Marvel Snap Meta Tier List: January 1, 2024 – Good Cards Shell Pushes Numerous Strategies

Welcome to our Marvel Snap Meta Tier List! Each week, we review the best decks in the ever-changing Marvel Snap meta. Then we bring you the deck lists, and we provide an in-depth report about them. This report contains information like how the ranks are justified, how the decks fare in both Ranked and Conquest modes, and how to build the deck with alternate cards to accommodate different collections.

This report is updated twice a week to make sure it is as close to the current meta as possible. Looking to figure out the impact of the newly released card or the latest balance changes? This is the place to be!

Marvel Snap Meta Overview

In the last report, I discussed how I would love for some new synergies to gain more popularity, to see if their recent performance was due to their power, or the fact they were new and unexpected. Also, being under the radar is very helpful to put up solid numbers, as a 12 cards deck can only adapt to so many opponents. Then, even if the Silent Performers section is a great indicator of archetypes with some interesting potential, the real challenge is getting out of it, and being popular enough to be worthy of being adapted against. Looking at this new report, and seeing once again a dozen decks worthy of the top two tiers, is a great sight to behold. Sure, none of the newcomers have cracked Tier one yet, but they also all made it into Tier two, enough to be considered solid Marvel Snap archetypes when looking at several hundreds of games for each.

December was supposed to be the quiet month of the year, with limited balance updates, meaning less opportunities to break the established order. Yet, Hela Lockjaw, Black Knight, the Ongoing combo deck or even Electro Ramp all had an impressive showing lately, pushing me to question if the meta could change even when the developers where on a break. Did we, as just player, have the power to shape a game we are so many to think is always about the same decks. To be honest, we are still living in a similar environment. One where Lockdown sits at the top of the competitive mountain, Loki still is very popular while pitting those who love it against those who want to see the card nuked in the next patch, and Good Cards is the best foundation to build a decent deck. Yet, even if these standards have been the same for months, they don’t seem to block other decks from emerging, and taking a shot at becoming good archetypes.

Funnily enough, Zabu released about a year ago, as it was the January 2023 season pass card. Back then, it broke Marvel Snap, and the [3/2] Zabu was the best card we had seen at this point, and maybe still to this day. With six (yes, you read that right, six) decks built around Zabu this week, the card might still be able to call itself one of the premier Marvel Snap cards. Sure, Ms. Marvel, Darkhawk, Loki, Shang-Chi and a few others are helping the sabre-toothed tiger to remain a card you always consider in your deck.

Still, if Zabu was not around, I wonder how many of the top fifteen decks in the game would actually stay on the list. We would still see plenty of Ms. Marvel I’m sure, but I wonder how many of the other 4-Cost cards would see as much play as they currently do. I’m not sure if it is a bad thing either, as you could argue this is also a way to push for some sort of diversity. Indeed, the Zabu plus three 4-Cost cards (Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi and Iron Lad will do in any deck) is helping so many decks at this point, I would rather keep it than have Marvel Snap be Thanos against Lockdown.

To close out the year, let’s dive into a report with a ton of various synergies, maybe the most we have seen in recent months. However, a lot of those will feature similar cards, because there are stronger ways to build a deck in Marvel Snap. Currently, that way is through proactive development of non-committal cards, until you can secure a lane or take a big enough lead it doesn’t matter if your opponent can or cannot disrupt your strategy. Typically, this tempo burst will happen in the mid-game, on turn three and four, so you can go back to being flexible on the last two turns of the match. This way, you naturally counter Alioth, worthless without priority, but keep the ability to adapt to the other disruptive cards such as Shang-Chi, Enchantress through playing a protective card, or simply building your other lanes.

The motor to his game plan happens to be Zabu, a card released about a year ago, and the quality of a bunch of 4-Cost cards. Together, they both represent a potential power burst in the mid game to seize priority, but also a flexible Turn 6, with two 4-Cost being played.

So, now that we have figured the best way to achieve victory in Marvel Snap, which deck does it best?

Happy Tier List, everyone!

Marvel Snap Meta Tier List

Disclaimer and Tier Explanations

In order to be featured here, a deck needs to represent at least 1% of the current environment and have a positive cube average in the Ranked mode. Win Rate is also taken into consideration, and it can greatly impact the ranking of a deck, particularly when several archetypes (or different builds of the same deck) have a similar Cube Average but big Win Rate discrepancies. The Marvel Snap mechanics do, however, push players to maximize cubes gained rather than win every single game.

In order to create this chart, den is using data from our Marvel Snap Tracker, as well as other available data online and his own expertise and opinion of respected players. If a deck showed great performances with a very limited presence in the meta, you can find it in the Silent Performers section. That section highlights decks with an excellent Cube Average but too little of a sample size to be representative of their real strength.

Decks not good enough to be considered contenders but with a good representation will be ranked in Tier 3 in our chart. They won’t have their own dedicated write up here, but they may be transferred to the main Tier List section. See those builds as decks that are good to know about, as you should face them when playing Marvel Snap. However, unless the meta changes or a new variation of the build emerges, these decks are a notch below the dominant ones in Tiers 1 and 2.

For each deck, you will also get a write-up about their performance in the Conquest mode. In that section, we’ll discuss how the deck is doing and which differences, if any, exist when compared to the Ladder performance. In the chart above, you will also be notified of a strong archetype in Conquest with a Conquest flag next to their name.

Tier 1

Lockdown Move

Lockdown

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

3

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

1x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

6x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
Lockdown managed to deal with the Professor X nerf extremely well, remaining a solid deck even if one of its signature cards was impaired. Since the Move hybrid was popularized, and the archetype found a way to work without Professor X, Lockdown has been putting on a clinic, relying on flexibility and a different disruption to win games.

Storm is still an important part of the game plan, as both the Move synergy and Ms.Marvel, Doctor Doom will help win her lane. We can also see Alioth still in the mix, the card often securing the lead we managed to build during the first five turns. The difference comes from Iceman and Silk mostly, which participate to build more tempo early on, and seizing priority. This will allow Echo to be played anytime to snipe an opposing Ms.Marvel, a very important interaction of the current meta.

With a strong 0.57 Cube Average and 60% Win Rate, Lockdown has perfectly managed to rebuild around its core concept, while bringing in new ideas to remain on top of the Marvel Snap rankings. It embodies what it needed to win currently, an early lead through maximum tempo, but also including a few ways to limit what the opponent can do, so it never comes down to just a contest of who slams the most points.

Conquest Performance:
There were a lot of strong decks in Conquest this week, which makes Lockdown look like a middle of the pack kind of archetype, while it usually is regarded as one of the best decks in the mode. Yet, on the back of a heavier Move package to gain even more flexibility, the hybrid Lockdown Move deck still posted a 61% Win Rate.

Lockdown move Conquest

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 1-14

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

1x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

6x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Potential Additions:
Mobius M. Mobius is flexible in the deck, and can take many different forms. Kraven and Nightcrawler (replacing Iceman) can make the deck be fully proactive with more emphasis on the Move synergy. Cosmo could also be a consideration, or Negasonic Teenage Warhead acting as a mini Alioth. Magneto is also considered a good inclusion in the deck.

Loki Collector

Loki Collector

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
Loki hasn’t been as dominant as we grew accustomed to in December, as the deck had to deal with the nerf to Werewolf By Night, iterating around several concepts since. Sometimes helped by Professor X, Ms. Marvel and Alioth, other times Beast and Falcon for a Bounce strategy. Loki will finish the year going back to the basics, with a deck relying on The Collector and Devil Dinosaur for points, surrounded by hand support and disruption.

Zabu joins Quinjet as an energy cheat engine, making almost every card in the deck potentially lead to a discount. In this iteration, the deck focuses on what it does best, grow The Collector early, create weird game plans through all the generated cards, and slamming a big Devil Dinosaur or taking out the opposing key card with a Shang-Chi or Rogue.

This week, it led to a 62% Win Rate, the highest in the report, alongside a 0.5 Cube Average, a stellar ratio considering a lot of people will Retreat to a Loki Snap whenever they have seen The Collector already.

Since releasing back in September, Loki has always been an undisputed top five deck in the deck, routinely being considered the best of that bunch too. Yet, this was the first time the deck had to go through a real rebuilding phase following the nerf to Werewolf By Night. So far so good for the Trickster God, which should remain a top synergy to build around going into 2024.

Conquest Performance:
Loki was really close to earn its seal of approval for the Conquest mode, but unfortunately was just short of a 60% Win Rate this week. The best performing list was very similar to the ranked mode one, with Cable included instead of Agent Coulson, which I imagine was to gather even more information, and maybe open some Snaps as you would grab a key card from your opponent.

Looking at social media, a ton of players still rank Loki as one of the best Conquest archetypes, and I would tend to do the same. However, there is a chance the surge of synergistic builds around Blob or Black Knight led to more difficult hands to play with once we copied our opponent’s deck. Indeed, Loki used to be the best Conquest archetype when Good Cards was the most popular opponent in the mode, and Loki would then have incredible hands to copy. 59% remains a very solid Win Rate, and I’m sure an experienced pilot could easily run the full Infinity gauntlet with the deck, but it still seems like Loki had a little bit more troubles this week in Conquest.

Potential Additions:
Rogue and Nick Fury tend to be the two flexible cards in the deck, with Rogue becoming Enchantress to keep the right amount of 4-Cost cards and Nick Fury representing the truly flexible slot in the deck. In that slot, you can run one of the many ways to grow your hand not included in the deck yet, with Falcon, Mirage, or Moon Girl to name a few.

Some players are also still playing Werewolf By Night in the Loki build, as the card can still grow to double digit numbers thanks to Zabu reducing its cost.

InSheNaut

InSheNaut

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

2

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4x Starter Card

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
I had started to give up on InSheNaut when it comes to Ladder play, convinced the deck was just a great Conquest archetype, but suffered too much from not knowing if the opponent could interact with limbo or not in ranked. Apparently, I might have discounted the deck too early, as InSheNaut posted an impressive 60% Win Rate, 0.5 Cube Average performance this week, on the back of focusing around points first and foremost.

If you have been following the deck’s evolution over the past weeks or months, you noticed there was always a battle to figure out the last card, with Nebula and Shocker going back and forth for that slot. This week, Cosmo was taken out, and the performance tells us it might be the right way to do it, leaving Leech as the disruptive card in the deck. It makes sense if you think about it, as Cosmo was very rarely played with priority in the deck, the card instead serving to protect Limbo from a Reality Stone or Scarlet Witch. Yet, the meta is featuring Snowguard Hawk and Legion more than the two I just mentioned, and these can change Limbo without being played on it, reducing the upsides of Cosmo a lot.

We will see if it lasts, but this small change has propelled InSheNaut from the third to first tier, making High Evolutionary of the most successful synergies in 2023.

Conquest Performance:
Getting back to a Tier 1 status in the ranked mode has not prevented InSheNaut from remaining a great Conquest archetype as well, the mode I consider the deck to really shine. There, featuring the exact same list, InsheNaut was able to post a 61% Win Rate, ranking in the top five of the mode.

As usual, the ability to gather information and figure out how can the opponent prevent us from developing our game plan, through Alioth or Legion in particular, goes a long way into playing InSheNaut as well as possible. Then, after a few rounds playing it safe, one should be able to know precisely when to snap, and which patterns to be careful about in the opponent’s deck.

Potential Additions:
This particular build did much better than the other ways to build the archetype, so I wouldn’t change a card except if you are missing one. Then, you could consider Echo to replace Nebula.

Tier 2

Thanos Blob

Thanos Blob

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

2

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

6x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

4.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
I don’t think there is any debate Blob has been the best card to release in December, marking the first time in a few month the season pass card wasn’t the best in its season. The 6-Cost has revitalized Thanos Control, giving it a big card to use to win a lane on its own, only Shang-Chi or Alioth occasionally getting in the way. Blob has heavily impacted the way is built, with cards like Gladiator or Magneto now being considered staples.

There is still a ton of debate around Iron Lad and which 5-Cost card to use alongside Professor X and Vision. Klaw took that last spot this week as it gives a support card to Professor X which beats Ms. Marvel on that particular lane. However, Blue Marvel and Devil Dinosaur remain very popular in the archetype as well.

With a 0.45 Cube Average and a 57% Win Rate, Thanos remains the best tool box in the game, a year after being introduced. Plus, with Caiera and Skaar joining Marvel Snap next week, the deck might only get stronger in the near future.

Conquest Performance:
Thanos posted a really strong Conquest performance this week again, although the list was different from the ranked mode, with more flexibility and disruption being included in this one. Through the information one gather round after round, cards like Professor X or Alioth can be used more precisely in Conquest compared to the ladder, hence why a lower points ceiling, but a better ability to lock the opponent out of the game will do better in that mode.

Thanos Blob

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

1x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

1x Recruit Season

4.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Potential Additions:
There are many cards one can consider in Thanos Blob depending on how you want to play it, and which opponents you look to beat. Armor, Cosmo, Echo or Enchantress have seen play as disruptive options, while Maximus, Doctor Octopus, Aero, Alioth, Blue Marvel or Devil Dinosaur are used as proactive cards.

Good Cards Darkhawk

Good Cards Darkhawk

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

1x 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)

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

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
The original Zabu deck is still standing, a year after both Zabu and Darkhawk were first introduced to Marvel Snap. It is wild to think more than half the deck has been nerfed of changed over the course of that year, and still, the Good Cards archetype remains one of the best way to build a deck, thanks to featuring many flexible slots to build around.

Leech seems to have a choke hold on the 5-Cost slot, while Doctor Doom edges out Magneto or Alioth thanks to being the best high roll off of Iron Lad. Then, the last slot goes to Shadow King currently, considering Jeff the Baby Land Shark isn’t flexible anymore at this point. This is typically the most discussed card in the deck, but Shadow King is great to keep a solid chance against Loki.

With a 0.4 Cube Average and 59% Win Rate, Good Cards remains one of the highest Win Rates in the game, but fails to leverage Snaps, as Zabu usually announced a difficult match ahead for the opponent.

Conquest Performance:
Apart from the Sera Control deck in the Silent Performers section, Good Cards Darkhawk is the only archetype with a Win Rate north of 65% in Conquest this week, when looking at a large sample size of games. The deck adapts a little to go into that other mode, with Rogue replacing Shadow King, a way to edge against other Ongoing decks, while Shadow King is more targeted towards Loki. Yet, if we consider Loki is running Zabu currently, and stealing our deck, Rogue makes sense even in that match up.

Otherwise, Good Cards benefit from pretty simple Snapping patterns, with Zabu allowing one early in the match, and Leech often a second opportunity later in the match, especially if you are in the lead already.

Potential Additions:
Shang-Chi, Leech and Shadow King are the three cards you could consider swapping, although Leech is looking very strong right now. Cosmo and Killmonger see some play, but the deck already has a couple of 3-Cost cards. Spider-Ham, Iceman or Echo are fine cheap disruptive cards if you want an extra 1-Cost. Then, Alioth and similar strong standalone cards will always work in that archetype

Hela Lockjaw

Hela Lockjaw

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

2x 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)

4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
Boosted by Black Knight being part of this week’s spotlight caches, which allowed more players to test the deck, Hela Lockjaw put up a very good performance with a 0.4 Cube Average and 56% Win Rate. We can see the win ratio is a little behind the decks we covered already, the elite archetypes usually being close to the 60% threshold. Yet, Hela and Lockjaw are two great cards to surprise your opponent, and Snap early in matches where you haven’t revealed much of your strategy yet, hence why the deck has a very good cube average compared to other decks with a similar win rate.

Shang-Chi is the most obvious problem for the deck, as many cards are great targets for the 4-Cost card. Yet, with Leech being a popular inclusion in a couple of decks, Alioth has lost momentum, which made Hela much more reliable as a result.

Conquest Performance:
Hela Lockjaw was unfortunately the worst Conquest deck on our report this week, probably due to its lack of interaction with the opponent, apart from Magneto or a lucky Gambit. if you will leverage the Snap mechanic in the ranked mode, as you know which hands are worth raising the stakes for and those you should fold, Conquest will reverse this interaction. Indeed, even if you can bluff a really strong hand with an early Snap, the opponent will also happily snap whenever you don’t play Lockjaw on turn three, or haven’t discard anything in the first four turns. Then, you might have to accept losing a lot of one cube games, which you can easily mitigate on ladder, but not as much in Conquest, when you best hands will also only reward you one cube, as the opponent knows what deck you are playing.

Potential Additions:
Gambit is the flexible slot in the deck, which likely could become a 5-Cost or a counter card if you fancy one. I could also picture Ghost Rider being replaced, as the card is basically useless whenever we get to play Hela, so only represent a safety net in the deck.

Electro Ramp

Electro Ramp

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

4.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
I wasn’t expecting to see Electro Ramp so high on the list, especially as Galactus seemed to be the way to go for the past few weeks. However, with Ms. Marvel now being played in almost every archetype, the Eater of Worlds has struggled to keep some momentum going. Then, Electro turned to another 6-Cost card able to win the game through its ability: Blob, in what could be considered the new Shuri Sauron kind of build.

With Electro Blob, we aren’t looking to make it too complicated, and once our disruptive cards (Echo, Leech) have opponent the way, the last two turns of the match will just be about points. Blob plus Taskmaster, Blob plus The Living Tribunal or Giganto into Magneto, this is basically a simpler, more raw kind of Thanos Blob we are playing with this one. And it doesn’t seem to do so bad either, with a 0.4 Cube Average and 55% Win Rate for its first week with a lot of games under its belt.

Conquest Performance:
Electro Ramp was more impressive in Conquest than it was in the ranked mode, something I didn’t expect from a rather simple deck to understand from an opposing point of view. Yet, with Conquest featuring a lot of disruption which doesn’t impact this deck, such as the Ongoing counter cards, completely useless here, and Leech, Armor, to fight against Shang-Chi. Electro Ramp might just be able to snap every time it has a good starting hand, fully aware an opponent with disruption for a wide variety of decks won’t be able to keep up with the amount of points this deck can develop.

Potential Additions:
Armor seems too important to replace early on, but Echo could be a Nebula, Iceman or Spider-Ham if you want something else from your 1-Cost card. Then, it really depends on how you want to build your points. With The Living Tribunal in the deck, one could argue Vision isn’t as necessarily, and a card with more points attached could be more interesting to run.

Deadpool Destroy

Deadpool Destroy

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

2

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
Lady Deathstrike being the best last card for Destroy this week shows the deck has been looking for some disruption in order to perform. The card isn’t bad, as it can be buffed with Forge or Nico Minoru to reach six power, yet reveals the struggles of Destroy to compete with the potential of other decks right now. Also, Blob pushing for Armor to be more popular has to hurt Destroy in some way, leading to Deadpool closing the year in Tier 2, where it spent most of it, although it had a few stints as a top archetype. The Cube Average remains solid at 0.4, but the 55% Win Rate shows Destroy has lost a bit of momentum compared to other powerhouses on this list.

Conquest Performance:
Deadpool Destroy is a very all-in strategy in Conquest, but one many players have piloted to victory. Indeed, when facing against a deck unable to limit your synergies, Destroy is an unstoppable machine, able to Snap very early in the match, and milk the opponent of their cubes this way. There are some risks, particularly for Venom and Knull, which can fall to Shang-Chi or Rogue for a devastating turnaround late in the match. Otherwise, if you don’t spot a way for them to prevent you from destroying Deadpool on repeat, you should be in the driver’s seat for the entire match.

Unfortunately, the exact opposite situation can quickly arise whenever you play against a deck with Armor or Alioth included, as these two can be extremely scary for Destroy. In both cases, you will be forced to keep priority, so you don’t run the risk of getting sniped, but this isn’t so simple when your biggest source of power often is in your hand most of the match.

Then, an experienced Destroy player will likely be able to get great results with the archetype, navigating the tricky situation that will determine if the run will be completed or not. Otherwise, if you are looking for a simple deck to play, which focusing on its own agenda, it seems like Blob was a better pick this week.

Potential Additions:
Lady Deathstrike, and maybe Nico Minoru, can be considered flexible in the deck. Huulkbuster, Taskmaster and Arnim Zola usually take those slots.

Good Cards Black Knight

Good Cards Black Knight

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
In addition to Hela Lockjaw, Black Knight also pushed its own deck this week, and logically followed the trend of building around Zabu, pretty logical with the Ebony Blade being a 4-Cost card. Because of Zabu, Shang-Chi makes sense to run in the deck, and opens some great sixth turns alongside Ghost Rider or Ms. Marvel to develop points while taking out a big card for the opponent. Sera is included for this same purpose, serving as a second Zabu to build those easier to navigate last turns.

With a 0.35 Cube Average and 56% Win Rate, Black Knight is starting off strong for its first time being popular enough to be ranked. In addition to feeling like a staple in the Hela Lockjaw archetype, this is very promising for the Discard synergy going into 2024, especially if Miek helps to bring Discard Dracula back in a few weeks.

Conquest Performance:
Similar to Electro Ramp, Black Knight posted an impressive performance in Conquest, on the back of a simple, but very effective strategy. Through the Ebony Blade and the ability to cheat energy with Zabu and Sera, the deck is more flexible than the Blob archetype, particularly when it comes to dodging Shang-Chi late in the match. Looking at both decks having lots of success in Conquest, it begs the question of how far should one go to adapt their deck to the meta. Indeed, while the ranked mode will reward you with great snaps opportunity if you are packing the card that would end your opponent’s game plan, Conquest needs you to be able to beat all sorts of opponents. Then, maybe disruption isn’t as necessary in that mode, at least targeted disruption, and more global cards, or simply a lot of points, are a better route to explore.

Potential Additions:
Gladiator, and maybe Sera feel like the flexible cards in the deck and could be a lot of different options depending whether you want to build around Zabu even more, or explore options when you wouldn’t draw the 2-Cost card. Rogue or Enchantress make a lot of sense currently with Ms.Marvel in a lot of decks, and their cost works well in the deck’s curve.

Ongoing Tribunal

Ongoing Tribunal

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

3

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

1x Starter Card

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Rank Justification:
I was very curious to see how this deck would perform once it had more games under its belt, as the Ongoing synergy was already being targeted, and this pretty much the only leg this deck is standing on. With a 0.35 Cube Average and 55% Win Rate, I would say Ongoing Tribunal did a pretty good at surviving the Echo, Rogue and Enchantress it must have faced along the way, and is slowly taking over Hela Tribunal as the big points deck of the meta alongside the Blob based decks.

Cosmo wasn’t part of the first iterations of the deck, but I would suspect it helped a ton to help with survivability. This is a great sign for the deck to see it come up with ways to adapt to potential threats, as this is typically the biggest problem for a deck when it becomes popular.

Conquest Performance:
With only Klaw instead of Jubilee in the best performing list in Conquest, I was surprised to see the Ongoing Tribunal deck post such a good Win Rate, almost 59% in a mode where Rogue or Echo are extremely common in a lot of archetypes. It seems like Cosmo, and the ability to cheat energy with Zabu and Ravonna Renslayer is enough to protect our synergies, and not get punished by the first deck with an Ongoing counter card.

Similar to Destroy, this deck is fairly easy to understand and pick up, as long as you can craft a game plan and anticipate how many energies you will need to carry it out. This also means the opponent should have a pretty clear idea of where you are headed once they have seen your deck in the early rounds. Then, mastering the Snap seems particularly important, especially in the early rounds, in order to buy yourself a few retreats later on, to compensate for a bad draw, or the lack of a protective card against an opponent you know has a way to derail your entire synergy.

Potential Additions:
The deck doesn’t need Echo, Cosmo, Magik or Jubilee to function, but these cards help increase consistency, which is everything this deck is looking for. Then, you could replace Echo for another disruptive 1-Cost card, but the others are difficult to replace unless you find a card which makes your strategy stronger or more reliable.

Tier 3

Galactus was riding a lot of momentum lately, but fell flat this week as the trick to use Ms.Marvel to setup for Galactus doesn’t work as well when every deck is using Ms.Marvel as well. Plus, with the meta going back to more proactivity, looking to cheat energy early on with a Zabu or Ravonna Renslayer, it is getting difficult to land Galactus safely these days. There are different ways to build around the Eater of Worlds, and it might be a case of the archetype not being fit for the latest evolution of the meta. Still, the 0.25 Cube Average is the lowest the deck post this season.

As for Silver Surfer, I believe the archetype has some power to it, but the power ceiling clearly is below what other decks can do, meaning disruption, and a good draw is necessary to compete with a lot of decks ranked higher on this report. Also, we have seen Cosmo be included in a few decks, especially Ongoing based strategies, which naturally makes Silver Surfer more difficult to work with.

Galactus

Galactus

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.6

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

Created by den

, updated 4 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Closing Words

Even if Thanos Blob came out almost immediately after the 6-Cost joined the game, we are still seeing some decks emerge based on the card. Electro notably, is using the card to revive its old ramp archetype, allowing that synergy to remain strong even with Galactus losing some momentum. Black Knight is the other card pushing for a spot at the big kids table, with Hela Lockjaw, and its own archetype both doing great. None of those are Tier 1 yet, but they sure are pushing the usual powerhouses to keep them on their radar, and constantly find new ways to adapt.

So far, this adaptation has mostly come in the form of finding a strong proactive core to make sure we are in the drivers seat going into the last two turns. Then, one can abuse cards like Leech to just shut off the opponent’s synergy, Vision to remain flexible with their points, or just profit from priority to land Cosmo, Echo and other similar counter cards. Looking at the many lists on this report, Alioth doesn’t seem so popular right now, a logical aftermath of seeing less of Professor X as well, as landing a perfect Alioth is much more difficult to do on three locations compared to two.

Overall, it is safe to say the meta is growing to be more diverse, with more synergies able to put up points existing, and disruption being rewarded as a result. Yes, the core of the game, which is cheating energies to pair power and flexibility, remains the best way to play Marvel Snap. We can see that with the tier one decks, all looking to play cheap cards, or reduce the cost of expensive ones, while creating points through the synergies they have around those cheap cards. We have way to get more points, but it also costs a lot more, which leads to more risk as well, particularly Blob. This risk might not be perfectly handled yet, but is getting a ton of support early in January, with both Caiera and Skaar coming as reinforcements.

I can’t wait to see what the meta will look like once the regular balance changes resume, and strategies such as Blob or Black Knight get just a little more support. It should make the current battle for domination even more interesting to follow. Until then, I hope you are having a great time with Marvel Snap, and Happy New Year!

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.