Through the Omenpaths is the Arena Exclusive set web-slinging enwebbing to Arena September 23rd. This set is a little different from the paper counterpart: Marvel’s Spider-Man, due to licensing issues that we don’t need to get into. I’m just clarifying for anyone confused about what the new set is, and why Peter Parker is called Surris, Spidersilk Innovator on Arena. With that out of the way, let’s start breaking down the cards for the new set!
5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)
3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
Ancestral Carvings
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
With a normal creature count (16-18 or so), you should be able to get 2 cards off of this a good amount of the time. It’s a bit slow, but it still is a form of card advantage.
Chizak, Apex Arachnosaur
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
A solid top-end green creature.
The Clutter Cluster
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
2/3 is a solid stat line for any 2 drop, so don’t be shy casting this on turn 2. The Enweb ability is really strong, giving this creature a mode for both early, and late game, both of which are solid.
Cren, Undercity Dreamer // Cren of the Spider Brood
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
2 mana for 3/4 worth of stats is crazy in today’s economy. The ability to flip him is all upside.
Cruel Caracals
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
A decent 2 drop that can attack with impunity during the early game.
Eccentric Arachnologist
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
A bit slower than you’d prefer, and the activated ability isn’t all that exciting.
Fateweaver
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This thing is a fine deathtouch blocker that you’re happy to include in most decks. There are actually a lot more spider hero’s than I had expected, 34 creatures you can search for, to be exact.
Favored Fighter
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
A decent sized beater that gives you a treasure for your trouble.
Grow Extra Arms
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is actually a lot better than Titanic Growth, if you have a high spider count in your deck.
King of the Coldblood Curse
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
Not only is a 5/5 trample for 4 mana solid, it also grows your smallest creature into a 4/4.
Lurking Lizards
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I don’t hate this thing, it does a good job at stifling opponents’ aggression, and works as a payoff for casting your late-game stuff.
Orris, Last of the Web Lords
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Keeping in mind that Green has the highest spider count, this should be able to enable some powerful attacks. It can also target itself, making it a 5/7 attacker for 5.
Perilous Lunge
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A straight upgrade from Hunt the Weak. It’s slow, but you should be able to take out anything you need to.
Rouse the Swarm
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
The power level of this card is directly tied to the number of spiders in your deck. If your deck is almost entirely spiders, this thing is a bomb. If not, it’s 4 mana for a 3/2 and not much else.
The Scouring Stormsoul
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
This creature is a problem. It will almost always be the biggest creature on the battlefield, and it can’t be chump blocked. If you deal with it, it can just come back to the battlefield tapped, at instant speed. Yes, you do need a land in the yard, but there are plenty of discard, and mill effects to accomplish that.
Scout the City
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
The +3 life makes this feel a lot “less slow” when compared to similar iterations of this card. This seems decent in most decks.
Selesnya Archivist
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
The first mode may be difficult to achieve by turn 4. The second mode is a bigger Uktabi Orangutan, which is typically very strong in limited.
Strength of Will
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This card will have some wild variance in terms of it’s efficacy. If you can dodge a removal spell like Deathflame Burst, it’s a huge swing. But other times it may not do much of anything. It’s still worth playing, but there will be times it is severely underwhelming.
Supportive Parents
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
Tapping two creatures for 1 mana is a pretty steep cost, but the floor of this card is decent enough. This is also a great way to tap your creatures to enable the Enweb mechanic.
Tarantusk, Unwisely Awoken
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This pumps up a good majority of creatures in the set. It does die pretty easily, but it leaves you with a food for your troubles.
Terrific Team-Up
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a buffed up version of Band Together, especially if you can cast it for 2 mana.
Through the Omenpath
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This is a lot easier to cast than it looks. You can cast this on turn 5 with 3 creatures, and still get a free creature for the turn.
A Trail of Teacups
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
So long as the first chapter hits, this saga provides a ton of value.
Zan, Tunnelweb Explorer
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
One of Green’s few Enweb creatures. It’s a banger at 3 mana, and ramps you up to redeploy the creature you returned.
Top 3 Green Commons:
Perilous Lunge Chizak, Apex Arachnosaur Zan, Tunnelweb Explorer
Green has some really high card quality, and some of the best creatures at common/uncommon. It doesn’t have a ton of synergies built in, aside from spider creature type ones. Green does seem to be a bit slower than expected, but should be able to turn the corner effectively. I’ll be breaking down Multicolor next, stay tuned!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!