Card Spotlight
Black Widow, Super Spy
A 2-mana mono-black Hero from Marvel Super Heroes with menace. Each time it connects, you choose between a +1/+1 counter and casting a card exiled from an opponent's library for free.
Commander Spotlight
Black Widow, Super Spy ↗
A 2-mana mono-black Hero from Marvel Super Heroes with menace. Each time it connects, you choose between a +1/+1 counter and casting a card exiled from an opponent's library for free.
See Black Widow, Super Spy's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Aggressive black decks. A cheap, evasive threat that either grows on its own or occasionally hands you a free spell is strong value for two mana.
- Tempo and disruption shells. Casting an opponent's own card against them, for free, is both card advantage and a real tempo swing in the same trigger.
- Counters-matter decks. Choosing the +1/+1 counter mode consistently turns Black Widow into a growing threat that also benefits from other counter synergies.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
It's a fine budget commander for a black aggro or tempo deck, with repeated access to the combat trigger from the command zone rewarding a deck built to attack early and often. It works just as well as a two-drop in the 99 of a larger black shell.
In the 99
A cheap, flexible aggressive body that fits naturally into almost any black deck willing to attack, doing real work whether the game wants a growing threat or a source of occasional free spells.
Formats it's strong in
- Aggressive black decks. Two mana for an evasive threat that scales or generates value is a strong rate for the archetype.
- Decks that value flexibility. The choice between a counter and a free spell lets the card adapt to whatever the game state calls for.
Formats it's weak in
- Decks that can't protect it. Losing a small evasive creature to removal before it connects a few times leaves the card as a below-rate two-drop.
- Slow, defensive decks. The value is locked behind combat damage, which is a poor fit for a deck not planning to attack.
Synergistic cards
Mask of Memory ↗
A colorless Equipment that draws two cards and discards one each time the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, stacking with the value Black Widow is already generating on connection.
Any counters-matter payoff ↗
Consistently choosing the +1/+1 counter mode turns Black Widow into a growing engine for whatever else cares about counters.
Whispersilk Cloak ↗
Guarantees the creature connects every turn, maximizing how often the trigger fires.
Any evasion enabler ↗
Black Widow's trigger needs it to deal combat damage to a player, so anything that helps it connect raises its value.
Is it worth the price?
As a recent-set card, Black Widow, Super Spy is affordable and a low-risk pickup for any aggressive black deck.
Frequently asked questions
How does Black Widow, Super Spy's combat trigger work?
When it deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from their library until a nonland card is exiled. You then choose: put a +1/+1 counter on Black Widow, or cast that exiled card for free until end of turn, with mana of any type available to pay for it.
Why does menace matter on Black Widow, Super Spy?
Menace (it can't be blocked except by two or more creatures) makes it meaningfully harder to stop a two-mana creature from connecting, which is what turns the combat trigger from an occasional bonus into a repeatable, reliable engine.
What kind of deck wants Black Widow, Super Spy?
An aggressive mono-black or black-based deck happy to either grow a cheap evasive threat over time or occasionally steal a free spell off an opponent's library. It's flexible enough to fit almost any black aggro or tempo shell.