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)
Arala, Hedron Scaler
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is pretty slow, but can be a fine inclusion in discard/self-mill decks.
Argyr, Tidal Spinner
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is one of the cheapest non-rare ETB bounce creatures ever printed. The effect has a wide array of applications, and is pretty difficult to picture it not being a solid blue creature.
Belion, the Parched
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is quite an odd card, but I’m eager to see how it plays out. It can help keep blue mana open during your opponents turn, making it easier to keep up counterspells and other instants. You want to have 10+ islands in your deck for this guy to be worthwhile though.
Detect Intrusion
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
There may be games where you don’t get an opportunity to cast this, but it’s still a pretty sweet counterspell when you do get to use it.
Drix Interception
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This can be incredibly powerful when you get to activate both options. I’m optimistic for this counterspell iteration.
Goben, Gene-Splice Savant // Fleem, Goben’s Creation
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This can be a win condition on its own if it’s not addressed. Conniving every turn helps sculpt your hand and increase the clock on your opponent very fast. The flip side is cool, but the front side will likely do most of the work for you.
Hide in Mundanity
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This spell does give the creature defender, making it difficult for your opponent to Enweb it to remove the enchantment.
Impostor Syndrome
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This seems like a win-more card in general, but it can take over certain games. The downside is that it costs 6 mana, and does nothing if you can’t connect.
Lost in Littjara
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This does take a little time to set up, but if it lines up well, you can get a ton of value off of it. Surveil 3 allows you to dig for a creature the following turn, and if you’re able to connect, it’s all upside from there.
Merata, Neuron Hacker
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
This is unlikely to do much, even if your deck has a high artifact count.
Obscura Alleylurkers
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is a bit weak, but it does a good job at enabling some Mayhem cards.
Olx, Mouth to Many Eyes
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Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a bit slow, and Blue doesn’t really have any spiders to offer. It still can net you some cards if it sticks around.
Outsmart the Amateur
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a really sweet counterspell option, despite the high mana cost. Once you take the turn off to keep 5+ mana open, if you don’t see a spell you want to counter, you can just draw 3.
Ozor, Chronicler of Collapse
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
8 cards isn’t too crazy in the late game, but there will also be plenty of chump blockers by that point. The majority of games this will be a 4/5 for 5 mana.
Phantasmal Vision
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a nice stat-line for a flying vigilance 2 drop. It’s much better in decks that either care about self-mill or have +1/+1 counters/equipment to put on him.
Pinnacle Research Team
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
I really dislike this card.
Robotics Mastery
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is an expensive trick, and I’d assume I would only want 1 copy in most decks. If you’re able to win a combat/dodge a removal spell with this, it can be very powerful.
Secret Identity
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is about as good as combat tricks get. 1 mana is extremely cheap, and it can help win combat, dodge removal, or push damage with flying.
Snatch Back
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Into the Roil is typically among the best Blue commons in any given set, and I have no reason to think otherwise here.
Spectral Restitching
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
Casting this on your opponent’s end step (or during your turn) can completely remove any blockers for an alpha strike. It can also be used on your own creatures to trigger ETB effects or dodge removal. This will win a lot of games out of nowhere.
Unstable Experiment
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
An easier way to decipher this card is “draw 2 discard 1”, which is solid on it’s own. If you can dodge removal/win combat with this from the connive +1/+1 counter, it feels like a blowout.
Vazin, Two-Faced Trickster
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
The strength of this is dependent on how many connive/discard outlets you have, as well as the quality of creatures in your deck. But this can lead to some very powerful plays.
Vexed Bots
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
There are quite a few villains in the set, 50 to be exact. As long as you can follow this up with 1 (preferably more), this creature is solid.
The Watcher on the Road
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is at least 6/6 worth of stats for 4 mana, which is hard to beat in today’s economy. If you can play this in the late game and protect it, the watcher will end a lot of games.
Top 3 Blue Commons:
Snatch Back Unstable Experiment Hide in Mundanity
Blue has some very appealing spells this go around, and does a pretty good job at controlling the battlefield. It certainly leaves a lot to be desired in the creature department. Whichever color you pair Blue with, it will likely need to do the heavy lifting in terms of actual win conditions. I’ll be breaking down Black next, stay tuned!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
