Infinite Decks of the Week – January 7, 2023: Early Savage Land Season Push!

The Savage Land Season is still brand new, but already, a few players have completed the grind to reach the Infinite rank. For this first instalment of Infinite Decks of 2023, we shall focus on how to grind the ladder, and rack up 300 cubes in a short amount of time. So, before we dive into the decks these racers have used, let’s discuss what it means to reach infinite in two or three days time.

Even if you would have an insane cube rate, which these players probably did, reaching Infinite represents quite some time. For example, if you would manage to hit a 2 cubes per game ratio, 150 games are needed, which at about 5 minutes per game, represent about seven and a half hour for the full climb. Arguably, this is achievable over a day, and one could say it’s less than three hours per day of play, nothing crazy right?

However, what is important to consider is the focus you need during these games, as you probably are playing a lot of high stakes games, snapping or being snapped against in many games. So we are not talking about seven hours of chill play of Marvel Snap and trying various cards around in your deck like most of us do. You need to hit a list you are happy with quickly, play sharp for several hours, and accept to stay in high stakes game often.

As a result, this week will be about decks that found a way to abuse the early metagame in Savage Land, either being surprising enough to draw some unadvised snaps from the opponent, or solid enough to rack up wins and achieve an impressive win rate.

So what are the players who achieved such a feat, and what decks did they use?

Omega Red, out of nowhere

Omega Red Infinite

5

1x Collection Level 1-14

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

3.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

In the Zabu theorycraft piece, I joked about the fact that Zabu could make Omega Red a good enough card to be back in the discussion. Well, Malignant_Sin did one better, he actually took Omega Red, and cruised to the Infinite rank with it. But the twist to it, is that they didn’t use Zabu at all, instead relying on the more known build around the card.

For those who never heard about this discreet archetype, the goal is to dominate the lane with Omega Red on it in order to trigger its Ongoing ability. With cards like Iron Man, Onslaught or Mystique in the deck, it is usually quite easy to win the lane when things go right. The trick is to win it by a big enough margin in order to trigger Omega Red, which should win the second lane in the process.

With Zabu logically being very popular in the first days, Enchantress was much more popular as a result, so I am curious how did the deck perform, and if Enchantress was a problem at all during the climb.

If we take Enchantress out of the equation though, this kind of deck should be surprising to its opponent, considering it is a very niche archetype. A perfect way of getting away with snapping, as the opponent can’t really figure out why are we snapping in the first place.

Zabu Darkhawk, the new dominant duo?

Infinite Zabu

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

If a lot of us got Zabu, not that many were lucky enough to find Darkhawk yet. And while you might have caught me on Twitter sharing Zabu Control builds, Darkhawk definitely feels like the current best way to go when it comes to abusing the new Season Pass card. The final build is still up in the air as we speak, with many players sharing their take on the archetype.

In his climb to Infinite, Alonso Arrieta Cervante had some interesting inclusions in his deck, particularly Yellowjacket and Adam Warlock. While the latter is often associated with Bast, another Series 5 cards, trying to include more draw in a Zabu deck makes a lot of sense. Indeed, with six 4-Cost cards in the deck, it can be night and day depending on whether we draw Zabu or not. This was the first I saw Adam Warlock paired with Zabu, but it might be another card to consider for the future.

Another exciting debate around Zabu is whether we want to play Crystal in the deck. Personally, I am an America Chavez kind of guy when it comes to reliability, as I’m looking to play Zabu on turn three rather than five. Yet, Crystal allows dumping our hand if we actually found Zabu already and get a refill. In that sense, the card is definitely contributing in more ways than America Chavez.

Also, in this more combo-oriented deck, it isn’t just about Zabu, but about using it to get shenanigans going around Darkhawk, so playing Zabu on turn five can still be very valuable. As long as it opens the signature Darkhawk plus Rockslide on turn six, it could be enough to fight for two lanes.

It didn’t feel worth a full writeup for another Zabu deck, but Shuri is the other card that is currently looking bonkers with the jungle cat. As Neil Greenberg shows on their climb to the Infinite rank.

Good Cards doing good things on the road to Infinite

Good Cards Infinite

Created by den

, updated 5 months ago

2

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

5x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Creativity is a great trait in Marvel Snap, I keep saying it week after week. But a solid deck will be a solid deck, and should lead to a good win rate, especially in a field where a lot of players are trying new builds. So obviously, the Good Cards archetype doesn’t have the spice that the other two decks brought to the table, but no matter the deck, reaching Infinite in the first days of the season is something.

The two cards catching my eye in this particular build are Shang-Chi and Magneto. The first card seems to make sense against two of Zabu best friends, Shuri and Darkhawk, both leading to 9+ power cards. Magneto, on the other end, seems great in the Zabu meta, as it allows moving a lot of the opposing cards around, repositioning the power on their lanes efficiently.

It looks like we will see more of the Good Cards archetype in the coming season, as the deck doesn’t seem to have lost a step going into 2023. Maybe once the other decks are more refined, we could see the popularity of the most popular archetype in the game drop. Until then, this looks like the good old reliable deck for someone who doesn’t know how to separate from the pack during the crazy first week of a season.

Closing Words

Although there isn’t really a reason to rush to the Infinite rank, and most of us usually rank up while trying different decks, making it so fast is impressive, so kudos to these players. Obviously, I have a fondness for unexpected archetypes, and creative ideas leading to well-deserved cubes, and this is what I am looking for week after week in this series. Nevertheless, even if it is with an expected deck like the Good Cards archetype, there is innovation to be found everywhere, and the level of play and focus needed to complete the climb so quickly is impressive enough in itself.

Next week, we should explore more refined archetypes, and look at how players are adapting to the forming metagame with the expected balance changes as well. Zabu feels like a nice shakeup so far, and I can’t wait to see who wins the battle of the archetypes between Shuri and Darkhawk.

Also, I was personally a bit disappointed in the announced Series 5 cards for January, so I’m curious to see if anyone had found some upside to them and includes Sauron in their build.

Want to be featured on this series? Make sure to tag me on Twitter (@den_CCG) or join our Discord to share your build!

Happy New Year, and Good Game Everyone!