MODOK will be hitting Marvel Snap on February 6, 2023 with the start of the Into the Quantum Realm Season. This card will initially join as a card purchasable via the Season Pass before entering Series 5 at the end of the month. As a reminder, Series 5 can be purchased for 6,000 Collector’s Tokens or opened via the Collection Level Track at a 0.25% drop rate in Collector’s Caches and Reserves.
MODOK is a 5 energy, 8 power card which has the ability – On Reveal: Discard your hand.
Strategy and Potential
On the surface, the initial thought process is Hela decks with a really greedy line – Invisible Woman into MODOK into Hela on 6. This is a valid use of the card, but it’s hard to believe this will be a consistent way to play the game as the deck folds to Cosmo often.
MODOK has an added benefit in this deck, though, which may not be obvious – he has 8 power. This could result in fewer games where you give up the Invisible Woman lane in favor of high rolls as it is now potentially possible to ensure the lane is above 16 power at the end of the game. Whether you think Hela is a meme or not, the card does appear to fit an important part of the curve and does improve the archetype.
Decks with Apocalypse
Decks with Hela
A more effective use of MODOK is probably in a more traditional discard deck like Lockjaw Discard. Yes, you will discard your whole hand on 5, but the deck should be built to allow for this. On turn 5, if you’re holding Swarm and Apocalypse for example, you’re guaranteed at least 2 Swarms and a 12 power minimum Apocalypse on turn 6. You can view MODOK as a guaranteed way of discarding your hand on turn 5 to gain the benefits of the cards left in hand.
As a Season Pass card, MODOK is effectively cheaper than the other Season 5 releases and does slot well into early Series 3 discard decks, too.
The card is, however, currently limited in application due to the effect and energy cost. At 5 energy for 8 power, he is not especially efficient or significantly above rate, so potential applications as part of flood strategies are limited outside of discard. There is no reason to try to turn off the effect as he is much weaker than Red Skull. Therefore, in decks outside of discard decks, he is a liability.
Decks with Swarm
Decks with Lockjaw
The potential score is lower to reflect this, but in this case does not reflect the true value of the card. The card appears to elevate all discard archetypes by slotting into a vital part of the curve and provides a guarantee on 5 that you are discarding the cards with effects. This is similar to Sauron where it’s hard to imagine the card won’t improve the decks it goes into and make them stronger and more fun to play, but the decks he goes into are limited.
Potential Score
Below are some potential starter decks for MODOK with brief descriptions.
Starter Decks (Theorycraft)
SafetyBlade
The Lockjaw shell has proven to be a great way to get multiple discards which makes both Morbius and Dracula potential lane winners on their own. It also allows us to flex in tech cards like Leech and hope to either draw them with Lockjaw or play them on 5 if we don’t get MODOK. Additionally, MODOK opens up the ability to play more like a traditional discard deck and contest more than one lane which leads to…..
SafetyBlade
SafetyBlade
The more budget shell. This can be played in lower Series 3 with a few simple swaps as we are not as reliant on Dracula, and we could easily drop Colleen Wing for America Chavez. This is an attempt to revive the Swarm buff deck which impacted the beta meta game so much. Nakia is less reliable now, but buffing any discard card is generally effective. We have plenty of early game and can start trying to hit some discard chains on turns 4 and 5, setting up for Apocalypse to be played alongside a bunch of Swarms.
This is as close to Aggro as you can get in Marvel Snap since you’re not waiting to explode, just putting more stats down per energy than your opponent. It’s an excellent early collection strategy that can work later on, and MODOK might just be the missing link. Remember, if you hit Swarm with Nakia, they have 5 power. If you play MODOK on 5 then you have at least two, assuming you didn’t hit any other discards earlier, and that’s 10 free power alongside a 6 drop!
Hela is the shell where I expect the most excitement with this card to be around, though I am sure there will be plenty of approaches to try on release. There is room to experiment with your target cards, how heavily you rely on Invisible Woman, and how many discard cards to play.
This first one is slightly more traditional and allows you to discard everything in multiple ways to set up for the Hela. The point of difference is Sandman. On turn 4, this can limit your counters and allow you to continue your plan with less interaction from your opponent, but stay with me for this next build.
SafetyBlade
This deck looks to play good cards throughout the early and mid-game. Hopefully, we can set up Invisible Woman before turn 5, then play MODOK behind her. We can then play Hela on 6 OR Aero the challenging cards away, allowing 8 power to be revealed.
With Hela behind the Invisible Woman, you could potentially bringing back Leader to copy your opponent’s 6 and spread several cards around the board. We can also just Leader on 6 and allow for the surprise 8 power to be revealed at the end of the game.
Testing will have to happen with this deck to try to get the right balance, but since MODOK discards the entire hand you may be able to overwhelm your opponent without them even seeing it coming and avoiding any other discard cards.
SafetyBlade
This final list has the goal of reducing the amount of discard cards in your deck and just dumping MODOK on 5 to activate the discard effects. This should leave you with 0 cost Swarms and a buffed Apocalypse for turn 6. [Card name=”Lady Sif”] is the only other discard, and we can use this to control what cards we discard and potentially increase the impact of our turn 5 MODOK. With Dracula on board we play MODOK, Discard the hand, allowing for Apocalypse and Swarm to be discarded and Turn 6 to involve playing 6 drop and 2 0 energy Swarm.
Who is MODOK?
Keeping with the theme this month, we asked the S.H.I.E.L.D. AI mainframe to provide the dossier on M.O.D.O.K.
Here is your detailed dossier on M.O.D.O.K (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing):
Name: George Tarleton
Aliases: M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), MODOC (Mental Organism Designed for Organized Crime)
Background: George Tarleton was a scientist working for the terrorist organization AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) who underwent experiments to increase his intellect and psychic abilities. He became the being known as M.O.D.O.K. and rose through the ranks of AIM to become its leader. He was created as a weapon to take over the world and control it.
Powers/Abilities: M.O.D.O.K. possesses superhuman intelligence and psychic abilities, including telekinesis, telepathy, and the ability to project psionic energy blasts. He is able to control minds, read thoughts, and manipulate memories. He also has a highly advanced mechanical hoverchair that he uses for transportation and is equipped with a variety of weapons, such as energy blasters and mind-control devices. In addition, he has a psychic shield which protects him from mental attacks.
Affiliation: AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics)
Known Enemies: Captain America, Iron Man, S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers, Fantastic Four
Threat Assessment: High – M.O.D.O.K.’s intelligence and psychic abilities make him a formidable opponent, and his leadership of AIM gives him access to advanced technology and resources. He has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to use deadly force to achieve his goals.
Weaknesses: M.O.D.O.K.’s oversized head and small body make him a vulnerable target for physical attack, and his intelligence can be used against him by his enemies. He is also vulnerable to attacks on his psychic shield and his mind-control devices. His tendency to underestimate his opponents and overestimate his own abilities can also lead to strategic errors.
M.O.D.O.K. has been a recurring villain in the Marvel universe, often clashing with heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, and The Avengers. He has also been a member of the villainous groups the Intelligencia and the Legion of the Unliving. Despite his megalomaniacal desires, M.O.D.O.K. is a complex character who struggles with feelings of inadequacy due to his strange appearance and the knowledge that he is not truly human.
M.O.D.O.K. has been known to use his intelligence to create various weapons and technology, such as his mind-control devices, psionic amplifier, and his “Deathspore” biological weapon, which he has used to threaten entire cities and countries.
M.O.D.O.K. is also known to have a strong desire for power and control. He wants to control the world and bend it to his will, and he is willing to take extreme measures to achieve this goal, such as using mind-control technology or unleashing deadly weapons.
Overall, M.O.D.O.K. is a formidable villain with a high threat level due to his intelligence, psychic abilities, and access to advanced technology and resources. He should be approached with caution and dealt with by experienced and powerful heroes.
Good Luck Have Fun and Stay Safe!
