Marvel's Spider-Man (SPM) Limited Introduction — Black

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Marvel’s Spider-Man (SPM) will hold its prerelease events on September 19, 2025, and be officially released a week later on September 26, 2025. Want to know more about how individual cards rate in Limited, with recommendations? Then check out this series of SPM Limited introductions!

In addition, because of licensing issues, this set’s physical cards offline and digital cards online (MTGA, MO) will have different card names and different card art, but the same rules text (a small number of proper nouns on some cards still differ). Therefore, this Limited introduction shows both versions of the card art together so readers can compare.

• For a mechanics breakdown, see this article: Marvel’s Spider-Man Mechanics Breakdown
• The physical card set is named Marvel’s Spider-Man (SPM)
• The online set is named Through the Omenpaths (OM1)

Rating Scale

5.0: Unconditional must-pick, brings a near-winning advantage
4.5: Unconditional must-pick if in the right colors, brings a huge advantage
4.0: First-pick value, extremely synergistic with the color pair’s theme, can be the deciding card for splashing/switching colors or entering a color pair
3.5: Top uncommons and commons of the set and other cards of sufficient power, synergize well with the color pair’s theme, can be a key card for entering a color pair
3.0: Important cards for the color pair’s theme and other above-average cards, you’d want them in your final deck
2.5: Average level, usually a decent curve filler
2.01.0: Below average, basically leaning toward not playing; can be used as filler if necessary, but not too many
0.50.0: Unplayable, basically don’t play it, playing it will only help you lose

Ratings

Score: 3.5
Comment: The flash ability brings extremely high flexibility. Whether responding to the opponent’s removal or entering after the declare blockers step, it can make up for card resources.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It’s less an Aura and more like Equipment. Judging purely by the numbers, +1/+1 and menace barely pass, and as a discard source it has great strategic value for red-black’s Mayhem theme.

Score: 3.5
Comment: From what we can see so far, this set isn’t fast, so a high-cost bomb like this has a good chance of being cast. Moreover, black has two discard themes, Connive and Mayhem, so the board advantage after it resolves is huge.

Score: 3.5
Comment: Looking at nine cards is a very deep dig, with a high chance of seeing the opponent’s powerful bomb and stealing it outright. It’s basically a creature that guarantees you draw two strong cards on entering.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A great filler. The Treasure can help with mana jumps and color fixing, especially if your deck has cards that need three colors to flip over. The Villain type also has many synergies, especially in the blue-black color pair.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The first chapter is sorcery-speed removal, already very strong in Limited. The second chapter can be used with Mayhem cards, and treat the third chapter as a freebie.

Score: 3.0
Comment: This set doesn’t have many one-mana creatures, so this score is for the three-color card on the back.

Score: 4.0
Comment: When your life is high, it’s a super-strong resource engine that can directly crush the opponent. When your life is unhealthy, it can also be used to raise your life total, and deathtouch guarantees a steady one-for-one when trading on board.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The curve creature red-black most wants to see: high power, evasion, and an ability that makes it a rare gem for the Mayhem theme.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Already a passable filler early on, and in the mid-to-late game it is still a damage source and mana sink that can’t be ignored.

Score: 3.5
Comment: Apart from the heavy color requirement, the X cost can be cast flexibly early, mid, or late depending on the board and mana, not to mention topdecking it late to burn the opponent out directly.

Score: 2.0
Comment: In most cases the opponent gets resources first, and there’s also a chance the opponent flips a high-cost card and scalds you badly. The risk and reward are out of proportion.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Both the blue-black and red-black themes discard cards into the graveyard, so there’s a good chance to cheat some big creatures back onto the battlefield.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Quite usable in a set that isn’t fast, it can look at up to four cards, giving an even better chance to draw what you need.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Mayhem’s one-sided sweep effect is very powerful, while casting it for three mana requires careful evaluation of the board, since black itself has quite a few creatures with 2 toughness.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Whether the opponent’s creature or your own creature dies, you can connive at the end of your turn, but the growth in its body isn’t stable (no creature died or no land was discarded). It’s a middling curve creature.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The bodies in this set aren’t big, so -3/-3 is enough to deal with most creatures, and it’s also very handy used as a combat trick during combat.

Score: 4.0
Comment: A memorable first gem, with an effect that lives up to its importance in the Marvel universe. First, indestructible guarantees it’s hard to remove, and drawing it early lets you jump mana to quickly enter midgame tempo. The final Harness cost looks high, but the follow-up reward is extremely high, and within a few turns you can overwhelm the opponent with the board.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Note that the ability only triggers when a single creature attacks alone. While growing its body, it also makes card flow in later turns more stable.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Spotlessly clean removal that even indestructible can’t stop. The side effect can almost be ignored, because black’s commons and uncommons have a large number of Villain creatures, and their strength is generally not bad.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Flash can offset Mayhem’s restriction, making it a very flexible creature, and a flashing Wind Drake is not going to be that bad.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It not only recovers resources from the graveyard but also reduces the cost of Villains to quickly provide board pressure. The body is a bit weak, but its strengths outweigh its flaws.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Much stronger in the graveyard, two +1/+1 counters are enough to change the balance of attack and defense on the battlefield, and it’s perfect to discard with connive!

Score: 2.5
Comment: This set’s graveyard synergies aren’t obvious, so the ETB is a bit pointless, but a 2/3 body with deathtouch is still usable.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Also an efficient removal spell (even able to raise your life total). To reiterate: black has enough good Villain creatures, so there’s a good chance to cast it for three mana.

Score: 4.0
Comment: You can always trust sweepers in Limited! Not to mention a chance to burn the opponent out directly.

Conclusion

Where there is light, there is darkness, and this set’s black is coming in strong! We have not only cool villains and corrupted heroes, but also powerful removal and heavy bombs that can take the opponent out directly!
Just wait and see! It’s our turn, the villains, to be the protagonists (evil laughter