Table of Contents
Since the release of Iron Lad, the card has been tested in various archetypes, from decks with the Darkhawk core to decks with plenty of On Reveal effects. Every idea was part of the process, but, after a few weeks, it became clear that there was no better home for Iron Lad than a Patriot deck.
The most interesting thing is that since this archetype was discovered, it has evolved little by little into the refined version that I will share with you today.
I think it doesn’t rank higher in our latest Meta Tier List because the build I’m going to present in this article isn’t the most popular, and most of us who can play this archetype may end up using sub-optimal builds. But let me assure you, dear readers, the list below is by far the best, and it can go head to head with any competitive archetype in the current meta.
Iron Patriot
Created by 
Bohe
Bohe, updated 10 months ago
2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)
2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)
5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)
1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)
1x Recruit Season
1x Starter Card
3.6
Cost
3
Power
The small differences are tremendously noticeable when playing this iteration of the archetype. Thanks to our Marvel Snap Tracker, I can compare the stats with other versions of the deck. It becomes clear that certain things work much better than others (which I will explain throughout this article).
Concept and Strategy
The general idea of any Patriot deck (we have a guide for Classic Patriot) revolves around having cards on the board with no abilities so we can add two power to each one with Patriot‘s effect.
In this build, we include cards that follow the original plan (Wasp, Mister Sinister, Brood, Blue Marvel, and Onslaught), and we also have six cards that make this archetype something special.
Invisible Woman not only allows us to protect Patriot and Blue Marvel from cards that could steal or shut down their abilities, it also allows us to be much more flexible and responsive with Killmonger and Shang-Chi since it enables us to use them as effectively as possible.
Doctor Doom is still a tremendously solid card, and being able to buff the Doombots with Patriot and Blue Marvel makes it an even better Turn 6 play. If the Doombots were too strong at five power, imagine them when Patriot is on the field buffing them to six or more.
Iron Man is a card that some prefer not to use in this deck, but it’s able to gain a location in combination with Onslaught 99% of the time. Not including it seems like a mistake to me.
As for Iron Lad, I’ll go into more depth in the next section, but it’s basically because of him that this combination of cards is tremendously powerful. This is a deck that feels like one of the best midrange decks in the game with added flexibility and combos that can overwhelm any opponent.
Core Cards
Swarm Core
Mister Sinister
On Reveal: Add a Sinister Clone here with the same Power.
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Decks with Mister Sinister
Doctor Doom
On Reveal: Add a 5-Power DoomBot to each other location.
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Decks with Doctor Doom
The first two cards work great in this list. By themselves, they provide a good amount of points with just Patriot on the field. Mister Sinister is a virtual [2|6] while Brood is a virtual [3|10].
Sometimes we do not notice these points conversions since we tend to isolate the cards, but when we are going to have any card from our deck in at least 75% of the games, evaluating them together is the right thing to do.
If any of these cards are on top of the deck, Iron Lad generates copies of itself (two and three of them, respectively), generating 12 or 18 points. If we add Patriot to the equation, we bump those numbers to 14 or 22 points, which is more than enough to win a lane without much effort.
Doctor Doom is still a solid card. Just like Mister Sinister and Brood, copying his ability with Iron Lad is very strong. The combination is so powerful that, if that happens, playing Iron Lad into Doctor Doom means we are going to have two locations with eight points and one with eleven for the price of two cards.
Wasp isn’t exactly a card that generates multiple cards on the board, but it does help us put power wherever it’s needed without spending energy (and fill a lane when necessary). Playing her in Patriot seems mandatory to me. Second Dinner already nerfed Evolved Wasp for being too strong, but the regular Wasp is a 0/3 with Patriot on the field — which makes her technically the same as Evolved Wasp. If we add to this the fact that sometimes it manages to be a 0/7 in the best scenarios, thinking about playing any other vanilla card seems to be a less-than-relevant idea in most cases.
Protective and Reactive Core
Invisible Woman
Ongoing: Cards you play here are not revealed until the game ends.
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Decks with Invisible Woman
Shang-Chi
On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards here that have 10 or more Power.
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Decks with Shang-Chi
While it might seem counterintuitive to play these types of cards in a Patriot deck instead of going all-in, we’re able to play them because Iron Lad allows us to replicate powerful effects during the mid game that opens opportunities to play cards as a reaction to our opponent’s plan.
Invisible Woman has gained a lot of popularity in recent weeks, and it’s certainly a formidable card. She protects our combos and Ongoing effects, allows us to play Killmonger and Shang-Chi effectively whether we have the priority or not, and, if that wasn’t enough, makes it unclear to the opponent what point sum they’re up against until it is too late.
Ongoing Core
Patriot is the soul of the deck, but the configuration of this list has enough resources to play any game even when we don’t draw him. Thanks to the redundancy Blue Marvel gives us, we can always keep the plan consistent.
Iron Man has quite a powerful effect — the card is a [5|0] for a reason. In this deck, it shines thanks to not being restricted to Onslaught‘s combo, and getting its effect early with Iron Lad puts us in a strong position going into the last two turns of the game.
Playing Iron Man naturally on Turn 5 is still strong, though. We can play him on locations where it seems that is not relevant, and then reveal Patriot or Blue Marvel during the last turn adds an unexpected amount of points that usually takes any opponent by surprise.
I’ve saved the best for the end. Let’s explain Iron Lad‘s interactions one by one:
- If we reveal Wasp, Iron Lad will become a [4|6] with no abilities. That would give him the Patriot buff.
- With Mister Sinister and Brood, we will spawn copies of Iron Lad that will have no abilities, also getting the Patriot buff.
- Copying Invisible Woman on Turn 4 will be useful for the next two turns because we can hide many relevant cards.
- Double Killmonger or Shang-Chi are much more useful than they seem. Playing with this possibility in mind allows us to always position Iron Lad in the most suitable lane.
- If Iron Lad‘s ability copies Patriot or Blue Marvel, the absence of Mystique is somewhat imperceptible.
- Lastly, with Doctor Doom and Onslaught, we can copy some extremely strong effects two turns sooner than they should be on the board. Being able to do this and repeat them on Turn 6 is, in most cases, a win for us.
As you can see, the reason this list is the best is because each card is good on its own and copying any of them with Iron Lad makes them even better, especially when Iron Lad doesn’t have any targets that he can’t take advantage of.
Cards Substitutions
Ultron
On Reveal: Deploy four 1-Power Drones to each other location.
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Decks with Ultron
Two of the most common cards in the archetype. Both have strong reasons for not being on my list.
Shocker generates more power than Wasp, but it costs two energy. Ultron gives us a powerful last turn, and it allows us to enter closed locations (and having Patriot is enough to make the Drones relevant); however, Iron Lad copying its ability and filling our lanes on Turn 4 is something I want to avoid at all costs — even if it has a very small chance of happening.
Both cards are valid options. If you wanted to play them, I would change Wasp for Shocker and Doctor Doom for Ultron.
Mystique
On Reveal: If the last card you played has an Ongoing, copy its text. (if it’s in play)
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Decks with Mystique
Something similar to Ultron happens with Mystique.
She’s incredibly good with Patriot, Blue Marvel, and Iron Man, but the success of this list revolves around avoiding situations where Iron Lad does not create value. If I thought about playing this card, I would replace Iron Man or Killmonger.
Shadow King
On Reveal: Set all cards here to their base Power.
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Decks with Shadow King
Super-Skrull
Ongoing: Has the Ongoing effects of all enemy cards.
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Decks with Super-Skrull
Debrii
On Reveal: Add a Rock to each other location, for both players.
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Decks with Debrii
Other tech cards can be played in this list without a problem.
Shadow King can occupy the Killmonger or Shang-Chi slot if you want a better chance against Bounce or Shuri.
Super-Skrull was a star during the Patriot meta where mirror matches were all over the place. It’s a very good idea if you expect to face cards like Darkhawk, Devil Dinosaur, Ronan the Accuser, or even another Patriot.
Debrii is amazing against Galactus, and it has some applications against other decks where filling their locations makes them stumble. You can play her instead of any of our other tech cards.
Mysterio
As you play this, play Illusions to other locations. Disguise this as an Illusion until the game ends.
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Decks with Mysterio
An interesting option that used to be a staple in the classic Patriot lists.
While copying its ability with Iron Lad makes the opponent know which one is real, having Patriot on the board makes Iron Lad a virtual [4|10] with no drawbacks.
Other Ways to Build the Archetype
Patriot Tech
Created by Bohe
Bohe, updated 10 months ago
2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)
2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)
6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)
1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)
1x Recruit Season
3.3
Cost
3.4
Power
Perfectly configured to win games vs Bounce while maintaining stability in our plan and against other archetypes.
Iron Ultron
Created by Bohe
Bohe, updated 10 months ago
1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)
2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)
7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)
1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)
1x Recruit Season
3.4
Cost
3.1
Power
An iteration with Ultron. To add an extra 6-Cost card, take out Onslaught to make room. This makes running Iron Man less relevant, so we can fill that slot with Mystique and enable us doubling at least one of our Ongoing effects (and make Ultron‘s ability stronger at the same time).
Playing Killmonger and Ultron may seem anti-synergistic, but having tools for Bounce is always a good idea. We can control this without affecting our game plan, or just go with Shadow King over Killmonger.
Iron Dazzling Silveriot
Created by Bohe
Bohe, updated 10 months ago
1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)
1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)
7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)
1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)
2x Starter Card
2.8
Cost
2.3
Power
A most curious mixture. This idea has already been explored in the heyday of Silver Surfer. Now, thanks to the recent buff to Dazzler and how effective Iron Patriot is in combination with all these cards, it makes this idea something that has been paying off as a Silent Performer.
Snap and Retreat
Snapping and Retreating correctly with this deck requires a lot of attention during games.
- Snapping on Turn 2 requires one of two perfect hands: Invisible Woman for Patriot + at least two cards that can gain power with Patriot OR Mister Sinister into Brood with Patriot in hand.
- You can Snap on Turn 3 if you manage to develop the game with the cards mentioned above, there are no disadvantageous locations, and you have Iron Lad in your hand.
- Turn 4 is usually transitional. You can Snap before playing Iron Lad if, after analyzing the cards you’ve played and the cards you have in hand, all the possible targets for Iron Lad give you a considerable advantage.
- Snapping on Turn 5 is an art. If Iron Lad put us ahead by a lot, doing so tends to make the opponent Retreat. That’s why sometimes it’s better to go for two cubes. Now, if Iron Lad hit a relevant target that doesn’t put the game completely in our favor, we can Snap before playing Iron Man or Blue Marvel. Only do this if either of these two cards set you up to win the game with ease.
We can Retreat as long as we do not meet any of these conditions. I’m not a fan of Snapping on Turn 6, but we can do it (or return an opponent’s Snap) if Doctor Doom or Onslaught will give us the victory.
Locations
Good Locations
- Altar of Death: Any location with this kind of effect is good for Mister Sinister and Brood.
- Bar Sinister: Patriot here is more than enough.
- Dark Dimension: Having a location that works as Invisible Woman is good for us.
- Kamar-Taj: Very good for Doctor Doom, Mister Sinister, and Brood.
- Kyln, Sanctum Sanctorum: These and any other restrictive locations are not a problem for us.
- Mojoworld: We can fill this location with ease.
- Quantum Realm: Many of our cards can be played here without any worry.
- Onslaught's Citadel: Amazing for our Ongoing effects.
- Gamma Lab: We can make multiple Hulks and win this lane if our opponent doesn’t play Shang-Chi.
- The Raft, White Hot Room: We can fill this and similar locations faster than almost any other deck.
Bad Locations
- Dream Dimension: Blocks Iron Man and Blue Marvel.
- Negative Zone: Winning a location with just one card is not our strong suit.
- Isle of Silence: This shoots down many of our cards.
- The Space Throne: Same as Negative Zone. “One card” locations are not ideal.
Matchups
Bounce
We are prepared! Killmonger is in our deck specifically to take care of Kitty Pryde. Thanks to Invisible Woman, we can make it work 100% of the time. Killmonger also removes Bast, Spider-Ham, Iceman, and all Demons from the board.
If we don’t draw Killmonger, Shang-Chi fills a similar role by taking out Kitty Pryde as well as Hit Monkey, Bishop, and Angela.
They can have a lot of power in two lanes, but, whether we have the answers or not, we are capable of competing on all three locations at once, which will almost always give us one lane. Decide carefully which will be the lane you leave with the most points.
Winning an uncontested location with few points and another with the Iron Man + Onslaught combo is common.
Sera Control
Due to the similarity between Sera Control and Bounce, our tech cards work very effectively in both match ups.
One big advantage is that their Shang-Chi and Killmonger don’t usually give us any trouble.
Protecting our Ongoing effects from Rogue and Enchantress with Invisible Woman is mandatory. Try to split them up between lanes to force our opponent to make a decision.
Silver Surfer
Of the three decks mentioned in this section, Silver Surfer is the most even match up — but we can win if we play wisely.
Goose can block several of our cards, but beating it by playing Mister Sinister or Brood in the same lane is our best bet.
Storm doesn’t cause us much of a problem because, just as with Goose, we can put a lot of power in the lane in a single turn (or add some Doombots later thanks to Doctor Doom).
Shadow King is also not a problem since he reduces cards to their base power and does not affect buffs from Ongoing effects.
If it seems like a careful pairing to me, it’s because they can easily play on three lanes too. We can do the same, but it will be an even match up and winning will depend on us playing properly.
Turn by Turn Breakdown
- Turn 1: Press “End Turn”.
- Turn 2: Deciding between Mister Sinister and Invisible Woman will depend on whether you have Patriot or Killmonger in hand. In case you have either of these two cards, you can opt for Invisible Woman, but, if not, Mister Sinister is the default play.
- Turn 3: As a result of what happened on Turn 2, we can play Patriot or Killmonger behind Invisible Woman or play Brood. We will always prefer the latter in case we do not have Invisible Woman. Playing Patriot after playing Mister Sinister isn’t bad, but it’s our last resort.
- Turn 4: Iron Lad is our best play. When we haven’t drawn the Lad, we can make a combination of the plays indicated in the previous turns or play Shang-Chi behind Invisible Woman.
- Turn 5: Choosing between Iron Man and Blue Marvel will depend on our field and hand. If the field is quite developed (or you can add three or more bodies to the field on Turn 6), Blue Marvel is preferable. We will use Iron Man to win a location safely if we have Onslaught in hand or if it enables a surprise Turn 6 play with Patriot in our hand.
- Turn 6: The options for the final turn are more than we can see with the naked eye. Doctor Doom is the choice if we have Patriot on the field because it allow us to win two lanes. Onslaught is our choice if it’s going to be played over Iron Man and we’re sure we already won another lane, or if playing it over Patriot and/or Blue Marvel ensures two lanes at once. Playing Killmonger or Shang-Chi behind Invisible Woman during the last turn is also valuable.
Closing Words
Many may be surprised to see this deck in Tier 2. I think the reason it’s not in Tier 1 is that the options available while building the deck make small variations with a big impact to the overall stats. This causes players to lose games due to uncontrollable factors that are entirely avoidable by playing the list I have presented in this article.
I think that if this iteration of the archetype became more popular it would start to climb up the Tier List because it has the adaptability to take on any deck and the strength to win whether we fulfill the Patriot plan or not. As I’ve always said, flexibility is key in Marvel Snap.
I want to thank you, dear readers, for all the support. Let me know if you liked this guide and what deck you want me to work on next in the Marvel Snap Community Discord, on my Twitter, or in the comments section of this article.
See you soon in our next article! Until then, don’t forget to smile; it certainly makes a difference.
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Bohe
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