Hela Discard Detailed Deck Guide: The Best Way to Play Hela by Far!

Hela is one of the most fun cards in the game. Throwing your entire hand on the board after discarding it with MODOK is certainly rewarding.

The problem with this is how hard it is to achieve. The decks focused on this strategy feel like the most high-roll decks in the game. If you have the right cards in the right order, you win overwhelmingly. But if you don’t… you’re just out.

Supporting the combo with Invisible Woman certainly makes it more consistent, but by the same token… focusing the deck on Hela doing her tricks at the end of the game turns us into something linear. Without more than one play pattern, winning becomes something more complicated than it should be.

Hela Lockjaw

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.5

Power

0-
1
2
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5+

I had to stir up some dust on my deck shelf, and this gem is what came out. A few months ago I was working with MODOK, and Hela has always seemed like one of the best cards to pair with it. The redundant issue of whether to have Invisible Woman is something that gradually ceased to matter after playing the archetype with Lockjaw.

Don’t get me wrong: Playing Invisible Woman with MODOK and Hela is a good idea. It’s even possible in this deck. But after many games, this deck feels like it doesn’t really need Invisible Woman to perform.

Later I will show you how to build the archetype with Invisible Woman without neglecting any of the cards that make Lockjaw functional.

Concept and Strategy

In past articles, I mentioned that flexible decks have a big advantage over linear ones. Limiting your win condition to just one play puts us in a situation where winning or losing ends up being a matter of luck.

In this case, we have multiple ways to secure a location. Morbius can grow to eight or more power every game, even without MODOK, thanks to Colleen Wing, Hellcow, and Dracula. Lockjaw can put points in its location without a problem by pulling a huge card from the deck. Finally, Dracula can secure another location thanks to how easy it is to make it eat a big card on the last turn.

All this is in addition to having MODOK and Hela as one more line of play making this deck work, and it often doesn’t matter whether we have this combo or not.

Core Cards

Win Conditions Core

Variants

Morbius

Ongoing: +2 Power for each time you discarded a card this game.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Morbius

Variants

Lockjaw

After you play a card here, swap it with a card in your deck. (once per turn)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Lockjaw

Variants

Dracula

At the end of the game, discard a card from your hand. This has its Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Dracula

Variants

Hela

On Reveal: Resurrect all cards you discarded from your hand to random locations.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Hela

From the beginning, we can realize that, unlike a conventional Hela deck, this iteration has multiple ways to compete for a location.

If we stop for a moment and look in detail, we can see another great advantage of this archetype. The win conditions, in addition to being numerous, have their energy costs on a curve. This means that we have options for the early game, the mid game, and the late game all at the same time.

In other words, our best game curve would be Morbius on Turn 2, Lockjaw on Turn 3, and Dracula on Turn 4, all in different locations.

With this curve (or even with just two of these cards in play), playing the last two turns of the game favorably is easy most of the time.

We can’t forget Hela. Although it gives the deck its name and is an important part of it, having it as an additional victory condition instead of the only one means that we do not depend on it, which in the end makes this deck much more solid than other versions of it.

Discard Core

Variants

Colleen Wing

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

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Colleen Wing

Variants

Hellcow

On Reveal: Discard 2 cards from your hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Hellcow

Variants

MODOK

On Reveal: Discard your hand.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with MODOK

The Colleen Wing and Swarm combination is one of the strongest two-card combos in the game. Even though it may look like something small, I have seen decks play this pair of cards even outside Discard archetype. Just think of this as ten power for two energy. That sounds strong, right?

Hellcow may seem like something that could be problematic when we have just a few cards in hand because playing it might make us discard something we want to keep like Hela.

Nevertheless, if we remember the idea behind this iteration of Discard, we have many win conditions, and not playing Hellcow just to remove the possibility of discarding Hela is something we normally won’t do. We want to discard as many cards as possible, activate Apocalypse as much as possible, always keep our hand small for Dracula, and grow Morbius at every opportunity. This is why Hellcow shines in this deck.

Here, MODOK can certainly combo with Hela. However, including a larger number of cards that make it functional like Morbius, Swarm, Dracula, Apocalypse, and even Lockjaw, make it strong enough to play on Turn 5, even with Hela in our hand.

Payoff Core

Variants

Swarm

When this is discarded from your hand, add two copies that Cost 0 to your hand.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Swarm

Variants

Apocalypse

When you discard this from your hand, put it back with +4 Power.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Apocalypse

Some of our cards reward us for discarding them directly. Swarm is usually a way of playing a lot of power for free during the last turn thanks to MODOK, and if we already have some free copies in our hand thanks to Colleen Wing, playing four or more copies of it on Turn 6 is quite common.

The combination of Swarm + Lockjaw is something we have to aim for. In the same way, other archetypes play free cards like Wasp and Mjolnir on Lockjaw, so playing free Swarms enables us to have the same functionality as Evolved Lockjaw, and, sometimes, our payoff is even bigger. Using Lockjaw for triggering On Reveal effects more than once is one of this puppy’s tricks. In this case, finding our Discard effects are just as good as finding a big card.

Apocalypse is a card that Discard has stopped playing because of Spider-Ham. Even if our Apocalypse getting hit isn’t something we enjoy, I think it’s important to keep in mind that we won’t always have Spider-Ham on the other side of the board. And, more importantly, the card is just as likely to hit another one of our 6-Cost cards like The Infinaut, which benefits us.

The benefits of having Apocalypse and how strong it can be when nothing stands in our way seem relevant enough to me to keep using it in this archetype.

Trucks Core

Variants

America Chavez

Starts on the bottom of your deck. Draw this on turn 6.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with America Chavez

Variants

Magneto

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

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Magneto

Variants

The Infinaut

If you played a card last turn, you can’t play this.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with The Infinaut

Even if the options for these slots are vast, each of these cards has a strong reason for being here.

America Chavez gives us consistency. When a deck tries to find certain cards during the first five turns of the game, having this card gives us an extra 2% chance of finding each of them. Certainly something we can’t let pass when the rest of our cards are strongest when played on curve.

Magneto is a card that can win many games on its own. When someone tries to put as much power as possible on the board, they tend to prefer other options; however, in my opinion, this card has enough strength by itself to win if we play it on Turn 6, which is important enough to consider it over other options.

The Infinaut is a card that is making a comeback since Spider-Ham‘s release. Having cards that are better when Spider-Ham hits them is something that many decks are going for these days.

Apocalypse could be in this section too, but we already discuss it. Each of these cards is strong on its own, but finding them with Lockjaw, having them in our hand at the end of the game for Dracula, or just playing them normally makes for a solid combination of factors that play in our favor.

Card Substitutions

Variants

Invisible Woman

Ongoing: Cards you play here are not revealed until the game ends.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Invisible Woman

As I said before, I’m not against playing Invisible Woman with MODOK and Hela. The three cards together undoubtedly assemble one of the biggest combos of the game.

I don’t feel this card is necessary in this iteration of the archetype, though, since we don’t need to play it to maximize the efficiency of the combo.

Variants

Lady Sif

On Reveal: Discard the highest-cost card from your hand.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Lady Sif

Variants

Death

Costs 1 less for each card destroyed this game.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Death

I played many Hela iterations this weekend in search of the best list for this article, and in the end I came to the conclusion that the list presented is the best — even though the interaction between these two cards surprised me quite a bit.

Playing both cards allows us to discard Death with Lady Sif every time and conceal our Hela from the opponent.

Swapping Lady Sif for Hellcow and Death for any of the other trucks is totally viable option.

Variants

Captain Marvel

At the end of the game, move to a location that wins you the game. (If possible)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Captain Marvel

Variants

Giganto

You can only play this at the left location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Giganto

Playing Giganto instead of America Chavez or Magneto is something quite common. It’s not affected by Spider-Ham, it has two more power than Magneto, and some players don’t feel that America Chavez is mandatory. I prefer having Magneto because of how it can win on Turn 6 (even if we play it normally) thanks to its ability, and the extra 2% chance on our draws that America Chavez gives us is definitely not insignificant. Still, going with Giganto instead of either tends to give us similar results.

I’ve seen iterations of this archetype with Captain Marvel, too. Playing this card (or any other good card) that is a solid target for Lockjaw is acceptable. Cards like Doctor Doom, Vision, etc.

Variants

Ghost Rider

On Reveal: Bring back one of your discarded cards to this location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Ghost Rider

We can’t leave the trusty Ghost Rider unmentioned. It seems to me that a card that enables us a powerful turn and that is capable of winning a location by itself should not be ignored.

Variants

Blade

On Reveal: Discard the rightmost card from your hand.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Blade

Variants

Moon Knight

On Reveal: Discard a card from each player’s hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Moon Knight

Versions much more focused on hard and pure discard usually play these two cards.

Going that route is something that many Discards builds do, but, in a deck like this where we want to have a little more control during the early game by putting relevant cards on the board like Morbius, Lockjaw, and Dracula, I tend to prefer not to use them.

Other Ways to Build the Archetype

I’ve seen iterations of this Discard archetype with Lockjaw that have certainly produced good results.

If you want to explore your favorite cards a bit and see successful decks with them, visit MarvelSnap.pro and check the database via the Marvel Snap Tracker.

Fishou Hela

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

0

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

8x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Death HelaLock

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

0

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Ghost HelaLock

Created by Bohe

, updated 3 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

7.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Snap and Retreat

Thanks to the stability of this iteration of Discard, we can create more good moments to Snap besides having the MODOK + Hela combo.

• You can Snap on Turn 2 before playing Morbius if you have MODOK in your hand and another way to secure a location like Lockjaw or Dracula.
• The same principle is valid on Turn 3 before playing Lockjaw if you already played Colleen Wing to make Swarm copies in your hand.
• Snap at the beginning of Turn 4 if you are going to play Dracula and you have secured a powerful card for it to discard.
• Snap before playing MODOK if you have Morbius and Dracula in play and Apocalypse in your hand.
• Snapping after Spider-Ham hits The Infinaut makes our opponents Retreat most of the time. Do this if you have a favorable board.

Knowing when we are going to win two locations with this deck is easy. Consider Retreating if your opponent Snaps and you don’t fulfill any of the aforementioned scenarios (but Snap back if you do).

Locations

Good Locations

• Atlantis: Morbius and Dracula can win this location without many troubles.
• Kamar-Taj: Doubling our Discard effects can have amazing results.
• Quantum Realm: We can play very well with this location thanks to Lockjaw. The same goes for Quantum Tunnel.
• Sanctum Sanctorum: It’s important to say that this kind of restrictive location tends to be bad, but it can transform into something good if we direct our game towards the Hela combo.
• Sinister London: We have many cool interactions with this location.
• Sokovia: A location that punishes almost every other deck in the game besides us.
• The Big House: Thanks to Morbius and Lockjaw, playing a game with this location in play is favorable.

Bad locations

• Dream Dimension: Bad for MODOK, but not impossible to win a game with this location in play.
• Subterranea, Vibranium Mines, and Lechuguilla: We don’t like these locations with a Lockjaw deck.

Matchups

Bounce

This archetype is undoubtedly one of the most flexible in the meta. Despite this, it’s not a match up that I consider difficult; in fact, it seems quite winnable to me.

Playing Morbius and seeing it grow thanks to Colleen Wing and Hellcow forces them to take that location into account. Keeping this in mind allows us to know that when we MODOK, they are going to have to fight hard for that location, which leaves the other locations with fewer points.

Something similar happens with Dracula and Lockjaw. We can set up a late game point threat in all three locations at a level where the amount of points Bounce is capable of generating isn’t enough to cover all of our threats.

Also, it’s rare for this archetype to play Shang-Chi, and even when they do they would have to use it knowing that they can’t destroy many threats at once and that Dracula is immune.

As if that wasn’t enough, Magneto can move Bishop, throwing their plans totally off balance.

Evolved Lockjaw

This match certainly gets fun. It’s almost like playing a mirror match but with differently flavored decks.

We have a better early game than theirs thanks to Morbius and Colleen Wing, something that gives us priority and forces them to play reactively. We have an equally strong mid game and a late game where our Apocalypse (or Dracula) can match Evolved Hulk‘s power without much trouble.

Without a doubt, we have plenty of abilities to face this archetype; it’s just a matter of playing carefully and taking advantage of our better early game.

Sera Control

Of the four decks in this section, this archetype is probably the one that requires us to play the most carefully.

Enchantress can shut down Morbius, and the fact that Sera Control is currently playing Invisible Woman in their list makes Shang-Chi dangerous even to Dracula (depending on who has priority).

Apart from these two factors, the rest of their cards do not cause us much of a problem. If you have the aforementioned cards under control, you can move the game forward without many problems.

Like other decks with Bishop, we still have Magneto to move it and their other 3- and 4-Cost cards. Try to get the most out of it as possible.

Sera Surfer

Goose can be a bit annoying, but we can easily beat it with Morbius and/or Lockjaw + Swarm / Colleen Wing.

This archetype has been playing Rogue lately, and this can be a problem if they hit Morbius. Either way, while it does weaken Morbius, Rogue doesn’t gain much benefit from it. Just think about what can happen and play around it.

Beating Storm is also not usually a problem if we play Dracula or Morbius in that location. Even Lockjaw + Swarm could be enough. Just watch out for Juggernaut. Even if Storm + Juggernaut happens, you can aim for the Hela combo in case of emergency for putting points on the Flooded location.

Turn by Turn Breakdown

• Turn 1: Zzz…

• Turn 2: Morbius is the best play here, even if you have Colleen Wing + Swarm.

• Turn 3: Lockjaw should be played in a different location than Morbius. If you played Colleen Wing + Swarm, start using Swarm on Lockjaw this turn.

• Turn 4: If you played Morbius on Turn 2 and Lockjaw on Turn 3, playing Colleen Wing on Turn 4 is not bad at all. However, curving Morbius into Lockjaw into Dracula is preferred. With this setup, your possibilities for Turns 5 and 6 are immense. Now, if you don’t have Draculaor Colleen Wing, Hellcow is the plan. Most of the time, the best location to play Hellcow is where Lockjaw is.

• Turn 5: Our main goal should be playing MODOK without worrying about what we have in our hand (yes, that includes Hela). Keep in mind that, similarlto Jane Foster Mighty Thor in Evolved Lockjaw, eight points are relevant enough to consider not playing this card into Lockjaw.

• Turn 6: After having many set-up turns, we usually have many options here. Most of the time we are going to have an extra Swarm to play on Lockjaw‘s location, and Morbius can get even bigger thanks to Dracula‘s discard at the end of the game. Hela can also be an option depending on how the game went, and, finally, playing a 6-Cost card + feeding another to Dracula is usually how you seal the deal.

Closing Words

It was really fun working with Hela over the weekend on my streams. It became clear to me that, although the decks that seek to make big Hela combos work are possible, and although they are very fun, their consistency leaves much to be desired. In the end, even if they are playable, you have to have a lot of discipline to Retreat whenever the combo does not exist and play the game when you do have it available.

Unlike these versions, playing Hela Lockjaw certainly changes the paradigm and presents us with many more solid and consistent options. This is a deck that contains Hela rather than a Hela deck, and it can win more than one location without the need to combo.

I hope the article has been to your liking and you enjoy playing this deck! More importantly, I hope it allows you to achieve your goals within the game.

I remain attentive to the comments section, and do not hesitate to let me know your opinions in the Marvel Snap Zone Community Discord or my social networks. I’ll see you soon in a new article!

As always, dear readers, don’t forget to smile; I assure you it makes a difference.