Swarm, Being of Bees: Planeswalker Interactions Decoded

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Swarm, Being of Bees—MTG card art from Marvel's Spider-Man Universes Beyond

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Swarm, Being of Bees — Planeswalker Interactions Explored

In the vast, buzzing ecosystem of Magic: The Gathering, some cards are content to lurk in the shadows, while others crash the party with a flash of wings and a sting that echoes across the battlefield. Swarm, Being of Bees is one of those memorable intruders. A legendary Insect Villain from Marvel's Spider-Man Universes Beyond, this {2}{B} creature comes with a nimble pair of keywords—Flash and Flying—that let you slip past blockers and planeswalkers with surprising ease. And then there’s the peculiar Mayhem ability: you may cast this card from your graveyard for {B} if you discarded it this turn. Timing rules still apply. That single line can flip the pace of a late-game planeswalker duel, turning a suicide discard into a calculated swing with a surprise re-entry 🧙‍♂️🔥.

Planeswalkers often define the tempo of modern matches—loyalty counters climbing with every activation, loyalties shifting as abilities resolve, and inevitability threatening to overwhelm. Swarm sidesteps some of the usual grind by turning your graveyard into a second battlefield. When your opponent is leaning on a walkers-forged plan, the Beestis a reminder that the color black isn’t done counting cards; it’s about rewriting the endgame on your terms. The 2/2 body with Flying gives you a resilient anchor that can block a red or white flyer ambitions, or threaten a stinging attack to force blockers or chump blocks you wouldn’t expect to see on a walker-facing turn. And that “Mayhem” clause is a sneaky, thematic callback to the hive mind: if you discard Swarm this turn, you’ve already prepared a swarm to reassemble for a late swing, like bees returning to the hive after a raid ⚔️🎨.

Five planeswalker-focused interactions that matter

  • Graveyard recursions and recasts: The ability to recast Swarm from the graveyard for {B} when you discarded it this turn creates a strong incentive to pair it with discard outlets or yard-shoebox effects. Planeswalkers that pressure your life total or ramp toward big ultimates can be met with a sudden, unexpected reappearance on the battlefield.
  • Flash as surprise leverage: Flash lets you deploy Swarm at an opportune moment—perhaps right after an opposing planeswalker activates for big loyalty, or during standstill where your opponent tapped out. That instant-speed arrival creates a pressure point that can disrupt loyalty-laden plans and pivot the board state mid-play 🔥.
  • Blocking behemoths and fliers: Flying gives Swarm a natural role in stalling aerial planeswalker damage while you set up your next move. It’s not just a cardboard intruder; it’s a tactical responder that can trade with other flyers and protect your life total as your plan crystallizes ⚔️.
  • Discard synergies with walkers’ engines: Some walkers push discards as part of their suite or rely on graveyard interactions themselves. When you leverage Swarm’s Mayhem, you’re nudging the narrative toward a cycle where your opponent’s own strategy feeds your late-game pressure, turning their plan into a liability 🧙‍♂️.
  • Flavor-driven pressure and tempo: The flavor text—“Evil never dies. It just becomes bees.”—pairs beautifully with decks that leverage recursion and tempo to outlast walkers. Swarm embodies that hive-mind menace: a small creature that becomes a recurring thorn in the side of a walker-centered game plan.
“Evil never dies. It just becomes bees.” —Swarm, Fritz von Meyer

From a design perspective, Swarm is a compact, on-theme piece that plays nicely in Commander circles and more intimate formats where graveyard hate isn’t overwhelming. Its common rarity belies the real-value trick: the Mayhem ability can be a game-changer when timed with discard packages. It’s the kind of card that rewards patient planning—discards you might have considered as dead wood suddenly become a path back to value, especially when you’re up against a planeswalker puzzle that seems to have an answer for everything 🧠💎.

In practice, a build around Swarm might blend classic discard engines with a midrange inverted tempo—think cards that force opponents to ditch key walkers or board-swinging supports, while you funnel your own resources to a later late-game swing. The result is a deck that thrives on information, pressure, and the occasional bee-sized sting that catches an opponent off guard. And because the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe welcomes bold, crossover ideas, Swarm feels right at home as a thematic bridge between worlds—two lanes of flavor colliding in one tiny, buzzing package 🎲🎨.

Artistically, the card carries Alex Horley-Orlandelli’s distinctive style, with a hive of menacing insects swirling into a single strategic menace. The black border and 2015 frame echo a classic feel even as the Universes Beyond concept pushes to new storytelling frontiers. The rarity—common—also makes Swarm an accessible pickup for players looking to experiment with graveyard-based interactions without over-investing, while still enjoying a flavorful, theme-forward toolkit.

Where Swarm fits in your toolkit

If you’re chasing a planeswalker-interaction theme, Swarm offers a reliable way to bridge the gap between disruption and value. It’s a reminder that strategies don’t always depend on removing walkers outright; sometimes the best path is to outlast them by reusing threats, punishing discard, and playing a long game that ends with a swarm at the doorstep of your opponent’s last loyalty counters. And yes, you’ll likely smile every time Swarm reappears from the graveyard as a surprise blocker or a cheeky finisher with the hive-mind energy pulsing behind it 🧙‍♂️⚡.

To explore more real-world experiments and how-tos from our network, check out the five articles linked below. They’re great reads for players who love the craft of thematic texture sets, shading in modern renders, and creative card design that pushes the boundaries of what MTG can be.

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