeskai Cutter list saw some results in Leagues, using the Hammer Time shell, but geared toward more interactions with Cori-Steel Cutter and Astrologian's Planisphere.

In these lists, Biorganic Carapace (Angler's Shield) can function as a one-of-one with Kellan, the Fae-Blooded or Cloud, Midgar Mercenary to find it in longer games, or even if a Jeskai Hammer eventually shows up in Pioneer.

Jackal, Genius Geneticist (Druneth, Reviver of the Hive) could be another card to build around in Pioneer, as we can copy several creatures with it if we use a growing mana curve.

Just like in Standard, I believe cards like Llanowar Elves, Gilded Goose, and Pawpatch Recruit are good one-drops to start sequences with Jackal, and from there we can consider possibilities in versions of Temur, Sultai, or even Four-Color if we want to take full advantage of the lack of legendary restrictions to copy Omnath, Locus of Creation or Five Color to do the same with Niv-Mizzet Reborn.

Rhino's Rampage is a decent sideboard option for dealing with Cori-Steel Cutter and the token created by the artifact in the same slot while still triggering the Heroic or Valiant of creatures like Favored Hoplite or Heartfire Hero. Potential sideboard staple.

Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly (Borys, the Spider Rider) has an infinite combo with Relic of Legends and Bard Class.

Since Web-Slinging's cost is a cast and not an ability, Bard Class's cost reduction values ​​allow us to play Scarlet for free if we return a creature to hand. Combined with Relic of Legends, we can tap the creature we return to generate mana, so two copies of Scarlet will be returned indefinitely by web-slinging each other, establishing a loop of infinite ETB, LTB, and mana.

It doesn't seem competitive, but it deserves a mention for its potential as a new combo.

Spider-Man 2099 (Uharis, the Stormspinner) is unlikely to be a four-of staple since there's a considerable cost to playing him in a more aggressive lineup. However, his mix of abilities, combined with interactions with Emberheart Challenger, Heroes' Hangout, and cheap pumps like Monstrous Rage make him a considerable threat in more aggressive Izzet Prowess lists or perhaps even in Jeskai versions with Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival.

Spider-Woman, Stunning Savior (Makdee and Itla, Skysnarers) is a potential staple for Humans Legends variants, while also working in traditional lists if we ever need to lock down the opponent's board for a turn to push our game plan.

A potential staple for eternal formats, the challenges of Peter Parker's Camera (Phenomena Recorder) in Pioneer are very similar to those in Standard: while inherently strong, we're talking about an isolated effect that requires other cards to work and that consumes, in these formats, more slots than in environments where Urza's Saga exists to search for and enable the artifact.

It may surprise us, but it requires finding the right home that doesn't mind using multiple copies of an artifact that won't interact with anything on its own and has limited functions. Perhaps the key lies in the ETBs of Bounce decks.

Between Starting Town and Mana Confluence, along with the Streets of New Capenna Triomes and the ten Shock Lands, not to mention the Fast Lands and other cycles available in the format, we have enough to establish a "perfect mana base" in Pioneer, with the only penalty being a near-instant loss against Sunspine Lynx.

Multiversal Passage will have trouble fitting into this format, but it's possible a copy of it will be needed in Goodstuff lists to add a bit more consistency to untapped lands.

Urban Retreat is a land with the ability to put itself into play as a pseudo-Farseek at the cost of returning a tapped creature to its owner's hand, which can reuse ETBs or trigger other abilities like Void or Revolt.

It might show up in Bant Spirits lists, which would benefit from this type of effect when returning a Skyclave Apparition or Rattlechains, or also in Selesnya Company lists, where any returned creature is a potential additional answer against something the opponent might play.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!