Magic: The Gathering has seen some big leaps in popularity, but this next one across the New York skyline, courtesy of a crossover with Marvel’s Spider-Man, might just be one of the biggest.
The new set (which will be standard legal, by the way), officially debuts on September 26, but you can play it earlier at a prerelease event if you can find a participating location near you.
Here’s all you need to know about what it is, when you can play, and what to expect.
What Is A Prerelease Event in MTG?
Prerelease events are a way in which players can go hands-on with a new set, usually the week before launch.
They use cards from the upcoming set (in this instance, Spider-Man), and allow you to get a bunch of cards, hopefully find some synergies, and maybe even make new friends.
The nuts and bolts may vary depending on where you’re playing (contact your local game store to see if they’re holding an event), but with Magic The Gathering the basics are as follows:
- Open a prerelease box
- Spend some time building a 40-card deck from the cards in the box
- Play against other players in a 1v1 match where each player has 20 life
- Winning games can earn you a few bonus packs
What’s In a Prerelease Box?
Spider-Man Prerelease Box
0
A prerelease box for Marvel’s Spider-Man contains the following:
- 6 Play boosters
- 1 Rare or Mythic rare foil
- 1 Cardboard Deck Box
- 1 Spindown Dice
While Wizards of the Coast has a handy page that offers a few deckbuilding strategies for prerelease, I have one extra piece of advice: Bring sleeves.
The included deckbox is handy, sure, but it’s a good idea to carry a few sleeves in case you end up finding a potentially valuable card that you want to add to your collection or sell later.
When Is Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man Prerelease?
Prerelease for the Spider-Man set kicks off on Friday, September 19 – one week before the set launches in full.
It runs throughout the week, so be sure to check for events right up until September 25.
Can I Buy Other Magic: The Gathering Spider-Man Products At Prerelease?
I can’t speak for every store, of course, but only WPN (Wizards Play Network) stores can sell Magic products for the new set on prerelease weekend.
Everyone else, including stores like Amazon, will need to wait another week.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
