Table of Contents
Welcome to our new series of Marvel Snap guides, where we feature a Series 4 or 5 card and analyze how to use it. The goal is to give you a tutorial on how to use the card most effectively in an everchanging meta, as well as help you decide if the card is worth the tokens or if you should pick it up during a Spotlight Cache week!
We will aim to revise this guide each time it becomes featured in a Spotlight Cache. If the card becomes rebalanced or the meta has changed a lot, please let us know in the comments and we will look to update it based on demand!
Decks with Black Knight
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).
Who is Black Knight?
The Black Knight is a mantle passed down to those who inherit the Ebony Blade. This cursed weapon has the ability to absorb any energy, and even souls, to gain power. It is nearly indestructible and has a healing factor. The blade is even strong enough to cut adamantium!
The most notable Black Knight is Dane Whitman, a brilliant scientist who inherited the Ebony Blade. To clear the name of the Black Knight from his villainous uncle, Dane took the mantle of Black Knight. Dane would later team up with many powerful allies, including the Avengers!
As of the release of the MCU Eternals, Kit Harington stars as the first live action depiction of Dan Whitman. At the end of the film, he acquires the Ebony Blade, setting up for his debut as the Black Knight!
How to Use Black Knight
Black Knight works as a combo piece. In order to benefit, you need several cards to work together to get his effect to work well. Those combo pieces are a card that can discard, and a card with a high Power. Without all 3 combo pieces, Black Knight is simply a [1/2] with no real effect. Due to this combo necessity, he is strictly limited to usage in decks that can effectively use discards for more than just Black Knight.
The Ebony Blade can be used as a way to secure a location without fear of Shang-Chi or Shadow King. If you make it a [4/20] by discarding The Infinaut, your opponent will have a difficult time contesting that location. And speaking of locations, Ebony Blade can help secure difficult locations like Death's Domain or Negative Zone!
Best Synergies
Black Knight works great with targeted discards. Cards like Lady Sif or Blade can directly target a card you want to turn into an Ebony Blade. If you use random discard effects like Sword Master, you may low roll and discard a card with low Power.
Decks with Lady Sif
To maximize a deck with Black Knight, you can use Hela or Ghost Rider! The card you discard doesn’t need to stay discarded in order for Ebony Blade to keep it’s Power. Instead, you can discard your target, play Ebony Blade, and then play Hela or Ghost Rider to get double the value from your discard! Imagine discarding The Infinaut and getting a [4/20] Ebony Blade in one location, and a free [6/20] in another location!
Decks with Hela
Decks with Ghost Rider
While temporarily nerfed, Zabu can still synergize well with the Ebony Blade. Since the card costs 4, Zabu makes him Cost 3 for 1 turn! Playing Zabu on turn 5 can also allow you to play Ebony Blade and Ghost Rider on turn 6! Similarly, Quinjet also can lower the cost of Ebony Blade by 1 Power, which can help you more efficiently use your Energy.
Best Deck
Kingvenom
With Hela remaining viable in the meta, Black Knight offers this deck more flexibility in play lines. If you discard a big target, you have a high started card you can play. If you discard a low power card, Blink can replace it and fish for a higher Cost card that could win you the game!
Fun Off-Meta Deck
PulseGlazer
This deck tries to make use of a nerfed Zabu and a few other off-meta cards. You can surprise your opponent with a collection of cards that don’t see much play, but can still make a big impact. Zabu plus Lady Sif on turn 5 can give you 2 big targets to drop where you need them on turn 6. Cull Obsidian can reinforce Black Knight if you haven’t got your Ebony Blade yet. Taskmaster can copy your Ebony Blade if you got a good discard with a high Power.
Weaknesses and Things to Avoid
Black Knight is really only susceptible to being destroyed or deactivated before you can get an Ebony Blade. This means Killmonger, Elektra, and Red Guardian are all potential threats you might encounter that could stop you from getting an Ebony Blade.
Decks with Red Guardian
As for the Ebony Blade, Echo, Rogue, and Enchantress can deactivate it’s protections. This leaves it vulnerable to Shang-Chi and Shadow King. It is also vulnerable to movement from Magneto! While the Ebony Blade usually should have enough power to contest Magneto, you may lose the location you counted on Ebony Blade winning.
Decks with Echo
Decks with Enchantress
Decks with Magneto
Closing Thoughts
Black Knight is a fun card that has seen plenty of time at the top of the meta. Unfortunately, Zabu‘s nerf ruined a large number of decks where Black Knight was most popular. In the current meta, discard decks also favor combos like Apocalypse or Hela over Black Knight. These two facts combined makes him less desirable, despite being a strong card overall.
Is Black Knight worth using Collector’s Tokens?
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