The 35 Best Spiders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on September 25, 2025

Obelisk Spider | Illustration by YW Tang

Spiders are some of the most polarizing creatures in the animal kingdom. They’re very helpful, trapping and feeding off common household pests. They’re also a source of fear and absolute terror, so much that some video games have an arachnophobia accessibility setting.

Fantasy settings often include oversized spiders, and Magic has a bunch of them, too. But which of them are the best? And which cards pay you off for running a bunch of arachnids?

The only thing I’ll spoil is that none of these is named Boris.

What Are Spiders in MTG?

Doom Weaver | Illustration by Helge C. Balzer

Spider is a creature type that represents the eight-legged creepy-crawlies we know well. Spiders tend to be mono-green cards and usually have reach, although the scope of spider creatures has expanded significantly with the release of Marvel's Spider-Man.

Spiders have been around since the Giant Spider printed in Alpha, and they predate the reach keyword ability. A number of spiders from that time still have the ability, just in a full-text form.

Magic has quite a few cards that generate spider tokens, as well as other cards that have a spider flavor to them. There are enchantments like Spider Umbra that grant reach, removal spells like Eaten by Spiders and Spider Food that destroy creatures with flying, and an enchantment that becomes a spider in the form of Hidden Spider.

I focus on these spiders for Commander reasons, so shout out your favorite spiders for other formats in the comments!

Unranked: Ishkanah, Broodmother + Spinnerette, Arachnobat

I don’t play Alchemy or MTG Arena often enough to tell you when their exclusive cards are good, but I can say that I like the design of Ishkanah, Broodmother for what it is. The spider lord ability gives your spiders +1/+2, which is better and more in line with spiders than the typical +1/+1. The spells in its spellbook are all spider-related too, so this Ishkanah gains points for pure thematic cohesion.

Is Spinnerette, Arachnobat a good card? Some might argue that anything from Unfinity automatically should be counted as silver-bordered, but I disagree. If Wizards didn’t put an acorn on it, it’s fair game. You probably only use Spinnerette in an attractions build, like a Commander deck fronted by The Most Dangerous Gamer. You know what? I might just do that.

#35. Cosmic Spider-Man

I’ll include Cosmic Spider-Man because that combination of keywords can be very, uh, swingy (get it?), but it’s basically a 5-color commander that lets you run all your favorite Spider-Man cards, plus a few all-stars from other sets. It’s good in that role, but it’s pretty much a one-trick spidey.

#34. Miles Morales / Ultimate Spider-Man

Miles Morales blends together +1/+1 counters, spiders, and legends for an interesting Naya () deck. You can play many of the more heroic legendary spiders from the Spider-Man sets, and there are many other niche counter types you could double with Ultimate Spider-Man. Even +1/+1 counters cards like Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon can add significant board presence with this kind of acceleration.

#33. Peter Parker / Amazing Spider-Man

I’ve been eyeing Alistair, the Brigadier and Shaun & Rebecca, Agents as a potential Bant () legends commanders, but Peter Parker is much better in that space. Amazing Spider-Man provides web-slinging to your other legends, which can be a form of cost reduction for the more expensive bombs you may want to run. One thing I’ll say is that your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is in the right colors for a character who draws strength from his community.

#32. Gwen Stacy / Ghost-Spider

I’m not all that high on Gwen Stacy as a support piece, but it can make an interesting commander given the number of cast-from-exile payoffs we have. I like Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival and Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade in the 99 here.

#31. Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy

If you’re going to have a 5-drop in your deck, you want it to have the potential to finish the game. Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy is another red go-wide payoff that can finish off a player if you attack with enough creatures at once. Aggressive token decks like Caesar, Legion's Emperor and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah can use this to double up on their commander’s finishing moves.

#30. Araña, Heart of the Spider

Araña, Heart of the Spider should find a home in plenty of decks that modify their creatures. It adds +1/+1 counters to the board, and it pairs nicely with evasive creatures to dig through your library. You can also slot it into decks that use cast-from-exile payoffs.

#29. Rotwidow Pack

Rotwidow Pack is mandatory if you’re running a lot of spiders, but not really useful if you aren’t. Is it lazy if I call it middle-of-the-pack?

#28. Chainweb Aracnir

This spider really lives up to the “Beyond Death” part of Theros Beyond Death. Chainweb Aracnir’s ETB deals damage to fliers, but bringing it back from the graveyard with escape is when it truly gets going.

#27. Sporeweb Weaver

Sporeweb Weaver just feels tailormade for rallying your defensive strategy. Its token generation only triggers once when it’s blocked by multiple creatures, so I’d probably let this hang back and act almost like a hydra.

#26. Drider

Combat damage triggers and reach are an odd combination, since reach is a purely defensive ability. Still, Drider gives you spider tokens with both menace and reach, which is either an oxymoron or a sign of versatility.

#25. Radioactive Spider

You’re only going to use Radioactive Spider in decks that run Spider-Man characters, but it can do a solid job. It’s not a bad late-game play: It doesn’t need to tap to activate its ability, so you can cast it and sacrifice it in the same turn without haste enablers.

#24. Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade

The more I look at Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade, the more I like it. Decks that create Thopter tokens or other artifact creatures can use this to buff their armies and as a source of card draw. You can even activate the card draw ability after Iron Spider is tapped to spread +1/+1 counters, which is a nice touch considering how many creatures with two activated abilities need to tap for both of them.

#23. Skyfisher Spider

Graveyard decks can make use of creatures that impact the board when they enter and when they die, and Skyfisher Spider does both. You’re still far more likely to slot this into a spider deck, but other decks can use it for some one-time lifegain in a pinch.

#22. Spider-Man, Brooklyn Visionary

Spider-Man, Brooklyn Visionary is probably one of the best legendary common cards in Marvel’s Spider-Man. At least, it’s my pick. It tops out as a 3-mana 4/3 that also acts as a Rampant Growth, and timing allows you to tap and bounce mana dorks both to add the mana you need to your pool and satisfy web-slinging. I’m much less enthusiastic to pay its full mana value, though.

#21. Glowstone Recluse

Having looked through all the spiders in Magic, I really like anything that does something different. There are so many basic spiders, but Glowstone Recluse surely isn’t. And that’s just because mutate is such a fun space to play in, with multiple commanders that can take advantage of this spider.

#20. Spinner of Souls

Spinner of Souls has very respectable stats that are inverted from the typical spider with more power than toughness. The triggered ability helps ensure you always have a creature to play and such an effect is the lifeblood of many green decks. A great spirit for green commanders in general.

#19. Obelisk Spider

Aside from spiders, Obelisk Spider has another natural home with Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. Which is interesting, considering how Obelisk Spider has a wither/toxic ability without dealing poison counters to players.

#18. Silklash Spider

I’ll always find room for green creatures with a built-in mana sink. For Silklash Spider, that means an activated ability with an X in it that deals direct damage to all fliers. A 2/7 for 5 with an excellent flying hate ability like this seems really fair and on rate.

#17. Dragonlair Spider

I don’t like relying on my opponents, but Dragonlair Spider from the 2012 release of Planechase is so open-ended that you benefit no matter what they’re up to. I especially like that it does not limit you to only one insect per turn. Flavor-wise, I like the idea of putting an egg counter on Dragonlair Spider’s tokens with Xira, the Golden Sting.

#16. Spider-Ham, Peter Porker

Spider-Ham, Peter Porker should see a decent amount of play considering the number of creature types that it supports. I don’t expect you to play it with otters since those are mainly in Izzet (), but you could play it with spiders, bears, and dogs for a +1/+1 buff.

#15. Sweet-Gum Recluse

Flash and cascade are such a disgusting combination (complimentary). I just love the idea of trying to cascade Sweet-Gum Recluse into Ishkanah, Grafwidow, but that’s when you’re focused on spiders and not, you know, cascade.

#14. Doom Weaver

I just want to soulbond Doom Weaver with Yargle and Multani someday. While stunning in the moment, the smart play is probably to soulbond Doom Weaver to sac fodder or chump-blocking tokens.

#13. Thantis, the Warweaver

Thantis, the Warweaver is conceptually really fun and chaotic. If you want to teach a new player to stop being so precious about attacking with their creatures, make them face this Jund spider. Pack your deck full of creatures with combat-relevant abilities like vigilance and menace and get ready to rumble. Indestructible is good, too. Oh, my gremlin brain is having a field day here.

Marvel’s Spider-Man added a lot of spiders in Thantis’s color identity, including a perfect mana dork, some spider lords, and an absolute bomb in Gwenom, Remorseless that wants to attack anyway. That amount of support makes Thantis an even better typal commander, if you want it to be.

#12. Ishkanah, Grafwidow

Ishkanah, Grafwidow is a really strong spider to have by your side, especially if you’re able to get a lot of spider tokens through an Arachnogenesis. Delirium makes it a suitable delirium commander for mill strategies and for later in the game when there’s more likelihood that you can actually trigger it. That activated ability can be absolutely criminal, whether you use it to finish someone off or just to bring them down a peg.

#11. Shelob, Dread Weaver

This version of Shelob is less likely to be at the front of your deck, but dang, if this kind of graveyard hate isn’t fun. Once you have some creatures exiled with Shelob, Dread Weaver, you can pay to bring one of them back under your control, where X matches that creature’s mana value. Or you can play nice and only use the first activated ability.

#10. Shelob, Child of Ungoliant

Shelob, Child of Ungoliant seems destined to be a spider commander and not much else. Not that being a commander that gives your spiders deathtouch and ward 2 is bad, especially with how it also gives you a way to turn their prey into food that keep their abilities. You’re a lot less likely to use this Shelob in the 99 anywhere, though.

#9. Spider Manifestation

Spider Manifestation has many potential homes, and I’m not even considering how good it could be in multiples. Lots of decks either have big mana values as a theme or have high mana values incidentally, so you should often get more than one activation in a turn cycle. It pairs nicely with Bloomburrow’s expend mechanic, too.

#8. Spider-Man, Miles Morales

A card that provides you repeatable Overruns is bound to see play, especially a 5/5 with vigilance that attacks and defends well. Spider-Man, Miles Morales fits in with the Naya Miles Morales and most other SPM +1/+1 counter cards, and you can play it with other aggressive, counters-focused commanders.

#7. Canoptek Spyder

Now here’s something interesting: a spider that counters fliers with its own flying ability rather than reach. Canoptek Spyder comes with card advantage in the form of an artifactfall ability, and it fits all kinds of artifact decks, including the Warhammer 40,000 commanders, Transformers cards, and many more.

#6. Nyx Weaver

Journey into Nyx gave us Nyx Weaver, an enchantment creature that became a super useful card in decks that care about the graveyard. Maybe you care about having keywords in there, like Kathril, Aspect Warper. Maybe you do some self-milling like Sidisi, Brood Tyrant or care about descending like The Mycotyrant. Maybe you care about enchantments or enchantment creatures. And that’s just to start; if you play Golgari or BG+ decks, you’ve probably at least considered running Nyx Weaver somewhere.

#5. Twitching Doll

Green has many variations of a 2-drop mana dork that fixes your mana. The cool yet creepy side of Twitching Doll is that when you have twitched it enough, crack it open for a bunch of reaching spiders. I love this kind of value even if drawing it late is the biggest feel-bad.

#4. Gwenom, Remorseless

This is just such a good design. Gwenom, Remorseless has lifelink to help you pay life for the cards it lets you cast from the top of your library. Deathtouch makes players unwilling to block it with their most important game pieces, and they need effective removal or cards like Angel of Jubilation or Karn's Sylex to shut it down.

#3. Spectacular Spider-Man

Spectacular Spider-Man is SPM’s answer to Boromir, Warden of the Tower from The Lord of the Rings. There’re some trade-offs, naturally. You don’t need to pay mana to activate Boromir, but Boromir doesn’t provide hexproof. Spectacular Spider-Man is a 2-drop with flash rather than a 3-drop, too. As creatures you can sacrifice to protect your board, this Spider-Man and Boromir should be fairly interchangeable unless you have specific synergies or flavor reasons to run just one of them.

#2. Spider-Punk

While Spider-Punk can function as a spider lord, its primary role is likely as a stax piece. You can protect your combo from counterspells and protect your burn deck from fogs and other forms of damage prevention. It also effectively shuts down Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer.

#1. Arasta of the Endless Web

There are times when I don’t like cards that rely on what your opponents are up to, but in a focused token deck or spider deck, Arasta of the Endless Web is the exception. Whether they’re trying to cast instants to disrupt your turn, or whether you’re getting value from their sorceries, Arasta can be useful for all kinds of strategies. Are you going wide? Using the tokens as sacrifice fodder? The sky’s the limit.

Best Spider Payoffs

Shelob, Child of Ungoliant and Ishkanah, Grafwidow are likely to be your Golgari () spider commanders, given the abilities each of them has. Shelob is a typal lord, while Ishkanah’s activated ability deals damage based on your spider count.

Marvel’s Spider-Man added many other spider lords and payoffs, whether you want Aunt May for lifegain or Mary Jane Watson to draw cards. Radioactive Spider can tutor for a spider, but it must also be a hero. Spider-Verse cancels the legend rule for your spiders, although you need to build around its copy ability to benefit from it.

Spider-Punk is either a haste enabler or a card that buffs your spiders as they enter. Spider-Ham, Peter Porker gives your spiders and plenty other creatures a +1/+1 buff, while Swarmyard taps to regenerate spiders, among others. The Swarmweaver simply requires delirium to become an anthem and provide deathtouch to all your spiders, and Swarmyard Massacre can be a one-sided board wipe if you have enough qualifying creatures.

As for cards that generate spider tokens, Arasta of the Endless Web is the most consistent and widely used, even in non-spider decks. Arachnogenesis can be explosive if an opponent thinks that they have you on the ropes, while Spider Spawning is a card you can cast more than once thanks to flashback. Twitching Doll has potential if you can tap it for mana enough, though it can fizzle if an opponent kills it quickly. In black, Drider and Lolth, Spider Queen are the most consistent spider token generators

Do All Spiders Have Reach in MTG?

No. It used to be a bit of an oddity when a spider didn't have reach, but thanks to Marvel's Spider-Man, there are tons of spiders that don't (though many spiders in that set still had the keyword). The majority of in-universe spiders have reach, though.

Are Spiders the Same as Insects in Magic?

No, spiders aren’t the same as insects in Magic, or in real life.

Wrap Up (in Webs)

Skyfisher Spider | Illustration by Henry Peters

And that’s our tour of the best spiders in Magic. Spiders appear at least once in most Magic sets these days, even in Final Fantasy and Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Sometimes they’re Limited role-players, sometimes they’re bomb rares, but most non-Spider-Man spiders continue to stick to Golgari colors and that same low power, high toughness, and reach combination.

Let me know in the comments if your favorite pet spider didn’t make the cut, and which formats and decks you use it in. Or let me know your favorite spider that you want to see reprinted in future Magic sets! Thank you for reading, and as always, come join Draftsim on Discord for more Magic-related content.

And remember, a sneeze is just your brain dusting out the cobwebs!