Marvel Snap Conquest Mode Strategy and Tips From the Pros

Introduction

I went around the community and asked several of the best tournament players in Marvel Snap if they had any advice for Conquest Mode. I truly believe understanding how to leverage the core mechanics of Battle Mode will boost your performance much more than the deck you pick. Combining both gets you on the fast track to racking up a ton of Medals.

Thanks to Kawatek, Moyen, Aniomaly, TheFishou, Lowell, Lelouch, Lambyseries, Braude and KJB for their time on the matter. You can click on their name to find their socials and follow them as they compete in the new Conquest mode.

Master the Early Snap

In order to keep your opponent in the game, you have to Snap before the reason appears to them. Once they figure out their inevitable loss, you will get just one cube out of the game. Instead, if you can recognize a solid and above average early hand, Snapping gives you the best shot at being rewarded with more cubes.

Here, it is all about your chances; you don’t snap a 100% win because the opponent will likely not accept it. Instead, Snap a 65% win so you can keep your opponent in the game a little longer. You should Snap on Turn 2 or Turn 3 since these are the turns where your opponent can make a mistake, and we want to earn at least two cubes on their Retreat.

Some insight on Snapping from Aniomaly and Lelouch:

We do not Snap:

• When we don’t have any information about the opponent’s play (understand the opponent’s archetype/deck, then you will better understand when to Snap).
• Snapping on Turn 5 or 6 is a bad habit; the opponent is more likely to run away and we won’t earn our cubes. It’s better not to Snap at all and let the opponent think that we have a weak roll too.
• When you see positive locations for your opponent and negative ones for yourself (Subterranea vs. Darkhawk means it’s not a good idea to agree to your opponent’s Snap).

Variants

Subterranea

Shuffle 5 rocks into each deck.

unreleased

view card details Start a deck Decks with Subterranea

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

We’ll Snap:

• When we have a strong starting hand or cards that will help in this match.
• When we see a positive location for us, or a bad one for the opponent (like Klaw beat their Doctor Doom by one point on an unplayable location.
  Variants

  Klaw

  Ongoing: The location to the right has +6 Power.

  Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Klaw

  Variants

  Doctor Doom

  On Reveal: Add a 5-Power DoomBot to each other location.

  Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Doctor Doom

  Another way to look at it from Braude:
  It’s the start of Turn 5, you are clearly losing, there is Mindscape on the board. It might be better to Retreat than to stay, even without a Snap, so the opponent won’t see the cards in your hand and you disguise future important information in the process.

  Have a Cube Stealer

  Conquest will be a closed deck list format, meaning you do not know your opponent’s cards until they play them for the first time. As such, you might find huge profits from having an “eight-cube card” in your deck – one with a huge swing potential when the opponent doesn’t see it coming.

  Variants

  Shang-Chi

  On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards here that have 10 or more Power.

  Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Shang-Chi

  Variants

  Enchantress

  On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards here.

  Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Enchantress

  Variants

  Rogue

  On Reveal: Steal the text from an enemy Ongoing card here.

  Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Rogue

  Variants

  Super-Skrull

  Ongoing: Has the Ongoing effects of all enemy cards.

  Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

  view card details Start a deck Decks with Super-Skrull

  Shang-Chi, Enchantress, Rogue, Super-Skrull… These kinds of cards against a clueless opponent can put you in a very dominant position from the get go while forcing your opponent to play flawlessly for the rest of the match.

  Bluffing is a Thing

  On the ladder, you rarely bluff having a card because your opponent doesn’t necessarily know your deck. In Battle Mode, considering you already played each other’s deck a few times, your opponent knows what’s in it. As such, if you possess a card that is a surefire win in the situation, you could force a Retreat from your opponent if you can make them believe it’s in your hand. Be mindful of this being a risky maneuver, though.

  Here’s an example from Braude:
  It’s Turn 6, you have a one card play that will 100% win and the opponent knows you have that card in your deck because you played it in an earlier round. You didn’t draw it, but bluff Snapping could be worth it as it could turn a one cube loss into a one cube win.

  High Stakes Round Management

  Here is some insight from KJB regarding managing your rounds:

  One fundamental key difference is that Games 1 through 4 are less valuable than Games 5 and on. Rounds 5 and on are “High Stakes” rounds, and this is important because they are probably going to go for the most amount of cubes and ultimately decide who wins the match. My advice here would be to understand that in your first four rounds you can Retreat more easily, be more flexible, and “feel” out your opponent and the match up. You’re able to get away with more mistakes and Retreats here, so you can use that to your advantage.
  
  A good example of what I mean is you generally can Retreat for one cube in those first four rounds. It’s usually correct, and you don’t need to play every single round anyway. Now this is different from High Stakes, as Retreating after Round 5 gives up double the amount of cubes and potentially forces you into more stressful calls after your opponent Snaps. You can also use this knowledge on offense and capitalize on Snapping in the High Stakes Rounds.

  If I could pick any time to have my best hand, it would be on Round 5 as I can utilize it to apply the maximum amount of pressure and take momentum in the match. It’s extremely difficult for my opponent to accept my Snap on Round 5 if their hand is average or below. If they do accept to play, I’m probably already in a position I’m comfortable with, so I’m happy with either outcome from my opponent.

  Conclusion

  We hope you enjoy all our Conquest resources to help you prepare for the more competitive meta! For a more general guide on Snapping and Retreating, make sure to check out our dedicated guides:

  Snapping Guide

  Retreating Guide

  The Ultimate Snapping Strategy Guide for Marvel Snap