Good Cards Stature Detailed Deck Guide: Out Tempo the Meta

Hi, folks! It’s a pleasure to be here once more sharing with you another deck guide. On this occasion, we’re going to dive deep into Good Cards Stature, an archetype that reigned against all the opposition a few months ago.

The decline in popularity follows after two nerfs hitting two of their key cards. Reducing one point of power from Stature and Black Bolt was the way Second Dinner contained this archetype, but, while the shift worked, that doesn’t mean the archetype isn’t potent anymore.

Silk‘s release brought it back on the map a few weeks ago. After working with it, I can say that it’s still a very solid option to take on any opponent.

Good Cards Stature

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

4

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Reviewing the data in the Marvel Snap Tracker, I was able to find that I have recently had favorable results. 63.54% WR with .72 Avg Cubes per game are numbers that speak of consistency, something really valuable in the long term for any archetype that can survive the test of time.

Concept and Strategy

If we’re going to talk about the strategy behind this archetype, one thing becomes clear. It’s something I have already mentioned in previous guides: the flexibility and adaptability of a deck in Marvel Snap is becoming more and more important.

We already discussed how good decks with mixed cores are. The first time I started to see this concept in the game was a few months ago. I saw in some tweet (I don’t remember exactly who sent it) that a deck had reached Infinite playing Colleen Wing + Swarm and Iron Fist + Vulture in the same deck.

In the specific case of this deck, we see three clear centers of attention: Darkhawk core, with Korg and Rockslide; the combination Stature + Black Bolt; and Miles Morales + Silk and Polaris. These three little cores work well independently in virtually any archetype. Putting them together in this case results in a solid deck that has options throughout the game’s six turns and consistency that many other decks could envy.

We’re certainly not going to put a tower of points in every location, but that’s what’s interesting about the deck. If you’re playing this archetype properly, having a fleet of trucks is unnecessary. Having solid cards like any “Good Cards” archetype, reactive cards that can respond to the opponent’s threats, and efficient cards that can put out enough power for little cost are enough to win against anyone.

Core Cards

Darkhawk Core

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

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

I firmly believe that these three cards can be in almost any archetype that has three flex spots for them. The main idea behind this core is strong enough that Darkhawk and Rockslide already received a nerf a few months ago.

Still, the strength of this combo is such that it’s been seen in many archetypes, either as a centerpiece with support cards like Mystique or as a group of accessory cards that give us a secondary plan.

Hindering the opponent’s draws (or their possible pulls in case they’re playing Lockjaw and Jubilee) while at the same time playing cards with solid stats makes these three cards very good together no matter what deck they are in.

Stature Core

Variants

Stature

Costs 1 if your opponent discarded a card from their hand this game.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Stature

Variants

Black Bolt

On Reveal: Discard the lowest-cost card from your opponent’s hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Black Bolt

If we see these cards as one, it’s easy to realize how powerful it is to play them in combination.

Even with their current stats, considering them as a 6/13 in split locations that also force our opponent to discard a card from their hand lets us see just how strong playing them together is.

Seeing them individually can make people wonder how good they can be, but, like many cards in the game, it’s when you combine them that their true potential comes to the fore (Multiple Man + The Phoenix Force, I’m looking at you).

Move Core

Variants

Jeff the Baby Land Shark

You can move this once. Nothing can stop you from moving or playing this to any location.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Jeff the Baby Land Shark

Variants

Silk

After ANY card is played here, this moves to another location.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Silk

Variants

Polaris

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

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Polaris

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

Having the ability to move cards whether they are ours or our opponents is undoubtedly something much more powerful than it might seem. That is why this type of effect seems to be very closely taken care of by Second Dinner.

We can enter closed locations, accommodate our power on the table according to the opponent’s plays, and break down the opponent’s game by moving their cards. All this together gives any deck adaptability tools which, as I have mentioned, are tremendously valuable during the game.

Adding Miles Morales, which works as a mini Stature by being able to cost one energy if something moved on the board, makes all of this something valuable in our archetype.

As I mentioned before, it was when Silk came out that the deck began to resurface thanks to the fact that enabling Miles Morales is something we can do every turn if Silk is on the field.

Zabu Core

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

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

Variants

Enchantress

On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards at this location.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Enchantress

Zabu is one of the most powerful cards to come out of the game. Even after its nerf, it has maintained a presence in many archetypes and allows us to speed up our 4-Cost cards.

It’s even so powerful in its current state (even though I think is a balanced card) that I’ve already heard people asking to nerf it again.

In our archetype, it allows us to reduce the cost of our two reactive cards, Shang-Chi and Enchantress, which allows us to have answers to almost any threat our opponents may present.

In addition to this, being able to also reduce the cost of Darkhawk, Rockslide, and Miles Morales makes our game more solid and flexible just by having it on the field on Turn 2.

Card Substitutions

A “Good Cards” archetype is something that has always been renowned for playing cards that are strong on their own but can combine with other cards with similar effects to make the whole work even better.

That is why, in this type of strategy, many solid cards are presented as options to adapt to the meta.

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

I’ve seen iterations of this archetype playing Luke Cage. The idea behind it makes sense if we think that the power of our cards is generally modest.

It’s the flexibility and solidity of our archetype that gives us strength. However, thinking about playing Luke Cage helps avoid negative locations and annoying effects like Evolved Wasp and Evolved Cyclops.

In the end, its appearance in the archetype responded to the high percentage of High Evolutionary, but it’s never a bad option to avoid losing games due to Negative Zone, Jotunheim, and the like.

Variants

Nebula

Each turn your opponent doesn’t play a card here, +2 Power. (except the turn you play this)

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Nebula

Variants

Kitty Pryde

When this returns to your hand, +1 Power. Returns at the start of each turn.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Kitty Pryde

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

Playing Nebula, Kitty Pryde, or Sunspot is also a good idea. This is a tempo-oriented archetype that wants to use our resources to stay flexible before committing in the last two turns of the game.

With this in mind, each of these cards gives us a way to build a high-power, one-energy card through the six turns of the game, giving us a decent amount of power for little investment — something we already do when looking to reduce the energy cost of Miles Morales and Stature.

Redundancy is key on many occasions, and adding any of these three cards takes the archetype down that path.

Variants

Shuri

On Reveal: If you play your next card here, double its Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Shuri

Thinking about playing Shuri is not out of turn. This used to be a very logical strategy to buff Black Bolt, and, even after nerfing both cards, I think it is still a viable path.

If you decide to take this route, I would think about adapting the deck so that there are one or two other cards that could take advantage of Shuri effectively.

Variants

Ghost-Spider

On Reveal: The last card you played moves here.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Ghost-Spider

Variants

Juggernaut

On Reveal: If your opponent played cards here this turn, move them randomly.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Juggernaut

Gwen (AKA Ghost-Spider) is a card that is now appearing in this archetype in place of Silk. With this we, trade a little power for a greater ability to decide where our cards move.

Even if we are not playing Storm, Juggernaut can enable Miles Morales just as Silk and Polaris do by giving us another way to disrupt our opponent’s plans.

Other Ways to Build the Archetype

Good Cards GhostStature

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

2.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Good Cards KittyStature

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

0

1x 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)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Good Cards ShuriBolt

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Snap and Retreat

Playing a tempo deck like this gives us a wide window of opportunities for Snapping. And, thanks to how flexible this archetype is, knowing when to Retreat is also not that hard.

• Snap before playing a card on Turn 2 if you already played Korg and have Zabu + Rockslide.
• You can also Snap on Turn 2 if you play Silk and have Miles Morales + a good curve for Turns 3 and 4.
• Snap before playing a card on Turn 3 if you have Zabu in play + Rockslide and Darkhawk in hand.
• Snap during Turn 4 if you have a good position on board + Black Bolt and Stature in hand.
• Snapping on Turn 5 can be done if you have Zabu in play + Shang-Chi or Enchantress, and either of these two cards will break an opponent’s lane on Turn 6. You can also Snap before playing Black Bolt here if you have Stature in your hand.

These are the most clear paths for Snapping, but, just as this archetype tends to play, the possibilities are usually very diverse. Try to think carefully if the game path you are taking is capable of standing up to your opponent’s plan, as well as if you have a chance to interfere with their plans with your reactive cards and/or how bad you can disrupt them with Korg and Rockslide.

If none of the above conditions are met, feel free to Retreat — or think about Snapping back if you do.

Locations

Unlike other guides where we mention some locations that are very beneficial for our strategies and others that are negative for our plan, this deck is so versatile that we can play well in almost any situation, and the locations affect a group of our cards rather than our archetype itself.

Good Locations

• Bar Sinister: It’s a little bit pushed, but playing a Rockslide here on Turn 3 can break some opponents. Go for it if you already played Korg and have a good plan for fighting the other two lanes.
• Cloning Vats and Sinister London: As a Good Cards deck, having multiple copies of almost any of our cards helps us more than it does for other archetypes.
• Death's Domain, Sanctum Sanctorum: Silk can jump to these locations without many problems. It’s only good if your opponent can’t access them.
• Kamar-Taj: Amazing for Korg, Rockslide, and Black Bolt.
• Lechuguilla, Subterranea, and Vibranium Mines: Thanks to Korg and Rockslide, these locations can help us make our opponents have a bad time drawing “air”.
• Luke's Bar: Start playing Korg here on Turn 1 or 2 and make a mess.
• Onslaught's Citadel: We can have a huge Darkhawk here.
• Quantum Realm: Darkhawk can fight for this location alone.
• Sokovia: It can make Stature cost one early on in the game.
• Great Web: Enables Miles Morales every turn.
• The Big House: If we have Zabu, we can play almost any of our cards here.

Bad Locations

• Asteroid M: Tends to be uncomfortable because we play many 4-Cost cards that can cost three thanks to Zabu.
• Crimson Cosmos: Thanks to Zabu, playing cards in these locations can be very tricky. If this location appears, avoid playing Zabu.
• Fisk Tower: Bad for Silk, but good for Polaris.
• Isle of Silence: Limits places where we can play Darkhawk.
• Knowhere: We have to play Korg, Rockslide, and Black Bolt elsewhere.

Matchups

Once again on our most current Tier List, Bounce, Sera Control, and Evolved Lockjaw appear as the #1 contenders to beat.

Bounce

Flexibility is the greatest strength of this archetype. The big advantage is that our deck develops a similar plan where we look for the tempo of the game during the first turns and we can make multiple decisions during Turn 6 based on our opponent’s plays.

Polaris can help us thwart their plans since we can move a lot of their cards with her. Giving up priority on Turn 5 can be very beneficial for us since we can take out Hit Monkey, Kitty Pryde, or Bishop with Shang-Chi or Iron Man (who is already used in the most effective version of the deck today) with Enchantress.

Sera Control

This deck shares almost half of the cards with Bounce. That’s why Polaris and Shang-Chi are useful in the same way indicated above.

The difference is that our Enchantress doesn’t have a real target, so we need to think about prioritizing our other cards or playing her early for tempo.

Black Bolt on Turn 5 can certainly harm their strategy, so playing him on Turn 5 is mandatory (the same is true against Bounce).

It’s difficult to give priority to both archetypes if our goal is to play Black Bolt on Turn 5, but it’s possible if we focus our efforts on not gaining more than one location at the moment.

Evolved Lockjaw

Just as I mentioned in other deck guides where we play a Darkhawk core, putting Rocks in our opponent’s decks makes Lockjaw and Jubilee have a hard time trying to pull something relevant.

They are not going to play anything during the first two turns. If we already played Korg and Zabu and have Rockslide in our hand, Snapping is most of the time the right move.

We have Shang-Chi for Evolved Hulk, Magneto, America Chavez, and The Infinaut (which, although rare, could become a Turn 6 play), and Black Bolt can discard a Mjolnir or Evolved Wasp, making Jane Foster Mighty Thor not that good and making their idea of triggering Lockjaw during the last turn more difficult.

Please put this deck in front of me all day long!

Turn by Turn Breakdown

• Turn 1: Korg is our only available play. Regardless, judging whether to play it at the revealed location or an unrevealed location is always important.

• Turn 2: Choose the best option between Zabu, Jeff the Baby Land Shark, and Silk — it’s a matter of playing many games with the deck and learning to recognize our best play patterns. Zabu if we have Rockslide or Darkhawk, while Silk and Jeff the Baby Land Shark are better if we have Miles Morales. Between these last two, Silk tends to be better during the early game since playing Jeff in the last turns can surprise our opponents in an inaccessible location.

• Turn 3: Our options open up if we play Zabu on Turn 2, allowing us to play Rockslide, Darkhawk, or even Miles Morales. Shang-Chi or Enchantress on such an early turn is usually not common, but having Zabu makes them worth considering from time to time (saving these cards for Turn 6 tends to be the best idea). If Zabu isn’t available, we need to think about whether playing Polaris now will bother the opponent enough, whether we should play her for tempo (usually good enough), or save her for a turn where we know we’re going to disrupt our opponents heavily (like against Galactus).

• Turn 4: This turn usually develops as a consequence of our actions in the previous turn, and it will depend in the same way on having Zabu on the field or not. The options are usually the same. Just remember that we are playing a tempo deck and at the same time very flexible. Don’t limit yourself to just putting as much power as possible on the field, but rather enable your plays to achieve the best possible late game.

• Turns 5 and 6: Black Bolt is our desired play on Turn 5. Not having Black Bolt will result in enabling as many points and reactions as possible for Turn 6, which is: moving some cards to reduce the cost of Miles Morales, placing Rocks to have a strong Darkhawk, and/or anticipating the opponent’s plays to always have space available for Shang-Chi or Enchantress on the last turn.

Closing Words

If there’s one thing I like about this game, it’s how some archetypes that were strong in the past can come back and shine as a result of the state of the current meta, even if some of their cards have been nerfed.

In this case, the flexibility of Good Cards Stature allows us to have very interesting games against Bounce and Sera Control and have a very strong match up against Evolved Lockjaw.

The idea of making this guide came from noticing that we already had a Good Cards guide, but it was for DoomWave, which is a similar archetype but certainly different from this one.

Being able to find these differences lets us know that while both are solid decks, Good Cards Stature is currently in a better position to take on the current meta.

Thank you once again for reading this far, and for continuing to support these guides that I lovingly write for the Marvel Snap community. Let me know your thoughts in the Marvel Snap Community Discord as well as on my Twitter. See you soon in the next deck guide (most likely featuring The Phoenix Force)!

As always, don’t forget to smile; it certainly makes a difference.