Shadow of the Goblin – Marvel’s Spiderman
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.63
Casual: 3.50
Limited: 3.50
Multiplayer: 3.38
Commander [EDH]: 3.63
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
“Shadow of the Goblin” is an interesting card name – it seems superficially like it wouldn’t have to be in a Spider-Man set, except for the fact that Magic’s other goblins tend to be more about the horde and less about the intimidating individual (Krenko and Daretti notwithstanding). It doesn’t necessarily have the effects that we traditionally associate with Magic’s goblins either, but maybe we should try it with them. After all, if you have cards to spare each turn, it feels a little like the legendary Phyrexian Arena, and there are numerous ways to make use of its second ability as well. The designers seem to be encouraging us to play cards from anywhere and everywhere these days: flashback, mayhem, warp, and the various flavors of impulse draw are just examples from recent sets and not exhaustive by any means. I’ll also say that at just two mana, it feels a little better when your deck can only make use of the first ability, since you’re not investing a lot of mana in a card that you’re only partly using. I didn’t mention the other way because it’s more likely that a deck themed around nonstandard casting will be able to use extra cards.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Shadow of the Goblin seems tailor made to enable mayhem in particular, but beyond that, it’s a decent card for a color that can sometimes struggle to keep the engines going. Two mana puts this out early and gives you an avenue to benefit from it as soon as that next turn, and even if you don’t make use of it to turn on mayhem (or madness), looting is still a great way to get ahead, and there are plenty of ways to make the pings sting. Hardly a star, but every deck can make use of these engine pieces, and this is a solid one for a color sometimes lacking in those.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
Thijs
Coming Soon
Constructed:
Casual:
Limited:
Multiplayer:
Commander [EDH]:
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