Timeless Set Review: Through the Omepnaths (Spider-Man)

Spider-Man is coming. The set that will kick off the long series of collaborations between Magic: The Gathering and Marvel will be released on September 26th, with 188 cards that bring the Spider-Verse to the card game.

Unlike hyperlink (Final Fantasy), however, Spider-Man is a confusing set to review. Originally planned as a mini set like Assassin's Creed, the set was expanded to become a Standard-legal product after the failure of Beyond Boosters, and this consequence is noticeable in the repetitive design of most of its cards.

In Timeless and other Magic Arena formats, the situation is worse: Spider-Man cards weren't licensed for digital gaming, and Wizards of the Coast's solution was to create a different expansion with mechanically identical cards but with different artwork and names: Through the Omenpaths. The set even conveys the same energy as this scene:

To simplify this review, we're presenting both versions of the cards, with their original names highlighted, while presenting the digital variant in parentheses.

Rent is Due (Confessor's Bindings) seems a bit too slow for Timeless, but we can't ignore the fact that there are enough interactions to make it a relevant card for some archetypes.

The main example involves Energy decks, especially with Lurrus of the Dream-Den and Orcish Bowmasters, which have an easier time utilizing the enchantment in longer games and using it as a source of card advantage with Bowmasters and the combination of tokens created by Ajani, Nacatl Pariah and/or Ocelot Pride if we stack the triggers correctly.

Other interactions with the card include Brightglass Gearhulk and any other creature it pulls alongside the enchantment.

Best card in the set for Timeless. Ponder is a Legacy staple, banned from Modern, and the perfect complement to Brainstorm and Fetch Lands in the format, bringing Timeless even closer to the other eternal formats in the game.

Whether in Tempo decks like Dimir Frog, combo decks like Show and Tell, or anything in between, or in Control decks, any blue-based archetype benefits from this reprint.

Spider-Sense (Detect Intrusion) offers a flexible response to a dozen situations in the current Metagame: from resolving the trigger of The One Ring or any other bomb in the format to dealing, in the same slot, with Show and Tell, Reanimate, Mana Drain, Treasure Cruise, among others.

Its mana cost is higher than popular options like Stifle or Consign to Memory, but this flexibility may offset its mana value. Furthermore, we can use it to reuse specific ETBs in some lists if we tap certain creatures to attack, such as any of the MH2 Elementals, Brazen Borrower, Orcish Bowmasters, etc.

There are some Black Stompy lists in Legacy that run Opposition Agent with Chrome Mox and Ancient Tomb to serve as mana denial starting on the first or second turn.

While we don't have the Leyline of the Void and Helm of Obedience combo—which typically serves as a finisher in this Legacy archetype—it's possible to imagine a "fair" variant running Agent alongside Grief, Reanimate, Troll of Khazad-dûm, and Strip Mine. As a bonus, it's still possible to consider a second color for the deck with Deathrite Shaman and Wary Zone Guard, similar to Golgari lists that runs this same shell to "lock" the opponent and win with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

Saw in Half is best known as a Commander staple, but creating copies of Pyrogoyf or one of the Evoke Elementals makes it worthy of a honorable mention.

There will come a time when Timeless will gain red rituals like Rite of Flame and also mana filtering and extra draw with Manamorphose. When this happens, we can consider a Ruby Storm instead of Jet Storm cards running Ruby Medallion and Ral, Monsoon Mage.

When available, Electro, Assaulting Battery (Bayo, Irritable Instructor) is an option for expanding mana sources while also being able to "save" this mana for another turn when needed due to, for example, a Galvanic Relay, or even serve as a finisher if we play a second copy of it after we have enough resources to deal lethal damage to the opponent.

Heroes' Hangout (Fire-Brained Scheme) functions as a Sleight of Hand for red decks and is a good addition to the Prowess/Leyline lists that occasionally show up in Best-of-One games. It's not a competitive card at the moment, but it's a good addition to a known budget archetype.

Spider-Punk (Kraza, the Swarm as One) might fit some roles on Timeless. It prevents The One Ring from locking in one or more turns of damage from more aggressive strategies, while also protecting any spell from Mana Drain and the like.

Its body is irrelevant, and there's unlikely to be enough Spider-based support in the format to make Riot impactful. Still, Spider-Punk is one of the best new cards in the set, even as a simple sideboard option.

There may be situations where green decks need to deal with permanents and hate without resorting to a second color. In these cases, Beast Within is an effective sideboard option, especially for Big Mana, but the archetypes that would benefit from this card today have been considerably declining in the format for years.

Lizard, Connors's Curse (King of the Coldblood Curse) deserves an honorable mention for being a green creature that permanently alters another target's stats and removes their abilities.

Currently, this ability seems largely irrelevant in the format, but I can imagine circumstances where it becomes a one-of to target with Green Sun's Zenith or other toolbox spells if cards like Emrakul, the Aeons' Torn eventually emerge in Timeless.

Rhino's Rampage could be a decent sideboard option if we see a greater predominance of cheap artifacts in the future. Currently, there are no relevant matchups where having this answer would force favorable trades, nor are there decks that want to use it instead of other cards.

Spider-Woman, Stunning Savior (Makdee and Itla, Skysnarers) may gain more notoriety depending on metagame changes after the release of Universes Beyond: Avatar the Last Airbender, where the Timeless will have access to Force of Negation, which could encourage more extensive use of blue cards.

Right now, it's still an interesting tool for this color (and perhaps for some white decks in specific matchups) as it slows down the opponent's clock while also being fodder for Subtlety, Flare of Denial, and Solitude.

Honorable mention. At this point, Terminate has already suffered immeasurable power creep, but you never know when some clause between being an instant and preventing regeneration might become relevant.

Doc Ock's Tentacles (Giantcraft Helm) depends heavily on when Timeless receives Urza's Saga to be relevant, since we'll rarely want more than one copy of it. However, it's a card that could be worth testing in Affinity lists as it expands the potential of Thought Monitor and Kappa Cannoneer to win the game quickly while, on its own, having a low enough cost to support the number of artifacts on the board.

Today, it seems like a win more card, though.

Just like Doc Ock's Tentacles, Peter Parker's Camera (Phenomena Recorder) would be much better if Urza's Saga were in the format, but even without it, we still have one of the most powerful cards released this year: the ability to copy any ability for a low cost and repeatedly makes this artifact a bomb alongside any Elemental, Thought Monitor, Kappa Cannoneer, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Pyrogoyf, The One Ring, Fetch Lands, Strip Mine, among others.

Its problem, however, is the same as it has in Standard and Pioneer: alone, this artifact does absolutely nothing, and not every trigger will compensate for the slots spent on a card without any immediate impact without relying on other cards—which would be mitigated with Urza's Saga since we could run one copy and fetch it when needed.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!