Marvel Snap May 16, 2023 Balance Update Analysis and Decks to Play on Day 1 of Patch: Changes at Every Level!

Kitty Pryde is back, Howard the Duck joined the game, the metagame is upside down with the Wave‘s change, and a bunch of cards were part of the Series Drop. Also, the card acquisition system has been revamped. For all of those changes, I only get one article?! Well, I hope you like things a bit messy, because It feels impossible to have a clear view on what the future holds right now.

Obviously, there are a few decks that immediately come to mind as they have not been impacted by the current patch – or better, received some help. As such, one can always turn to any of these decks and will very likely find success:

• Bounce finally got Kitty Pryde back, and it should finally reach its final form.
• Electro Ramp and Galactus should make the most of the Wave rework, at least until we figure out how to use the card to it full potential once more.
• Destroy based decks have to build around Death differently now. Once again, Galactus feels like an easy winner from this change because it’s the only deck not pairing Death with Wave in order to play it.
• Howard the Duck feels decent in Ongoing synergies. Notably, Thanos Lockjaw Ongoing seems to be able to use the card pretty well.

In addition to these archetypes likely worth exploring, some already great ones were left untouched or saw important cards drop, so they should also represent solid climbing options:

• Good Cards Stature was left untouched. One could even say it was protected with Darkhawk not dropping to Series 3, limiting how many can play the deck.
• Sera Surfer just saw its signature card drop to Series 3, a perfect occasion to try the archetype if you haven’t yet.
• Sauron is now joining Shuri in Series 3 as well, making the Shuri Zero archetype full Series 3.

Even without digging too far into this patch (like starting to take a look at the many implications the change to Wave might have or where we should try Crystal now), there already are plenty of archetypes worth exploring. Let’s take a look at all those decks, and then dive into the depths of this monthly patch!

Improved Archetypes

Strong archetypes left untouched

All top three decks in our recent Meta Tier List rankings have not been impacted by today’s patch, at least not directly. It is crucial to keep in mind Good Cards Stature was a counter to DoomWave, as both Stature and Miles Morales would ignore Wave‘s ability. Now, Wave would set their cost to four, which makes them unplayable alongside another card.

The same can be said for Sera, which wouldn’t discount cards back to three when on the board, meaning Sera Control and Sera Surfer would be limited to only one card on the last turn of play.

If Electro Ramp re-emerges after this patch, we might have to reconsider these three decks.

Good Cards Stature

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

6

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera Monkey

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

5

6x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

1x Starter Card

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.7

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera Surfer

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

5

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Archetypes directly gaining something with the card changes

The two archetypes using Wave for her ability to get cards out ahead of their natural cost should have nothing to lose with the change to the card. It could even end up being a buff since Wave can now be used as a disruption tool later in the match to disable powerful combo turns from the opponent.

Electro Ramp

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

2

1x Collection Level 1-14

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

4x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

3.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Galactus

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

2

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

4.5

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Archetypes gaining a new card

Variants

Howard the Duck

Ongoing: Tap this to see the top card of your deck.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Howard the Duck

Variants

Kitty Pryde

When this returns to your hand, +2 Power. Returns at the start of each turn.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Kitty Pryde

Today was a bit of a special day because we got two new cards in Marvel Snap: Howard the Duck and Kitty Pryde. Obviously, as Kitty Pryde is given to everyone for free, she should be the one in the spotlight and bring the Bounce archetype back in contention once again.

As for Howard the Duck, the card has yet to convince the community. If you would like to test it for yourself, I included three decks where I found the card to be valuable. It’s nothing meta breaking, but it’s at least worth a try if you have Howard in your collection.

Last, some decks also got cheaper, with one of their cards joining Series 3. Sera Surfer is probably the strongest archetype in that category, as Silver Surfer is now a Series 3 card. But that deck has already been included, so let’s focus on another archetype with a key card dropping today: Shuri Zero.

Variants

Silver Surfer

On Reveal: Give your other 3-Cost cards +2 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Silver Surfer

I believe this one could have quite the impact on the Pool 3 metagame, especially considering Shuri Zero is quite an easy deck to pick up. The play patterns are rather simple, the cards aren’t based on random elements, and the overall deck relies on raw points rather than complex synergy. On paper, this is a great deck for anyone still learning the intricacies of Marvel Snap.

Ongoing Lockjaw

Created by den

, updated 11 days ago

0

5x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

4x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

4.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Thanos Ongoing

Created by den

, updated 11 days ago

0

2x Collection Level 1-14

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

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

3x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

4.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.5

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Glass Full Full

Created by den

, updated 11 days ago

0

3x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

2x Recruit Season

2.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Bounce

Created by den

, updated 10 days ago

2

3x 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)

2.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Shuri Sauron

Created by den

, updated 14 days ago

3

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

What does the Wave change mean?

Variants

Wave

On Reveal: All cards cost 4 until the end of next turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Wave

We already mentioned the decks that should benefit from the change, but the massive impact of this change lies in the decks that suffer from Wave not being her old self. Indeed, two perennial top ten decks, DeathWave and DoomWave, have relied on the mighty power of Wave to both lock their opponent out of very strong play patterns and enable their own in the process.

Variants

Death

Costs 1 less for each card destroyed this game.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Death

As it stands, the big loser seems to be DeathWave, and the buff to Death (now at a starting cost of eight) shows the developers want to give back to the Destroy synergy. DoomWave, on the other hand, will have to give up on its famous Wave on Turn 5, Doctor Doom plus She-Hulk on Turn 6 play patterns. However, one could argue simply playing Wave on Turn 5 into Doctor Doom on Turn 6 might be enough to keep the deck in the discussion. DoomWave’s very own instigator, WWlos, seems to think so, at least:

After seeing this tweet, my brewing instinct kicked in, and I tried a couple of ideas to see if DoomWave was indeed still a good deck. In the end, I mixed both WWlos’s idea and the other popular shell of the archetype, using Storm and Goose to limit the opponent’s ability to play. I was happily surprised with the result, and the deck did not feel like it skipped a beat to be honest.

New DoomWave

Created by den

, updated 11 days ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Is the new Crystal playable?

Variants

Crystal

On Reveal: Each player draws a card.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Crystal

Going into this article, I knew the biggest challenge would be finding something to say about the new Crystal and whether the card could now be considered in the metagame. Obviously, Crystal should now be better than she was in the past, simply because it is hard to imagine Second Dinner reworking the card into something they are not confident to be significantly upgraded. Also, with Crystal as a 4-cost card and Zabu being a dominant card currently, there are immediately plenty of decks where one could imagine slotting a new and appealing 4-cost card.

Devil Ronan

Created by den

, updated 11 days ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

1x Starter Card

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Still, it is important to note that Crystal did not get buffed; at least, not if we follow the definition of what a buff means. Indeed, Crystal saw her ability changed, but her cost and power remain the same. I personally believe this ability should see more play than the previous one attached to Crystal. Nevertheless, I agree with Kirallas who mentioned during a discussion that Crystal did not receive any clear, undeniable buff, and [4/4] remains a very weak body for a card. The only cards with similar statistics having success that I can think of are Moon Girl and Ka-Zar. So is Crystal on their level now?

I found a lot of different ideas, such as Mister Negative or Galactus, where drawing never hurts. I could also mention Cerebro 4 or other such off-meta archetypes, where, again, drawing your signature card is absolutely crucial to your success. However, none of these ideas compared to the one featured here. For the first time, it feels like Crystal is a legitimate contribution and has found her spot in Marvel Snap: Crystal is the bridge between Devil Dinosaur and Ronan the Accuser.

The deck will obviously need some refining as time passes, and it might not even become a consideration because Darkhawk probably remains stronger than Ronan the Accuser. Nevertheless, Crystal went from being a completely overlooked, unused card to being a legitimate consideration alongside Ronan the Accuser, another fringe card.

If this Crystal buff leads to having more of Ronan in the metagame, I see this as an absolute win.

Closing Words

The metagame as April ended featured a diverse metagame with healthy win rates and cube gain rates, and only a couple small popularity outliers.

Marvel Snap May 16, 2023 Patch Notes – Version 15.15

This sentence from the patch notes is extremely positive for Marvel Snap, and it is a valid explanation as to why we didn’t get many changes.

I’m a little worried, though, as I have a hard time believing the change to Wave will not create a tsunami in the current metagame. As it stands, Wave is now a counter to most of the top tier decks in Marvel Snap, completely locking them out of their preferred plays on the game’s last turn.

Bounce, Sera, InSheNaut, Stature… All those decks, each of which is legitimately strong in the current metagame, could be annihilated by the new Wave in the same way they were by Sandman before. However, if Sandman was nerfed less than a month ago, it was precisely to open some space for those decks to emerge and diversify the metagame in the process. My biggest fear is going back to a Patriot against Electro Ramp and Galactus type metagame. A metagame that is limited in the play patterns we can explore,with deck building focused around only a few archetypes able to bypass the popular disruption card.

I sincerely hope this is not where we are going, but I can’t help but see it as a likely possibility once more players have given a chance to the new Wave and figured how it doesn’t feel like much of a nerf in the end. I usually try to end my articles on a positive note, looking on the bright side and getting you excited about your next Marvel Snap session.

That’s just how it is, though, but hopefully I am wrong in my understanding of this patch. If you have a different opinion, or simply have a question, find me on the Marvel Snap Zone community Discord, or follow my Twitter page where I share decks and biased opinions about the game.