This newly previewed card from the upcoming Spider-Man Magic: The Gathering set has the potential to bring turmoil to many a game of Commander.
Spider-Punk, a cardboard re-imagining of his anti-authoritarian comic-book namesake, is poised to upend MTG Commander games across the world thanks to a very powerful suite of abilities. Simply put, while Spider-Punk is on the battlefield, spells and abilities cannot be countered, and damage cannot be prevented. These abilities have serious ramifications for anyone on Spider-Punk's bad side, especially in games of Commander - one of MTG's most popular formats.
For those not in the know, one of the major deck archetypes in Magic: The Gathering (known as 'control') often makes ample use of spells designed to counter their opponents' cards, nullifying their effects and sending them straight to the graveyard. Spider-Punk also negates any damage prevention, cutting off certain defensive strategies.
These abilities would be a threat to any control player in a game of Magic: The Gathering; however, it's Commander where Spider-Punk seems especially poised to disrupt the status quo. Being a legendary creature, Spider-Punk can act as a commander, meaning that he can be reliably played multiple times throughout a game. This, when combined with his low mana cost, means that any Commander deck running Spider-Punk as its commander will easily be able to bring the rabble-rousing anarchist back into play without too much fuss.
In addition, Spider-Punk comes into play either with a +1/+1 counter or haste thanks to the riot mechanic, allowing you to make him more threatening or able to attack on the turn he's played. Alone, this wouldn't be much to write home about; however, Spider-Punk also gives riot to every other spider you control. This, when combined with the numerous other spider cards coming in the MTG Spider-Man set, is sure to offer all sorts of aggressive options for savvy deckbuilders.
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