Bloody Hell, Wizards Did It Again: The Lorwyn Eclipse Card That's Got Blue Mages Sweating (and Spider-Punk Collecting Dust)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
A new Magic: The Gathering card, Hexing Squelcher from the upcoming Lorwyn Eclipsed set, is set to disrupt the counterspell meta, outclassing the previously popular Spider-Punk with its more strategic and versatile anti-counter abilities, much to the delight of red mages.
Right, you know that feeling when you're all set to cast your magnum opus, your game-winning spell, the one that’s going to turn the tide and make your opponents weep salty tears of defeat? You tap your mana, declare your target, a little smirk plays on your lips... and then, *poof*. Some blue mage just casually drops a 'Counterspell' and all your grand plans dissolve into a puff of metaphorical smoke. Bloody frustrating, isn't it? It's like trying to brew a potent potion and someone just spills water in your cauldron.
For ages, that’s been the bane of many a gamer’s existence in *Magic: The Gathering*. Blue, with its identity built around control and manipulation, can often feel like the biggest troll in the playground. For a relatively low cost, they can nullify even your most expensive, meticulously planned moves, essentially making you waste time and precious mana. It’s a bit like a wizard trying to cast a grand firestorm and being stopped by a mere 'Nuh-uh!'. That's why any card that says 'nope' to 'Counterspell' is usually met with a collective sigh of relief and a cheer that echoes across planes.
For a while there, we had a champion in that fight. A hero, even. Not from some forgotten plane of existence, but from... well, from the Marvel universe. Spider-Punk, aka Hobart 'Hobie' Brown, swung into the scene as part of a crossover set and declared, 'No more!' This red-mana legend was a proper rebel, a 2/1 for two mana that, crucially, made it so 'Spells and abilities can't be countered.' As long as he was bopping about on the board, blue players across the table might as well have been trying to counter a black hole. He also had 'riot' (meaning he entered with a +1/+1 counter or haste) and gave your spiders riot, which was a neat bonus if you were spinning a web-slinging theme deck. He was good, mate, a solid answer to the oppressive grip of control. But, as with all good things, a new challenger always emerges, often from the most unexpected places.
And this time, the challenger isn't some interdimensional titan or a planeswalker with god-like powers. Nah, it's a boggart. A goblin. A scruffy, slightly silly-named creature called Hexing Squelcher, making its grand debut in the upcoming *Lorwyn Eclipsed* set. Wizards of the Coast just pulled back the curtain on this little menace (via a Polygon article, no less, which we’ll get to in a sec), and fair dinkum, it’s a game-changer. This isn't just another card; it's a statement. A 2/2 for one colorless and one red mana, the Squelcher isn't just cheap to cast; it’s a stubborn little blighter. You can’t counter *him*. And once he's decided to grace your battlefield with his mischievous presence, he extends that same anti-counter magic to *your* spells. Plus, he's got Ward — meaning anyone trying to target him or your other creatures needs to pay two life for the privilege. Talk about a digital wizard flexing some arcane muscle!
Now, let's put our two champions in the ring for a proper comparison, shall we? On the surface, both Hexing Squelcher and Spider-Punk seem to do a similar job: stop those pesky counterspells. But the devil, as always, is in the details, and this is where our little boggart truly shines brighter than a freshly polished mana gem. Spider-Punk, bless his leather-clad heart, made it so 'Spells and abilities can't be countered' for the *entire table*. Noble, perhaps, but in a four-player Commander game, that meant you were often helping your opponents just as much as yourself. A bit like casting a healing spell that also healed the villain, eh? You want to protect *your* win condition, not accidentally pave the way for someone else's.
Hexing Squelcher, on the other hand, is a bit more self-serving, and honestly, a lot more strategic. His ability states 'Spells *you* control can't be countered.' See the difference? He's your personal anti-counter shield, protecting *your* grand schemes, not everyone else's. This is a crucial distinction, especially in multiplayer formats where alliances are as fickle as a rogue spell. You want to protect *your* grand strategy, not inadvertently give your rivals a leg up.
Then there's the legendary status. Spider-Punk is a Legendary Creature, meaning you can only have one copy of him on the battlefield at any given time. In Commander, where uniqueness is baked into the format, that’s not a huge deal. But in more traditional game formats where you can run up to four copies of a card, it limits your resilience. Hexing Squelcher? Not legendary. Reckon what that means, mate? You can have a whole bloody squad of these boggarts on your board, each one reinforcing your anti-counter protection. Even if an opponent manages to zap one or two of them, as long as one remains, your spells are sailing through. It’s like having multiple layers of magical shielding – impenetrable, almost. And let’s not forget the Ward cost; paying two life to target him or your other creatures adds another layer of annoyance for your opponents, making them think twice before trying to remove your protective boggarts.
This also brings us to tribal synergy. Goblins are, let's be honest, an absolute powerhouse tribe in *Magic*. They've got legions of support, anthems, and synergies that can turn a horde of small creatures into an unstoppable force. Hexing Squelcher, being a goblin, slots right into these decks like a perfectly crafted cog in a chaotic machine. Spider-Punk's riot-gifting ability only works for spiders, limiting him primarily to spider-themed decks, which, while fun, aren’t quite as universally potent as goblin tribal. So, not only is Squelcher better at its core job, but it's also got a far more popular and powerful social circle, if you catch my drift.
What does this mean for the meta? Well, first off, blue mages are probably going to be doing a lot more sweating. This little boggart is going to become a staple in almost any red deck, especially in Commander, where protecting your plays from multiple opponents is paramount. Imagine stuffing your deck with these cheeky goblins; it’s a terrifying prospect for anyone relying on counterspells. While Spider-Punk still has his uses and specific niche (especially if you're leaning heavily into a spider theme), Hexing Squelcher just took the crown for the most efficient and strategic counter-counterspell on the block. It’s an interesting power creep, isn’t it? Almost like Wizards is intentionally giving us new tools to shake up established strategies.
Fair warning: the new *Lorwyn Eclipsed* set officially debuts with Play Early events at local game stores from January 15 to 22, before a full release on January 23. So, get ready to see Hexing Squelcher cause some proper mayhem on a battlefield near you. I'm genuinely curious to see how this shifts the landscape and if blue players start brewing up new ways to deal with uncounterable threats. It's always a wild ride in the multiverse, mate!
*(Original reporting by Corey Plante for Polygon, published January 5, 2024)*
Tags: MagicTheGathering, MTGCommander, CardGames, GameAnalysis, NewReleases
Original article: Polygon