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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
Meaningful changes to the game, especially as big as those that are expected to come on Thursday, can come with a little anxiety for those with a goal to achieve. Even more so if you are closing in on that goal and looking to get it done soon.
Indeed, building comfort on a deck isn’t always easy, nor is getting used to the popular decks in our micro-environment. As such, once we feel like we found the right balance and have all the ingredients to climb for real, an impactful balance change might be the last thing we wish to see.
Today, I’d like to address both sides of this situation. First, how to anticipate those changes, and maybe we’ll look at decks the decks that should remain the same after the changes. Indeed, there are plenty of under-the-radar decks that are extremely unlikely to get hit in the next balance patch, and those could be great for learning how to gain an edge over your competition come Thursday evening. Then, there is also the possibility of giving your climbing goal a real push before the changes and trying to cross the Infinite finish line before the OTA goes live, thus leading to some extra stress.
If you are afraid the metagame might drastically change in a few days and all your hard work is at risk, here are a few decks that should give you a great shot at adapting to the changes (or simply get across the finish line before they get here).
Shuri Should Remain a Marvel Snap Staple After the OTA
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Shuri already lost a power in the last OTA, which makes her an unlikely candidate for a second nerf in the upcoming balance patch. The deck is still just as good, which means it might deserve another nerf, but there are so many other valid targets around the metagame that the odds of Shuri Sauron taking a hit is very unlikely.
In addition to the relative safety of the deck staying pretty much the same, the current power level of Shuri Sauron is, honestly speaking, pretty damn good. The return of Shang-Chi has hurt the deck a bit, which might lead to some unpleasant loses. Still, apart from this risk when you don’t draw into Armor, Shuri Sauron can be summed up to a simple scheme right now:
- If you have Shuri or Sauron and the opponent didn’t show you their Elsa Bloodstone or Angela already, you can probably Snap.
- If you find the holy trinity of Armor, Sauron, and Shuri, you can probably Snap.
Overall, and similar to a lot of balance changes, Shuri appears to be a very solid pick both before and after the OTA.
C3r3bro Has All Kinds of Momentum
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Typically, reactive decks don’t do very well right after a balance patch. Indeed, when a large part of your game plan relies on countering what the opponent is trying to accomplish, it can be difficult to achieve that in a chaotic environment with everyone trying new decks.
However, C3r3bro has the advantage that isn’t trying to counter anything specific. Rather, it just packs so many cards that can interact with the opponent that you’re bound to find a useful one against whatever you’re currently facing. The trio of Shadow King, Killmonger, and Shang-Chi can seemingly work against a wide variety of opponents, and, contrary to other counter cards, the boost they receive from Cerebro makes them valid contributions to their location – even when they miss. There are also no card that is an apparent problem in the current metagame in its core. Mobius M. Mobius could take a hit, but the card is far from defining C3r3bro as a deck.
With that in mind, C3r3bro might be the perfect deck to invest in for players who enjoy that reactive play style, both before and after the OTA.
Discard Could Win Big with the OTA!
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Discard isn’t exactly at its best lately, especially the Dracula + Apocalypse deck. And that is exactly the reason why you have nothing to fear regarding a nerf to the deck.
Sure, it might be a gamble to run the deck before the OTA; the power level clearly isn’t on par with Loki Collector or Elsa Move currently (at least, when the draws do not align). On the other hand, the deck might be one of the easiest to pick up after the OTA since it relies on a unique synergy, and it easily duplicates its game plan against any kind of opponent.
Then, if you are looking for a simple deck to play right after the patch (while you let others do the testing), I would recommend Discard Dracula. It isn’t exactly the most exciting strategy, but we’re starting to run short on time to hit that Infinite rank.
A Simple Recipe for a Solid Deck Post OTA
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Many players like to pick decks they can be reassured about, most of the time with a proven track record in the current metagame. However, if the OTA is as impactful as we expect it to be, there might not be a metagame anymore, or, at least, one with a lot of room to explore. By impactful, it could only be the much desired nerf to Elsa Bloodstone, and that would already shake a large part of the metagame.
Then, similar to what we already discussed with C3r3bro, if you find a package of cards with enough points to win the game on its own, such as Iron Man, Onslaught, and The Living Tribunal, then you have plenty of space to pack counter cards to annoy a variety of opponents. Here, we have Armor for Destroy, Cosmo for Discard, and Wave for explosive decks. As an added bonus, none of these cards will actually derail your original game plan. They just give you something to do early, or an alternate plan for later in the match if you consider it to be a better option.
Sure, it might sound a little risky. You don’t really know what you are getting into after the OTA. Still, you can always rely on that late game combo if you aren’t sure your disruptive cards will do the trick. Plus, if many players decide to go for very synergistic decks (which can often be the case early after a meaningful balance adjustment), they might be easy to recognize and play against, giving even more value to your disruptive cards.
Closing Words
The current metagame is so centered around a particular synergy that it could take only one change in order to create a total mess: Elsa Bloodstone.
The card has been so good this month, Thanos, Loki, Bounce, Move and Sera are all building around it and trying to maximize its efficiency. As such, a change to the card could completely disrupt the power of most of the hottest decks in Marvel Snap. Let’s not also dismiss the possibility of Loki taking some sort of hit, as the namesake archetype always found ways to be at the top of the competitive standings ever since the card released.
There are decks that are not based around the card that could gain a big momentum boost if the latest Season Pass card was to be changed. Hela Tribunal, Shuri, and Destroy are among the rare synergies that have managed to stay relevant for the major part of October. However, even if those decks would no doubt be very good right after the OTA, they are also prone to being countered. I would even argue that part of their strength is the fact that there are much more dangerous decks to keep in mind.
I don’t know what will be in the next OTA, but if you’ve been reading this column regularly, you know I enjoy a chaotic metagame – especially after a weeks-long stale situation. I understand it’s not ideal so close to the end of the season for those who have a goal to achieve, but everyone’s comments on the current state of the game seems to suggest a necessary sacrifice to spark a new fire for a lot of Marvel Snap folks.
I’m curious to know everyone’s expectations regarding the upcoming OTA. To share your opinion, 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.
