Spider-Man, Scalpers, and the Gathering

Tagline: “More players is better than fewer, even if they’re sleeving up Spidey.”

The Community Divide

Magic is in a weird spot right now. On the one hand, Universes Beyond sets are doing exactly what Wizards wants them to do: driving hype, pulling in new players, and selling out faster than hot dogs on a New York street corner. On the other hand, the community is split in half over whether Spider-Man and friends belong on Magic cards at all.

The Professor from Tolarian Community College recently dropped a long video about why the Spider-Man set left him feeling deflated. His argument boils down to this: Universes Beyond works best when it seamlessly translates another IP into Magic. Lord of the Rings, Warhammer, Final Fantasy… those sets felt like Magic sets first and crossovers second. Spider-Man? Not so much. Cell phones, bagels, and subway cars don’t exactly scream “fantasy multiverse.” And the set feels overstuffed, with dozens of Spidey variants jammed into a tiny 180-card expansion.

I get where he’s coming from. But here’s where my experience diverges.

Why Universes Beyond Works

I came back to Magic after nearly two decades away, and it wasn’t Ravnica lore or Dominaria nostalgia that hooked me. It was Universes Beyond. Doctor Who specifically, but I’ll leave that for another post. The lore of Magic is deep, intricate, and (let’s be honest) kind of impenetrable for new or lapsed players. It takes years to really get immersed, and most new players don’t have that patience. Compare that to Pokémon: you know Pikachu before you ever pick up a card. The characters sell the game, not the other way around.

Universes Beyond bridges that gap.

Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, and Fallout are cultural touchstones. They grab people who might otherwise never shuffle up. And more players means more games. Without fresh blood, Magic risks turning into a gated community where only the initiated get to play.

Of course, there are tradeoffs. If Universes Beyond prints powerhouse staples, players who opt out get left behind. That’s a valid concern. But Spider-Man doesn’t really fall into that trap. By most accounts, it’s a relatively tame set in terms of raw power. There are some fun and playable cards, sure, but it’s not Lord of the Rings: Part Two.

The Real Problem: Community Inconsistency

And this is where I start to get bothered by the community a bit. The same voices shouting “UB is awful, give us more lore!” are often the same ones who complain when a UB set is strong (“they’re juicing the power just to sell!”) or weak (“why pay $800 for an underpowered set?”). They aren’t wrong, but they can’t be pleased either.

The Real Issue: Scarcity and Scalping

The real issue this time isn’t even about theme or power level. It’s about availability. Look at these current prices:

Final Fantasy collector boxes: $1,300
Spider-Man Collectors (prerelease): $799
Avatar (pre-selling on eBay): $850

That’s wild when MSRP should be closer to $450.

I'll admit it: I bought a Spider-Man prerelease box. Not because I needed it, not because I think it's a great investment, but because my wife really wants one of those fancy Gwen Stacy cards. And that's the trap Wizards has set: scarcity mixed with cultural FOMO.

And scalpers know these sets will sell out instantly. They’re camping out, using bots, scooping up product, and flipping it for 2-4x the intended price. Wizards could fix this. They could increase print runs or put some enforceable purchase limits in place. Instead, they lean into the “trading” part of the trading card game and let the secondary market do its thing. Which, in practice, means players like me pay way too much just to participate. I really like just opening packs. The dopamine of ripping open packs and getting a hit is way better than just buying the hit on the market.

What Really Matters: The Gathering

But here’s the truth: for me, Magic has always been less about the game and more about the Gathering.

It’s friends crowding around a kitchen table, sleeves cracking fresh from the box. It’s showing off a new deck you’re proud of, groaning when someone wipes the board, and laughing through the chaos anyway. It’s a pile of dice in the middle of the table while everyone argues over combat math. Mechanics and card design matter, but they’re secondary to the joy of sitting down with people you love to play with. That’s the core.

And if Universes Beyond grows that circle, if Spider-Man or Final Fantasy or Avatar

(or please please please Star Trek 2026)

makes someone new say “yeah, I’ll try a game”, then that’s a good thing. More people means more laughter, more tables, more chances for someone to slam their first haymaker and light up when it lands.

The Bottom Line

So here we are. Spider-Man isn’t the disaster some say it is. It isn’t the masterpiece others want it to be. It’s another Universes Beyond experiment, one that highlights Magic’s identity crisis and its community divide. Some fans will never accept Spider-Man in a deck sleeve. Others will buy every box, every alt-art foil, every crossover Wizards can dream up.

Me? I’ll keep playing and cracking these packs. Because at the end of the day, more players is better than fewer. Even if they’re sleeving up Spidey instead of yet another Ur-Dragon.

Where do you land? Are you sleeving Spidey, skipping it, or just here for the Gathering?