5 Must-Know Facts About the Marvel’s Spider-Man Prerelease

Spider-Punk | Illustration by Forrest Imel

Regardless of how I feel about upcoming Magic sets, I'm always down for prerelease. This casual, beginner-friendly event attracts Magic players of all experience levels. Marvel's Spider-Man‘s prerelease might be an exceptional one given how many new players it's sure to attract.

Whether you've never played Magic before, plan to make the Spider-Man prerelease your first paper event, or simply need a refresher on the Sealed format and what you get from the prerelease, this guide is the perfect place to start.

What Is the Marvel's Spider-Man Prerelease?

Web-Warriors | Illustration by Thanh Tuan

Marvel's Spider-Man (SPM) is a Universes Beyond set—a type of Magic: The Gathering expansion that adapts an outside IP rather than using Magic's original lore. This is the first of several planned Marvel crossovers, and it focuses on Spider-Man and related characters. SPM features multiversal Spider-Man variants you might be familiar with from the Spider-Verse comics and films and iconic villains like Norman Osborn and Kraven the Hunter.

What Format Is Prerelease?

Prereleases are typically Sealed events, a Limited variant. Players receive six Play boosters to open from which they build a 40-card deck. They then play against other players in a 1v1 duel with 20 life. You typically play three Swiss rounds, with 45 minutes to build your deck then 45 minutes for each round.

What Comes in a Prerelease Kit?

Your Marvel's Spider-Man Prerelease kit contains the following:

• 6 SPM Play boosters (you'll use these to build your deck)
• 1 foil rare or mythic rare from the set, with a year stamp (you can add this to your Sealed deck)
• 1 deck box (the cardboard box the packs come in)
• 1 spindown die, with five color variants (these can keep track of your life total; the 20 on the die is replaced with the set symbol).

When Is Prerelease Week?

Prerelease week occurs the weekend prior to the set's official release date. Since Marvel's Spider-Man drops September 25, prerelease events are held September 19-25. Note that not every store hosts events every possible date; you'll need to check out your local game store (LGS) for detailed times, though you can usually expect events to run from Friday through Sunday.

Where Is the Prerelease?

Prerelease events are held at Wizards-sanctioned game stores, also known as your local game store (LGS).

To find a game store hosting a prerelease event (or other Magic event, like a Commander night or FNM), simply go to the Wizards store locator and fill in the relevant information.

Who Goes to Prereleases?

New players, experienced players, returning players, interested players… prerelease is one of the few events that attracts any player of any investment or experience level. Expect to play against anybody, from players who haven't missed an event in a decade to players so new they refer to red cards as fire cards.

That makes it a fantastic event for mingling; the casual nature of the event often draws wider crowds than FNM or other weekly, non-Commander events—at my LGS, at least. You could meet players you’d never meet under other circumstances!

Is Going to Prerelease Worth It?

From a monetary value… eh. Prereleases typically cost about $40, though Universes Beyond sets like Marvel's Spider-Man often cost a little more. You might encounter a $50 prerelease. Even at $40, you're unlikely to open cards with a similar value—though the packs you get from winning games makes it easier.

The value of prerelease has always been in the experience. Prerelease events typically last about 4 hours—that's 45 minutes for deckbuilding, 45 minutes for each of three round, and extra time for games to run over time, people to find their seats, and all the other little things that slow down large events. If you enjoy playing Magic in a high-energy environment and testing out new cards as soon as possible, this is an excellent event that never fails to please. If you just want to crack packs and get ahold of the new cards without playing, or you dislike Sealed, you might want to just purchase some packs.

Marvel's Spider-Man Sealed Simulator

If you want to practice Marvel's Spider-Man Sealed and familiarize yourself ahead of the prerelease, check out Draftsim's Sealed Simulator! You can generate card pools and practice deckbuilding. Familiarity with the new cards ahead of prerelease makes the entire process smoother, so I always crack a few pools or do a couple of drafts ahead of the event.

Wrap Up (in Webs)

Pictures of Spider-Man | Illustration by Rafater

I'd be lying if I said I was hyped for Marvel's Spider-Man, but I still want to check out the Prerelease. I find Universes Beyond Prereleases particularly exciting because so many new players show up to play the game, and you can meet so many people.

Are you planning to attend the Marvel's Spider-Man Prerelease? Will this be your first paper event, or your fiftieth? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!