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Nightmare as a card failed to post strong numbers, but the decks using the new 3-Cost have been good enough to make it look passable so far. Unfortunately, Sauron 10 Power is likely a better deck when you take Nightmare out of the equation. Still, if you enjoy this type of ability and wish to play a bit of roulette, Nightmare is good enough to represent a fun purchase, if not a competitive one.
Speaking of competitive, Merlin keeps gaining popularity. It’s now in more than a third of decks in the Infinite range. Naturally, this large presence across the game drives the card’s number down a little. But, compared to Surge (the other extremely popular 2-Cost and arguably best card in Marvel Snap), Merlin isn’t that far off in terms of performance. The season pass card has proven its worth for yet another week.
| Mission | # | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Play 2-Cost cards | 15 | 150 Credits |
| Win with Nightmare starting in your Deck | 4 | 200 Collector’s Tokens |
| Win with Merlin starting in your Deck | 8 | 150 Gold |
Nightmare Performance
Nightmare was never going to be an average card. Indeed, its unique ability had to drive the card towards becoming the new foundation of a deck, or it would flop if it wasn’t strong enough.
It seems the latter happened, although I wouldn’t label Nightmare as a complete failure. The card at least did much better than The Ancient One when comparing both cards’ performances a few days after their release. Nightmare is more popular and holds a better Win Rate and Cube Average. Both cards did poorly, but the more recent one offered something different and it did a little better.
One thing to note, however, is the fact that Nightmare probably doesn’t deserve the numbers associated with it (except for that terrible Cube Rate on Play). If you look at the decks that use Nightmare, you’ll notice Sauron 10 Power, a deck with a solid track record lately. It is very likely Nightmare hopped on that train and boosted its stats while staying at the bottom of the deck. This is a reasonable explanation when looking at the -0.43 Cube Rate on Play, which indicates you really shouldn’t Snap just because Nightmare showed up on time.
Post-Release Score:
For more information about Nightmare, make sure to check out our strategy guide:
Merlin Performance
Merlin‘s numbers have been lowering a bit, but that is mostly due to the card still gaining popularity. As always, when a card is very popular, its numbers will logically gravitate towards a 50% Win Rate and an even Cube Average since it has to split most games with itself.
One important thing to notice here is the 5% difference between the Win Rate on Draw and On Play. This number tells me you should absolutely play Merlin on Turn 2 when you have it in hand. Gorgon might be played on the other side, or Red Guardian could stop it in its tracks the next turn. Still, Merlin is one of the strongest timing-based cards in the game, one of the few able to rival Surge at the moment.
Post-Release Score:
For more information about Merlin, make sure to check out our strategy guide:
Bonus Challenge Decks
Nightmare as a card didn’t shine in its first few days, but the decks it is associated with are more than good enough to win a few games. Plus, if you want to do everything at once, you can even slot Merlin in the Sauron 10 Power archetype like our first deck here.
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For the full Nightmare experience (that still has a positive Win Rate), you can turn your attention to Black Knight and some of the highest power cards in the game. This deck is the combination of the three cards that are all looking to leverage high power allies—Black Knight, Sauron, and War Machine—with Nightmare as extra support.
The deck is quite unreliable, but holds a 51% Win Rate in the Infinite rank. That’s enough to win four games in a reasonable amount of time.
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Merlin is once again a great flexible card, meaning there are a flurry of decks you can use the Season Pass card in. These are the top two performers with the card at the moment, Small Good Cards and Good Cards Clog.
These two have been around all season long, and their longevity among the top archetypes shows the positive impact Merlin has had on their power level.
It’ll be no problem to complete these missions and collect a bit of extra gold.
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