Marvel Snap Pool (Series) 1 Card Tier List
Wandering what the best cards are before and during Pool One? Take a look at our curated tier list and see how your favourites match up in this latest update!
Table of Contents
In Marvel Snap, you collect and unlock cards by increasing your Collection Level, which is done by upgrading your cards with the boosters you win from games. Each card is assigned to a “Pool” or Series of cards, which begin and end at specific collection level. These vary in size, which you can see in the table below:
| Series | Collection Level # | Card # | Decks | Tier List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pool One | Collection Level 18 - 214 | 46 cards | Decks | Tier List |
| Pool Two | Collection Level 222 - 474 | 25 cards | Decks | Tier List |
| Pool Three | Collection Level 486+ | 92 cards | Decks (Beginner) Decks (Advanced) | Tier List |
| Series Four | Collection Level 486+ - Rare | 12 cards | Decks | Tier List |
| Series Five | Collection Level 486+ - Ultra Rare | 11 cards | Decks | Tier List |
| Unreleased | Release and Series Drop Schedule | 45 cards |
Here is our tier list and rankings on all the cards from Pool 1, to help players build better decks based on their collection and compare the power levels of individual cards inside each pool. Please keep in mind we’re not trying to compare cards in each pool to one another, as they serve very different purposes.
Pool 1 Card Tier List
As you begin your Marvel Snap journey, you will acquire cards from many places: The starter deck, the tutorial, the beginner’s Recruit Season Pass and, lastly, the Collection Level rewards track.
For the purpose of this tier list, we will be including all the cards you acquire at the start of the game through other means, as well as all the Pool 1 cards. That is 46 cards from Pool 1 on the Collection Level rewards track, 7 cards from the Collection Level rewards track before you get to Pool 1, 13 from the starter deck and tutorial and 7 from the beginner’s season pass. So this tier list will comprise 73 cards in total.
The tier list will explain how these cards are useful and will give you insight on how you can fit them when building your decks. So how do they stack up? Let’s find out!
S Tier
Devil Dinosaur
Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your hand.
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Decks with Devil Dinosaur
Carnage
On Reveal: Destroy your other cards here. +2 Power for each destroyed.
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Decks with Carnage
Iron Man
Ongoing: Your total Power is doubled at this location.
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Decks with Iron Man
S Tier cards are cards that are consistently powerful in some top decks in the meta. These 5 cards right now all fulfil that criteria.
Devil Dinosaur: One of, if not the biggest 5-Cost card in the game, Devil Dinosaur pushes the Handsize archetype around it in Pool 1, and continues to be a great card for every level of the game. As long as you have Sentinel, White Queen and Moon Girl in your deck, you should have enough to make Devil Dinosaur a one-card army at the end of the game.
Ka-Zar: The card responsible for the Kazoo archetype can be argued as one of the most impactful 4-Cost card in Marvel Snap. Early on, it is the foundation of the best archetype in Pool 1, but the card is always a viable option even for those with a full collection.
Blue Marvel: Ever since being buffed to a 5-Cost card in September 2022, Blue Marvel has been a part of every single metagame. As long as you have a deck that will have more than seven cards on board at the end of the game, Blue Marvel represents a worthy inclusion in your deck. This is in addition to being a star in decks able to flood the board, or to abuse Ongoing abilities.
Carnage: The star of the Destroy synergy, Carnage slowly has gained the reputation of a versatile tool as well. Indeed, even outside a custom built deck, Carnage can help with location space, removing annoying effects from locations (Savage Land, Shadowland, etc) or from the opponent later in your journey. Also, it grows to a nice body to anchor a location.
Iron Man: Maybe the card that loses the most value as you advance in your Marvel Snap adventure, Iron Man represents one of the most reliable ways in the game to take over a lane. Later on, you will also find more cards to abuse its Ongoing ability, giving Iron Man more options to contribute to your deck.
A Tier
A Tier cards are strong pieces for powerful deck archetypes, but aren’t always the main stars of those decks. They also should represent good cards to finish a deck, as they can either help against certain popular synergies, or simply serve an all round purpose that can contribute to almost every deck.
Strong Synergistic Cards
Odin
On Reveal: Activate the On Reveal abilities of your other cards at this location.
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Decks with Odin
Wolfsbane
On Reveal: +2 Power for each other card you have here.
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Decks with Wolfsbane
Apocalypse
When you discard this from your hand, put it back with +4 Power.
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Decks with Apocalypse
America Chavez
Starts on the bottom of your deck. Draw this on turn 6.
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Decks with America Chavez
Odin: The king of the On Reveal synergy in Pool 1 is amongst the best 6-Cost cards early in your adventure. Played on a lane with On Reveal abilities to trigger, you should have no problem making your Odin worth at least 15 to 20 points in total.
Blade: Three power for a 1-Cost card is above average, and the low cost of Blade makes the card flexible enough to leverage its discard ability at various turns in the game. Also, you can simply play the card on turn six and overlook the discard completely.
Wolfsbane: Seven power is on par with the best cards in the 3-Cost pool. Paired with the fact that most synergies early on in Marvel Snap tend to look to flood the board, it should make Wolfsbane reliable enough to get to its biggest potential score.
America Chavez: Miss Reliable, as I like to call her, is often the go-to 12th card when you don’t really know what to include in your deck. Although the nine points on the cards can be on the low end of 6-Cost card, America Chavez‘s biggest strength is making your other draws more reliable until turn six. For highly synergistic decks, looking to find specific cards early in the game, she is often a great addition.
Strong Overall Cards
White Queen
On Reveal: Copy the highest-Cost card in your opponent’s hand into your hand.
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Decks with White Queen
Cosmo
Ongoing: On Reveal abilities won’t happen at this location.
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Decks with Cosmo
Mister Fantastic
Ongoing: Adjacent locations have +2 Power.
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Decks with Mister Fantastic
Jessica Jones
On Reveal: If you don’t play a card here next turn, +4 Power.
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Decks with Jessica Jones
Ant Man: Four power in a 1-Cost card isn’t something you will find routinely in Marvel Snap. As such, in a game where playing a lot of cards is often a good strategy early on in your journey, Ant Man easily finds a way to be included in many decks.
White Queen: While she isn’t exceptional at anything precise, it is hard to not find utility in White Queen either. She can be used for points, as six power isn’t so bad. For information, as it will tell you about a precise card in your opponent’s hand. Or for flexibility, as you could get another option for your later turns thanks to the card you receive.
Lizard: The card can be scary as it is very weak if the opponent fills the locations, but this potential backlash comes with upsides. First, if they don’t, five power for a 2-Cost cards is about as sweet as it gets in Marvel Snap. Then, it incentivizes your opponent to play on a certain spot or to let you have your Lizard score an above average amount of points for a 2-Cost.
Cosmo: On Reveal is a synergy that will follow you through your whole journey in Marvel Snap, as decks using On Reveal cards range from Series 1 to Series 5. Cosmo won’t be an auto-include at all times, but it will be a valid consideration to round up your deck more often than one might think.
Mister Fantastic: Priority (who reveals cards first is determined by the total power on board) is kind of a big deal in Marvel Snap, and it might be even more important early in the experience compared to later down the line. By spreading points across the different locations, Mister Fantastic helps sizing priority and is still included in competitive decks at the time I am writing this.
Armor: In Series 1, Armor isn’t as useful as it will become once you enter Series 2. For now, the card is mostly an annoying card for an opposing Carnage or Deathlok, and that is about it. Past Pool 1 opponents, Armor should quickly become one of your favourite 2-Cost, and see play in a ton of different synergies.
Angela: When three cards are played behind her, Angela is a 2-Cost, 6 power card, placing her amongst the highest power cards for the cost. The limitation with Angela is the need to play her on an empty location, and to play onto said location afterwards. This requirement makes the card a little less flexible than other cards with a growing ability. The fact that she was nerfed twice already is a testament to her power.
Jessica Jones: Alongside White Queen, Jessica Jones is amongst the best 4-Cost cards in the Marvel Snap early experience. At eight power, the card represents a solid anchor for a location, and isn’t really a problem to trigger if you have space on your other locations.
Nightcrawler: The versatile, include kind of everywhere 1-Cost Nightcrawler is great early in Marvel Snap. It allows for some space flexibility and to reach otherwise unplayable locations. It is the most played 1-Cost card in Series 1 until you begin to unlock other options in Series 2.
B Tier
There are a lot of cards in the B Tier, so I am going to be breaking them up into smaller chunks. The big difference from A Tier is that B Tier cards usually need a more specific setup, serve as a support tool, or are less impactful for their cost.
Overall Good Cards
Scarlet Witch
On Reveal: Replace this location with a random new one.
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Decks with Scarlet Witch
Captain America
Ongoing: Your other cards at this location have +1 Power.
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Decks with Captain America
Gamora
On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +5 Power.
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Decks with Gamora
Iron Fist
On Reveal: After you play your next card, move it one location to the left.
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Decks with Iron Fist
Squirrel Girl
On Reveal: Add a 1-Power Squirrel to each other location.
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Decks with Squirrel Girl
Rocket Raccoon
On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +2 Power.
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Decks with Rocket Raccoon
Sentinel: A good 2-Cost for decks that fear they might not have something to play every turn, Sentinel serves as a nice filler. Also, it is part of the Devil Dinosaur package, which raises the card’s overall stock.
Scarlet Witch: A good utility card, Scarlet Witch is a nice inclusion in decks in need to play on all three locations. She usually serves as the last card in the deck, once the core of the strategy is already taken care of.
Captain America: A solid pick in any deck that will turn the card into a six power contribution every game, Captain America tends to lose its spot in favour of Mister Fantastic or Wolfsbane as time passes.
Yondu: A nice card to figure out what your opponent is playing early on, Yondu lacks some synergistic cards that will appear down the line to be a great 1-Cost. Usually, Ant Man or Nightcrawler are the preferred options, but many players include Yondu whenever they would look for more 1-Cost cards.
Gamora: A big body for her cost when played in the right place, Gamora is great to lock a location you know your opponent has to play on in order to take it back.
Korg: Drawing a Rock is effectively seeing one less card from your deck for the game, and it can be all it takes to derail someone’s gameplan at times. While other 1-Cost cards tend to be visibly stronger, Korg can be a silent killer while your collection is limited.
Iron Fist: One of the most difficult 1-Cost cards to use, Iron Fist finds a lot of synergies early in the game. The card helps to reach difficult locations, activate On Reveal effects somewhere for the card to end up somewhere else (Wolfsbane, Gamora, etc) or to be able to play behind Jessica Jones without impairing her On Reveal ability.
Squirrel Girl: One of the best cards if you are about filling your side of the board for various reasons, Squirrel Girl can sometimes run into the problem of locations already doing it for you, which clogs your own board in the process. Still, the card sees play in the Ka-Zar or Destroy archetypes, and contributes nicely in both decks.
Rocket Raccoon: Another solid 1-Cost card, Rocket Raccoon is part of the very short list of early drops able to reach four power, sharing the distinction with Ant Man. The reason it is a tier below, is the more challenging way to get it.
Good Support Tools
White Tiger
On Reveal: Add a 7-Power Tiger to another location.
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Decks with White Tiger
Moon Girl: A great value option, and Devil Dinosaur‘s best friend. Moon Girl allows you to play cheaper cards in your deck and not run out of steam before game’s end.
Klaw: The ability to impact multiple lanes can be a great one at times, and the Ongoing synergy sees plenty of ways to be supported in Series 1.
White Tiger: Odin‘s best ally, White Tiger is a great card when you begin Marvel Snap and should be included in most of your On Reveal-based decks. On its own, the card is a little lackluster, hence the B Tier inclusion.
Spectrum: In the right deck, Spectrum can represent 15 or so power value, but lack the flexibility to be an all around good card. Consider Spectrum anytime you are building a card will lots of Ongoing abilities. She also sees play in Ongoing Destroyer, one of the top decks in Marvel Snap that only runs one Pool 3 card.
Good Cards in a Specific Deck
Colossus
Ongoing: Can’t be destroyed, moved, or have its Power reduced.
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Decks with Colossus
Lady Sif
On Reveal: Discard the highest-cost card from your hand.
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Decks with Lady Sif
Deathlok
On Reveal: Destroy your other cards at this location.
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Decks with Deathlok
Professor X
Ongoing: Lock down this location. (Cards can’t be added, removed, etc.)
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Decks with Professor X
Onslaught
Ongoing: Double your other Ongoing effects at this location.
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Decks with Onslaught
Nova: Nova‘s ceiling is as high as you have other cards on the table, making it potentially the best 1-Cost card in the game. It does require some help though, and can be countered by Armor, Cosmo, or a bad location.
Colossus: A nice utility in an Ongoing deck, Colossus is also a card that tends to shine during Featured or Hot Locations, as the card ignores many effects.
Sword Master: The go-to 3-Cost card for any discard based deck. Sword Master usually doesn’t see much play outside of those, as cards like Wolfsbane, Captain America, or Mister Fantastic tend to get the nod over it.
Lady Sif: A staple in Discard based decks and Apocalypse‘s best friend, Lady Sif is unfortunately limited to this archetype only, as she lacks the versatility of other 3-Cost staples.
Deathlok: Lady Sif, but for the Destroy synergy. Deathlok can be an asset on specific Featured Locations or simply as a five power card on an empty one. However, the card tends to be a worse Carnage more often than not, and really needs Bucky Barnes from Series 2 to become a solid card.
Professor X: Being 100% sure we have a lane under control is quite the privilege in Marvel Snap, and tends to be very reassuring when you aren’t familiar with the various play patterns yet. The downside of it is that it comes in a card with only three power for its five energy invested. It can be used either in the Ongoing synergy so you can use Spectrum to buff the locked lane on turn six, or simply to protect a strong early game from your opponent taking it back on the last turn.
Onslaught: The Odin to the Ongoing synergy, Onslaught can’t find too many great cards to abuse yet in Series 1, and tends to be edged out by the more flexible Spectrum at this point in your journey. Don’t count Onslaught out though, the card shines in combo-oriented builds, and will be a player as you unlock more cards to abuse.
Good Tech Cards Able to Punish Certain Opponents
Enchantress
On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards at this location.
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Decks with Enchantress
Spider-Woman
On Reveal: Afflict all enemy cards here with -1 Power.
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Decks with Spider-Woman
Elektra
On Reveal: Destroy a random enemy 1-Cost card at this location.
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Decks with Elektra
Enchantress: The Ongoing synergy is popular enough to warrant the card in your deck, but it shouldn’t be included with the idea we are playing Enchantress on turn four every game. See it more as a tool that can be mixed in your late game play patterns to counter popular strategies that you are currently facing.
Spider-Woman: Usually associated with Odin in order to completely ruin a lane for the opponent, Spider-Woman tends to be edged by other, more proactive On Reveal abilities. As such, you should mostly consider the card as an 11 power card against opponent who tend to fill a location quickly.
Elektra: A great 1-Cost card when it destroys Ant Man or a buffed up Rocket Raccoon, Elektra should be included as a punish card, similarly to Spider-Woman in the previous entry.
C Tier
C Tier cards are typically not strong enough to push their synergies to be relevant. These cards depend on an already strong deck to need them in order to see play.
Good Cards in the Wrong Synergy
Heimdall
On Reveal: Move your other cards one location to the left.
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Decks with Heimdall
Multiple Man
When this moves, add a copy to the old location.
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Decks with Multiple Man
Doctor Strange
On Reveal: Move your highest Power cards to this location.
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Decks with Doctor Strange
The Move package is a very synergistic one, and unfortunately misses some key pieces that will only be collected in Series 2, such as Vulture or Cloak. As a result, the cards supporting the move synergy outside the cheaper, more flexible ones that are Nightcrawler and Iron Fist are difficult to use at the start of your Marvel Snap adventure.
Doctor Strange and Heimdall can see play to abuse some locations, and getting cards to a place that would otherwise be very difficult to reach. When it comes to Kraven and Multiple Man though, it is really difficult to justify running these two cards in your deck compared to other options. These tend to have much more upsides once the Move synergy isn’t the sole focus of your deck.
Not Good Enough to be Often Included in a 12-Card Decklist
Wolverine
When this is discarded or destroyed, regenerate it at a random location with +2 Power.
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Decks with Wolverine
Mister Sinister
On Reveal: Add a Sinister Clone to this location with the same Power.
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Decks with Mister Sinister
Cable
On Reveal: Put the bottom card of your opponent’s deck into your hand.
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Decks with Cable
Mantis
On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, draw a card from their deck.
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Decks with Mantis
These cards aren’t necessarily bad, and they can fill a role in several decks. The problem arises when you have to chose which cards to include, and the space in Marvel Snap is very limited. As a result, these cards tend to be the first, or second ones we aren’t including for lack of space, but that shouldn’t stop you from considering them, and thinking about their synergies in your deck.
Later in your experience, you will also unlock new cards, which will give some of these cards a new life, as there will be additional ways to work around their ability. Wolverine is a regular inclusion in Galactus decks, Mister Sinister sees play with Cerebro or the Sera Miracle build and Forge has been a staple in the Silver Surfer deck for almost an entire month.
See this group of cards as ones that won’t fit everywhere, like the A Tier cards could, but that aren’t to completely forget about either, as they are good enough to be relevant as you enhance your collection.
Lacking Some Overall Power to See Play
Hulkbuster
On Reveal: Merge this card with a random friendly card at this location.
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Decks with Hulkbuster
Morph
On Reveal: Become a copy of a random card in your opponent’s hand.
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Decks with Morph
Star-Lord
On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +3 Power.
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Decks with Star-Lord
Groot
On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +2 Power.
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Decks with Groot
Hawkeye
On Reveal: If you play a card here next turn, +2 Power.
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Decks with Hawkeye
Compared to the previous category, these cards have a much bigger problem: There are stronger options in the game already. This means, you might want to play these if you would want to duplicate a certain pattern, or increase the reliably you can develop a card. Otherwise, they will usually be left outside of your deck, as better cards are available for the cost.
For example, Hulkbuster tends to be a worse Forge, and is only included if you think you would want more than Forge as a potential buff in your deck. Star-Lord is a more difficult Lizard, which only works if you guess where your opponent will play. Groot is a worse Wolfsbane. Hawkeye growing to three power is edged out by Blade, Ant Man and such cards.
It isn’t that these cards are necessarily not worth running in your deck, rather that unless you are missing the better option, you will usually keep those in the collection.
D Tier
D Tier cards are ones which pretty much never see play except for very specific purposes. Most are the starter deck cards, which you want to swap out of your decks as soon as you get replacements that are marginally better. Some of them will come back in Pool 3, later in your journey.
Uatu the Watcher
Once this is in your hand, you can see the unrevealed locations.
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Decks with Uatu the Watcher
For example, all the cards with no ability (“Vanilla”) only becomes a consideration once you have unlocked Patriot in Series 3. Quicksilver only sees play alongside Agatha Harkness, also a card to collect in Series 3.
Basically, these cards are not seeing play unless a specific synergy pushes them to be relevant, simply because they aren’t good enough on their own.
Closing Words
Pool One cards exists to create the framework of a lot of different decks going forward in your Marvel Snap journey, filled to the brim with some all-stars you’ll be playing forever. Series 1 also features some stinkers that serve a purpose early, before being passed over later, and some cards that will wait in your collection until you unlock the one that gives them a reason to be played.
Thankfully, most people push through Pool One very quickly, which means if you unlock something you don’t care for, it won’t be long until you’re unlocking something else. Likewise, if your favourite card doesn’t feel so good right now, it might not be long until you can use the card in a deck where it will make sense.
Looking to talk about these cards, or ask more? Hit us up in the Marvel Snap Zone Discord and join the fun.
I hope to see you out there in the multiverse.
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