Black Cat, Cunning Thief – Marvel’s Spiderman
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.57
Casual: 3.97
Limited: 4.10
Multiplayer: 3.53
Commander [EDH]: 3.70
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
If I had a nickel for every time an elite-tier comics company introduced a cat-themed villainess/anti-heroine who had a flirtatious or romantic relationship with their most popular hero, I’d have two nickels. That doesn’t sound like much, but considering that Marvel and DC were supposed to be rivals in the 70s, it does raise questions. Though I may be more of a Batman guy, I cannot deny that Black Cat’s card really hits the mark for her concept. Stealing the best cards an opponent has within her reach evokes what she does in comics and is probably how she’d want to play Magic if she were in our world or Marvel’s writers wanted to introduce it. (You might have noticed that in the first Spider-Man movie from 2002, there’s a scene where you can see a poster for the Invasion set hanging on Peter’s bedroom wall. So if she took up the game, it might give her and Spider-Man another thing to talk about!)
And further, I wouldn’t underestimate the little things about the ability. Note that you have complete flexibility over when you play the stolen cards, even if Black Cat herself leaves play; and note further that you don’t have to reveal them until you play them. The opponent might be able to guess what you’re likely to have stolen, but they can’t be entirely sure until you actually cast them. Some players thrive on mind games like that, and this card will be especially fun for them (and that is, come to think of it, also pretty on-theme for a cat-themed femme fatale!).
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
meow
I know that Black Cat is the name of a character, but given that we’ve had half-spider hybrids in this set, I’m slightly disappointed that Black Cat, Cunning Thief isn’t actually a cat. Though maybe the Spiderverse is bereft of half-cat hybrids, but eh.
Black Cat is in a similar vein to a other black creatures, with Gonti, Lord of Luxury being the most immediate point of comparison. The trade-off between Black Cat and Gonti is that Gonti has an arguably better body (2/3 with deathtouch for 4 mana), but Black Cat steals more things (2 out of 9, instead of 1 out of 4). Hoever you crack it, this can be a massive boon, letting you rip away potential threats and even deal with things that move cards to the top of a library. You do dig deep with Black Cat, and the spells (and lands) stay available even when the bandit goes away, but the main knock here is that Black Cat himself is a pretty bad creature. So you need to get good hits if you want to make the most of this.
Black Cat is interesting, because his effect is certainly powerful…but five mana is high for what’s effectively an enaler, and there’s always the risk that you just don’t find anything worth absconding with. Admittedly, 9 cards should give you at least one thing worth yoinking, but who knows. There could be some intrigue with reanimating or blinking this creature, and if you can get things going, I can see a snowball really rolling.
Constructed: 3.5 (a bit tricky to evaluate, but might be worth it)
Casual: 4 (be warned: people do not like having their things stolen)
Limited: 4.5 (you could steal the big bombs in one cast)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4
Thijs
We end this week with Peter Parker’s final love interest, Felicia Sara Hardy, also known as Black Cat. She’s also the last of the three to have entered the stories, being introduced 14 years after MJ and Gwen, in 1979.
Black Cat starts out as an adversary of Spider-Man, until the inevitable happens and the two fall in love. They eventually break up, but Felicia still pops up every now and then. She even made an appearance in the limited series ‘Claws’, alongside Wolverine. She currently has her own ongoing series.
As stated in the card’s title, Black Cat is a thief. That sentiment is reflected in the card’s oracle text. She steals. Boy, oh boy, does she steal. Upon entering, she hijacks nine cards from an opponent, then you get to exile and play two of those. Whenever you like, using whatever mana you like. The other seven go on the bottom of that opponent’s library, so best case scenario is you remove nine threats.
It’s one of those rare instances where everything matches up. She’s not a big woman, so 2/3 seems right. She’s a thief, so she steals. She starts out as a villain, so her mana color is black. Clean delivery, good card.
Constructed: 3,7
Casual: 3,9
Limited: 3,8
Multiplayer: 3,6
Commander [EDH]: 3,6
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