Table of Contents
There are more decks to discuss this week, but it feels more due to players experimenting with new synergies rather than Shou-Lao the Undying being any weaker.
Indeed, although more counter cards are being included, with Spider-Ham, Copy Cat, Cable already in flexible decks, while Cosmo or Super-Adaptoid joined Stardust as popular disruptive tools, the 5-cost still rules Marvel Snap.
It is almost comical to see Fin Fang Foom come out, a 7-cost designed to win a location on its own through feeding from your opponent’s power, and have it serve as a way to punish those who buffed their front-row with Shou-Lao.
Sure, one could argue Spider-Ham, Stardust and Cosmo all serve against Hela, so it is no wonder that archetype isn’t able to beat Shou-Lao decks. Yet, Ramp doesn’t manage to do it either, nor does Man-Spider, Ongoing Tribunal, or any deck typically able to beat their opponent on points.
Typically, when so many decks designed to put out 100 points on the table are played, one is bound to escape counter cards, ending up as a fantastic performer. It will only last a week, as changing a flexible slot in your deck to adapt is no trouble, but it will still show there are creases we can exploit.
Right now, creating a lot of points is too easy to do with very flexible decks. Lists with up to four, five flexible slots they can use for whatever card they wish. With so many available, they can run generic disruption and have room left for specific disruption as well.
Because of it, the current Marvel Snap metagame is down to Shou-Lao decks adapting against each other. Some other archetypes are good enough to see play, but can’t be considered competitive when compared to the top dragons.
Happy Tier List, everyone!
| Tier | Deck |
|---|---|
| Trending | Iron Hand 0.6 Cube Average / 54.5% Win Rate |
| Tier 1 | Shou-Lao Activates 0.9 Cube Average / 66% Win Rate |
| Tier 1 | Shou-Lao On Reveal 0.8 Cube Average / 65.5% Win Rate |
| Tier 1 | Small Shou-Lao On Reveal 0.5 Cube Average / 62.5% Win Rate |
| Tier 1 | Flexible Move 0.6 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate |
| Tier 2 | Hela Discard 0.4 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate |
| Tier 2 | Ramp 0.45 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate |
| Tier 2 | Supergiant Control 0.25 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate |
| Tier 2 | Zombie Galacti 0.35 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate |
| Tier 2 | Man-Spider Combo 0.3 Cube Average / 56.5% Win Rate |
| Tier 3 | Ongoing Tribunal 0.4 Cube Average / 52% Win Rate |
| Tier 3 | On Reveal Hammer Time 0.15 Cube Average / 54.5% Win Rate |
| Tier 3 | Disruptive Control 0.15 Cube Average / 53% Win Rate |
Are you still chasing that elusive Infinite Rank? Here are the Top 5 performers in the ranks 80 to 99!
| Shou-Lao Activates | 0.6 Cube Average / 60.5% Win Rate |
| Shou-lao On Reveal | 0.55 Cube Average / 60.5% Win Rate |
| Negative Destroy | 0.65 Cube Average / 59.5% Win Rate |
| Chamber Ramp | 0.4 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate |
| Flexible Move | 0.3 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate |
Here is my usual annoying advice because I’m a coach and I like to think this helps people: Focus on controlling the stakes of each game and building trust in both your deck and your decision making abilities. Once you feel confident, feel free to take more risks. Reaching Infinite is all about understanding the process of grinding cubes. Also, constantly changing your deck limits your ability to learn the game fundamentals, as you are always focused on learning how to pilot the new deck.
Trending
Iron Hand
den
Performance: 0.6 Cube Average / 54.5% Win Rate
Unable to compete on points with Shou-Lao the Undying, Iron Hand needs to toss in some disruptive cards to compete. The Win Rate isn’t high, but the cube rate is excellent in comparison, showing how impactful Super-Adaptoid or Echo can be at the moment.
Obviously, playing to counter your opponent isn’t as reliable as dominating through points. However, these cards allow to snap, which ultimately is the best way to gain cubes in this game.
Potential Additions
There aren’t a ton of Ongoing cards except for the Ongoing Tribunal deck, so Echo feels like the more flexible card her. Spider-Ham is very popular at the moment, as hitting a key card can result in a swift 1 cube victory.
Tier 1
Shou Lao Activates
den
Performance: 0.9 Cube Average / 66% Win Rate
Although everyone recognizes this deck from a mile away, typically as soon as Jocasta, Maverick, or Scarlet Spider hit the board, stopping Shou-Lao activate is a daunting task.
Already, Spider-Ham, Iceman, Cable and such cards gained popularity to disrupt the curve and grab some information. This week, Super-Adaptoid also gained some momentum, which pressed this deck to run Cosmo as an answer.
Clearly, this build is the best from a proactive standpoint. Now, the game to find how to stop it is at full force, and we’ll see if Shou-Lao Activates is flexible enough to adapt. So far, it looks like it definitely manages to.
Potential Additions
Cable and Copycat serve for the mirror match while being useful cards overall. They could be Gorgon to block other Merlin decks, or Super-Adaptoid to target the mirror match. Cosmo is obviously a flexible inclusion to protect key elements.
Last, Agony and America Chavez also see play, but Nico Minoru did better this week.
Shou-Lao Good Cards On Reveal
den
Performance: 0.8 Cube Average / 65.5% Win Rate
More flexible than the Activate build, but also required to draw certain cards earlier in a match, such as Werewolf By Night, Good Cards On Reveal showcases different strengths compared to the other dominant archetype.
Currently, the metagame seems geared towards beating the Activate build, which is easier to play against, but also stronger when the draws align. On the other hand, this one is more difficult to counter, but can’t produce 40 points on two locations. This is a better pick for players looking to adapt to their opponent and play without specific play-patterns in mind.
Potential Additions
Stardust blocks Scarlet Spider without Cosmo being a problem. This one and Shadow King are the flexible inclusions, but feel required in the metagame, leaving little to be discussed about the 12 inclusions in this archetype.
Shou-Lao Small On Reveal
den
Performance: 0.5 Cube Average / 62.5% Win Rate
The worse of the dedicated Shou-Lao decks still is posting a performance eclipsing every build not based on the season pass card. In this one, we have a lot of synergies going on, but the average cost make the entire thing quite flexible.
Its main upside is Clea being able to reduce the power of a Maverick or Scarlet Spider in order to edge against the Activate build. Last week, Lockheed was also in the mix for that same reason, but we typically don’t know where to play it early on, and it can be tricky to find the energy to play it later on.
Both the win and cube rates are lower than the ones Activate or Good On Reveal are sporting. However, this looks much closer to a deck built around certain synergies, rather than strong cards able to exist on their own with Shou-Lao the Undying on top.
Likely, this is the reason this deck is doing a bit worse than the other two, as certain cards are useless without their synergistic pairing. However, when the inevitable nerf comes, this deck might be able to function without Shou-Lao, which might not be the case for the Activate build.
Potential Additions
Falcon II”] replaces Lockheed and brought Iceman along for the ride. Spider-Ham coudl replace the 1-cost while the 2-cost slot would then be flexible. Gorgon is great at the moment, but so is Cable. Or you might want a specific counter card on top of Stardust as well.
Flexible Move
den
Performance: 0.6 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate
These are great numbers, and would compete to be atop the rankings in most weeks of most seasons. Unfortunately, there is another synergy featuring great flexibility and even more points, meaning Flexible Move won’t be the best until some balance updates happen.
Until then, it can at least pride itself with being the best archetype not using Shou-Lao, while Stardust and Cosmo help in those match-ups as well.
Potential Additions
If you got that new season pass card and couldn’t find a good deck to slot it in. Flexible Move can also build around Shou-Lao the Undying:
den
Tier 2
Hela Discard
den
Performance: 0.4 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate
When a Shou-Lao deck focuses on two locations, it can challenge Hela on raw amount of points. Add the Spider-Ham, Cable and such cards to possibly take out the Goddess of Death and you end up with a rather challenging environment for this deck.
Fortunately, these losses are 1 cube only, since nobody snaps against Hela before making sure the signature card is out of the way. Another upside is the addition of Fin Fang Foom, which forces the opponent to gather their points on the back row or the new 7-cost will just match those.
There are serious threats, but Hela is equally as scary to go against at the moment, making this a competitive pick.
Potential Additions
Iron Man is the flexible card in the deck, with Chamber or Lockjaw sometimes included instead.
Ramp
den
Performance: 0.45 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate
Ramp isn’t as scary now that a lot of points is fairly common. The numbers still point towards a solid contender, but the deck heavily relies on finding Electro or Luna Snow by turn three.
Indeed, without that extra energy, there is little chance this deck can compete with the flexible powerhouses in Tier 1. When it does, the amount of points developed is enough to force most decks to draw really well in order to match the total Ramp is able to put up.
Potential Additions
Gorgon or Iron Patriot are good 2-costs, while Fin Fang Foom is also a popular inclusion among high cost cards.
Supergiant Control
den
Performance: 0.25 Cube Average / 59% Win Rate
The issue with disruptive decks is the need to snap early, or your opponent will just retreat for a cube once they understand they aren’t winning this match. Unfortunately, snapping on turn two or three against a very flexible archetype means it is still early for them to adapt, or use their own disruption against you.
This context leads to Supergiant Control often winning, as it is a great deck to impair your opponent, especially prevent Scarlet Spider from being played on turn five. However, this deck needs to find a way to win more than one cube per match.
Potential Additions
Iceman could be Elektra or such 1-cost card able to grab priority, a key to land Super-Adaptoid or Negasonic Teenage Warhead reliably. Iron Patriot and other tools able to high roll are also good to consider in order to rely on more than pure disruption.
Zombie Galacti
den
Performance: 0.35 Cube Average / 58% Win Rate
Just like the archetype above, Zombie Galacti is strong enough to win more than half its matches. If only it was able to be more surprising, it could really be something. Yet, that is an impossible trait when your opponent knows your synergy from the start, on top of which cards will or won’t eventually transform.
The way snaps and retreat favours the more flexible player is a huge downside to Zombie Galacti, especially in this metagame with decks able to manipulate their points total up to the very last turn.
Potential Additions
Maybe some disruption would be good, such as Spider-Ham. Cards able to contribute, possibly open a snap opportunity, but also can transform down the line.
Man-Spider Combo
den
Performance: 0.3 Cube Average / 56.5% Win Rate
If Cosmo, Shadow King, Stardust and Spider-Ham were not used to edge against the Activate archetype, Man-Spider would skyrocket to a high place on this list. Sadly, even if this might be the best archetype when it comes to points potential, it is also a very predictable, thus easy to counter deck.
It just so happens the current disruptive cards also play against it.
Potential Additions
Fin Fang Foom represents another way to create points, but demands Wave or a luck Anti-Venom hit. Black Panther likely won’t generate as many points, but should be a fine replacement without needing so much extra energy to function.
Tier 3
Except for Shou-Lao the Undying decks, this metagame rewards extreme strategies, as you need to develop a lot of points, or heavily impair your opponent to compete at the moment.
Tier 2 already featured such archetypes, so it is difficult to see the three builds in this last tier as competitively viable, considering they follow the same route, except they go through a bumpier ride.
Ongoing Tribunal
den
Performance: 0.4 Cube Average / 52% Win Rate
On Reveal Hammer Time
den
Performance: 0.15 Cube Average / 54.5% Win Rate
Disruptive Control
den
Performance: 0.15 Cube Average / 53% Win Rate
That’s it for this week! To reach out, find me on the Marvel Snap Zone community Discord, or shoot me a direct message (@den_ccg) for specific stuff or coaching.
Good Game Everyone.
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 Win Rate, 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. 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 Tier 1 and Tier 2.
Silent Performer: Decks with a very little presence in the meta that still showcase a Cube Average and Win Rate worthy of a Tier 2 deck (or better). Oftentimes, these can be archetypes with some nice game play that have been left unchecked in the current environment, or decks on the rise that found a few good match ups to abuse.
Tier 1: Tier 1 represents decks with all the upsides we would be looking for to rack up Cubes. They have good match ups in the current meta, offer different play patterns during a match, and often have the ability for explosive or surprising turns. These should be decks worth investing into in order to climb for the coming week.
Tier 2: Tier 2 are very good decks but with a weakness holding them back – either not being as reliable in its draws as Tier 1 decks, countered by another popular deck, or still being a work in progress as you read this. A good pilot could probably take these and have the same results as with a Tier 1 deck, but their play patterns are more difficult to enact compared to the tier above.
Tier 3: This tier is made of decks that have a pervasive issue compared to Tier 1 or Tier 2 decks. Usually, Tier 3 will be a mix of decks on the rise that don’t have much data, old archetypes on the decline, decks that require substantial experience and/or knowledge to pilot properly, powerful decks that aren’t well positioned, or niche decks.
Meta stats and analytics directly from our Marvel Snap Tracker can also be found here.
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