Marvel Crisis Protocol Tactics: Spider-Foes Starter Set

It’s a great time to be playing Marvel Crisis Protocol, and it’s now even easier to jump into the game for the first time or pick up a brand new affiliation. Historically, Atomic Mass Games has presented the original MCP Starter Set and 2023’s Earth’s Mightiest Starter Set as the best ways to get into the game - they both have enough models to field a list, all of the tools and tokens necessary to play, and a smattering of terrain.

However, as great a value as those starter sets were (and, frankly, continue to be), they aren't perfect. Each of them has characters split across two or more affiliations, meaning it’s tough to build a full roster, and some players may find the inclusion of terrain to be an unnecessary cost.

To help with that, AMG later introduced Affiliation Packs, boxes of four to five characters who share an affiliation along with a healthy selection of TTCs. These are great, but that isn’t enough characters for a list, and players still have to buy more models, dice, and tools separately - not to mention tokens and more TTCs.

Enter AMG’s newest type of product - Starter Sets. These products are designed to be one-stop shops, providing players with everything they need to create a functional list for a given affiliation, complete with models, Crisis cards, TTCs, tools, and tokens. Moreover, with some help from cutting the terrain present in the Core Boxes, the whole thing is being offered at an incredibly tempting $94.99 USD. That’s less than $10 per model, which is the best deal in the game so far, and that’s not even accounting for the other goodies in the box!

AMG is launching this new product line with two attractive offerings: a Brotherhood/X-Men split and the Spider-Foes. But we’re here to talk about the baddies, so let’s dive into what’s in the box, what you should be looking to buy next to continue your Foes adventures, and overall impressions on how successful this pack feels for new players and veterans alike.

What's In The Box?

Characters

Matching the size of a full legal roster, the Spider-Foes Starter Set comes packed with 10 models. It’s an interesting mix of old and new, and most of them see high-end competitive play. We don’t do a full breakdown of each character here, but links are inserted where appropriate to our full Goonhammer reviews of their original boxes.

Green Goblin (4 Threat)

Interestingly, and unlike the X-Men/Brotherhood Starter Set, AMG has decided to include only one Spider-Foes leader in this pack - Green Goblin. Fortunately, Norman is a perfectly reasonable leader. He’s a reasonably tanky, long-range attrition piece with built-in mobility to let him bounce around the map and pick his fights. However, it’s his leadership, Oscorp Weaponry, that is the big selling point. This enables every model on Norman’s team to reroll one of the defender’s defense dice once per turn.

Read more about Green Goblin in our box breakdown HERE.

Rhino (4 Threat)

Rhino might just be the best Spider-Foes character right now. He’s reasonably tanky with high HP and Thick Hide to reduce damage, and his mobility is up there with the best in the game. Moreover, he brings an outstanding Team Tactics Card in This Is A Robbery - but more on that later. Moreover, Rhino has been incredibly hard to find at retail for quite some time, and this whole box is cheaper than his going rate on used marketplaces.

Read more about Rhino in our box breakdown HERE.

Carnage (4 Threat)

Carnage was previously among the worst models in the affiliation - and possibly one of the worst in the game at his threat value. However, Cletus Cassidy got a big glow-up in the May 2025 character balance pass, and he’s now a Spider-Foes staple.

Carnage’s play-pattern is simple: hope that your opponent can’t chew through 8 hit points in one activation, then daze or KO something to heal all Carnage’s damage. Carnage generally prefers pure volume of attacks over huge dice pools, but his attack dice can get quite high with Custom Upgrades.

Electro (4 Threat)

Electro is fairly squishy compared to other Spider-Foes models, but he’s a toolbox of utility to make opponents’ lives miserable. First, his traps (Electrostatic) have the highest damage odds in the game, and he can plink anyone who attacks him within Range 3 for damage and give them Shock. He’s also got a Range 4 attack with Shock. However, it’s Ride the Wire, which lets him place Range 2 off terrain, that allows him get just about anywhere on the board.

Sandman (4 Threat)

Sandman is another Foes 4-threat with a high performance ceiling but a low floor. Flint Marko is the only model in the game who can have two grunts on the table at the same time, though they cost him precious HP to spawn. Both he and the grunts are all about displacement, with pushes and throws galore. Sandman is one of the few models with a place ability usable while holding an Extract, making him exceptionally mobile if he has the power to use it. Whether he makes your squads or not, he’s one of the most stunning models in MCP and is a blast to paint and display.

Shocker (3 Threat)

Shocker seemed like a shoe-in to finally give Spider-Foes a 2-threat, but it wasn’t meant to be. To be frank, there isn’t much to say about Shocker as he’s reasonably effective but straightforward. His attacks deal two solid conditions - Stun and Stagger - and he can boost his defensive dice. Moreover, any model attacking within Range 2 rolls one fewer attack dice. Sit him on a point and let him be annoying.

Vulture (3 Threat)

I’ll be blunt - Vulture is pretty bad. He’s got a strong spender and his Abduct can displace models regardless of size, but he’s among the squishiest 3-threats in MCP and needs to be within 2 to use his builder and gain power. He can perform if he has access to additional power (he’s solid on Infinity Formula Goes Missing) or if the opponent has a big Size 4/5 model to move around, but you’ll usually be looking to play one of your other 3-threats before Mr. Toomes.

Kraven (3 Threat)

Kraven is the Spider-Foes’ best attrition model at 3 threat, and it’s not close. Mr. Kravinoff drops a whole lot of dice if he can start within Range 2 of an enemy and attack them twice, but he’s also got a nice suite of superpowers to deal indirect damage as well. Expert Tracker gives allies (or himself) an extra die when attacking the selected model, and Corner the Beast deals one damage any time the chosen character Advances.

Lizard (3 Threat)

Lizard is the opposite end of the gameplay spectrum - a pure tank. Lizard is quick and boasts a solid character or terrain throw, but it’s his high HP, high defenses, damage reduction, and healing that make him a nightmare to take down relative to his peers. Put an extract on him and make your opponent chew through a lot of beef.

Read more about Kraven and Lizard in our breakdown HERE.

Mysterio (3 Threat)

Last is Mysterio, one of the toughest models in MCP to play well but with a high output ceiling that’s worth it. His defensive spread of 1-1-5 may look concerning, but he can always use his Mystic defense unless the attacker pays 2 power, so he can be surprisingly tricky to deal with. Moreover, the combination of Stealth and traps that let him advance away if an enemy moves close means Mysterio can bounce around the board and stay safe with any dice luck. His builder also advances enemies on damage, so Mysterio can be incredibly disruptive as he scoots around.

Rhino facing down the Hydra Tank in Marvel Crisis Protocol

Rhino facing down the Hydra Tank in Marvel Crisis Protocol

Tactics Cards

We won’t do a deep dive for each of the 21 TTCs in the box, but here’s an overview of the most important.

Affiliated Cards

Foes have quickly become a TTC-heavy affiliation, and all their best cards are here. Custom Upgrades and Surprise, Webhead enable big attrition swings to close out games, and Strategic Retreat helps keep Extracts safe. Sinister Traps can slow down your opponent’s Extract game round 1, and WLP is a powerful mass-Extract-drop, though it requires Doctor Octopus, who is not in this box.

Character-Specific Cards

There are a ton of character cards in this box, and several are great. Rhino’s This Is A Robbery remains the best Extract seal TTC in the game. The Grand Illusion turns off Opponent’s Crits for a round, enabling huge offensive swings or shutting off a clap-back round. Carnage Rules gives Carnage displacement and an extra attack. You’ll quickly notice that it’s tough to narrow the great TTCs down to just 5 for any Foes game.

Generics

This box comes with two Restricted cards - Brace For Impact and Patch Up - both of which are fine for a Foes roster. The other generics (Recalibration Matrix, Heavy Firepower, Joint Effort) range from fine to poor, so you’ll generally want to stick with your Restricted, character, and affiliation cards. More options is always good, though!

Kraven and Lizard in Marvel Crisis Protocol

Kraven and Lizard in Marvel Crisis Protocol

What Should I Buy Next?

In terms of affiliated models, the only ones not in this box are Kingpin, the 3 and 4-threat Doctor Octopus, Venom, and Prowler. They’re all very solid, but fortunately, none are essential for playing Spider-Foes. Pick them up if you like the characters or want to play Doc Ock as a leader instead of Green Goblin.

You’re more likely to get value out of a few splash pieces. Spider-Foes is the only affiliation with no 2 or 5+ threat models, and having one or both of those helps squad math. There is a wide variety of 5 threats that work well, so you can truly just use whichever one you have or pick up your favorite character. For one specific recommendation, Namor is an all-star here and will also work well in almost any other list you make down the road. For 2 threats, the most commonly taken models are Bullseye and Toad, but every 2 threat except Honey Badger will fit just fine.

Is The Spider-Foes Starter Set Worth It?

Considering all of the above, I have absolutely no hesitation recommending the Spider-Foes Starter Set to anyone looking to get into MCP overall or those interested in branching out to the affiliation for the first time. While some are better than others, the 10 included characters are of great quality overall and can be played with minimal tweaks as a roster to a competitive level.

Moreover, there simply isn’t a cheaper way to acquire this many Foes, even ignoring the value of the tools and tokens and the fact that characters like Rhino have been out of stock in most markets for months. Whether you’re a prospective new player or someone who wants to give Foes a go, pick up this Starter Set and enjoy an affiliation that’s a blast to play with some of the best physical models AMG has made.

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Tags: Marvel Crisis Protocol | MCP