To many fans and players' surprise, Magic: The Gathering's Spider-Man set is not exactly what it seems, as this is a smaller-scale Standard set than most others, and for some reason, it doesn't get its cards as part of MTG Arena's collection. While Magic: The Gathering and MTG Arena are two sides of the same coin, the latter does have some major differences compared to the paper game, starting with the fact that players can't trade their cards with one another. Normally, every MTG set goes right into Arena, but for Spider-Man, Wizards of the Coast created "Through The Omenpaths," a Universes-Within version of the Spider-Man set. Here, one card has basically taken over the internet because of its cute, goofy design.
It's worth noting that there are no mechanical differences between the upcoming Spider-Man set and Through The Omenpaths, at least in terms of gameplay and how each card functions. The main differences are the themes, designs, and names for all the cards, as Through The Omenpaths is conceived as a sort of 'What If' scenario of the Spider-Man set if it were to have an in-multiverse version with the lore of Magic: The Gathering. Now, MTG's subreddit is seeing a plethora of posts dedicated to Fleem, Goben's Creation, an alternative version of Green Goblin.
This Magic: The Gathering Card is About to Be S-Tier
With several great card designs in its Spider-Man set, Magic: The Gathering is about to add yet another S-tier card that players shouldn't sleep on.
Magic: The Gathering Has Been Taken Over By Goblin Mascot, Fleem
While there are several cards dedicated to Spider-Man's Green Goblin in MTG between the main set and the Eternal set, the one that stands out the most is Norman Osborn // Green Goblin, which is a Blue card on the front and Grixis (Blue, Black, Red) on the back. This is exactly the same card as Goben, Gene-Splice Savant // Fleem, Goben's Creation from Through The Omenpaths in MTG Arena, but while Green Goblin is the character's usual menacing self, Fleem is basically what Wizards of the Coast wants Loot to be: a funny-looking, cute mascot.
Ever since Through The Omenpaths' card gallery was fully revealed, many fans have taken Fleem to heart, sharing pictures and memes of it on Reddit and social media, even asking Wizards of the Coast's Mark Rosewater if he's aware of what's going on and that many are loving Fleem. Of course, the opposite is also true, and some can't stand Fleem after seeing it everywhere, which is the same thing that happened with Magic: The Gathering's Aetherdrift set when previews started and Loot was given a prominent role.
There are even players who would like to see paper versions of Fleem, which has a slim chance of happening as a one-off promo card if Wizards of the Coast is on board. However, Fleem's own existence is a weird case, as a lot of fans who dislike Universes Beyond as a concept would rather have the Through The Omenpaths cards than the Spider-Man ones, but Wizards is adamant that only a small percentage of players don't engage with UB sets. Likewise, it's odd that Final Fantasy was ported to MTG Arena and MTGO, whereas Spider-Man needs a Universes-Within set that is becoming more popular than the original, with lots of fans calling for paper reprints.
There's Hope For MTG Players Who Want Paper Through The Omenpaths
Based on posts on his personal blog on Tumblr, Mark Rosewater is open to the possibility of reprints, but also stated that it wouldn't be the entire set, as it wouldn't sell well. It remains to be seen what happens with Through The Omenpaths in the future, but the uproar that the set being digital-exclusive caused would be enough to warrant at least a few key cards to be printed on paper, either as promos or a Secret Lair drop. For now, MTG's Commander decks could be the perfect place to play Fleem as a proxy of Green Goblin, especially with how strong the card could be as a commander.
Another popular card from Through The Omenpaths is King of the Coldblood Curse, also due to how cute it is.
Magic: The Gathering
- Original Release Date
- August 5, 1993
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- Richard Garfield
- Player Count
- 2+
- Age Recommendation
- 13+
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