Hidden Spider MTG Card

Hidden Spider surprises opponents with a transformative defense against flying creatures, adding strategic depth. Its flexibility shines in enchantment-based or green-heavy decks, offering surprising battlefield shifts. Despite its precise mana cost and discard condition, its potential impact on gameplay is significant.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment
Released	1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Saga
Set code	USG
Number	264
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Thomas M. Baxa

Text of card

When one of your opponents successfully casts a creature with flying, if Hidden Spider is an enchantment, Hidden Spider becomes a 3/5 creature that can block creatures with flying and that counts as a Spider.

It wants only to dress you in silk.

Cards like Hidden Spider

Hidden Spider is a unique card that offers a combination of creature conversion and a surprise element to the board. It can be likened to other transform cards in MTG such as Delver of Secrets, which also starts as a more subtle threat and then morphs into a substantial creature. Hidden Spider, upon meeting its condition, becomes Ambush Spider, a card with the strength to sway battles in the webs of green decks.

Another parallel can be drawn to Trapjaw Tyrant. Although not a direct transformation, Trapjaw’s enrage ability similarly waits dormant and springs into action under specific conditions, representing a hidden danger to opponents. However, it requires damage to be triggered unlike Hidden Spider’s condition of opposing flyers. Skinshifter is also worth mentioning, offering instant flexibility but requiring active mana each turn to become a threat of choice.

When considering the strategic depth and the element of surprise these cards bring to MTG, Hidden Spider holds its ground. It offers players a low-cost defensive option against flying creatures, which in the right moment, unfolds into a formidable presence that adds depth to green deck strategies.

Cards similar to Hidden Spider by color, type and mana cost

Concordant Crossroads - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reveals a resilient creature when your opponent’s flying threat appears, providing a surprise blocker and can potentially swap a card from hand for a valuable creature on the board.

Resource Acceleration: Hidden Spider does not directly accelerate resources, but being a one-mana spell, it enables a low-curve strategy, keeping mana free for other plays and maintaining tempo.

Instant Speed: Although this enchantment does not have instant speed, its triggered ability activates anytime, namely when an opponent casts a creature spell with flying, making it a reactive tool that can be triggered during your opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Hidden Spider asks you to pitch another card to activate its potential. This discard can backfire, leaving you at a disadvantage by reducing your hand size and potentially removing resources crucial for later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a precise mixture of mana, including green, its casting cost cannot be paid with colorless mana alone. This limits deck-building flexibility and may not sync with multi-color strategies that are light on green mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The Hidden Spider comes with a mana cost that may be deemed steep for its initial impact on the game. In a format where efficiency is key, players might opt for lower-cost creatures or enchantments that provide more immediate board presence or value.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hidden Spider can adapt to various deck strategies with its ability to morph from an enchantment into a creature. This flexibility allows it to serve as both a deterrent for flying creatures and as an offensive asset.

Combo Potential: This card has great synergy in decks focusing on enchantment triggers or those employing green’s creature-heavy strategies, enabling surprising shifts in battlefield presence.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where flying creatures are prevalent, Hidden Spider can give green decks an edge by providing a cost-efficient response to aerial threats, aligning well with current playstyles.

How to Beat Hidden Spider

Hidden Spider presents a unique defensive challenge in the world of MTG, stealthily converting into an ambush predator when an opponent’s flying creatures enter the battlefield. Tricky to handle, the card can deter players from deploying their aerial threats, but overcoming this arachnid’s trickery isn’t insurmountable. Key strategies involve managing your flying creatures, minimizing the opportunities for the spider to transform, or using targeted removal spells when the spider is hiding as an enchantment before it becomes an active creature threat.

For those not wanting to tiptoe around, enchantment removal spells are the straightforward solution to clear the path for your winged warriors. Disenchant and Naturalize are both low-cost options that can be used whether the spider is waiting in ambush or has revealed itself. Additionally, timing is critical—carefully planning your plays to bait out the Hidden Spider and handling it on your terms will help maintain control of the match. Remember, once faced with the Hidden Spider’s revealed form, if not dealt with immediately, use combat tricks or damage-based spells like Shock to send it scurrying away for good.

Combating the Hidden Spider requires a blend of tactical foresight and reactive measures. By understanding the ebb and flow of an MTG game, players can ensure the spider’s surprise is short-lived and pivot their strategy to secure victory without getting tangled in its web.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hidden Spider MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Hidden Spider and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hidden Spider has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Hidden Spider card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2004-10-04	When it turns into a creature, it is no longer an enchantment.
2008-04-01	This card now uses the Reach keyword ability to enable the blocking of flying creatures. This works because a creature with flying can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach.
2008-05-01	The ability only triggers if the creature spell has flying, regardless of whether an effect would cause the creature to have flying once it entered the battlefield.
2008-08-01	A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.