This Week in Magic: Friday, August 29th

Posted on August 29, 2025

Spider-Man Previews Begin Today!

Tomorrow at 3:30PM Pacific, we take the mask off #MTGxSpiderMan with the set Debut live from #PAXWest! A full hour of amazing guests, incredible reveals, and at least one Spider-Man.

? mtg.social/SPMDebut
? twitch.tv/Magic

[image or embed]
— Magic: The Gathering (@magic.wizards.com) August 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Today kicks off the official preview season for Magic: The Gathering - Marvel's Spider-Man! The hotly anticipated first set in the line of upcoming Marvel releases is here at long last with the start of a proper preview season at PAX West. By the time this is published, the stream won't have happened yet, but if you're checking this piece out later, be sure to check out the VOD!

Here's my #MTGxSpiderMan teaser: www.tumblr.com/markrosewate... #mtg #WotCStaff

[image or embed]
— maro254.bsky.social (@maro254.bsky.social) August 25, 2025 at 3:35 PM

If you're looking to get some insights into what the set's bringing with it, Mark Rosewater has you covered. As is usual for most sets these days, MaRo has published his teaser for the set over on his Tumblr page, Blogatog. This includes several obvious nods to beloved elements of the Spider-Man franchise that many are eagerly anticipating.

Additionally, be sure to check out the "Where to Find Previews" article for the set to see who will be revealing cards and where!

Pauper High Tide Update Delayed

Hey Pauper players! Wanted to give an update as we end August - we're still evaluating High Tide. The format continues to evolve and we'd like a bit more time. You can still expect a check in (and option to ban) before the Nov B&R date, in late Sept/early Oct. Thanks!
#wotcstaff
— Gavin Verhey (@gavinverhey.bsky.social) August 28, 2025 at 9:10 PM

Gavin Verhey announced yesterday on behalf of the Pauper Format Panel (which I am part of) that the Panel is holding off on a B&R update for High Tide. Originally anticipated to likely occur at the end of August, the Panel determined that we wanted to keep an eye on the deck some more before coming to any conclusions. The update should likely come in either late September or early October, though may come a bit later if the Panel sees fit. We remain committed to reviewing this and discussing it publicly before the next officially slated update, however.

Wizards Hires New Video Game Development Team

Wizards of the Coast president John Hight has revealed that a team of developers that were working on EA's cancelled Black Panther game has joined the company to work on a new title.
The team is led by Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor director Michael de Plater.

www.gamesindustry.biz/part-of-the-...

[image or embed]
— GamesIndustry.biz (@gibiz.bsky.social) August 27, 2025 at 12:14 PM

Gaming website GamesIndustry.biz reported this week that Wizards of the Coast has brought on several developers who previously worked on a Black Panther game cancelled by EA. While what project they've been brought on for remains unclear, it's apparent there are some quality people being attached to it. Particularly notable is the project's lead, Michael de Plater, who directed the critical darling game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, an action title set in the world of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Time will tell what will come of this, but the early info seems promising.

Decklist of the Week

Mono-Red Aggro | EOE Standard | quinniac, 1st Place MTGO Standard Challenge

Buy This Deck Export text Export Arena

As Izzet Cauldron decks lifted by the mighty Vivi Ornitier continue to wreak havoc on the Standard metagame, players continue to explore ways to push back. Quinniac (Quinn Tonole) is a legend of Mono-Red Aggro gameplay and continues to put up tremendous results with this powerful archetype. This week, he took down a Standard Challenge with this newer take on the archetype in a post-ban world that no longer has Monstrous Rage and Heartfire Hero to decimate games. This is bound to be a decent bet against Izzet Cauldron decks in the near future and - more importantly - a great option for when the deck is inevitably met with the banhammer.

Paige Smith

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/themaverickgirl.bsky.social

Twitch: twitch.tv/themaverickgirl

YouTube: TheMaverickGal