Spider-Man Debut Stream Next Week

While we've gotten quite a heavy dose of previews for the upcoming Magic: The Gathering - Marvel's Spider-Man, there's still plenty more to come! A whole week of previews for everyone's favorite web-slinging menace is right around the corner from September 1st through the 5th. Ahead of that preview week is the debut stream, taking place sometime next Friday August 29th! Check it out and get ready for all kinds of superhero gaming!

Little Magic scoop: Last week, rumors started cropping up that Spider-Man Play Boosters could be limited to only a single print run, which would be alarming for a Standard-legal set.

Today, Wizards of the Coast told me quite definitively that there is "no truth" to those rumors. #MTGxSpiderman

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— Tom Marks (@tomrmarks.bsky.social) August 18, 2025 at 3:32 PM

Additionally, one other piece of news came out regarding the set. There were apparently rumors going around that the set would only be getting a single print run and there was quite the response to the allegations - a particularly loud one, in fact! Major gaming publication IGN put out a whole news story about the subject, citing Wizards refuting these claims by stating that the set can - and likely will - receive multiple print runs.

If you're looking to see what the set has to offer so far, you can check out my recap of the set's First Look and/or the resources listed at the bottom of that page. Additionally, be sure to check out the CoolStuffInc page for the set and pick up whatever goodies you're on the hunt for!

Arena Anthology 1 and 2 Released

In a somewhat surprising announcement earlier this week, the MTG Arena team revealed the first two Arena Anthology sets in the game's weekly announcements! These new releases replace the previous style of Anthology release that included Explorer Anthologies and Historic Anthologies. These new ones are aimed at impacting multiple formats on the client at once without limiting themselves to a single format to attach to. Both are available now in the Arena client, so pick them up if they interest you!

For a full rundown of what's included, be sure to check out the following resources:

• MTG Arena Announcements - August 18, 2025
• Arena Anthology 1 Scryfall Image Gallery
• Arena Anthology 2 Scryfall Image Gallery

Mark Rosewater Addresses New Release Volume

A particular post to Mark Rosewater's blog - Blogatog - had the MTG social spheres abuzz this week with chatter. This post, which you can find here, addressed the amount of cards and sets being released and the difficulty in keeping up with all the cards being revealed. Mark responded by noting that there's an idea that not knowing all of the cards is beneficial and is - in fact - closer to Richard Garfield's original vision for the game. Whether you agree or disagree with him, one thing's for sure: this is our new normal and it's unlikely to change one way or another so strap yourself in and enjoy what you can, how you can.

Decklist of the Week

Dimir Midrange | EOE Standard | kthanakit26, 1st Place MTGO Standard Challenge

• Creatures (22)
• 2 Cecil, Dark Knight // Cecil, Redeemed Paladin
• 2 Preacher of the Schism
• 2 Tishana's Tidebinder
• 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
• 4 Enduring Curiosity
• 4 Floodpits Drowner
• 4 Spyglass Siren

• Instants (9)
• 1 Faebloom Trick
• 1 Into the Flood Maw
• 1 Stab
• 2 Bitter Triumph
• 2 Phantom Interference
• 2 Shoot the Sheriff

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Tragic Trajectory

• Lands (25)
• 5 Island
• 6 Swamp
• 1 Fountainport
• 2 Soulstone Sanctuary
• 3 Restless Reef
• 4 Gloomlake Verge
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Annul
• 1 Faebloom Trick
• 1 Ghost Vacuum
• 1 Intimidation Tactics
• 1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
• 1 Negate
• 1 Preacher of the Schism
• 1 Stab
• 1 Tishana's Tidebinder
• 1 Tragic Trajectory
• 2 Duress
• 3 Strategic Betrayal

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Izzet Cauldron is absolutely everywhere in Standard right now. The powerful Vivi Ornitier-fueled deck is dominating event after event and is fueling discussions of a broken Standard meta. As such, players everywhere are looking for what the next best thing is looking like beyond this deck so they can avoid shelling out for cards that will likely collapse in value with a ban.

As it happens, Dimir Midrange seems to be just the thing! Many players - myself included - expected this deck to largely disappear with rotation. This is owing mainly to the loss of powerful spells like Cut Down, Go for the Throat, Anoint With Affliction, Gix's Command, and even Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor himself. Despite these losses, rumors of the deck's demise are proving quite exaggerated as the deck continues to put up strong numbers! Be sure to check this one out if you want to play something that's acceptable in this Vivi meta and will likely continue to be good long after an inevitable ban.

Paige Smith

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