Marvel Snap OTA Balance Update Analysis and Decks to Play: Destroy Gets ANOTHER Push

Ever since Wave was changed and the DeathWave archetype vanished, the whole Destroy synergy has been in a weird situation. It retained its huge popularity, remaining the most popular synergy in Marvel Snap at all ranks, but the performance has been struggling a lot. Destroy has become very predictable and rarely able to disrupt the opponent (outside of Killmonger). As such, even though Destroy is able to do great things, the game isn’t only about who can push their synergy the most over six turns. Unfortunately, Armor and Cosmo are solid cards, and the community is quick to use them whenever Destroy stands in the way of their cubes.

This situation has led to Destroy always being a respected synergy, but never a dominant one. At least, not yet – the team at Second Dinner might be trying to change that during the “Big in Japan” Season, as several Destroy oriented cards will join Marvel Snap. What is likely the best one of them, X-23, will release next week. In addition, this OTA might benefit Destroy more than any other synergy. Forge has been a notable ally of Deadpool in the past, is decent support for Daken, and might be a great set up to Lady Deathstrike.

This patch is not only about Forge (although that is kind of the most exciting change), it is also about second chances, as both Shanna and Crystal have been in this position in the past. It didn’t work out back then, as I personally still have yet to see Shanna or Crystal make it into a competitive deck, or face one of them in Conquest, for what it is worth.

Are these new iterations stronger than the ones we had up until now? Most likely, yes; one energy is a big buff to most cards, enhancing their ability to be used earlier and more flexibly alongside other cards. Still, one question remains for both Shanna and Crystal: are their abilities good enough to see play? Regardless of Cost or Power, are these two worth building around, or even including among our precious twelve slots? If they don’t make it now, it’s going to be hard to keep defending either card.

Once again, Second Dinner managed to get us wondering what the metagame might look like once the next OTA goes live, so let’s dive into a little prediction.

Forge Has Many Archetypes Interested in His Services

Deadstroy

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

2

5x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.2

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Bounce Miracle

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

1

1x None

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera Destroy

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

0

6x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2.5

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

The two cards we’ve had this month are power sensitive, in the sense that they get exponentially better with more starting power. So, logically, seeing Forge give an extra power with its On Reveal ability immediately appeals to anyone looking to use Deadpool, Daken, and Lady Deathstrike in their deck.

Another synergy I’m eager to explore is the one around Beast, which allows you to reuse Forge to get a bonus three power over two separate occasion. Also, Mysterio has already proven its value when paired up with Bast, so another card to grant it some extra power sounds like a sweet deal. Imagine getting Bast and then Forge onto Mysterio… We would be cooking for sure.

Compared to Sera Control or Destroy, Bounce has been much more discreet lately. Even so, I had some talks with a few players who are still confident the archetype can rise in the near future.

Crystal Gets Another Shot as a Decent Utility Card

Negative Surfer

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

2

1x Collection Level 1-14

8x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Hela Tribunal

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Starter Card

4.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.7

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

As a 4-Cost, Crystal was kind of colliding with Mister Negative in that deck, as we either wanted to draw her before (to help find our signature card) or after (to draw more inverted cards). With a reduced cost, Crystal should be improved for both uses, as well as the added bonus of getting some extra points from Silver Surfer.

When it comes to the other solid archetype that occasionally runs Crystal, Iron Lad and Jubilee typically get the nod. It doesn’t seem like Crystal as a 3-Cost would make much of a difference.

A deck that could be positively impacted by the change (although it has never managed to gain much of any momentum) is the Ronan the Accuser archetype. I honestly don’t think the change to Crystal is anywhere near enough to make the deck reach the level of a solid deck. However, Crystal can now be paired with cards like Maximus, Cosmo, or Mystique on Turn 6, which could make a big difference.

Devil Ronan

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

0

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Starter Card

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

What More Can We Do With Shanna?

Whenever a card becomes a 3-Cost in today’s Marvel Snap, it is very easy to think about testing it in a Silver Surfer deck; however, those builds already tend already occupy a lot of the board space with Brood, as well as the recently added Absorbing Man. As such, it is difficult to imagine Shanna being included in a Silver Surfer deck, especially when the deck runs Killmonger and Nova to prioritize destroying 1-Cost cards.

A similar problem can be found with a lot of shells where Shanna might be considered. Thanos Zoo already fills the board with the Infinity Stones, so it wouldn’t use the 1-Costs very effectively. Dazzler already sees some fringe play in Patriot, where Ultron and other summoning cards are already good enough to avoid Shanna (who would only barely contribute anyway). Cerebro 2 cannot be a possibility because there are many 1-Costs that could ruin the deck. If you thought about destroying the 1-Cost cards to reduce Death, Thanos Death already does that really well, and Forge is probably the card you want to try in that synergy from this OTA.

This might be a first since I started writing about the game, but I’m going to say Shanna didn’t gain much in this OTA, and she should remain an unplayable card for the foreseeable future.

Nah, I just can’t bring myself to find nothing to do with the card. Let’s try Shanna in a Lockdown deck where Legion is trying to close the door on Turn 5. Filling all three locations in a deck like that could make sense, and Shanna is probably worth more points than Mister Fantastic:

Lockdown

Created by den

, updated 8 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.6

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Closing Words

If we look at how popular the Destroy synergy already is, it seems difficult to imagine the metagame changing based on Destroy looking even better. It could lead to more of Armor and Cosmo, but those interactions already exist and define the current metagame in some way. Seeing more of them wouldn’t be considered a change in itself. For the metagame to truly feel different, Forge would have to push some more unusual synergies, such as Bounce, or help Lady Deathstrike become a big control tool in a deck not based entirely around the Destroy synergy.

As for Shanna and Crystal, I have my doubts as to whether both cards can impact Marvel Snap enough to become relevant. Crystal could make it into the Negative Surfer deck, which would already be an improvement – but not a shift of any kind of power in the metagame.

Overall, I doubt this OTA will rival the shake ups we had from the previous few. Nevertheless, I like the Forge change a lot, and seeing both Crystal and Shanna receive help again in a short period of time shows the developers are committed to helping the cards in distress, even if it takes a few tries.

With some interesting cards on the way, I am eager to see if this OTA will lead to a different environment for X-23, as the card is basically announcing that Destroy will be everywhere. Until then, if you need anything, be it a question related to this piece or a coaching inquiry, you can 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.