Best Cannonball Decks to Try on Day 1 and Strategy Guide: I Came In Like a Cannonball!

I love good standalone cards, especially when they have an identity. Indeed, while you could run them in a variety of decks thanks to their solid base power, you also have the possibility of including them in synergistic concepts where they serve the specific purpose of the deck.

For example, Mockingbird is very strong, but, because of her targeted nature, the card is limited by which decks have a chance at competing. This is what lead to Thanos being on top of everything else. I don’t except Cannonball to have as big of an impact as Mockingbird, but I can definitely envision the card in many more decks.

Variants

Cannonball

On Reveal: Move the highest-Power enemy card here away. If you can’t, destroy it with a Rock.

Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Cannonball

Marvel Snap isn’t very kind to 5-Cost cards. They tend to be the least used cards in the entire game. Most decks have some early cards since you want to develop something early in a match. The 4-Costs have Zabu to make them more relevant to build around, as well as several powerhouses such as Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Iron Lad, and Cull Obsidian. The 6-Cost cards don’t have a ton of representatives, but with Magneto, Alioth, Doctor Doom, Thanos, Skaar, She-Hulk, The Infinaut, and Hela, there are plenty of opportunities to play these cards.

As for 5-Costs, there is Vision as the “master card” that you can fit pretty much anywhere you want. Sera, Annihilus, and Jane Foster Mighty Thor have their own synergies and see play whenever those synergies are relevant in the meta. There’s also Leech in InSheNaut, Iron Man in the Living Tribunal deck, Hobgoblin in Galactus, and MODOK in Discard. Thanos is the archetype with the most 5-cost cards included (three, to be exact: Vision, Mockingbird, and Professor X). Overall, if you want to see play as a 5-Cost, you need to be strong in a specific synergy. Your play rate will ultimately depend on whether the entire synergy makes sense to run at the moment. Otherwise, you better be extremely strong.

I believe Cannonball will probably end up in the synergistic category. It does have a claim at potentially challenging Vision for that spot as the default 5-Cost card whenever you don’t know what 5-Cost you want for your deck, though.

Let’s explore!

Strengths and Weaknesses

Moving Enemy Cards

Moving your opponent’s cards is a well known mechanic in Marvel Snap. Magneto is among the strongest 6-Cost cards in the game, but the rest of the crew (Polaris, Aero, and Stegron) aren’t doing so well, even if Polaris sees play in Silver Surfer decks at times. This means the two best cards out of those four are the ones that give you the most control over the outcome. Aero and Stegron are more random due to not having a precise target in mind. Aero‘s condition of “the last enemy card” depends on priority, which would end up as their Turn 4 play if you’re in the lead or the last card they play on Turn 5 if you aren’t. As for Stegron, the same applies; you can move the cards out of the location, but, unless there is only one, you have a 50/50 gamble at best.

Cannonball is basically Stegron, but with two upsides: you know which card will move, and you might destroy it in the right scenario.

While I don’t think Cannoball will have Magneto levels of power, it’s probably better than Polaris at the very least. Polaris is a very solid card, there are just a ton of incredible 3-Costs in Marvel Snap. However, there isn’t as much competition among the 5-Cost cards.

Here is how I would rank the five cards I just discussed:

Variants

Magneto

On Reveal: Move all enemy 3 and 4-Cost cards to this location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Magneto

Variants

Cannonball

On Reveal: Move the highest-Power enemy card here away. If you can’t, destroy it with a Rock.

Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Cannonball

Variants

Polaris

On Reveal: Move an enemy 1 or 2-Cost card to this location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Polaris

Variants

Stegron

On Reveal: Move an enemy card from here to another location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Stegron

Variants

Aero

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

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Aero

*I purposefully left out Spider-Man and Juggernaut from this debate because they are used for other synergies most of the time, such as buffing Kraven or supporting Storm.

Magneto is a no-brainer at #1, and it is the only card of the current bunch to see play in a multitude of decks (Hela, Thanos, Good Cards Black Knight). At #3, you have Polaris because it sees moderate play, but it can really shine in the right environment.

The question we have to ask now is whether Cannonball is closer to Polaris or to Magneto.

Synergistic Options

Variants

Alioth

On Reveal: Remove the text from all unrevealed enemy cards here.

Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Alioth

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

Alioth is the reason I believe Cannonball has a reasonable shot at being a solid standalone card. Moving the highest enemy power card from a location can be huge for controlling priority heading into Turn 6. I wouldn’t be surprised if a deck like Thanos could leverage Cannonball pretty well and create even more opportunities for Alioth to shut down an opposing Turn 6.

Professor X is another card I have my eyes on. The X-Man will limit the available space and make it more likely you get to destroy the card instead of moving it away, which once again reinforces your shot at seizing priority heading into Turn 6. The opposite could also be true, though. If you have priority heading into the turn you expect your opponent to use Professor X, moving their highest power card away should be a wrinkle they didn’t anticipate. And it could even lead to you winning the Professor X lane!

There are a few other cute synergies I could think of in that same vein, such as packing the high power cards to make Shang-Chi more powerful.

Variants

The Hood

On Reveal: Add a Demon to your hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with The Hood

Variants

Viper

On Reveal: One of your other cards here switches sides.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Viper

Variants

Debrii

On Reveal: Add a Rock to each other location, for both players.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Debrii

I am still debating whether Annihilus and Sentry will be a good pairing for Cannonball, or whether they will just end up in the same deck because they share common allies. For now, I think I want to maximize early disruption around Cannonball since this is the most reliable way to destroy the card rather than move it. In that regard, Debrii and Viper look perfect for the job, and potentially Absorbing Man as well to copy Debrii (which is one of the fastest ways to junk up the opponent’s side of the board).

Variants

Kraven

When a card moves here, this gains +2 Power.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Kraven

Variants

Kingpin

When an enemy card moves here, afflict it with -2 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Kingpin

Variants

Miles Morales

If a card moved last turn, this costs 1.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Miles Morales

As it stands, the “Move enemy cards” archetype doesn’t exist. Move is based around your own cards, and you throw Spider-Man in there for its nice synergy with Kraven. There is a chance Cannonball could find a spot in there, but I doubt it would because it helps the deck reach a new gear. Instead, if Move is doing well in a certain environment and you want some more disruption alongside Spider-Man, Cannonball will be one of the better considerations for the job.

Exploiting Locations

Variants

Bar With No Name

Whoever has the least Power here wins.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Bar With No Name

Variants

Baxter Building

Whoever is winning this location gets +3 Power at the others.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Baxter Building

Variants

Crown City

Whoever is winning here gets +4 Power at adjacent locations.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Crown City

Variants

Deep Space

Card text is disabled here.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Deep Space

Variants

Fisk Tower

When a card moves here, afflict it with -4 Power.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Fisk Tower

Variants

Isle of Silence

Ongoing effects are disabled here.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Isle of Silence

Variants

Mojoworld

Whoever has more cards here gets +100 Power.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Mojoworld

Variants

Rickety Bridge

After each turn, if there is more than one card here, destroy them.

released

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Variants

The Nexus

Your Power here is granted to other locations as well.

released

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Variants

The Space Throne

Only one card can be here for each player.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with The Space Throne

Variants

Worldship

Destroy the other locations.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with Worldship

Outside of card synergies, moving enemy cards has always had a lot of upsides for multiple locations. It should come as no surprise that Cannonball will also win some games on the back of just winning a lane with its ability at times.

The Verdict

Potential Score:

I don’t expect Cannonball to be as good as Hope Summers when it comes to standalone power, nor as impactful as Mockingbird if you are discussing the synergies it will push. Still, considering the card contributes to both categories, I expect Cannonball to be a solid card overall.

Junk

Aggressive Junk

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

1

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

5x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

If you can fill the opponent’s side of the board, Cannonball should be an absolute star since it targets the highest power card on the location. Debrii and Absorbing Man look like the perfect duo to do just that. The synergy isn’t popular at all, and it forces you to play very aggressively to fill the opposing board early enough. This can sometimes lead to a Retreat rather than a couple cubes at the end of the game. Still, this seems to be the ideal situation to make the most out of Cannonball.

Thanos

Thanos Control

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

8x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

4.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

I discussed Professor X and Alioth in the possible synergy, so, naturally, I have to include Thanos here. Not only does the deck love solid standalone cards that can impact the state of the board, Thanos also has a reputation for making any new card look like a powerhouse.

Good Cards

Good Cards Cannonball

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

0

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

4x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Black Knight is the best way to build around the Good Cards synergy right now, and you can include the Junk package in there for good measure. I’m not sure if it will be worth staying in the game if you don’t get a strong start, but Cannonball plus a Demon should be a decent Turn 6 play that can win lots of cubes.

Good Cards Junk

Good Cards Junk

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

0

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

7x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.5

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

One card I see having a lot of upside with Cannonball is Omega Red. If they turn out to be a good pair, you could also build the Good Cards deck with some Lockdown elements. Your goal would be to prevent the opponent from playing on your Omega Red lane rather than using Storm to lock the field. With Hela able to reach that lane and both Thanos and Discard able to contest it on Turn 4 (with Cull Obsidian or Dracula), you might be better off without Storm right now anyway.

Move

Move

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

5x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Move came back strong with Hope Summers early in the season, but it quickly lost most of its momentum. I doubt Cannonball will be enough to bring the Move archetype back to a center stage role. However, Cannonball plus Miles Morales or Kitty Pryde looks like a solid Turn 6 if you couldn’t find Magneto or Hope Summers.

Enemy Move

Enemy Move

Created by den

, updated 1 month ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This one has all my curiosity, and it will likely be the first deck I test. It takes a bit of inspiration from the Good Cards Junk list while trying to be its own thing. With another card added to the “Move Enemy Cards” package, I started to wonder if there are enough to build an entire deck around the mechanic. Kingpin got buffed and has yet to find a home, so maybe it is finally time for the villain to shine.

In this one, the goal is to manipulate your opponent’s cards to easily predict their next moves. You can take cards out of the Storm lane in order to win it, stack a lane you intend to use Shang-Chi on later, or simply protect your Omega Red to ensure you get the bonus. You could include Stegron over Jessica Jones, but I just wanted a little more support for Storm.

Closing Thoughts

Apart from Thanos (who could make a Rock shine at this point), none of the other decks appear busted or particularly strong with Cannonball in the mix. However, it is interesting to imagine Cannonball being able to fit many play styles and potentially even pushing a deck around moving the enemy’s cards as its primary win condition.

If you spent for Mockingbird and believe War Machine is an absolute buy, you might want to skip on Cannonball. Otherwise, I think the card is worth a few keys. It appears to have a nice power level, and it’s fate is not tied to a specific deck’s performance. If, however, you enjoy tinkering and testing different ideas, you should get a nice addition to your collection with Cannonball.

If you also have some ideas for the card, come share them with us on the Marvel Snap Zone community Discord, or reach out through my Twitter page to share your creation with the community.

Good Game Everyone.