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The Week That Was: Squadding Up for Magic Spotlight: Marvel Super Heroes

June 26, 2026
Corbin Hosler

The reasons for competing in Magic Spotlight: Marvel Super Heroes are as different as the sealed decks we will see shown off in the first major Team Limited event since 2019. But as every longtime Magic player making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas knows—and every younger trio will soon find out—there's nothing quite like Team Limited events.

For Pat Cox, it's his board game group. Ben Stark and Mini Racker, their group that gets together regularly for an evening of gaming that has nothing to do with competitive formats, qualifications to chase, or prize money to be won.

Mark Jacobson wouldn't be there if it wasn't a chance to play alongside his teammates and Magic friends, Cesar Garza, and Doug Gomez. Christian Valenti has a streak going for this kind of event that he doesn't want to let go of. Former World Champion and reigning Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven winner Nathan Steuer is dragging four-time Top Finisher (and winner of the 2023 Season Grand Finals) Austin Bursavich out of fatherhood for a weekend for this. Corey Burkhart has linked up with the duo of brothers, Joseph and John Puglisi Clark, to form one of the most feared trios in Magic.

For Alfonso Concha, who is making the trip across the country from New York City to Las Vegas, it's the Pro Tour invites that can't be passed up. Cox, who put up three Pro Tour Top Finishes in the 2010s and now lightly dabbles in competitive play, is getting on an airplane for a Magic tournament for the first time in six years thanks to an assist from his wife at home.

"Team events are just more fun. Being able to collaborate with your friends both during the building and playing; building three decks from a single pool is also a nice puzzle," explained Cox, who secured one of his incredible seven Grand Prix Top 8 appearances alongside Ben Stark in one of the last team events to take place seven years ago. "I haven't played competitive Magic in years between the pandemic and having a kid. I recently started going to some of the Regional Championships and Spotlight Series events within driving distance of me, but this is my first time flying to an event since 2020. I wouldn't be flying there if it wasn't a Team Limited event with friends, but I also think it is my most likely path back to the Pro Tour."

That's the common refrain heading into the seventh Spotlight Series event of the year. When Cox was last active on the scene, the Grand Prix circuit boasted dozens of events a year that offered a direct path to the Pro Tour. Following the return of tabletop play several years ago, the Spotlight Series has grown and Pro Tour hopefuls are well aware of the opportunities it offers. These are open-field events that don't require a previous qualification like the Regional Championship, showcase a variety of formats throughout the year, and allow players to turn one good weekend into a seat at the Pro Tour.

Valenti, once a Pro Tour regular, spoke lovingly about team events like Magic Spotlight: Marvel Super Heroes. "Team events are more special and should be treated as such. To me, they are just a pristine version of what Magic should be: incredibly competitive, but instead of only getting to spend time with your friends during breaks, you get to do it the entirety of the event. I suspect there will be no shortage of fun stories and interactions from Magic's ghosts of past, present, and future," said Valenti, who recently returned to the competitive circuit after he became the first person to qualify in the United States for next year's Limited Championship.

"I'm teaming with Lukas Parson and Ryan Bellamy, and our goal is to win the event. My team and I will have a great time regardless. But from a competitive standpoint, we will not be satisfied with anything less than a Top 4 appearance."

That's the kind of attitude that helps team events stand out—it's a lot easier to be boastful when you're ostensibly doing it on behalf of your teammates (and there's less variance in Team Limited matches). Valenti believes his team should be favored in any theoretical matchup. The schoolyard idea of "my draft squad versus yours" dates to the earliest Pro Tour side tables. From a viewer's standpoint, the jubilant celebrations that come when a team wins are a special experience. All in all, it's no surprise that so many longtime players are coming out of the woodwork to argue over who gets to play Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector.

Valenti's confidence isn't misplaced, but once you begin to look over the list of teams that will be duking it out in the desert, you realize quickly that there will be a number of extremely high-level teams that end up on the outside looking in. For instance, there's this accomplished trio consisting of several of Magic's most famous players:

This is an all-star team you might not have been aware of. But this exact group has three Team Limited Top 4 appearances to their name, and two of those trips ended in trophies—not to mention several more Top 4 appearances from squads with two of the three players. That's the nature of Team Limited in particular. The best crews seize the advantage gained by having one of the best minds in the room on their roster, then pair them with two more of the best 40-card players in the world.

As Valenti alluded to, team events are also a source of stories—of memories—that last decades between friends, whether they're about in-game feats or out-of-game antics. More than once, two players at the top of their game have worked together to help get their third teammate back on the Pro Tour.

That's what Sam Bogue will be doing for Louis Salerno in Las Vegas, and if it comes together, it's already one of those memorable stories in the making. Bogue and Salerno's third had to drop out due to an emergency just before the event, and that led to a furious midweek search for a replacement with a 48-hour notice. It's all part of the experience, and it's one that Bogue is looking forward to sharing.

"Lou and I just won a local event playing Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ Team Sealed, so we are ready to run it back this weekend. Team events are always really special and memorable. It's not very often you get to continue playing with your friends once you leave the testing house or the Discord," Bogue explained. "It's also the first week of the set. That means you get to flex your muscles a bit more and use your Limited fundamentals to win some matches that you might not win in aged Limited environments."

Concha is originally from Chile, where he won the country's National Championship in 2017, but he is no stranger to Las Vegas, either. He finished in 9th place at the Regional Championship there last year and earned a Top 16 finish at Arena Championship 10. His team of himself, Christian Sanchez, and Marcus Pacheco are hoping to break through. But even if they don't, it's an opportunity for the three South America transplants to come from different parts of the United States (Concha is in New York City, Sanchez and Pacheco in San Francisco) and unite, and Concha is excited to work with his friends from the other coast (twice over).

And that sums up the one-of-a-kind experience that this Team Limited Spotlight Series event will bring. Whether it's a player's first deep Day Two run or Top 4 finish or simply their first in a long time, nothing beats reaching those moments with friends—they do say, after all, that it's about the Gathering. Or at least that's what they always tell me after I've lost.

"This will be my first time back to competing since Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ which was a fun time even though our deck was a major letdown. But I could not pass up the opportunity to compete for Pro Tour invites alongside my two best Magic friends. I don't think I would have played if there were no invites on the line, and I would not have played if it was a solo event," Jacobson shared. "Team events have been rare in the last 10 years, so there is some level of novelty, but the camaraderie of team events hits another level compared to simply preparing for an event as a squad. Sideboarding in Limited might be my favorite thing in Magic, and Team Limited offers a lot of options for configuring the sideboards. Lastly, many people find thinking about it annoying, but I derive enjoyment from trying to figure out the best seating arrangement in terms of communication and potential matchups on the other side.

"Even though we will enjoy playing together no matter what happens, getting to the Top 4 with the homies would be one of the highlights of my Magic journey."

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