Table of Contents
Looking for a sweet decklist to climb the Ladder? Every week, we scour the community for decks and highlight the interesting ones that reach the Infinite rank on the Marvel Snap ranked Ladder. We also provide commentary on each list, which allows us to discuss how the overall Marvel Snap metagame is developing and how these players took advantage of it.
Overview of the Week
For the average, casual Marvel Snap player, a patch as big as the OTA we got last Thursday already requires a lot of work in order to build some comfort on a new deck. When that is followed by another impactful balance patch that totally shakes all the reference points built over the last few weeks, Marvel Snap can immediately become very puzzling.
We have already seen many archetypes rise and start forming what should be the core of the next metagame. Still, even if we can rely on decks like Thanos Control, Good Cards Darkhawk, Loki, and a few others, some players have decided to see this huge shake up in the Marvel Snap environment as an opportunity to give their own ideas a shot (and have climbed to the Infinite rank in doing so).
These decks are far from the expected archetypes that are drawing a lot of attention, and they feature counter cards as well. Let’s take a look at how creativity can be so important to keep grinding those ranks.
If you just can’t seem to find a deck suited to your play style in the current metagame, this is the perfect read for you!
Combine Strong Synergies!
den
When a lot of decks don’t make sense anymore (or too many do), it can be difficult to settle on twelve precise cards to build your deck. However, if you start with a proven group of cards instead of from scratch, then the puzzle is much easier to assemble.
For example, K4T4N4 mixed together the Darkhawk synergy and the Ongoing package with Onslaught and Iron Man (a little different from the Hela Tribunal deck thanks to some extra space). I might have liked to see a Cosmo or some sort of protection against Rogue and Enchantress, but I can’t fault the overall logic here.
We have a solid base with Darkhawk, which has proven to be solid since the OTA last week, and an Ongoing synergy that can beat anyone else on points when you draw the right cards. Sure, the two don’t add up to a super flexible deck, and the only way this deck will win is through beating its opponents the good old-fashioned way.
However, when you don’t really know what the trends are so soon after a balance patch, you still need to come up with a game plan. Then, the reasonable thing to do is to capitalize on points, which is what Marvel Snap asks from you in order to win games.
Once the metagame settles a bit more and you start noticing trends, you can always adapt your deck, or even pick up a new one.
Call an Old Friend!
den
A big shake up is the perfect time to give an archetype you have not been able to enjoy for a while a shot. First, you might catch a couple of opponents off guard since they are not expecting to face the deck, or, even worse, think it’s still in a bad place now. Then, you might also have found the perfect comfort pick that nobody else thought about, which means you have an almost refined deck that you already know how to pilot. In Dave_Woodland’s case, that deck was Silver Surfer (with a bit of spice added with Snowguard in the deck).
Silver Surfer and Snowguard never really met in the same metagame since the latter started creating 3-Cost cards. Now reunited, the 1-Cost gives the deck even more location flexibility in addition to Storm, and it guarantees you enough resources to play after Sera on Turn 6. The synergy with Killmonger might be a little annoying, but, considering Brood and Absorbing Man require a lot of space to work together, it might actually help with being flexible at times.
I have not yet had time to test the Sera Surfer archetype since the patch happened, but this one definitely piqued my curiosity.
Explore That Idea You Had a While Back!
den
The Move synergy seems to have taken a big step back with the nerfs to Elsa Bloodstone and Angela recently, which have clearly lowered the deck’s ability to score as many points as it did in the past. So far, the duo remains popular inside the Move archetype, but the archetype itself is much more discreet than it was for the first half of October. With that in mind, it might be a good idea to explore different support card packages for the move synergies, just like radbrowndads did to reach the Infinite rank.
Sentinel is probably the weirdest card to think about in a Move deck, but it seems to be a great ally for Werewolf By Night because you will always have an On Reveal ability in hand to play and move the new card.
Then, I’m a little curious about Professor X. I imagine it’s pretty useful to stop Werewolf By Night from moving anymore so it doesn’t come to Alioth‘s location on Turn 6. You typically play that card with priority on a location where you are already ahead anyway.
Lastly, Jean Grey is also a curiosity in this deck; I would guess that you want the freedom to play your On Reveal cards in different places, rather than being forced to start in the same location every turn.
There is a lot to unpack from this deck, as the Move core is surrounded by plenty of different little pieces. It looks like a very fun deck to explore for someone who doesn’t like to do the same thing every single game.
Trust the Developers!
den
The last patch has caused some controversy – especially on social media – with the most recurring complaint about how strong Loki is, and how that card is still way too strong and ruining the game experience of many.
However, no one is talking about Ravonna Renslayer finally being a playable card after its change; now we are finally able to build decks around her. Once again, we can see how Darkhawk is a comfort pick for many players, and it benefits from Ravonna’s discount as well.
The rest of the deck appears to be centered around the new card, Werewolf By Night, with various On Reveal cards from different horizons. From the look of it, the concept here looks like relying on Darkhawk and Werewolf By Night for the bulk of your points, and then you can use the other strategies in order to complement these two or disrupt your opponent.
Closing Words
Already, we can see trends starting to develop in Marvel Snap following the patch. They are clearest in the higher ranks, or among those playing the game a lot, since opinions tend to be formed really fast and the best decks are figured out in a hurry.
However, the ranks leading up to the Infinite floor, especially as we loom towards the end of the season, can take much longer to settle in, which prevents targeting strategies from being a real opportunity to rack up Cubes. With this in mind, being able to build your own deck (or at least assemble one with a logical reasoning behind it, even if you use proven synergies from other decks) will go a long way into bouncing back after a patch.
Also, remember that you do not have to Snap often or even play the mode you are trying to reach a certain goal in if you aren’t feeling ready for it yet. It is completely reasonable to play it safe, or test a few ideas in Conquest, or even look at some streams playing in similar ranks as yours to gather information instead of jumping back onto a ranked mode that you don’t feel good about.
I know we are getting close to the season’s end, and you might feel like time is running out, but quality will always beat quantity. Especially when the information can’t be one hundred percent trusted due to recent changes. I’m sure you can do it, so I’m wishing you the best for these last few days of Ladder climbing.
To reach out, find me on the Marvel Snap Zone community Discord, or follow my Twitter page where I share decks and biased opinions about the game.
Good Game Everyone.
