MTG Survey on Spider-Man Backlash: The Catch is, They’re Blaming the Influencers

Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has distributed a player survey regarding the reception of the recent, and highly controversial, Magic: The Gathering x Marvel’s Spider-Man “Universes Beyond” set. While it’s standard practice to solicit feedback, the survey contains a specific, highly charged question that has ignited a new wave of backlash across the MTG community and among content creators.

The “catch” that is causing the controversy suggests WotC may be trying to deflect responsibility for the set’s poor reception away from the product itself and onto those who criticized it.

The Controversial Question

The survey includes a branched question that appears if a participant lists content creators as a source of information about the set. The question is phrased as follows:

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

The scale of answers ranged from “1 = Greatly worsened my perception” to “5 = Greatly improved my perception.”

Why This Question is Causing Backlash

The MTG community, particularly streamers and Magic Hall of Famers, immediately condemned the question for several reasons:

1. The ‘Witch Hunt’ Allegation: Many influencers feel this is an attempt by WotC to identify and potentially retaliate against creators who posted critical reviews of the set. The survey also asks participants to name the streamers they follow, fueling these concerns.
2. Leading & Biased Polling: Experts in survey design have pointed out that the question is heavily leading. It focuses only on negative commentary without a corresponding, balanced question about positive commentary. This suggests WotC may be attempting to engineer data to conclude that influencers are to blame for any financial or public relations failure, rather than flaws in the product (such as the contentious “Hot Dog Cart” filler cards or lackluster competitive impact).
3. Deflection from Product Quality: Critics argue the survey should focus on fundamental issues like the set’s mechanics, art style, and overall product strategy (the frequent and rapid pace of Universes Beyond releases). By focusing on negative commentary, WotC appears to be avoiding self-critique.

Wizards of the Coast’s Response

Following the widespread outrage, a WotC official, Blake Rasmussen, publicly addressed the issue, admitting the question was a mistake.

• He stated that the question’s negative focus “sucks” and doesn’t make sense with the provided answer options.
• Crucially, he assured creators that WotC does not and will not use the survey results to “punish” them for having negative opinions, stressing that the company’s history of working with a variety of critical voices speaks to that fact.

Despite this apology, the incident has further strained the relationship between the company and the independent content creators who are vital to Magic: The Gathering’s promotion and community engagement.