Marvel Snap Balance OTA Analysis and New Decks to Play – January 15th

It is always tough to see an OTA and expect it to have little to no impact on the metagame. This is particularly annoying after the Christmas break, a long period with no updates meaning the metagame already unveiled most of its secrets.

This OTA is a solid one in my opinion, as I agree with all the changes in it. However, I doubt this will have much of an impact. Indeed, the nerf on Merlin is too light to change the power of its alliance with Werewolf By Night and Shou-Lao the Undying, while most of the buffs touch cards struggling so much they likely needed even more help.

Clea and Iron Lad feel like the best changes, as these two were close to competitive already. Zombie Galacti was a solid archetype before the OTA, so hopefully being mentioned will bring some light to an underrated synergy. There are plenty of things I want to try following this update. I’m just a little pessimistic regarding the state of the metagame once I have a look after the couple of days of testing are gone.

Marvel Snap January 15, 2026 OTA Card Balance Updates

Nerfs

Now a [2/2]

Merlin has been a top tier card in Marvel Snap for a long time. It was already great alongside Werewolf By Night but the arrival of Shou-Lao the Undying got it over the edge.

Losing a power will affect early priority while Red Guardian should be a more reliable way to cancel Merlin’s ability. However, this isn’t enough to make me stop playing Merlin in the current metagame. Buffs will have to be impactful in order to close the gap with the rest of the metagame.

Buffs

Now a [4/7]

A fantastic design but a disappointing result. Fantomex simply is too demanding, and too predictable due to its activate keyword. I doubt this will launch the Discard-Destroy synergy into a new gear, but it is a good buff nonetheless.

Now a [1/3]

Vulture is a good 1-cost already, but largely outshined by Batroc the Leaper, a much easier card to scale and build around.

Now a [2/4]

More power to a card we aim to create copies of is always a possible new way to snowball. This is a massive buff for players in the early stages of collecting cards. For those with most cards available, this is likely not enough, but could spark the return of Phoenix Force maybe?

Now a [4/5]

Fan Fei was so weak she could have become a [4/6]. Indeed, while her ability is solid, she is held back by her Activate keyword, making her much more predictable than Hellion or Heimdall.

Overall, these three changes target cards in need of some help. However, I feel like the Flexible Move deck will most likely remain unchanged.

Now a [1/3]

Maverick and Agony are a powerful duo at the moment, so buffing a card able to afflict negative power could have competitive repercussions. We’ll see if Clea finds a way to crawl back in the metagame, probably alongside Marvel Boy, but I like this buff even if nothing happens.

Now a [4/7]

Iron Lad is one of my favorite cards in the game, but its abilities lost some appeal over time. Not only disruptive cards typically aren’t good to copy, showing our next draw to our opponent could often be a downside. This buff should keep Iron Lad as a consideration for decks with many good targets, without the card being a must-include either.

Now a [3/4]

The card released way too low to be competitive considering the amount of strong 3-cost cards in Marvel Snap. If Second Dinner wants us to be interested in the premium pass, they had to buff Dragon of the Moon.

Now won’t pick Skill cards when chosing 6 targets at the start of the game.

The limitation didn’t stop me from playing Majestic Wingbeat with Zombie Galacti. This change makes the card even better in the deck, while other skills make sense to consider as well. Astral Projection doesn’t look so bad with the likes of Shuri or Gwenpool typically involved.

New Decks

That’s it for this OTA review. You can find everyone from the Marvel Snap Zone team in our community discord, alongside plenty of people to share your excitement about those changes.

Good Game Everyone!