Spectacular Tactics – Marvel’s Spiderman
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.68
Casual: 4.00
Limited: 4.03
Multiplayer: 3.50
Commander [EDH]: 3.53
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
As you may know, the first explicit example of white’s “take down the big bully” design trope was Reprisal, from Alliances. Awkwardly, it was also in the same block as the ultimate “take down whatever the heck you want, I don’t care” design – Swords to Plowshares. It hasn’t always been easy for the “take down the big bully” cards since then. While they’re very resonant, very fitting for everything white is about, and often very powerful, they also sometimes feel narrow compared to black’s removal spells. I think this was always a mistake, and it feels like a particular mistake nowadays. In casual formats, there are so many sets and so many incentives to play big creatures that you will likely always have a target; and this became the case a long time ago, probably at least ten years at this point. In Standard, the average size of creatures has been creeping up – suspiciously so in the case of colors like blue and red – and you now likely always have a target there too. And when you add a second mode, like on Spectacular Tactics, you have a card that’s never dead, and actually quite good all around.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Modality in a card has a lot of room to make two okay effects into one good card, and Spectacular Tactics is…maybe not “spectacular”, but it compresses roles well into a solid cross between a defensive spell and a kill spell. Hexproof is good at shielding a creature in a pinch, and…well, being able to target and kill a large creature can often be enough to thumb the scales. Neither half is phenomenal, but being able to choose makes this a solid tool for nearly any situation, and this is the kind of solid workhorse of a card that you’ll rarely regret drawing.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Thijs
Modal cards have become increasingly popular over the years and it’s not hard to see why. Oftentimes the cards will combine two completely different abilities, making them highly versatile.
In this case you get either a combat trick or a removal spell and you can pretty much always make good use of either one. White has gotten better at removal spells (think Thraben Charm, which is just a killer card) and killing a big beast for just two mana is always a treat. The counter + hexproof we’ve seen plenty of times before, but it might just be the spell you need to protect your own big beast. Or commander. A very decent card.
Constructed: 3,5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4,1
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 3,6
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