MTG’s Spider-Man Survey: The Backlash to the Backlash, and the ‘Influencer Question’

The Magic: The Gathering community is once again buzzing with controversy, this time centered on a post-release player survey for the much-maligned Universes Beyond: Marvel’s Spider-Man set. The survey, intended to gather feedback on the set’s poor reception, has itself sparked a new wave of criticism due to a specific question that many players and content creators view as an attempt by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) to shift the blame for the set’s failure.

The catch is a highly contentious question that asked participants about the role of online commentary:

The Question at the Center of the Storm:

In a section for those who consumed content about the set, the survey reportedly included a query along the lines of:

> “To what degree did negative influencer commentary impact your perceptions of Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man before the set released?”

The options provided ranged from a high score (greatly improved my perception) to a low score (greatly worsened my perception), with no clear neutral option. For many, this phrasing was a thinly veiled attempt to pin the set’s financial and critical failure—which followed the record-breaking success of the Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy collaborations—on the game’s vocal online content creators.

Why the Survey Itself Became Controversial:

Critics argue the question is inherently loaded and seeks a scapegoat rather than genuine constructive criticism. The sentiment on social media has been that WotC is looking to blame external factors—namely, influencers who gave honest, negative reviews of the set’s lack of mechanical depth, poor Limited format design (the “Pick-Two Draft” structure), and lukewarm flavour—instead of addressing internal design issues.

• The “Witch Hunt” Concern: Several prominent Magic content creators, including Hall of Fame inductees, publicly expressed concern that the question was an attempt to identify and potentially retaliate against those who were critical of the set.
• The Lack of Neutrality: By forcing users to select a degree of positive or negative influence, the question implicitly assumes an impact, rather than allowing for the opinion that one’s perception was formed independently by the quality of the cards and the set itself.
• Internal Acknowledgment: Wizards of the Coast’s Head of Comms, Blake Rasmussen, later addressed the controversy on social media, admitting that the phrasing was “not a good question” and assuring the community that the results would not be used to punish creators.

The Real Backlash: Design and Strategy

The controversy overshadows the likely true reason for the survey: Marvel’s Spider-Man was widely viewed as a low-quality Magic set. Its design reportedly started as a small, non-draftable “Beyond Booster” product but was hastily expanded into a full, draftable set (188 cards) that critics felt was uninspired and repetitive. The actual feedback WotC is likely seeking is on:

1. The Pick-Two Draft Format: A newly designed Limited format that received a poor reception.
2. Lack of Mechanical Identity: Many cards were described as a lazy re-skinning of existing MTG mechanics rather than innovative new designs.
3. Price Point and Value: The set was often priced higher than core Magic sets, leading to a strong negative sentiment on value for money.

In short, the survey did indeed address the set’s backlash, but the catch is that WotC appeared to be fishing for an external culprit rather than a clear diagnostic of its own design and product strategy.