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Right after a patch, separating the good decks from the bad ones shared on social media can quickly become confusing. In the end, even if most popular content creators are seasoned veterans (and their opinions are often worth considering when making up your mind about the metagame), the context can be widely different.
I’ll use myself as an example. I share a deck on Twitter every day, decks that I think have merit in the current metagame or during specific events in Marvel Snap. But I can’t guarantee the deck will work for everyone for several reasons. First of all, we do not play at the same rank, or at the same Collection Level. Second, play style, experience, and even something as simple as comfort can play a role in the performance I had with the deck, and that doesn’t always equate to how it will do for you.
This is the reason I like Infinite Decks of the Week right after a balance patch; it just aims to share various decks that have had success, and there is only one metric – they reached the Infinite rank.
Sure, the same Collection Level and MMR consideration can be taken into account. Still, we can at least confirm these decks have been climbing, and usually in the most competitive ranks on the Marvel Snap ladder. They might end up being short-lived archetypes that only managed to abuse the chaos that typically happens after a balance patch. Or you could have the next deck to reach Tier 1 in the forming metagame.
Speaking of this new metagame, it seems like Electro Ramp is the deck to beat right now. In addition to the deck feeling very strong in the current environment, the archetype got a nice boost with Leader being playable again. Also, Jeff the Baby Land Shark is a great inclusion in the deck as it allows you to bypass the restrictions from Electro, Sandman, and Ebony Maw.
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The deck isn’t one of our Infinite inductees this week, but many are claiming it to be the new king of Marvel Snap. Until we know more about the deck (and explain it all in our next Tier List), here are the decks that completed the climb this week!
Silver Surfer rises as the new Sera archetype
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With Sandman and Wave ruling the early metagame, Sera Control has taken a big hit to its competitive ability. Indeed, trying to save resources for the final turn isn’t something you want as your primary game plan right now. Silver Surfer remains weak to these popular disruption cards, but the deck is able to play much more proactively than a Sera Control build.
Iceman is a card that has been mentioned several times as a worthy consideration in the current metagame because most of the top decks rely on playing their cards on specific turns. I could easily see the card replace Nova in this deck if you face a lot of up-tempo strategies. As for the other cards in the deck, Silver Surfer has always been rather flexible with the 3-costs it includes. Cosmo, Rogue, and other similar tech cards could be good to consider depending on the archetypes you play against the most.
Can Galactus benefit from this metagame shift?
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Among the archetypes most happy to see Leech gone from the top decks in Marvel Snap is Galactus. This particular deck reached Infinite a little before the patch was released, but the creator was kind enough to write a detailed guide on it so I included it for everyone to read.
Also, Ziemo has a unique way of looking at the Galactus archetype, which they kindly accepted to share in a long discord message. They focus a lot on the Snap and Retreat mechanic around the deck, leading to a build that isn’t trying to win the game so much as make the opponent believe they are going to lose it. Here’s their full explanation:
“The problem with Galactus decks is this: you either got countered easily because it’s obvious early on what’s going on, or if you have the perfect hand, the opponent retreats. This deck operates on making your opponent retreat most of the time, as gambling that you have the right hand is easy with Daredevil and Kang. Your focus is going to be making the opponent retreat rather than winning the 6th round.
Due to the changes to the Leech I suggest adding Hobgoblin instead of Leech.
How to play round by round:
- 1. Yondu
- 2. Daredevil (on the same lane that Yondu). We are not trying to hide we’re playing Galactus
- 3. Wave vs Electro -> Always play Electro unless you have Spider-Man and Galactus on your hand. Play Wave if you don’t have Electro and have a good 5 or 6 drop (Doctor Octopus, Leech/Hobgoblin, Galactus, Knull). Still play on the same lane as other cards
- 4. If you played Wave or Electro – drop your 5/6 card. Doctor Octopus is hard to play as it requires knowledge on what opponent could have. Try to break his gameplay as much as you can. Preferably play him on the lane with your other cards unless he has 3 or more cards there. You can play Hobgoblin on the weakest lane. If you still don’t have Galactus, you can already gamble with Kang here (snap and play Kang on the lane that your opponent will not put Cosmo on). If you still didn’t draw Galactus – retreat if opponent snaps. If you have Galactus and played Wave – play Galactus.
- 5. Snapping time. If you have Daredevil in play and Kang on hand – always snap after your opponent plays his card (unless you are very certain that you win, then don’t). This is the moment your opponent will most likely retreat and if he doesnt – you can rewind the turn. If you have Galactus – it is important to decide where to play him. If you have Knull – play Galactus on the lane that doesn’t have cards so you can destroy the most, but try to give priority to the opponent. If you dont have Knull – play Galactus on the most empty lane. Always try to play Kang before Galactus to be sure.
- 6. Either finish with Knull, America Chavez, Shang-Chi or retreat.
When to snap:
- Always snap before playing Kang. It gives you chance that your opponent retreats
- If you have Galactus, Wave and Spider-Man early on it is fairly safe to snap
- If you checked your opponent with Kang and know they cannot break your Galactus combo
- You can still try to gamble snapping on turn 5 if you have Daredevil in play (even if you don’t have Kang and good hand). If the game is even and your opponent thinks you have Galactus combo – the chance they retreat is high.
More detailed guide is outlined below:
Patriot among the early front runners!
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Patriot was expected to rise with the patch as even before April 18th it started to make a comeback since it was able to rival Shuri Zero for points. After the patch, the deck kept its position as a strong metagame contender, especially thanks to Ultron – a great card to play when Sandman or Wave limit your possibilities.
From the lists I have seen around the community, it seems like the more traditional build of Patriot has been the default choice. My guess is Shuri Zero has lost enough popularity for the Hybrid Patriot build to lose its appeal (and the flexibility is no longer required). Instead, being able to develop a lot of points seems more beneficial.
Patriot is also the only archetype where I have seen Leech make an appearance. It might just be because lists have not adapted so much, or maybe Leech is still great in the deck. I could imagine cancelling the opposing Ultron on Turn 6 to be a great power play in the mirror match. We’ll keep you posted on this one!
Closing Words
There are other decks to consider, of course, such as Thanos Lockjaw. That deck is undergoing a bit of a rework while it decides which synergy to try to abuse around the duo. DoomWave is listed as the best performing deck alongside Electro Ramp in many discussions and stats, but it isn’t shared as much as the Sandman deck is. I am also quite curious about the return of Enchantress if Patriot keeps going strong – and as a Sandman counter as well.
Overall, I would say the metagame is still one to figure out, even if the early contenders are already looking very solid. When it comes to the Infinite grind, then, there are several options to consider, and most play styles can be rewarded. Still, it is probably better to account for some disruption going into Turn 5. Nevertheless, a sound Snap and Retreat strategy remains the most important component of the climb.
In a few days, we will have much more precise information about the metagame, and we will be ready to share it for the return of our Tier List. Until then, I hope you have a lot of fun in this new Marvel Snap patch. To discuss this article, or anything Marvel Snap related, feel free to join us on discord or follow me on Twitter. Also, I will be casting a pretty big tournament in Switzerland on Saturday, April 22nd; it should be the perfect place to find out what the metagame looks like. You can find all the information here.
Good Game Everyone.
