Magic Arena Can't Be Spider-Man, Now It Has to Be Something New

Magic: The Gathering has been the foremost collectible card game since it first defined the concept when it hit the market back in 1993. In the vast majority of that time, Magic has been defined by its fantastical, frequently terrifying planes traversed by the impossibly powerful Planeswalkers who inhabit them.

It was in 2020 when that all changed with the release of Secret Lair x The Walking Dead, the very first of what would come to be known as the Universes Beyond product line. Initially relegated to special releases, Universes Beyond quickly worked its way further into the spotlight, so much so that it is now poised to take center-stage in Standard. In 2025 alone, Final Fantasy, Spider-Man, and Avatar: The Last Airbender will be making their way into the world of Magic: The Gathering as full-fledged Standard-legal sets. And, while there are plenty of questions and concerns to arise because of that development, it is Spider-Man in particular which has created a whole new kind of problem for both Wizards of the Coast as a company and Magic players as a whole.

Magic Players Won't Get to Be Spider-Man Everywhere

By the time that a Spider-Man set was announced in March, the Universes Beyond line had already been at the center of enough controversy for so long that most players had (begrudgingly) accepted its increasing prominence in the game. That being said, early previews of various Spider-Man cards were enough to elicit a positive response from even the most orthodox Magic: The Gathering players and collectors.

In a genuinely shocking turn, it was announced just days ago that Spider-Man would be the first of what could be many Universes Beyond sets that will not be released on MTG Arena. If Spider-Man weren't a Standard-legal set, this wouldn't be all that big of an issue, but the fact that it is created an absolutely massive issue for Wizards of the Coast. Of course, the company that publishes Magic: The Gathering can't simply leave an entire set of cards off the table when it comes to their most popular digital platform. As unique of a problem as this is, there are only so many solutions to it, and that is precisely where Through the Omenpaths comes into play.

How Through the Omenpaths Can Help Wizards of the Coast - Even If It Hurts Players

Along with the announcement that there will be no Spider-Man on MTG Arena came the announcement of Through the Omenpaths, a whole new series of digital sets that will serve as "Universes Within" replacements for any Universes Beyond cards that don't appear on the platform. On the surface, this gives Wizards of the Coast a moderately simple solution to any future rights or licensing concerns that might crop up. When examined a little more closely, however, this becomes a new avenue by which Wizards of the Coast can begin correcting course when it comes to how far from its roots they are pushing Magic: The Gathering's trajectory.

Through the Omenpaths is obviously going to constitute a whole lot of work and a fairly hefty new expense for Wizards of the Coast. For every single card that isn't released on MTG Arena, at least one new piece of art will need to be commissioned, which is true for almost every other element of said card's design, development, and implementation beyond what the card itself actually does. This also means that a wide swathe of players are going to have to keep track of multiple versions of the same card across both digital and physical play, if not multiple platforms for diehard MTG grinders. That being said, Wizards of the Coast has still dedicated themselves to crafting Universes Within versions of all these cards, which in turn forces them to do what they used to do best and focus on making Magic, well, Magic.

Through the Omenpaths Could Lead to Bigger and Better Magic Than Ever Before - If WotC Lets It

There is no doubt that the mere fact that Through the Omenpaths is forced to exist in the first place stands as a stark reminder to the negative implications that Universes Beyond opens Magic: The Gathering up to. At the same time, that Through the Omenpaths will exist opens the door for a broader focus on the infinite planes that exist have existed in Magic: The Gathering from the very start. At the worst, Through the Omenpaths will be a minor-to-moderate inconvenience for the most dedicated grinders and the most devoted of completionists. At best, it could be what forces Magic to start looking more like itself again.

None of this is to say that Universes Beyond as a whole is bad for the game, even if this writer staunchly believes that such products have no place in Standard for a variety of reasons. It isn't to say that Through the Omenpaths is a particularly elegant solution to the most obvious of those reasons, either. If anything, this is a reminder that no matter how many SpongeBobs or Doctors Octopus end up being put on the stack, Magic: The Gathering will always come back around to what made it so special in the first place, even if it takes some tricky licensing issues to do so.

John Dodge can be found writing about comics, movies, and all things pop culture over at CBR. He can also be found on social media here and here, also here, and probably a few other places if you have the gumption to find them.