Build Your Own “Midrange” Deck

“Control” decks have taken over the meta on the Marvel Snap ladder, leading to increased strength in some other archetypes. In particular, decks that are traditionally classified as “midrange” can find increased success. This is occurring because the decks that lean heavily into control in Marvel Snap primarily interact with one drop cards, cards with over nine power, and cards with Ongoing effects. If we build decks that don’t rely on these effects as their primary win condition, we can consistently overpower these control decks and punish them by not allowing a way to interact with our cards.

This article will serve as a “Build Your Own Zabu Midrange Deck” guide with recommendations on what cards you could put into your version. With this in mind, this article will highlight some exciting new lists for you to try straight away, but the focus will be on the different options you could plug into this style of deck to make it your own.

Note: The two lists below are completed examples and have been proving successful on the Marvel Snap ladder for me personally.

Safety’s Midrange Hunter

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

4

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Safety’s Professor Returns

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

3

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

The Key Cards

A midrange deck’s basic structure is based around playing high value one to four drop cards that add just enough power to be in a winning position entering into turns five and six. We then position ourselves to lose priority if we need to for a huge Shuri power spike, or drop a combination of high value cards to win.

Shuri may look out of place without high power cards to double, but the goal here is to win lanes by just enough and use our cards to efficiently spread power. Spider-Man, Titania, and She-Hulk are key resources that secure lanes and provide surprise power at the end of a game. These cards below are important, and their purpose is explained further.

Spider-Man

Variants

Spider-Man

On Reveal: Your opponent can’t play cards at this location next turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Spider-Man

Spider-Man is one of the most important cards in this deck, even more than Zabu, as he interacts with many of our cards in positive ways to ensure winning lanes. For example, Spider-Man and Titania can be played on turn five without priority to put down eight power and lock a lane.

Titania

Variants

Titania

After ANY card is played here, this card switches sides.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Titania

Titania has another key role in this deck which is important to understand. At one energy, she can be played in the following ways:

• Into a lane and sent across to lock it.
• On turn six with Shuri for an additional ten power.
• With She-Hulk on turn six.
• With Lizard and Shuri, provided Zabu is on the board.
• On turn five with Spider-Man.

The idea is to view Titania as your typical final power push, sent in to lock a lane or flip it in our favor. Five power is a lot, and it’s often the difference between winning and losing a lane.

Shuri

Variants

Shuri

On Reveal: Double the Power of the next card you play.

Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Shuri

Shuri is used to push your power just over the top of the opponent’s on a lane. Don’t hesitate to use Shuri on, for example, Rockslide to drop a twelve power card on turn four. This is often more than enough to win lanes against a control deck and is our key to victory. We can also use Shuri with She-Hulk to gain 20 power in a location, but we have to be careful with that line and will usually skip turn five to lose priority. Just remember, the main goal is to use Shuri on one of our midrange tools to push extra power.

Sunspot and She-Hulk

Variants

Sunspot

At the end of each turn, gain +1 Power for each unspent Energy.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Sunspot

Variants

She-Hulk

Costs 1 less for each unspent Energy last turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with She-Hulk

The Skip Package bookends our curve and allows us to add power while skipping turns in the mid game to lose priority and set up wins. If we don’t have priority on six, Aero is our only concern with placing our final cards where we want.

Zabu

Variants

Zabu

Ongoing: Your 4-Cost cards cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Zabu

Last but not least is Zabu. This card remains incredibly strong. What it enables in this deck is not specific combos, it simply turns our four drop cards into overpowered three drop cards. This allows us to spread our power into the later turns and also lets us double up on four drops on the final turn. Besides value, we are not reliant on any specific combinations with Zabu.

Choice 1 – Your Early Game

The most flexible part of our journey. We can mix and match from these selections to create our perfect combination of power and disruption.

Korg, Armor, and Lizard

Variants

Korg

On Reveal: Shuffle a Rock into your opponent’s deck.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Korg

Variants

Armor

Ongoing: Cards at this location can’t be destroyed.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Armor

Variants

Lizard

Ongoing: -3 Power if your opponent has 4 cards here.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Lizard

If you want to play Darkhawk as one of your four drops, an early game including Korg is the way to go. Korg acts as a disruptive tool that adds power to your Darkhawk. Armor is a top consideration for all versions of the deck because you can set up defense for Sunspot or your late game plays.

Iceman, Scorpion, and Cloak

Variants

Iceman

On Reveal: Give a random card in your opponent’s hand +1 Cost. (maximum 6)

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Iceman

Variants

Scorpion

On Reveal: Afflict cards in your opponent’s hand with -1 Power.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Scorpion

Variants

Cloak

On Reveal: Next turn, both players can move cards to this location.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Cloak

Iceman and Scorpion are excellent disruption and tempo, making them great additions to your early game. We can also consider adding Cloak if we are OK with slightly less power than Lizard and gaining the ability to keep our opponents guessing. We often play Cloak on turn two without any downside.

Quinjet or Zero, Luke Cage, and Daredevil

Variants

Quinjet

Ongoing: Cards that didn’t start in your deck cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Quinjet

Variants

Zero

On Reveal: Remove the abilities on the next card you play.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Zero

Variants

Luke Cage

Ongoing: Your cards can’t have their Power reduced.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Luke Cage

Variants

Daredevil

On turn 5, you get to see your opponent’s plays before you make your own.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Daredevil

This last potential option may seem like lower tempo, but our choice here allows us to use different four drop packages and surprise our opponents. Quinjet opens us to go with Moon Girl as a part of that package while Luke Cage allows us to consider cards like Typhoid Mary instead. Daredevil makes our Spider-Man even stronger on turn five, and then we can even add Professor X.

Choice 2 – Your 4-Cost Package

Shuri and Spider-Man are locked in, so we have room for at least two more four drops. This gives us a solid amount of targets for Zabu from turn three onward. So what direction do we go?

Darkhawk and Rockslide

Variants

Darkhawk

Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent’s deck.

Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Darkhawk

Variants

Rockslide

On Reveal: Shuffle 2 Rocks into your opponent’s deck.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Rockslide

These two cards synergize great with each other and can be played on curve after Zabu. Shuri also pairs well enough with Rockslide. If you selected Korg as part of your early game, you’re pretty much locked in to this option.

White Queen and Crossbones or Drax

Variants

White Queen

On Reveal: Draw a copy of the highest Cost card in your opponent’s hand.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with White Queen

Variants

Crossbones

You can only play this at locations where you are winning.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Crossbones

Variants

Drax

On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +3 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Drax

White Queen gives us crucial information and options for later in the game. Crossbones and DRAX both give us a baseline 8 power, and the one you go with depends on your playstyle. Crossbones is better if you have a strong early game and expect to be ahead on turns three and four. DRAX, on the other hand, is more flexible later while staying under the nine power threshold when not buffed. Both cards get an excellent boost from Shuri.

Moon Girl and Typhoid Mary

Variants

Moon Girl

On Reveal: Duplicate your hand.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Moon Girl

Variants

Typhoid Mary

Ongoing: Your other cards have -1 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Typhoid Mary

Moon Girl pairs well with Quinjet by adding cards to your hand that can potentially cost only two energy. Typhoid Mary is the wildest choice you can make, but if you pair it with Luke Cage you can potentially play 2 Typhoid Mary cards without downside alongside Moon Girl.

Additionally, Luke Cage removes the downside from Lizard. With this selection we could also look at Zero as a way to turn off the effect more often.

Choice 3 – Your Haymaker

Aero

Variants

Aero

On Reveal: Move the last enemy card played this turn to this location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Aero

Probably the best counter card in the game currently. If you’re playing from ahead on the final turns, you can play Aero to counter any plays. She also pairs perfectly with Titania on six as you remove the ability for the opponent’s cards to pull Titania.

Professor X

Variants

Professor X

Ongoing: Lock down this location. (Cards can’t be added, removed, etc.)

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Professor X

Another option is Professor X. This pairs great with Daredevil, and also gives us a second way to lock down a location alongside Spider-Man.

Shang-Chi

Variants

Shang-Chi

On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards at this location that have 9 or more Power.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Shang-Chi

As a four drop, Shang-Chi (and the similar tech card Enchantress) has the possibility of working well here. You can concede priority on turn five and play Shang-Chi with She-Hulk to win lanes.

Absorbing Man

Variants

Absorbing Man

On Reveal: If the last card you played has an On Reveal, copy its text. (if it’s in play)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Absorbing Man

We have several On Reveal effects in this deck, so a surprising way to go is Absorbing Man. We can then play Spider-Man on 4 followed by Absorbing Man turn five to copy the effect. We can also drop an early game card for Aero and then play two Aero effects in one game. Finally, if you want to go with Absorbing Man, doubling Shang-Chi’s effect can sometimes win games on its own.

Any Other 4-Cost Card

Last but not least, you have the option of ignoring this step and selecting another four drop. This is valid because it ensures consistency, and I personally climbed to Infinite without any of the haymakers in my original list.

Conclusion

This style of deck is positioned well against a counter-card meta. It has little for control decks to actually counter and can push consistent power into all three lanes. It is weaker into heavier lists, but often still gets the job done via lock down effects or selective disruption cards. The best thing about any of these lists is you can easily put your own spin on them to surprise your competition.

If there are other deck guides or topics you would like me to explore, please reach out to me on Twitter @SafetyBlade_HS or reach me over at the Marvel Snap Zone Discord.

Until next time, Good Luck, Have Fun and Stay Safe!