Magic: The Gathering‘s Universes Beyond crossovers rumble on with next month’s Marvel Super Heroes set, and while it’ll introduce a whole host of new products (including a quartet of Commander precons), we’ve been curious about how it’d be represented digitally.
Magic: The Gathering fans will no doubt remember that Marvel’s Spider-Man, one of the weaker sets in recent memory, got a massive aesthetic rehaul that included art and card names on Magic: The Gathering Arena (the game’s digital client) due to a rights issue that was never entirely made clear.
It meant we got a load of arachnid-adjacent cards dubbed Through The Omenpaths, which always felt weird. It’s a little like when TV shows use made-up brands that sound a little like the real thing, and the consensus was that it robbed Arena players of the recognizable characters within.
Thankfully, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that Marvel Super Heroes will be represented in full in Arena when it launches on June 23, with preorders available from June 2. In a new blog post, the publisher said, “We’re thrilled to announce that Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes and all past and future Marvel sets will be coming to MTG Arena.”
Past sets? That’s right — perhaps what’s more surprising is that Wizards of the Coast will retroactively add Spider-Man cards to Arena starting on June 16. “That means MTG Arena fans will get to experience the full breadth of this release,” the post continues, “with all the bells and whistles they’d expect from any other Magic release on MTG Arena.”
This will include all cards from the set, the source material cards, a selection of avatars, and the Spiderweb-style basic lands. A one-time grant will give players the Spider-Man equivalent of their Through The Omenpaths cards in their collection, with the option to select their preferred card style.
In the example given, players who have Leyline Weaver in their collection will be able to use it, or essentially reskin it for Spider Manifestation if they prefer. They will still have just one card, though — it just has separate versions.
It’s a solution to a problem that many will argue shouldn’t have existed in the first place, but hey, it’s a solution.
