Marvel Snap Balance OTA Analysis and Decks to Play: Changes for Everyone!

The [4/2] Leech experiment is done after the card terrorized the meta for two weeks alongside Blink. This change alone would make this OTA worth discussing, as less of the little green guy opens the door for a lot of On Reveal based decks. That includes Hela and the newly released Namora. However, Second Dinner apparently didn’t feel like that was enough, so we are getting eight other changes as well.

Among those other changes are a good mix of On Reveal and Ongoing cards, with a bit of Werewolf By Night sprinkled on top. Sentry, Luke Cage, and Captain America look like the biggest changes we need to talk about because they should have an immediate impact on the meta. As for the now [3/1] Werewolf, I can see great things in its future (but I might be completely biased here).

The last three updates are for Baron Mordo, Grand Master, and Leader. These three cards have been gathering dust in a lot of collections for quite some time now. Grand Master clearly has the biggest change among them, but I wouldn’t dismiss Baron Mordo joining a few disruptive strategies.

I love big OTAs that are filled with multiple avenues to explore, so a huge thanks to Second Dinner for this one. Let’s talk about the possible future of the meta!

The New Ongoing Decks

The Classic Ongoing deck is losing two power with this OTA after Spectrum and Luke Cage both got nerfed. But the change to Captain America should make up for them now that the card is a [3/8] when you fill a location with Ongoing cards. Replacing Punisher should more than make up for the slight nerfs, although Mobius M. Mobius could remain an option.

If you think the change to Spectrum is too impactful to keep running it, another way to build the Ongoing deck has emerged recently. It’s based on Onslaught in order to dodge Leech, or work around your Cosmo more efficiently.

Finally, if you wanted more flexibility in the way you play Marvel Snap, the “nerf” to Luke Cage also allows you to play the card in Cerebro 3 again. That deck has posted one of its best performances recently, and it features many great cards in the current meta. I would say now is a great time to pick it up.

Overall, the Ongoing synergy looks great with various decks able to make an impact in the near future.

Can Werewolf By Night Dominate Again?

Back when it was a 3-Cost, Werewolf By Night impacted the meta so much that it almost made Elsa Bloodstone look balanced. Sure, it lost a couple points of power with this updated, but it should still routinely grow to a double digit force if you play it on Turn 3. Plus, the card can now synergize with Ravonna Renslayer, which gives you an opportunity to play a 1-Cost On Reveal card alongside Werewolf By Night on Turn 3. Bounce immediately comes to mind when I think of cheap On Reveal abilities that you can play on repeat. But, back when Werewolf By Night was a meta slayer, Loki was its best home, so there could be a battle to figure out which deck is ideal for the now [3/1] card.

Also, this buff might have a domino effect and make Grand Master much stronger. Indeed, the [2/2] finally looks like a worthy consideration to play outside of gimmick combo decks. Where’s a better place to start than with a returning powerhouse asking you to play tons of On Reveal cards?

Will We Fall Back Into a Hela Meta?

Leech becoming a [4/2] two weeks ago had a huge impact on the meta. It lowered Hela‘s Win Rate a bit, pushed Blink to become the backbone of a new Good Cards archetype, and limited the overall effectiveness of On Reveal cards like Shang-Chi.

Before that change, the meta was split between Hela and the Ongoing deck that could disrupt it with Jean Grey and Cosmo. Alongside these two were a flurry of disruption based decks, such as Junk and Mill, that aimed to disrupt Hela and other points-based decks. I already discussed how that Ongoing deck had nothing to fear with the OTA. Even if Leech can still be played on Turn 5 against Hela, less of it is always good for the Goddess of Death.

So, let’s ask the question on everyone’s mind: Does this OTA bring us back to the meta before Leech was buffed?

Honestly, there is a chance. At least until next Tuesday when Sasquatch joins the party. Then we might see Bounce take over on the back of the improved Werewolf By Night and a new, cheap 10 power card. Yes, Mobius M. Mobius exists, but we saw what Mockingbird did to Marvel Snap in Thanos. Bounce might be pretty close to that if the buffs turn out the way I anticipate.

I don’t necessarily want to, but it would be dishonest of me not to mention Hela as one of the potential winners of this OTA.

Closing Words

As usual, let’s end on a positive note and talk about the multitude of decks you could use to test the recently buffed cards. The goal with these isn’t to find a super powerful deck, but assess if the buffs had a positive impact on the cards’ abilities to contribute to a deck’s success.

I will focus on Leader, Grand Master, and Baron Mordo since Sentry probably won’t see its synergies change much. Just slot the card alongside its usual friends, Annihilus and The Hood, in your typical Junk deck, or mix everything together in the Bounce Junk shell I showed in the Werewolf By Night section.

If you want to discuss the OTA more, feel free to join the Marvel Snap Zone community discord, or tag me on Twitter.

Good Game Everyone!