MTG’s Spider-Man Survey: The Catch That Sparked a ‘Witch Hunt’ Accusation

Following the highly controversial release of the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man set, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) launched a player survey to gather feedback on the product. While seeking player opinion on design, mechanics, and value is standard practice, one specific question has drawn intense backlash, leading to accusations that the company is looking for a scapegoat to blame for the set’s poor reception.

The “catch” in the survey is a question that appears to target content creators and influencers who were critical of the set.

The Controversial Question

The survey, which was distributed to players who had engaged with the set, included a question designed to gauge the impact of community commentary:

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

(Options ranged from “1 = Greatly worsened my perception” to “5 = Greatly improved my perception.”)

The question was particularly alarming to the community because it was often paired with another request in the survey for participants to name the streamers or creators they regularly watch.

Why the Survey Sparked Backlash

This specific line of questioning ignited a firestorm of criticism across social media and MTG forums for several reasons:

• The Scapegoat Narrative: Many players and professional Magic personalities interpreted the question as WotC attempting to deflect blame for the set’s perceived flaws—such as uninspired card design, lack of new mechanics, and high price point—onto external critics rather than addressing internal design and marketing failures.
• “Witch Hunt” Accusations: Critics, including high-profile MTG Hall of Famer Luis Scott-Vargas (LSV), publicly voiced concerns that the question was an attempt to gather data for a “witch hunt” against negative voices. Players feared WotC might retaliate against creators who were named, potentially by restricting access to future product previews or sponsorships.
• The Assumption of External Influence: The wording of the question itself, which focused on “negative commentary” and asked for the “degree” of impact, implied that player sentiment was primarily shaped by external sources rather than by the cards themselves. Many players pointed out they formed their negative opinions directly from the card reveals and the set’s limited-format experience (e.g., the “Pick-Two” Draft format).

The widespread belief is that Spider-Man underperformed commercially and critically, especially when compared to the record-breaking success of the Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy sets, and that the survey was an effort to find an external explanation for the disappointment.

Wizards of the Coast’s Response

WotC quickly addressed the controversy. A spokesperson acknowledged the poor choice of wording on the question, stating that it was “not a good question” and was only intended to get a more “holistic” view of pre-release perceptions. They strongly denied any intent to punish or retaliate against content creators for negative opinions, citing their history of working with critics.

Despite the official denial, the damage to community goodwill was done, and the incident has become a focal point in the ongoing debate over the quality, pricing, and rapid release schedule of Magic: The Gathering sets, particularly those in the Universes Beyond line.