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Magic: The Gathering x Marvel's Spider-Man is nearly upon us, and gaming shops around the country are readying for prerelease events for the set. Part of the release of Marvel's Spider-Man involves a new limited format in Magic: The Gathering called Pick-Two Draft. Instead of 8 players, Pick-Two involves 4 players, and instead of taking 1 card from a booster pack and passing it to the person next to you, players draw, you guessed it, 2 cards. This change came from the fact that Marvel's Spider-Man is a smaller set than your average Magic: The Gathering set. 

A new article examining Marvel's Spider-Man and Pick-Two Draft on Magic: The Gathering's website includes an interesting tidbit. While explaining Pick-Two Draft, game designer Corey Bowen wrote, "How could we represent an amazing corner of the Marvel Universe without trying to fill over 300 card concepts? If we were focusing only on Spider-Man, there are tons of great stories, characters, and depth, but not enough to meet the demanding threshold of a full Magic set. We also believed solving this problem now would allow us to consider more partnerships that may not [sic] to fill the shoes of a full Magic set."

The notable part here is how Bowen states that developing Pick-Two Draft opens doors "to consider more partnerships that may not [sic] to fill the shoes of a full Magic set." Sure, Marvel's Spider-Man is just one of many Magic: The Gathering sets to come out this year, but its Pick-Two format may have longstanding implications for future crossover sets. Not every franchise in the world is as deep as, say, Final Fantasy, so it makes sense that Wizards of the Coast would want to devise a solution to leave options on the table for smaller sets like Marvel's Spider-Man. 

Now, I look forward to seeing how Pick-Two Draft goes over with Marvel's Spider-Man. 

Whether you are a Commander player, a regular at your local game shop's FNM event, or simply love collecting Magic: The Gathering cards, you've landed in the right place. From Universes Beyond to the furthest reaches of the Magic Multiverse, we've got you covered here at Popverse. 

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