Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
AI-powered insights for a bees-themed legend in MTG decks
In the world of Magic: The Gathering, some cards are best understood not just by their numbers, but by the stories they tell and the ways they bend the rules of millennia-old strategy. Swarm, Being of Bees—a Legendary Creature — Insect Villain from Marvel's Spider-Man Universe Beyond—offers a compact package that rewards timing, discard, and graveyard play. As a black mana-costed {2}{B} creature with a 2/2 stats line, it brings Flash and Flying to the board, plus a quirky Mayhem ability that lets you recast it from your graveyard for {B} if you discarded it that turn. The card’s flavor text—“Evil never dies. It just becomes bees.”—drops a wink to the persistent, swarm-like pressure that black can typically muster. For builders and data-driven players, this is a perfect case study in how machine learning can optimize deck construction around a distinctive commander-like finisher and its unique recursion clock 🧙♂️🔥💎.
Understanding the card in context
- Set and rarity: Marvel's Spider-Man (spm), common rarity, part of a Universes Beyond collaboration. This makes the card accessible and great for budget builds that still feel thematic 🎨.
- Mana cost and color identity: {2}{B}, color identity B. The black focus invites graveyard interaction, discard synergy, and removal-heavy strategy—classic hallmarks of black’s resilience and versatility ⚔️.
- Key abilities: Flash and Flying ensure tempo and evasive beatdown, while Mayhem adds a self-discarded, post-mortem recursion angle. The graveyard recast mechanic invites creative sequencing that ML models love to optimize 👁️🗨️.
The art by Alex Horley-Orlandelli and the audacious flavor line reinforce a chaotic, hive-mind vibe that players often try to capture in a cohesive deck theme 🐝.
Why ML loves Swarm’s recursion clock
Machine learning shines when you have a well-defined objective function and a search space full of nuanced interactions. Swarm’s Mayhem mechanic creates a predictable decay curve: you discard Swarm early, then you land a late-game recast by paying a single black mana. In ML terms, you’re optimizing a sequence of plays that maximize value from two sources: immediate board impact (flashy, evasive pressure) and late-game inevitability (recasting from the graveyard). This dual-phase value is ideal for training models to optimize turn-by-turn decisions, mana efficiency, and risk management 🧙♂️🔥.
Data-driven deck design: from features to fitness
Imagine you’re building an ML model to propose the best shell for Swarm at a given metagame. Key features would include:
- Card synergies: graveyard interactions, discard outlets, and effects that enable or reward discarding Swarm that turn.
- Tempo metrics: how often Swarm can flash in for damage, or threaten lethal swings before you’re outvalued by blockers.
- Recursion efficiency: probability of successfully recasting Swarm from the graveyard for {B} at the right moment.
- Board state resilience: how the deck handles sweepers, targeted removal, and haters of graveyard recursion.
- Color economy: mana curve alignment, removal density, and ways to maximize black’s reliable card draw and value engines.
With these inputs, a model could evaluate thousands of hypothetical 60-card configurations, scoring each by a composite fitness function that weighs win-rate, consistency, and flavor alignment. The result isn’t a single “best card list” but a ranked spectrum of archetypes—from swarm-centric aggro to control-adjacent recursion shells—that you can tailor to your local meta 🧠🎲.
Practical archetypes inspired by Swarm
Swarm’s suite of abilities makes it a natural anchor for several data-informed directions:
- Disruption + tempo: emphasize cheap disruption and cheap creatures, using Swarm as the mid-to-late-game beater that slides through with Fly and Flash.
- Graveyard recast engine: pair Swarm with discard outlets and other recursion effects to maximize the Mayhem payoff. The timing rules remain classic, so plan sequences that discard Swarm before you want to recast it for maximum impact.
- Swarm as a late-game finisher: lean into a lean black shell that curates a topdeck of recursion fodder, enabling a dramatic comeback once the graveyard refill hits critical mass.
In practice, you’ll want a balance of removal, interactive plays, and resilient threats, with Swarm acting as a focal point that rewards smart sequencing and careful resource management. And yes, you’ll absolutely want to lean into the nostalgia—there’s something delicious about a hive-mind theme that clicks with both your nostalgia and your strategy 🧙♂️🎨.
A concrete ML workflow you can try at home
“Feed the model data, tailor the objective, and let it explore.”
Here’s a lightweight blueprint you can experiment with:
- Assemble a card pool around black, including graveyard interaction, discard outlets, and evasive threats.
- Define a scoring function that rewards high synergy with Swarm’s abilities, consistent mana use, and resilience to disruption.
- Run a genetic algorithm or reinforcement-learning loop to optimize deck lists under simulated match conditions.
- Periodically validate results in casual games or dilemma-laden play groups to capture human nuance the model might miss.
For fans who love the tactile side of MTG, pairing your optimized build with a sleek accessory can elevate the whole experience. A well-chosen card holder or MagSafe setup keeps your deck tidy between matches and gives you more time to think about the next bee-bee-bee move on the battlefield 🔥💎.
Flavor, art, and cultural touchstones
The Marvel’s Spider-Man crossover adds a delightful pop-culture layer to a classic black-black recursion strategy. The flavor text—“Evil never dies. It just becomes bees.”—is a nod to enduring menace and hive-like persistence. As you craft your ML-informed deck, you’re not just chasing wins; you’re telling a story about a villain who multiplies and returns in thrumming swarms. That storytelling texture makes the optimization process feel less like math and more like drafting a legend with your friends 🧙♂️🎲.
Why this matters for collectors and players alike
The card’s rarity is common, keeping it accessible to many players while still offering a distinct strategic lane. Its price, as tracked in market data, remains friendly, making it an excellent candidate for experimentation in both budget and seasoned archetypes. The spm set’s Universe Beyond framing adds a collector’s sheen that can translate into fun display value alongside practical testing in your playgroup. And if you’re juggling daily life, a sturdy Cyberpunk Neon Card Holder + MagSafe can be the perfect companion for keeping your deck safe and ready between epic duels 🔥⚔️🎨.
As you dive into AI-assisted deck design, remember that the beauty of Swarm lies in its timing—when to flash in, when to fly, and when to push the button that pulls your plan out of the graveyard and into the hive’s growing momentum. The path to mastery is a blend of data-driven rigor and the joy of creative mischief—two forces that MTG fans hold dear 🧙♂️💎.