Araña is the next Series 5 card joining Marvel Snap in The Amazing Spider-Season, and the second Activate card ever. It is a 1-Cost, 1-Power card that reads: Activate: Give the next card you play +2 Power and move it to the right. Today, we will take a deeper look at the new card and, of course, the best decks to try it out in.

Spotlight Cache

Series 5 cards can be purchased for 6,000 Collector’s Tokens from the Token Shop initially as a Weekly Spotlight card, or opened as one of the featured cards in the Spotlight Caches that are found every 120 Levels on the Collection Level Track after Collection Level 500 (until the next new card releases the following week).

Spotlight Cache Week of September 17, 2024: Are Araña, Ms. Marvel, and Sage Worth It?

Strengths and Weaknesses

Last week, when discussing Madame Web, I’ve said the 2-cost Ongoing card probably needed Araña for the Move synergy to really take off. Here we are a week later, so without any suspense whatsoever, the first cards we need to discuss:

Another card to move Vulture and Dagger will help these two, but the bonus power naturally makes Araña pair with Human or Multiple Man better. Then, considering these two are the backbone of The Phoenix Force deck, it is logical to expect the new 1-cost card to synergize with that card as well.

Outside buffing the obvious targets, Araña will also provide the usual upside of moving your cards. This includes buffing Kraven, reaching an unplayable location (or one locked by Professor X or Storm), or moving Spider-Man 2099 to trigger its ability.

If you think about it, Araña could be compared to a cheaper Forge, meaning it should make sense in most decks already running Forge. Destroy for Deadpool or Nimrod, Silver Surfer for Brood or Sebastian Shaw immediately come to mind.

If we want to push this concept further, we could also imagine Araña to replace Madame Web alongside Angela, Hope Summers decks. Quite often, moving a card once is enough to get value from an ability, while Araña herself being a 1-cost makes the card more flexible than Madame Web.

Last topic on today’s agenda, all these cards which simply get better when buffed. A +2 power to Black Panther, Iron Man or Daken will become a +4 or more once we start counting the points. Those cards were spotted alongside Symbiote Spider-Man already, but a flexible 1-cost, although it provides a smaller buff, might be easier to use.

When it comes to weaknesses, Araña comes in a synergy which has constantly been struggling to be competitive, even in times when support cards were released. Hercules and Ghost-Spider come to mind as cards with lots of potential but in the end falling short. The new 1-cost will easily become a staple in The Phoenix Force archetype, but I wouldn’t consider it enough to say Araña was a strong addition to the game. If only the Activate button was reset when the card was bounced back in hand, we would have a second archetype to build around Araña. Unfortunately, the developers have cleared that in the past, and Beast or Falcon won’t let us activate the new card a second time.

The second limitation I see for Araña is the fact it keeps making Bounce better at generating points, but doesn’t improve its flexibility, or ability to interact with the opponent. This is a situation we’ve been experiencing with Destroy for a while now, with the archetype being at its best when it manages to fit some surprising element into its game play. Otherwise, a big Deadpool will often only win you one cube. I fear Araña might be pushing Move in the same direction.

The Verdict

Araña makes The Phoenix Force a stronger archetype just by unlocking a 5-Power Multiple Man we can compete with even when our signature card wouldn’t show up. Combined with Hulkbuster and Symbiote Spider-Man, it improves the deck’s stability, the most important trait for The Phoenix Force, as it should allow more early snaps. Alone, this reason makes Araña a solid card, able to impact the Marvel Snap metagame. In addition, most decks running Iron Fist should happily replace with the more flexible, and power booster Araña.

Already, this is enough to say the new 1-cost will have an impact on Marvel Snap. Enough to make Move a competitive contender?

Pre-Release Score:

Move decks

Every move based archetype should welcome Araña with open arms. Indeed, the card arguably is an upgrade compared to Iron Fist or Ghost-Spider, simply due to the flexibility of the Activate keyword and the two power it grants to the card. Already, this opens three archetypes to play Araña into.

Phoenix Force is the combo, snap oriented archetype you play fearlessly when you draw the good stuff. Pure Move is the super synergistic, brain teasing deck you need to find the best play patterns with, benefiting from moving your cards to dodge opposing counter cards. Last, Junk Move mixes some disruption with move cards to create a more flexible deck. Win a lane through clogging it early and then rely on the move synergy to score points for the second location.

Decks with good buff or move targets

Moving or buffing your cards has always been two pillars of Marvel Snap’s game play, improving either your potential or flexibility. It might not lead to anything more than just a flexible inclusion in some of those, but Araña has the potential to see play in more than just a couple of move decks. Yup, a flexible, cheap power buff can help plenty of decks.

Variants

Closing Thoughts

The fact you can’t bounce an Activate card is a huge blow to Araña ability to just take over Marvel Snap and push Bounce as a premier archetype. Instead, we’ll have to the card is a versatile move tool, coupled with a cheaper Forge in other decks. Already, this could be enough to make the new 1-cost a serious contender to Silver Sable‘s current run as the go-to 1-cost when lacking a synergistic option. Sure, Araña is only a [1/3] if you factor in her buff, but giving power to another card opens so many opportunities that it should often beat the two you stole from your opponent.

I hope this review of the new card was helpful. Feel free to share your opinions and excitement about the card in the comments. You can find everyone on the Marvel Snap Zone team in our community discord to have a chat or ask any questions.

Good Game Everyone!