A balanced addition to the infect army. Even if I wasn't running infect I would prefer it over Giant Spider.
Troutz
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
Prior to this, the only way for Infect to deal with flying in limited was Plague Stinger and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon (if you were lucky enough to pull him!). This will be a big player in limited
Shiizu
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(8 votes)
A nice variation on giant spider. Note how it is not strictly better.
The real beauty of this card is that it's probably the second spider out there that has venom in it. Pick it early in draft if you're green, even if you're not infect.
Dyrklord
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
One of my favorite Creature types of all time. Finally got a really strong offence to go with that defence. Thank you WotC. Great for those playing Spiders and HUGE for limited.
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Probably better that Giant Spider, since this will be playing defense. Still, I liked Giant Spider just fine.
Anubisisking
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Strictly better than giant spider
yesnomu
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(6 votes)
I played Mirrans in the Prerelease. This is pretty much the common I least wanted to see. Incredibly aggravating to deal with, even moreso than regular Giant Spider! Now there's a feat. I pretty much wanted to light myself on fire every time he hit the table.
Sunyveil
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
great card in limited, strange that Giant Spider was awful but this turns out to be pretty good. Not sure how well it would do in a constructed infect deck, though.
Test-Subject_217601
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Considering you're mostly gonna be blocking with it anyway this is usually preferable over Giant Spider.
I never thought you were all that bad to begin with.
edit, back from the prerelease: Jesus God, this card is stupid good. I really don't think this should have been at common.
SolidSoldier
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
After playing against it in the Pre-Release... yeah, stupid good in limited.
LimePeel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Finally, they give us a decent spider. Nice art too.
4.5/5
SorianSadaskan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great anti-air that wears down your opponent's creatures.
Chosen_of_the_Dark_Sun
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This thing is way, way better than Giant Spider, because both of them should be used for almost pure defense anyways. But while Giant Spider is just going to keep blocking only slightly better than a wall, Blightwidow is going to be draining anything it hits, meaning your opponent isn't going to be repeatedly through his 3/3 fliers at you in the hopes of getting around it. Overall a very solid card.
DeathDark
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
Why has NO ONE mentioned his art? Intimidating, wicked, Infected. It's cards like this that make me feel Phyrexia.
TheGreatJman
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Pretty decent for a common. I guess Giant Spider has become nothing more than a placeholder in your card box.
infernox10
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card.
Dear God.
It's a seriously good card in Limited.
No matter who plays it, the opponent will groan.
It's a nuisance, and a very good nuisance at that.
I love drafting him.
ratchet1215
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
PLAY IT. It goes in midrange infect, it goes in dinosaurs, it blocks their Plague Stingers and Leonin Skyhunters and it even clocks them for a fifth of their poison count in a pinch. I got 4 in a draft today and played them all. It is hard to lose once you've cast two of these. Definitely top 5 commons in the set (after Spread the Sickness and probably Burn the Impure.
Magnor_Criol
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ridiculously effective for its mana and rarity. Striaght-up absorbs what feels like 90% of the attackers in this format. And it looks snazzy while doing so. Any deck that's even splashing green should strongly consider running this card.
Selez
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Giant Spider was NEVER playable outside of limited, so stop feeling sorry for it. This card shouldn't see play oustide limited either, not even in infect decks because it's incredibly slow and there are infinitely better options. However, those of you praising its draftability are correct; this is first pick worthy in a weak pack, easily third pick in an average pack. Giant Spider was always helpful for green, and an early pick; this is even better, and in a set with tons of flyers no less.
EpicBroccoli
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you're only using it for defense, it's strictly better than Giant Spider since it basically gained Wither for free.
SeiberTross
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Beyond a "decent" common. This thing is fantastic. Especially with the current set. I have him in my infect Grappling Hook deck (also known as my GET OVER HERE deck, due to Prized Unicorn & Tangle Angler). He's taken down a Serra Angel, Sphinx of Jwar Isle, and forced a concession off withering away a Baneslayer Angel. Vines of the Vastwood helps in that effort.
As far as overall sets go. Juvenile Gloomwidow was slightly better & more flexible. But considering whats available currently as 4 drops to green, this is a great option.
SuperSphinx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is amazing! How can anyone EVERY think Giant Spider is preferable to this!
Studoku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fantastic in limited. Even non-infect green can play him as an anti-flying blocker.
leomistico
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
@ICEFANG13: I'm so tired of people who thinks to know what "strictly better" means... "strictly better" doesn't mean "better in every circumstances", because you can't keep track of every possible circumstances and beacuse there is always a circumstance where a card is better than another, and a circumstance where is the opposite. "strictly better" means "better stats, given everything else unchanged", so Blightwidow IS strictly better than Giant Spider, unless you think that Infect is a detrimental ability. Which may be, but it depends from the deck where the cards are played... For example, an infect creature in a non-infect deck is a little odd: when you deals combat damage to the opponent you are decreasing his "poison life", instead of his life points, like every other creature in your deck. I think that was what EpicBroccoli would like to say...
I like this spider, it's perfect! But I'm a little sad for the old Giant Spider because it's a classic! However, 4/5
Tommy9898
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The only thing I don't like about this card is that now people are really starting to seriously dis my buddy giant spider. Just stop the hate and agree both are good. please.
Drewsel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This card needs full art. It really does.
Henrietta
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Infect is how it is because it's a parasitic mechanic. There are some 12,000 cards in all of Magic. Of those, only 80 of them have infect or proliferate, and they're spread over all five colours. Infect is something you must build your entire deck around to be good, which is impossible when you don't have enough cards to build a deck with.
Blightwidow is not fair compared to Giant Spider. Wizards knows this. If they were making this thing's power relative to the Spider, it would have cost more. But they weren't. Giant Spider is a junk card that's useless outside of Limited, and merely good in Limited, so making something stronger than it isn't going to destroy the balance of the game. Indeed, Blightwidow has literally never been played in a Standard deck that placed in the top 8, 16, or even 32 of a Grand Prix or Pro Tour. Blightwidow is quite powerful in limited, but is still a useless junk card in Constructed.
She can't weaken Giant Spider in normal circumstances
Although I would agree with 'overall better'
occamsrazorwit
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@leomistico: No, Infect can be detrimental. Say your opponent has 2 health and you attack with this instead of Giant Spider. He still has 2 health and can ignore this card's for three more turns. You need a deck built around Infect to utilize Infect.
DoragonShinzui
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Wow, talk about an upgrade.
Plus, it's a phyrexianized card that actually looks cool. Rather than all of the ugly monstrosities of that god forsaken hellhole of a plane.
bay_falconer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Giant Spider may be the only creature that actually gets worse with infect, simply because of the negative synergy. Basically, it competes with Cystbearer and Rot Wolf. You could justify this with Doran. You could, but then you've got Priests of Norn, and vigilance is more relevant to the game than reach.
And, since four mana is a lot in an aggro-combo deck like infect, you can see where this is going.
Comments (32)
The real beauty of this card is that it's probably the second spider out there that has venom in it.
Pick it early in draft if you're green, even if you're not infect.
I never thought you were all that bad to begin with.
edit, back from the prerelease: Jesus God, this card is stupid good.
I really don't think this should have been at common.
4.5/5
Dear God.
It's a seriously good card in Limited.
No matter who plays it, the opponent will groan.
It's a nuisance, and a very good nuisance at that.
I love drafting him.
As far as overall sets go. Juvenile Gloomwidow was slightly better & more flexible. But considering whats available currently as 4 drops to green, this is a great option.
I'm so tired of people who thinks to know what "strictly better" means...
"strictly better" doesn't mean "better in every circumstances", because you can't keep track of every possible circumstances and beacuse there is always a circumstance where a card is better than another, and a circumstance where is the opposite. "strictly better" means "better stats, given everything else unchanged", so Blightwidow IS strictly better than Giant Spider, unless you think that Infect is a detrimental ability. Which may be, but it depends from the deck where the cards are played... For example, an infect creature in a non-infect deck is a little odd: when you deals combat damage to the opponent you are decreasing his "poison life", instead of his life points, like every other creature in your deck. I think that was what EpicBroccoli would like to say...
I like this spider, it's perfect! But I'm a little sad for the old Giant Spider because it's a classic!
However, 4/5
Blightwidow is not fair compared to Giant Spider. Wizards knows this. If they were making this thing's power relative to the Spider, it would have cost more. But they weren't. Giant Spider is a junk card that's useless outside of Limited, and merely good in Limited, so making something stronger than it isn't going to destroy the balance of the game. Indeed, Blightwidow has literally never been played in a Standard deck that placed in the top 8, 16, or even 32 of a Grand Prix or Pro Tour. Blightwidow is quite powerful in limited, but is still a useless junk card in Constructed.
No its not
Kiku, Night's Flower makes Blightwidow nearly worthless after one tap.
She can't weaken Giant Spider in normal circumstances
Although I would agree with 'overall better'
Plus, it's a phyrexianized card that actually looks cool. Rather than all of the ugly monstrosities of that god forsaken hellhole of a plane.
And, since four mana is a lot in an aggro-combo deck like infect, you can see where this is going.