Marvel Snap Balance OTA Analysis and New Decks to Play: Setting back the clock.

Marvel Snap September 25, 2025 OTA Card Balance Updates

Reverts

Shadow King was still played, largely due to how good Move has been over the past two weeks, while Killmonger returned as a card in Destroy lately, even if that archetype took a dive following the previous OTA.
Still, it is undeniable all these cards were much worse in their new form, and except for maybe Shadow King, deserved to regain their power.

As soon as the OTA hits, we can expect Alioth to regain its spot in the likes of Arishem or Wiccan Curve. Red Guardian will be a consideration in Silver Surfer decks again, and a possibility as a generic disruptive card in a multitude of decks. The same goes for Cosmo.

Killmonger and Shadow King might be the most impactful cards in that bunch, since both have important abilities to keep certain archetypes in check. Move and End of Turn notably, are rather weak to Shadow King while packing some great targets for Killmonger.

Nerfs

I’m keeping Shang-Chi in the nerf section since gaining one power probably won’t change much to the card’s current fortune. Indeed, if the nerf two weeks ago didn’t change its power, we still would have considered it a huge blow to Shang-Chi.

I don’t expect the card to come back with that change only.

This is a minor nerf since Colleen Wing was not played for her power, but it could still have implications when our deck doesn’t draw all the points cards. Plus, with Cosmo and Red Guardian returning to their previous form, holding priority might be more influential in the near future.

The HelAgatha deck had great results on the way to the infinite rank, but wasn’t so great once in the higher ranks. Then, this change should be a big swing to the deck’s best opening with Black Knight and Red Shift, maybe enough to remove it from the top ranks metagame.
In the lower ranks, I’m sure Hela will still be a fine archetype, although we might not see her pair with Agatha Harkness as much.

Stardust is mostly played in End of Turn, a very good archetype for a while now, which naturally raises the 4-cost’s performance. Then, I don’t know if Stardust’s nerf is due to its own strength, or the main archetype using the 4-cost at the moment.

Plus, Stardust main use was to dismantle Hela, a deck which just lost 2 power with the Agatha Harkness nerf. If some decks rely on summoning cards through abilities, I’m sure Stardust as a [4/6] will be fine. Yet, it might not be a default disruptive card anymore, especially with others regaining their past strength at the same time.

Buffs

The current season pass card has been quite disappointing overall, so this buff is warranted. Alongside Alioth regaining the three power it lost, Wiccan Curve might get much stronger soon, while Silver Surfer could be interested in the now [3/3] as well.

There are other landing spots for Viv Vision. However, the card doesn’t just need a deck looking for more buffs, it also needs one able to develop enough points early to win that location

The iconic villain has been pretty discreet lately, as none of the destroy builds were interested in running it. With two more power, there is a little more incentive to playing Dormammu, although the builds around Firehair, Morgan Le Fay or Moira X seem more flexible, and with a lot more possible high rolls.

It is a good buff, but I fear it might not be enough to bring Dormammu back into the metagame.

Bots should be very happy about this buff, while a few Destroy decks, mainly Nimrod, might be able to use the card. Eventually, Destroyer will be able to contest a location on its own, and with Cosmo back to be a 3-cost, it is a bit easier to remove the On Reveal if need be.

A card I have not seen at all this season as buff oriented decks already had plenty of other options available, Awesome Andy as a [2/2] probably still isn’t enough.
I know Jocasta is right around the corner, so buffing Activate cards makes sense. Yet, there are so many better abilities to trigger with Jocasta rather than Awesome Andy.

Ramp decks just got an extra power. Plus, Lockjaw, Jennifer Kale and Jocasta could be a fun trio to explore in those high-cost cards decks.
Just like Awesome Andy, Lockjaw isn’t the card I’m thinking about when I see Jocasta, but this 2-cost at least sees play in one archetype at the moment.

A slight nerf to Mister Negative, mostly because Jane Foster can’t draw Mystique anymore, but a buff to all the Ongoing decks playing the 3-cost. Plus, that buff still allows Ravonna Renslayer to discount Mystique, so the most important synergy for every non Mister Negative deck is intact.

New Decks

I feel like the disruptive cards nerfed in the previous OTA going back to their previous form will be the biggest change in this update. Viv Vision is the other change that could have some impact, since her ability is directly connected to the power we can develop on a location.

As such, I expect these decks to be the ones to keep an eye on following the OTA, as several could make a comeback as a real contender. Except for Pure Move, that deck is already at the top.

However, a balance update is also an opportunity to test other synergies, so let’s give some love to the other cards in this OTA as well.

Closing Words

To be fair, there is a real chance this OTA rewinds the metagame two weeks back in time. We still don’t have Shang-Chi, but Move and Victoria Hand deck proved they can develop more points than the Sauron 10 Power and such archetypes can anyway.
This is the main reason why I believe disruptive cards getting their strength back will be the biggest change. Red Guardian can target Madame Web or Sparky, Killmonger can remove Quinjet, Vulture or Araña and Cosmo can stop Bastion.

The buffs, and the arrival of Jocasta next week, will also have an impact on the metagame. Yet, I don’t see anything in this OTA which leads me to believe we can beat the current top archetypes through points, so disruption has to be the answer.

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!