Nebula Theorycraft, Strategy, and Decklists: Is This the New Strongest One Cost Card?

Nebula will be hitting Marvel Snap on May 2, 2023 as the Guardians Greatest Hits Season Pass card. Once the season is over, it will be available as a Series 5 card. Let’s dive into how it works, strategies, and decks it can fit into – is it worth the purchase and will it impact the meta?

Variants

Nebula

Each turn your opponent doesn’t play a card here, +2 Power. (except the turn you play this)

Season Pass

view card details Start a deck Decks with Nebula

As a reminder, Season Pass cards can only be obtained by purchasing the Premium Season Pass until the season ends, after which will be added as a Series 5 card. It can then be purchased for 6,000 Collector’s Tokens from the Token Shop initially as a Weekly Spotlight card, or opened via the Collection Level Track at a 0.25% drop rate in Collector’s Caches and Reserves.

Every two months, this card will undergo a Series Drop and be cheaper and easier to acquire. For a full new card release and Series Drop schedule and how it all works, check out our dedicated guide.

Nebula is a one cost, one power card that has the following ability: Each turn your opponent doesn’t play a card here, +2 Power. (except the turn you play this)

Strategy and Potential

Nebula enters another interesting space in Marvel Snap. She directly incentivizes your opponent to play into an location, and if they don’t you gain two power. On the surface, this doesn’t seem very exciting, but information is powerful and Nebula provides us with information of where our opponents may want to play each turn. But is the effect worth building around though or is it just an addition to many different types of decks?

Let’s start by discussing her raw power ceiling and floor. Played on Turn 1, the following occurs if none of the opponent’s cards are played at the location.

• T1 – 1 Power
• T2 – 3 Power
• T3 – 5 Power
• T4 – 7 power
• T5 – 9 Power
• T6 – 11 power

As this card can in theory scale to 11 power, it is highly unlikely the opponent will not play into the location or at least try to remove it. Let’s assume throughout each turn of the game after she is played our opponent plays the maximum they can into the lane (without any move effects); we would lose eight power. That makes a Turn 1 Nebula equal to three power! That is an above rate return on investment for a Turn 1 play.

Variants

Rocket Raccoon

On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +2 Power.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Rocket Raccoon

Variants

Star-Lord

On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +3 Power.

Starter Card

view card details Start a deck Decks with Star-Lord

Variants

Gamora

On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +5 Power.

Recruit Season

view card details Start a deck Decks with Gamora

Each turn you don’t play Nebula, the cost is huge. Not only do you lose two power to your ceiling, each turn she isn’t played the more power your opponent can mitigate by playing into the lane. This leads to the other real power of the card though. In order to mitigate the power they either have to destroy the card or spend their resources in the location you play Nebula.

This provides some predictability to where your opponent will be incentivized to play cards. There are plenty of potential applications to consider:

1. We can play cards which abuse the fact we know where our opponent may play such as the Guardians of the Galaxy.
2. We can play cards that lockdown or lockout locations based on being more aware of where our opponent may want to play.
3. We play her as a way to distract our opponent and allow us to focus on other game plans.
4. We can play her as part of a Flood/Zoo strategy as a strong 1 drop that impacts how our opponent plays.

Variants

Professor X

Ongoing: Lock down this location. (Cards can’t be added, removed, etc.)

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Professor X

Variants

Storm

On Reveal: Flood this location. Next turn is the last turn cards can be played here.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Storm

Variants

Groot

On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +2 Power.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Groot

For a card that seems limited on the surface, there is actually high potential here to disrupt game plans proactively and shape the way the game is played. She is not Sunspot, though. Skipping energy will not boost her and the power we end up with is therefore less predictable, making her less likely to be considered for every deck. Decks that want to play a card on Turn 1 and have a curve they can fill around her are more likely to want Nebula over Sunspot.

Variants

Killmonger

On Reveal: Destroy ALL 1-Cost cards.

Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Killmonger

Variants

Elektra

On Reveal: Destroy a random enemy 1-Cost card at this location.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Elektra

There are downsides, though. As a 1-cost card, she is able to be destroyed by both Killmonger and Elektra. Also, we might find ourselves impacted heavily by decks that can go wide or play cards that move from the location after being played to mitigate her power.

Verdict

Nebula is a dynamic card that could find her way into several different archetypes. The ceiling on this card is really high, and this should lead to lots of experimentation and directions explored. Additionally, she seems like she will be hard to replace once she enters certain deck types. The way she not only pushes power but threatens to punish your opponent’s plays in a major way. 2 power is an insane buff each time your opponent does not play in a lane.

May seems primed to be a big month for Marvel Snap, and the season pass card, although maybe not as instantly flashy as some of the cards coming, is no exception.

The only thing keeping the card from full marks is the limitation on when you need to play it to achieve the ceiling. Nebula loses power and impact the later it is drawn. Yes it can be countered but every card can in theory be countered and this is not a reason to lower the score of a card’s potential and power.

Nebula has the potential to be the best 1-drop in the game, and a card with a ceiling this high is sure to gain a lot of attention. it deserves this attention.

Potential Score

Below are some possible starter decks for Nebula with brief descriptions.

Starter Decks (Theorycraft)

Lockdown

Edwin Hubble

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

4

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Recruit Season

1x Season Pass

1x Starter Card

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This deck looks to take advantage of both sides of the Nebula effect. First, we play Nebula and then follow up with the Guardians to push extra power. We can also use Nebula to draw cards to a certain location while setting up for Storm, Spider-Man, and Professor X.

We aim to limit the game to one or two lanes by Turn 6 and then finish with Gamora or Valkyrie and either Titania or Rocket Raccoon. The tension between chasing the Nebula down or filling other lanes to stop potential lockdowns should hopefully lead to many “check mate” situations.

Some other cards to consider for this one: Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Elektra, and Jeff the Baby Land Shark.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Rocket Zoo

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

2

2x Collection Level 1-14

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

2x Recruit Season

1x Season Pass

1x Starter Card

2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Another direction to take is just playing Nebula in Zoo to help us hit Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon more consistently. The exact make up of your low-cost cards can easily vary, so this is just a starting point. The goal here is actually Bast early game and then Nebula.

Follow this up with Angela, Star-Lord, and Rocket Raccoon shenanigans, using Armor to protect our power. Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel followed by a Turn 6 flood involving Hit Monkey is our main finisher. The key cards are only Nebula, the Guardians, and Ka-Zar/Blue Marvel.

Sera

Asgardians of the Galaxy

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

1

1x Collection Level 1-14

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

1x Season Pass

2x Starter Card

2.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera decks are another potential home for Nebula, which may not seem as apparent. We do, however, have to make some sacrifices to play her effectively. This build allows us to play to the curve throughout, playing Sera on Turn 5 and playing the rest of our hand on Turn 6. This build has Shang-Chi in the tech card slot, but we can swap it for whatever we need (and even consider dropping Wolfsbane for Groot). Going with Wolfsbane, however, has a much higher ceiling on Turn 6.

Who is Nebula?

Nebula is a complex and fascinating character in the Marvel Universe. Originally a space pirate and a rival to the Guardians of the Galaxy, she has since become a powerful force for good, using her unique skills and abilities to help save the galaxy from countless threats. Nebula’s journey has been a tumultuous one, filled with betrayals, trauma, and tragedy, but she has emerged as a true survivor and a hero in her own right.

Nebula’s past is a tragic one, marked by abuse, torture, and manipulation at the hands of her adoptive father, the Mad Titan Thanos. As a child, Nebula was taken from her home planet and forcibly cybernetically enhanced by Thanos, turning her into a living weapon and a tool for his ruthless conquests. She was also subjected to physical and emotional torture, causing lasting trauma that still affects her to this day.

Despite her difficult upbringing, Nebula managed to escape Thanos‘s grasp and carve out a life as a space pirate and mercenary. She crossed paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy on several occasions, leading to confrontations and clashes with the team. However, as she learned more about Thanos’s true intentions and the dangers facing the galaxy, Nebula began to question her own loyalties and eventually joined forces with the Guardians to fight against their common enemy.

Since then, Nebula has become a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, using her unique abilities and tactical mind to help the team on numerous missions. She has also formed close bonds with her teammates, particularly Rocket Raccoon and Gamora (who she shares a complicated sisterly relationship with).

Nebula is a tough and determined individual, shaped by her past traumas but also driven by a fierce desire for justice and redemption. She can be abrasive and confrontational, often clashing with her teammates or other heroes, but she is also fiercely loyal and protective of those she cares about. Her sense of humor tends to be dry and sardonic, and she can be somewhat aloof and distant at times, but she has a deep well of compassion and empathy that she often keeps hidden beneath her tough exterior.

Good Luck, Have Fun, and Stay Safe!