Marvel's Spider-Man (SPM) Limited Primer — Multicolor

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

Marvel’s Spider-Man (SPM) holds its prerelease events on September 19, 2025, and launches officially a week later on September 26, 2025. Want to know more about how each card rates in Limited, with recommendations? Then check out this series of SPM Limited introductions!

Also, because of licensing issues, the physical cards and the digital cards online (MTGA, MO) in this series have different card names and different art, but the same rules text (with a few proper nouns still differing). So this Limited primer shows both versions of the card art side by side for readers to compare.

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

Color Pair Themes

Unlike past Limited formats, the draft themes of this SPM Limited are reduced so that only the 5 allied color pairs have themes, while the other 5 enemy pairs have none. So when evaluating enemy-color cards in Limited, we adjust a little; of course, strong cards like The Spot, Living Portalare still worth splashing for.

WhiteBlue — Modified

The Modified theme focuses on these three key points:

• Putting +1/+1 counters on creatures
• Attaching Auras to creatures
• Equipping creatures with Equipment

Take the white-blue hybrid common Skyward Spider: it is not much on its own, but as long as you can make it modified, it becomes a threatening flier. SP//dr, Piloted by Penibrings its own source of modification, and also turns every attack by a modified creature into an endless stream of card resources. And the rare Equipment Biorganic Carapaceis outrageous: besides boosting stats, damage dealt by a single creature draws a considerable number of cards.

BlueBlack — Villain Connive

Connive needs a target creature to work. Whether it is Mob Lookoutor Prowler, Clawed Thief, they can trigger connive once or many times. The discard from connive’s draw-then-discard pairs with the Mayhem mechanic of the black-red pair coming up next, and cards like Morbius the Living Vampire, which has extra effects in the graveyard, can be boldly discarded depending on the situation and have their value squeezed out in later turns XD Of course, discarding also speeds up filling the graveyard, so some Villains like Doc Ock, Sinister Scientistbenefit from it as well.

BlackRed — Mayhem

The black-red pair’s new mechanic, Mayhem, relies heavily on discarding as the trigger. So the black-red hybrid common is a sorcery, Pumpkin Bombardment: you can simply pay 3 mana, or discard a card as an additional cost to cast it for just 1. And if the card you discard happens to be Scarlet Spider, Kaine, you can pay its Mayhem cost to cast it from the graveyard later. The other card, Green Goblin, Revenant, besides being a source of discards, may also let you trade for more cards in hand to keep your snowball rolling.

Note: A Mayhem cast still has to follow the timing restrictions of the card itself.

RedGreen — Large Spell

This refers to spells with mana value four or higher (does it remind you of the blue-red mechanic in FIN?). Since the focus is on large spells, mana accelerants are naturally indispensable, and the red-green hybrid common Spider Manifestationis an important little helper for this pair. The uncommon Kraven, Proud Predatorcan cash in on large spells to boost its attack. Another uncommon, Rhino, Barreling Brute, is a capable finisher for this pair.

GreenWhite — Web-Slinging

In the green-white pair, the new Web-slinging mechanic is a play style with plenty of this pair’s flavor. To make it work, you need the following components working together:

• Tapped creatures: achieved by attacking with creatures, activating tap abilities, Crew, or Convoke (only the mythic rare Web of Life and Destinyhas it)
• Creatures with the Web-slinging mechanic in hand
• A Web-slinging cost you can pay

The green-white hybrid Gallant Citizendraws a card on entering, which is well suited to being returned and reused. However, its body is weak, so it can basically hardly meet the tapped condition by attacking. The uncommon Spider-Girl, Legacy Herohas evasion and puts out a 1/1 token on leaving, making it a more proactive source for Web-slinging. And I especially want to introduce the mythic rare Silk, Web Weaver, which works extremely well with this mechanic. Web-slinging helps her come out early, and when you return a source and slam it down again it can fill the board, and the five-mana activated ability can turn the board into lethal damage.

Rating Scale

5.0: Always take it; brings an advantage close to winning the game
4.5: Always take it if you are in the right colors; brings a large advantage
4.0: Worth a first pick; synergizes extremely well with the color pair’s theme and can be the deciding card for splashing, switching colors, or entering the pair
3.5: Top uncommons and commons of the set, and other cards that are strong enough; synergize well with the color pair’s theme and can be the key card for entering the pair
3.0: Important cards for the color pair’s theme, and other above-average cards; you want them in your final deck
2.5: Average; usually a decent curve filler
2.0–1.0: Below average; basically you lean towards not playing it, and it can be used as filler when necessary but not too many
0.5–0.0: Unplayable; basically don’t play it, it will only help you lose

Ratings

Score: 3.5
Comment: Conclusion first: a strong card that snowballs resources extremely fast! Without attacking yourself, it can still put counters on your attacking creatures, and whenever a modified creature deals combat damage to an opponent, you may exile the top card of your library and play it this turn.

Score: 4.0
Comment: This is a super card for the white-blue Modified theme. After you equip it, besides +2/+2, damage dealt lets you draw cards depending on how many modified creatures you have. Put it on a creature with evasion… and before you know it you will draw yourself out. I mean it, it is really that outrageous.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A 4-mana 4/3 trampler that can dig up a creature of mana value 3 or less on entering, with a chance to come in for two mana via Mayhem. If you open it, don’t forget to check during deckbuilding whether most of your curve is at mana value 3 or less, so that it can reach its maximum synergy.

Score: 3.0
Comment: This is a very interesting card. Its ability to put +1/+1 counters and add colorless mana equal to the number of counters happens at the beginning of each player’s first main phase!

That means when you land it on turn two, on your opponent’s turn it puts 1 counter on itself and gets you 1 colorless mana to speed you up. On your turn, of course, you continue the cycle: put a second counter, add 2 colorless, and then it is a 4/4… see whether you want to attack. This card fits perfectly with the Red-Green large-spell theme. However, if your opponent also plays red-green, or can make effective use of that extra mana, then it may be rough for us.

Is Spider-Man’s merry crowd our good partner, or a teammate who feeds the opponent? You will only know by playing it!

Score: 3.0
Comment: The only five-color card in the set. At the beginning of combat, it gives all your spiders flying, first strike, trample, lifelink and haste until end of turn… Come, say it with me once more: “All my spiders have flying, first strike, trample! Lifelink!! Haste!!!”

And here is another important piece of information to share: this set has 39 creature cards with the type Spider, or 42 if you count the cards that can make Spider tokens. In a set with only 188 nonbasic-land cards, 42 is nearly 1/4, and this card buffs nearly 1/4 of the set, which is a metric not to be underestimated. We cannot view it through the old “five-color for-fun big toy” lens.

I think this is an extremely strong bomb in the green-white Spider-Man theme! Besides the powerful ability, with green’s support, fixing into five colors is not an impossible task, and when it arrives, it is basically the moment the game turns around or is sealed!

To add on its interaction with Peter Parker // Amazing Spider-Man: once you transform into Amazing Spider-Man, you can use its Web-slinging ability to throw Cosmos Spider-Man onto the battlefield!

Score: 4.0
Comment: The classic villain Doctor Octopus makes his entrance! But why is it cast for 7 mana and not 8!? Bad review!

The last similar design clash was probably Griselbrand, right? Why on earth does the 8-mana arch-demon give a 7/7 flier and make you pay 7 life to draw 7? Wouldn’t it have been fine to make it cost 4BBB? Dream on

It is basically also a big bomb that decides the game as soon as it enters. Refilling your hand to 8 cards at end of turn is outrageous, but in Limited you need to think carefully about emptying your hand. After all, the first time drawing up to 8 is awesome, the second time you may feel something is off, and the third time you lose XD

Score: 3.0
Comment: The green-white pair’s Helpful Hunter: if you have some Vehicles, or some means to tap it on your own, it can be a great helper for your Web-slinging!

Score: 3.5
Comment: A 5-mana 3/3 flying deathtouch body ensures it can keep attacking after it lands. The second ability lets you at least discard one and draw one, and if you have discarded more cards, you draw them all back! Don’t forget, discarding is exactly how the red-black pair’s Mayhem ability is triggered!

Score: 1.5
Comment: The ability looks fierce, but if you do not count pumping it up, the blue-green 1-drops in this set are all rares, and counting other color pairs there are only 6 of them. It is not unplayable, but to show its strength it is more practical to pair it with some pump spells and counter-placing tricks.

Score: 3.0
Comment: On entering it is at least a 3-mana 3/4 with vigilance, and as you slam down higher-cost permanents, in the mid to late game it may become even stronger in attack.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A decent 3-mana 4/3 trampler body, and it can pair with black removal to gain cards.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A plain bear, but in a Spider tribal deck it turns into a relentless card-draw machine (of course, you still need enough Spiders in your deck).

Score: 3.5
Comment: Seven mana is not easy to land, but once it arrives, whether you steal a creature from an opponent with a life lead and turn it to your own use, or lose some life in exchange for a card advantage, with a 5/5 vigilance lifelink creature holding the board, it is usually a worthwhile trade.

Don’t forget that the life exchange is not mandatory. If you risk drawing yourself out or hurting yourself, just don’t do it.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A really nice two-mana curve play, great whether it connives itself or another creature that needs to grow. If it grows to a 1/4 body, it can also serve as a capable early blocker.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A 4-mana 3/1 flying vigilance lifelink creature, which basically says it is a good creature to trade with, but if the opponent’s air defense is thin, it can also deal a 6-point life swing by itself each turn. When it dies, you can pay two mana to cast an Anticipatefrom the graveyard. Whether it dies in combat or is put into the graveyard some other way, it works, so no problem running one.

Note: This card’s graveyard activated ability has no sorcery-speed restriction and can be activated at instant speed.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A quality three-drop beater for the blue-black Villain theme: every Villain you cast lets it connive, filtering cards and growing. Too tempting!

Score: 3.0
Comment: Even as a 3-mana sorcery dealing 3 to a creature, it is playable, and with the red-black pair’s Mayhem backing it, the discard is not necessarily just a drawback.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A 7-mana 6/7 vigilance, trample, haste creature that triggers card gain when it attacks on entering. If it were not for the exact color requirement plus seven mana, it should deserve a slightly higher score. The tight color requirement should be manageable in a red-green two-color deck, but I do not recommend splashing it in a deck with three or more colors.

Score: 2.5
Comment: With the red-green pair’s big bodies, fights easily result in favorable trades, and excess damage may also destroy an opponent’s noncreature artifact of mana value 3 or less, for 14 targets in total, though The Soul Stoneis indestructible and cannot be destroyed.

But the old problem with fight cards remains: when you see the opponent with mana open and a few cards in hand, it may be better to wait for an opportunity.

Score: 4.0
Comment: Basically it is a 3-mana 4/3 trampler, but imagine you play a creature for two mana, attack on turn three, and Web-slinging brings out a 6/5 trampler. That attack tempo is maxed out. I highly recommend taking it first in the red-green pair; its body on entering is far beyond its curve contemporaries plus trample, and it will not let you down.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A good two-mana curve play plus a controllable discard source. It is a pity that it is legendary; otherwise getting multiples in a draft would be quite strong.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A controllable discard source plus making the opponent’s creatures unable to block. Paired with the removal the red-black pair does well, it can deal more damage, and is the three-drop the red-black theme badly wants to have.

Score: 4.5
Comment: A very good 4-mana 3/5 body that also gives every creature spell you cast afterward an extra 1/1; on top of that, the five-mana team pump is powerful too. Similar cards used to give only +1/+1 for five mana, while this gives +2/+2 to the whole team with vigilance, so after attacking it can still block! I strongly recommend casting it with Web-slinging for three mana, which at least guarantees that next turn you have at least one creature spell to put out a 1/1. The more the better!

Score: 2.5
Comment: The white-blue pair’s theme is exactly Modified, so she can basically be seen as half a flier. Grab her boldly and take enough sources of modification to get her airborne.

Score: 4.0
Comment: Even entering alone it is a 5-mana 5/5 with vigilance, and dealing damage draws a card. This card gets 4.0 because it fits the white-blue theme extremely well: whether attacking alone or putting counters on other creatures and attacking, it is already no card disadvantage on entering, and if you have more modified creatures on the board, you draw even more! Terrifying!

Score: 3.0
Comment: A great mana creature for the red-green pair, which can stand back up to block fliers after calling out a big creature (it has reach).

Score: 3.0
Comment: Its own ability hints: please Web-sling me. Having flying on your own turn means it easily survives attacks, and making a 1/1 on leaving adds extra value. It is a pity that it is legendary; otherwise it should be worth a higher score.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Rather than a hero on the righteous side, its second ability hints at good synergy with the red-black pair’s Mayhem mechanic. It can only arrive after turn four, which limits its power a bit, but heroes always show up at the critical moment; with the right pairing, it will still be the MVP on the board! After all, a 2-mana 2/3 double strike vigilance body has great presence on both offense and defense, and it does both well.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Its strength depends on how early it arrives and whether you have enough creature spells afterward to boost other creatures on the board. Even so, just growing itself and flying is already impressive enough.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A little flier plus an Authority of the Consulswithout the lifegain is quite aggressive! If you play white or blue, take it when you see it!

Score: 4.0
Comment: A strong three-for-one card: it suppresses one of the opponent’s threats, eats a possible threat in the graveyard or a resource you might reuse, and leaves a 4/4 creature. Note that it does not say the exiled card goes back to its owner when it leaves the battlefield; rather, when it dies, it is put on the bottom of your library and the exiled card returns to its owner’s hand. That means if it leaves the battlefield for another reason instead of dying, the card it exiled does not come back XD

Score: 3.0
Comment: Every white-blue Modified deck needs one. If you get to play it yourself, fine, and it can also find an Equipment or Aura card to hand. A good card.

Score: 3.5
Comment: At worst it is a 4-mana 4/4 curve play, and at best it can become one bomb from any graveyard, so the ceiling is not low.

Score: 3.5
Comment: After dealing damage, it can at least do a Nagging Thoughts, and if you pump it, you can look even deeper. The second ability lets it, after dying in combat, turn an ally into a stronger copy of it; two uses in one card is great value.

Oh, and don’t ignore it just because it is a blue-black card; it is also well worth using in the white-blue Modified theme!

Score: 2.0
Comment: A normal cast and a Mayhem cast differ little, with just a bit more flexibility; but the discard being mandatory is a bit awkward to use, and even if you get a Treasure, sometimes keeping the hand is stronger. And the 5/4 body gets overtaken quickly by green, at which point you might be the one in pain.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Taking the entire Villain team airborne on a single attack is quite strong, but paying six mana for a 4/6 flier is probably not what we want to do when we have six mana. I might consider it if I play blue-black Villains and lack finishers.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Bouncing it with Web-slinging lets you put counters on other creatures repeatedly, which is nice, but sometimes you cannot pump yourself and take a slight loss, since there will not always be a teammate waiting on the board to grow.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Modify me! That is what it says on the card.

Conclusion

Looking at multicolor overall, the white-blue Modified theme should still have the most supporting cards, bolstering stats while also topping up your card resources; the black-red Mayhem, with a moderate mix of discard sources and Mayhem cards, should also snowball into an unstoppable advantage. Green-white Web-slinging depends heavily on pairing with that mechanic, and how to tap creatures effectively without slowing your tempo will be one of the keys to building green-white, but don’t worry too much, since green’s excellent bodies can still solve most problems. As for blue-black Villain Connive and red-green Large Spells, they lean towards traditional Limited play, and if the three elements of curve, removal and bombs are all in place, they can naturally make full use of their color pair’s advantages.