Table of Contents
Welcome to our Marvel Snap Meta Meta Tier List! Each week, we review the best decks in the ever-changing Marvel Snap ladder meta.
This report is dedicated to the Ranked mode and lists the current best decks heading into and once in the Infinite Rank. We also provide a Conquest report, available every weekend, that highlights the best archetypes for that mode. Looking to figure out the impact of the newly released card or the latest balance changes? This is the place to be!
If you are looking for more information about a deck in particular, check out our Archetypes pages, with detailed information about each of the household names in Marvel Snap.
Marvel Snap Meta Overview
Too often, I feel like the community gives too much credit to the ranking of a deck instead of also considering their own play style or understanding of the game. In a meta like the one we have now, these personal factors probably have more importance than knowing what the absolute best deck is.
Obviously, a deck ranked in Tier 1 has some upsides compared to a Tier 3 deck. However, when there are so many good decks to look at, the thresholds are adjusted and more competitive. For example, Tier 3 typically features decks that post a Cube Average of 0.15 or better. This time, there were so many archetypes at that threshold that I raised the bar up to 0.25, which would typically place a deck in Tier 2.
I did the same for the Tier 1 contenders; Mister Negative did meet the 0.5 Cube Average threshold, but it also only had a 46.% Win Rate—the worst by quite a margin on this list. As a result, I decided to downgrade the deck to Tier 2.
This doesn’t mean Mister Negative is worse than the four decks in Tier 1, all of which had much better Win Rates. It only indicates that you have to be flawless with your Snaps and Retreats if you want to get similar cube gains when playing Mister Negative. If you can do that (and appreciate a Snap-and-Retreat-centered play style), then I can only recommend that you give Mister Negative a try.
There are plenty more examples of such decks on this list. Even if the rankings mean something, it has never been more important to also know what you are capable of as a player. You’ll need to maximize your strengths when picking up the deck you will take on the Ladder with.
Happy Tier List, everyone!
Marvel Snap Meta Tier List
| Tier | Deck |
|---|---|
| Silent Performer | Hammer Pixie |
| Silent Performer | Double Up Makkari |
| Tier 1 | Junk |
| Tier 1 | Silver Surfer |
| Tier 1 | Good Cards Ravonna |
| Tier 1 | Kazoolgamesh |
| Tier 2 | Mister Negative |
| Tier 2 | Phoenix Force |
| Tier 2 | Good Cards Discard Blink |
| Tier 2 | On Reveal |
| Tier 2 | DeathJunk |
| Tier 2 | Bounce |
| Tier 3 | Sera Control |
| Tier 3 | Destroy |
| Tier 3 | Hela |
| Tier 3 | Galactus |
| Tier 3 | Loki |
| Tier 3 | Discard Dracula |
| Budget | Ongoing Kazoo |
| Budget | Devil Dinosaur Destroy |
| Budget | Swarm Discard Aggro |
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.
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.
Cube Average > 0.45
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.
Cube Average > 0.35
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.
Cube Average > 0.25
Budget: Decks that consist only of cards in Pool 1 and 2 that are still capable of competing with an experienced pilot in a similar Collection Level, Rank, and MMR range. See our matchmaking guide for more details.
Meta stats and analytics directly from our Marvel Snap Tracker can also be found here.
Silent Performers
Both our Silent Performers rely on similar concepts: explosiveness in the later turns. This seems to be the way to make a name for yourself in a meta without Professor X (and not so much of Mobius M. Mobius either).
Both decks develop very differently, but they aim for the same goal. As for their effectiveness, Hammer Pixie could have made a claim for a spot in a Tier 1 spot while Double Up would have been an average Tier 2 deck. The Win Rate of Hammer Pixie in particular was impressive at 57.5%.
Typically, a Silent Performer will rely on being relatively unknown to leverage the Snap mechanic and boost its Cube Average in the process. However, you can’t really fake a solid Win Rate, which makes that metric an important one to determine how well the deck could perform once it isn’t a surprise archetype anymore.
den
den
Tier 1
Junk
When in doubt about the current most popular decks—especially when there are so many represented—just go after something every Marvel Snap archetype needs: board space.
After a rough time adapting to the OTA, Junk is back at full force. This time, it’s with some help from Mockingbird and Sage to provide the points that Darkhawk was originally used for. Here, you can see that you don’t want to focus the entire deck around the entire Junk mechanic, as Debrii and Cannonball are gone from the list. Instead, the deck includes solid standalone cards and focuses on flexibility.
Potential Additions
Pixie Junk also had a nice week, although it wouldn’t have deserved the top spot on this list.
Silver Surfer
den
The deck has only been gaining momentum since the OTA, and it probably would have taken the top spot if it wasn’t for the old favorite making a big return. At a 60% Win Rate, Silver Surfer has been posting its best performance in quite some time. The archetype is able to compete with the best of the best in the current environment.
The impact of the disruptive cards is massive for contributing to the deck’s success. Killmonger in particular has a huge impact against Kazoolgamesh and Junk.
Potential Additions
A mix of Ravonna Renslayer and Silver Surfer also posted great numbers this week.
den
Good Cards Ravonna
den
After a week of looking almost extinct, Ravonna Renslayer came back swinging. This time, it lost its “Lockdown” name now that Professor X is out of the mix. Instead, the deck went back to another synergy it used when Sasquatch released, pairing the yeti with Mysterio and Mockingbird for cheap, high power cards. Outside of these new inclusions, the deck still leverages the Angela, Thena, and Kitty Pryde trio early in the match, alongside some low power cards for Ravonna Renslayer.
Looking at the numbers (59% Win Rate, 0.45 Cube Average), the deck is pretty close to its standards before the OTA. Let’s see if it will be easier to beat this time around.
Potential Additions
Morph is the flexible card in the build, replaceable with any disruptive card you would deem useful. Cards like Red Guardian, Mobius M. Mobius, Rogue…
den
Kazoolgamesh
den
After becoming the best deck after the OTA, the old timers came back and took what was theirs from good ol’ Kazoo. It is nothing against the deck really, but it lacks the flexibility that others possess to be able to keep the top spot of the rankings. You can already see how the best list has to include a lot of cards like Caiera, Rogue, Shadow King, and Snowguard to help the deck react to the locations or the opponents.
With the return of other decks, Kazoolgamesh could have more room to exist with less of the meta centered around beating it (with Killmonger, for example). Then, even if the build doesn’t seem like the best one anymore, it could benefit from other dominant archetypes emerging.
Potential Additions
Rogue feels like the most flexible card of the deck; you could use her slot to adapt to your popular opponents.
Tier 2
Mister Negative
den
With the hybrid Ravonna Surfer deck, the Good Cards Ravonna deck, and this deck, Ravonna Renslayer serves as the engine for three of the top five decks in this report. Some have hazarded a comparison with Zabu, and I think we might slowly be getting there.
Compared to the other top decks, this one has the worst Win Rate by far at only 46.5%. Even so, it is impressive to see it post a 0.5 Cube Average over several hundred games. Sure, the Snaps aren’t particularly difficult to figure out, and you focus mostly on your own development, both which make the deck quite easy to pilot. Still, certain cards, such as Cosmo and Mobius M. Mobius, or the Mill archetype could be absolutely backbreaking. Fortunately, none of those seem to be very popular right now.
Potential Additions
den
Phoenix Force
den
With a lot of diversity and proactive strategies around, Phoenix Force feels like a relatively safe pick that isn’t outstanding. Indeed, although I don’t think Shuri and Nimrod are enough to beat most decks in Tier 1, Multiple Man and
Plus, Human Torch might be a bit of a liability currently with Kazoo pushing Killmonger to be a popular inclusion. But, with that deck slowly losing momentum as time passes, the 1-Cost could return to being worth a Snap soon.
Potential Additions
Shang-Chi is the flexible card, replaceable with anything you believe can turn a lane or disrupt an entire game plan. Most of the time, you want a card you can play on Turn 5 or 6 since the first four turns are dedicated to building and playing
Good Cards Discard Blink
den
Even if you considered Angela, Thena, and Kitty Pryde as another trio worthy of the “Good Cards” label, the archetype has been built mostly around either Blink or Black Knight lately. This week, both decided to coexist in one deck, and it posted the best results for the archetype with a rather greedy build that features three 6-Cost cards.
The Cube Average is decent compared to the other decks in this report at around 0.35 (which is what most of the Tier 2 decks posted this week). However, the deck’s 57.5% Win Rate was the best of that bunch, hence why Discard Blink beat On Reveal, Bounce, and DeathJunk in the rankings.
Potential Additions
Ms. Marvel could be replaced with a counter card like Enchantress, Shang-Chi, or Shadow King if you value those over more points.
On Reveal
den
With the exact same list that posted great performances before the OTA (and also disappointing ones after the OTA), On Reveal is now in the middle of the pack. At a 57% Win Rate and 0.35 Cube Average, the deck is part of that group of archetypes with solid results but are lacking something to reach the next level. With this one, I would suspect that its weakness to Red Guardian is what’s holding it back. Indeed, the way the deck plays often gives priority to its opponents, and that is where Red Guardian is at its best. It’s able to deny Wong, Ravonna Renslayer, or any On Reveal that you want to reactivate with Odin.
When looking at the list, it is easy to spot a few familiar faces like Ravonna Renslayer and Sage. One could wonder whether On Reveal as a synergy is good, or if it just happens to use some of the best cards from other, even better archetypes.
Potential Additions
Green Goblin and Hobgoblin can help with the Namora strategy while synergizing with Ravonna Renslayer as well.
DeathJunk
den
On paper, the meta looks great for Deathjunk; it should be able to beat both Junk and Kazoolgamesh, both of which are very popular archetypes. Yet, the 53% Win Rate and 0.35 Cube Average tell us otherwise, which probably indicates the other match ups are a bit of a problem to overcome. In testing, it felt quite obvious that the deck needed to draw really well to develop enough points. Indeed, if you can’t find Mockingbird or discount Death enough, the deck doesn’t feel special at all.
I believe DeathJunk can be much better than these numbers, but it requires a great Snapper at the helm.
Potential Additions
It is hard to recommend any changes to the deck, as DeathJunk mixes three synergies together that eat all the space in a 12 card deck.
Bounce
As a huge Bounce aficionado, I’m a little torn about this one. On the one hand, I love to see Bounce be popular enough to be a part of our weekly report. Both the 56% Win Rate and 0.35 Cube Average are solid metrics. On the other hand, the featured deck feels like it could go even further, as the inclusion of Angela, Bishop, and Kitty Pryde feel like an attempt to do what the Ravonna decks are already doing.
This ranking could be viewed as very promising. Bounce is a difficult archetype to pilot, and it’s often left out of the popular decks because of that. Or it could be just another deck looking to develop points flexibly—something plenty of other decks are doing already—except they have better metrics than Bounce.
Potential Additions
Bishop and Rocket Raccoon are the two flexible cards here. Debrii, Shadow King, Spider-Ham, or even Sersi could be reasonable inclusions instead.
Tier 3
Tier 3 is filled with various archetypes this week. Most of them are either purely reactive, or focused around one specific synergy. Indeed, apart from Loki (which is often regarded as one of the most flexible decks in the game), all the others aren’t so difficult to anticipate once you recognize them.
This seems to be a big difference maker in the current meta because it will impact your ability to Snap a lot. Rigid decks need to Snap early and hope their opponents stay in the match, which is something Phoenix Force does pretty well. Flexible decks can wait longer, as they have not shown much to their opponent during the early parts of the match.
Unfortunately, when you are a well-known archetype like Destroy or Discard, it only takes your 1-Cost Deadpool or Miek to know exactly what you are up to. Naturally, you then have to take a little more risk when raising the stakes since the opponent can make a more educated decision.
Also, I’d like to remind you of what I wrote in the introduction: Several of these decks would have made it into Tier 2 if there weren’t so many good decks in the current meta. Sera Control posted a 0.3 Cube Average alongside a 54.4% Win Rate, which is a very solid performance by both metrics. It just happens that there are 12 decks with better metrics this week, which naturally makes that deck look weaker when viewed in a Ranked Tier List.
Sera Control
Destroy
Hela
Galactus
den
Loki
Discard Dracula
den
Closing Words
You know me, I love to see such a diverse environment in Marvel Snap. Not only is it crucial for a game with very short matches to have enough diversity in the meta, it also shows the game is pretty balanced right now.
Marvel Snap is based around bringing some random elements through the locations, and those who can adapt the best are often rewarded. The more diverse the decks are, and the more impact the locations have, the more fun and interesting this game is. This not only makes one of the core elements of the game have more impact, it also makes the game feel more complex, as you constantly have to consider a location based on what the opponent is playing.
I’m very glad to see that the OTA managed to bring this complexity back into the game. That’s something many were asking for during the Hela/Professor X era we just had. I personally love it, and I hope you are enjoying this meta as much as I am!
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.
More Content