Marvel Snap Conquest Meta Tier List: June 21, 2023 – Bounce Battles Lockjaw at the Top!

Conquest seems to be a big hit for a large part of the Marvel Snap community. Every day, I see players share their accomplishments in the new mode, collecting their hard earned Infinity Tickets. With such buzz around Conquest, it only felt natural to give it its dedicated weekly piece, separated from the ladder one. For now, it seems only logical that both article share similarities, particularly in the deck we will discuss. However, I fully believe Conquest might have its own dedicated metagame in the future, where the archetype, even if similar to the dominant ones on ladder, should have their own twist.

This is exactly what we will take a look at today, talking about some of the best performing decks, at least according to the data I managed to find. Most of these archetypes are also posting great results on ladder currently, such as Lockjaw, Pure Evolutionary or Bounce. However, some of these decks are much better in a mode where you get to replay the same opponent. For example, Bounce on ladder, will usually get blown out by Wave, unless you recognize what your opponent is up to. In Conquest, once you saw Wave once, even if it cost you a few cubes, you can adapt your play-pattern with the information.

Because of this environment where information is much more valuable, and there is more to collect as well. Certain archetypes, particularly the flexible ones, see their performance improve a bit. In this first official Conquest Tier List, let’s take a look at those decks, alongside the ones nobody is accounting for.

With 3 free Gold Tickets sent to players in the inbox, this is a great time to jump in and try the new format. Happy ticket grind, everyone!

Marvel Snap Conquest Meta Tier List

Tier 1

Bounce

Bounce Conquest

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
Pushed and innovated by various popular figures in the community, Bounce has risen as the best “slam points” deck in Conquest, beating Evolved Lockjaw for that distinction. Right now, both of the popular lists (from LambySeries or W_Snaps) have decided to cut Falcon from their list, focusing on more active play patterns and less bouncing.

This seems to have resolved the Wave problem the deck had for a long time. Now, Bounce can simply go off on turn five, using Shang-Chi, Valkyrie or America Chavez on turn six as the sole card playable. Also, Spider-Ham helps a ton against Wave decks, as it will routinely remove the threat of a Evolved Hulk or Doctor Doom coming down after Wave. As it stands, it looks like only Killmonger remains as a difficult opponent to overcome.

How to play:
The whole point of Bounce is to develop as much as possible, while not showing where the points will be in the end. Through Angela, Bishop, Beast or Mysterio, you are able to manipulate your points total in various ways, keeping your opponent in the dark.

The secret to playing Bounce in Conquest is to quickly figure out where your points will end up at game’s end, so you can start planning how to use your energy in the upcoming turns. Then, you should be able to come up with a reasonable idea of the locations you are aiming for, as well as whether you wish to snap or not.

Even on your lane without Angela or Bishop, keep in mind Valkyrie, Shang-Chi and Hit Monkey are able to turn a lane around on the last turn of play, giving much more flexibility that just slamming points on two lanes.

Potential additions:
Iron Man is often spotted instead of Valkyrie. Elektra is also used to edge out the mirror match, looking to destroy the opposing Kitty Pryde.

Invisible Sera

Invisible Sera

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
With Bounce gaining traction lately, Killmonger is a perfect card to pack. Also, with Shang-Chi helping a ton against Lockjaw, and reactive decks usually being more flexible with their Snaps, Sera Control has a lot of upsides to it.

The little spice is Invisible Woman, allowing to hide Shang-Chi or Killmonger, so we are sure they can complete their mission once every other card is revealed.

How to play:
This archetype relies on giving up priority going into the last turn, so it can punish the opponent with reactive cards like Shang-Chi and Killmonger. Ever since Hit Monkey joined the deck, it also unlocked a proactive pattern on Turn 6 with the monkey assassin able to challenge a lane with points rather than looking to counter what the opponent did.

Sera is at the core of this strategy as she allows reducing the cost of cards in your hand, strengthening your Turn 6 potential and making it worth to purposefully give the lead to your opponent. Note that losing priority doesn’t mean losing the game – we can be in the lead on a location and close on the other two. Since Sera only has four power, your opponent will typically have a stronger Turn 5 than you do and take back priority. This way, we don’t need to have an incredible Turn 6 or perfectly guess our opponent’s plays to win every game. Most of this deck’s strength relies on its ability to be able to stay as close as possible while not having priority, so our reactive cards are at their best.

Against an opponent you expect to play Wave, it is completely fine to skip Sera and go off on Turn 5. Kitty Pryde, Mysterio, and Hit Monkey will provide enough points, and then we can simply play Iron Lad or Shang-Chi on the following turn.

Invisible Woman is gaining traction in the deck, allowing you to play reactive cards on curve and opening more energy for Turn 6. The deck can hide Killmonger, Shang-Chi, and/or Hit Monkey behind her for their ability to trigger on Turn 6. Also, it can serve as a way to not get Kitty Pryde back in hand on Turn 5.

Potential Additions:
If you don’t fear Wave, you can play the more traditional build of Sera Control, with an extra solution for Ongoing synergies as well included. You could “counter” more archetypes, but also open yourself to your bad matchups much more.

Evolved Lockjaw

Lockjaw Conquest

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

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)

1x Starter Card

4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.7

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
The deck is still a force in Conquest, just like it is on ladder. However, consider most Lockjaw builds are solely focusing on developing points, the metagame has started to adapt, with Shang-Chi, or decks able to develop more points if left alone.

The deck can adapt, with some lists including Wave or Killmonger. Yet, Lockjaw isn’t the highway to the Infinity Ticket it was when Conquest first released.

How to play:
Based on its signature card, the deck aims to use cheap, weak cards behind Lockjaw in order to summon much stronger ones without paying the required energy. In that sense, Lockjaw’s lane is often very strong, and it is important to keep in mind how to win another one and not get caught up in abusing Lockjaw.

Without Lockjaw, Jubilee and Dracula will serve a similar purpose and try to cheat points for less than the usual amount of energy. We’ll usually throw the cheap cards behind Lockjaw in the last two turns, so Dracula isn’t so difficult to abuse in the deck. Make sure to play Jubilee before doing so if you have both cards available.

The first two turns of the game can be very quiet for a Lockjaw deck, as we aren’t looking to do much (which now feeds Evolved Hulk). On Turn 3, we will either look to have Lockjaw paired with Wasp, or Thor to shuffle Mjölnir into the deck. Turn 4 will typically be Jubilee or Dracula; Jubilee will be stronger behind Lockjaw while Dracula is good to set up on the board with Evolved Hulk or The Infinaut in hand already.

Once in the final two turns of the match, the goal is to think about our best outcomes and how we can high roll enough to win the game. If ahead, a simple Doctor Doom or Evolved Hulk could be enough to secure the win. If behind, it is important to know the chances of winning Lockjaw‘s lane based on what is left in our deck, while counting how big we can get Thor and Dracula to challenge the second lane.

Potential Additions:
Dracula and The Infinaut are still played in lists that focus on developing as many points as possible. Otherwise, Magneto and either Wave or Killmonger help to adapt against the various matchups.

Tier 2

Pure Evolution

High Evo Conquest

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

5x Starter Card

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
It took me a bit to understand why, but the pure variant of High Evolutionary has been performing better than the Lockdown deck for the first time this month.

My idea is that Lockdown gets bullied by Lockjaw, while Doctor Doom is seemingly everywhere, largely limiting Spider-Man and Storm ability to impact a game. Also, Killmonger is coming back strong, punishing a deck which relies on Sunspot and Nebula for its early points.

How to play:
High Evolutionary seems to push a proactive play style and tries to play cards while keeping unspent energy in the process. Ideally, the deck will be able to build a very strong lane in the first few turns on the back of Sunspot and Evolved Misty Knight, building our points total early on. Then, Wave can shut down any potential comeback when played on Turn 5 while Evolved Hulk dominates any lane on Turn 6.

Due to of its off-curve play style that typically looks to keep one unspent energy to trigger Evolved Misty Knight, Evolved Cyclops, and Evolved Hulk, the deck can be a bit awkward at first. Keep in mind that each point of unspent energy can be worth up to six total points if all your cards trigger their abilities.

Although this looks suboptimal for many decks, the various synergies in the deck will make such out of sync play patterns worth it in the end.

Note that this kind of pattern is only worth going for if you have several cards that gain something from unspent energy. Otherwise, you should not purposefully waste resources for cards you are not guaranteed to get a return from.

Potential Additions:
Rogue and Jeff the Baby Land Shark are the flexible cards of the bunch which you can try to replace. Luke Cage, Scorpion, Shang-Chi, Hazmat… The archetype has seen many cards join its build.

Iron Patriot

Iron Patriot

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

3.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
With little Ongoing disruption going around, as most people run Shang-Chi currently, Patriot is pretty free to develop its synergies.

As a result, the deck tends to do quite well against Bounce, Lockjaw and other decks who typically play two locations when Patriot can attack three at the same time. Also, whenever Iron Man and Onslaught end up together, they tend to beat Hulk or a big Hit Money without much trouble.

Unfortunately, over the course of six matches, eleven once the Infinity league opens its door. There is quite a big change, you’ll have to find a way to win against a deck with Enchantress or Rogue.

How to play:
Without a 1-Cost, this Patriot build is more passive than the traditional one. The idea is that the late game will be crazy enough to not need to invest early on, especially if we intend to use Ultron. With Invisible Woman joining the deck, we now have a way to protect Patriot as well as hide our deck a little, since one could simply play on one lane and let Ultron fill the other two on game’s end.

The biggest choice you have to make with this deck is which route you are looking to take: the proactive one, or the disruptive one. If you think you can beat your opponent in a points contest, and they can’t punish you for it, it is completely reasonable to reason based solely on how many points you can develop. Then, you will be looking to build around Patriot, Iron Lad, Iron Man, Onslaught, and other such high potential cards. This is particularly effective now that Invisible Woman can help hide some of our key cards.

Because of the many high rolls this deck can pull, it is important to be fearless about your Snaps and Retreats, even with Enchantress representing a scary prospect.

Potential Additions:
Brood, Killmonger, and Wave tend to compete for the same spot in the deck. Without Wave, one will typically remove Doctor Doom for a cheap card.

Tier 3

There are other decks which are arguably stronger in a global environment, or more flexible in their game plan, such as Good Cards Stature. However, with Bounce being extremely strong currently, both Electro Ramp and Destroy have solid upsides to them in the metagame, thanks to Sandman and Killmonger.

Indeed, neither gimmick is being punished in the current environment, as Cosmo is very rare, while Armor is totally unused.

Electro Ramp

Electro Ramp

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.2

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Destroy

Destroy

Created by den

, updated 10 months ago

0

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

4x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Closing Words

As I said in the disclaimer already, I would rather keep the list short for now – making sure the decks I show you are impacting the current metagame, rather than coming with a list of 15 decks list where half of them are the same as the ladder Tier List. In the end, I believe one should probably play their ladder list in Conquest if they don’t understand why a specific replacement has been made for the other mode. To support this claim, I included a few of the most original builds I could find at the end of this piece, decks you wouldn’t think could go all the way to grab an Infinity Ticket.

As such, consider this piece a complement to the ladder article for now, when I handpick the best decks for Conquest, and look to offer the slight variations which could make the difference. No matter what, without the same big sample sizes I work with for ladder. I have to be honest and let you know this piece will rely a lot on the knowledge shared by respected players posting incredible results in Conquest. As well as seeing some redundancy in an archetype, with multiple sources sharing a similar conclusion.

I hope this breakdown can still help a few of you punch their ticket to the Infinity league, and maybe even get that last 5-0 run done when it finally opens on the final week of the season. 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.