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I completely get that archetypes based on the season’s theme are supposed to be good, as they receive a lot of support. In September, that archetype was Move. Low power cards took over with Agent Venom in October. In the most recent season, War of the Nine Realms, ten power cards lead the fray thanks to Surtur.
Unfortunately, these three have basically been the only playable archetypes since the start of this season, and, because they are all points-driven, the meta has felt a little dull.
In this OTA, however, Second Dinner decided enough was enough! Not are there significant nerfs to two of those archetypes, another iconic synergy should also be back in the competitive mix. Say hello to the return of Thanos.
There is a real chance Move takes over following the OTA. The synergy is very strong at the moment; it’s flexible enough to run some disruptive cards like Cosmo and Alioth, and it’s getting a bit of a spotlight with Heimdall gaining an extra power. With this in mind, the meta might regress back to the September season for a few days with Move running the show. After all, the version of the deck with Heimdall has already been built and tested.
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But, while it is difficult to target three archetypes at once, one archetype can be targeted without too much effort. If Move becomes the next juggernaut, everyone can stack counter cards like Shadow King and Killmonger against it, or just play Scream Move to limit its power. That’s something we can’t really do currently, as targeting one deck means losing hard to another. That’s the main reason everyone has kind of been forced to pick a points deck to compete.
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The other possibility is Move not taking over as the new Marvel Snap ruler, but just being a fantastic deck overall. In that context, this OTA gives us a few avenues to explore in order to find other great decks to play. Let’s talk about those!
Thanos. Thanos? Thanos!
On my YouTube channel, I have a bit of a gimmick: Every time a new solid standalone card is released, I test it in a Thanos deck to see if it could help the Mad Titan crawl back from the pit it was thrown into with its last nerf. Suffice it to say the experiment has failed so far.
This buff, however, is more than I could have hoped for. It single-handedly swaps Thanos‘s biggest problem into its biggest strength. It may take a few days to figure out the right lists around the card since many have abandoned it for a while, but I’m sure Thanos will be back in one way or another.
Here are a few of my ideas to get you started.
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Will Arishem Be on Top Again?
Thanos definitely needed the help it just received. However, there is another archetype that plays with extra cards in its deck, and that one has survived the many nerfs thrown at its face so far. That archetype is, of course, Arishem.
In the introduction, I discussed how Move could become the go-to competitive option early after the OTA. But the Move synergy isn’t one you can just pick up and expect to play well. It takes a bit of learning and finesse to figure how to move and grow your cards optimally, and then you have to protect them on top of that.
With that said, many players might turn to Arishem as their default option.
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I like the “create cards” package and I’m not a big fan of Loki, so this is how I would build Arishem after this update. There are a ton of options in this archetype, though, so feel free to adapt it to your liking. Here are some other cards I would consider in the deck:
- Surtur / Skaar / Aero. Although they got nerfed, they were a great trio before the OTA and they might still work out well.
- Loki, Okoye, Shang-Chi, Shadow King, Enchantress… There are plenty of solid standalone cards you can play in Arishem.
- Cosmo, Juggernaut, and other priority based disruption cards could gain some momentum in the deck I featured if the overall points total is reduced.
Expect Some Darkhawk and Cassandra Nova Shenanigans
Arishem has managed to stay a meaningful part of the meta for the past three seasons, even though it was repeatedly targeted with nerfs at the end of August. I also just discussed how Thanos might be back in the competitive discussion, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the two cards that punish decks with a lot of cards will benefit from this situation.
It could be a Darkhawk deck without Cassandra Nova. It could also be Cassandra Nova being played as a strong standalone 3-Cost in a lot of builds. Or worse, both cards could join forces in the same deck to make Arishem and Thanos players really upset.
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Closing Word
There are other strong synergies to consider following this OTA. Wiccan could have a say in the competitive structure of the meta; Bounce might remain decent with Agent Venom, as three power still is an upgrade to most of the cards in that deck; Toxic might also be able to gain some momentum; and, of course, Scream Move will be good if Move is good.
As for the nerfed synergies, Surtur‘s archetype could remain very playable, as -2 power isn’t that big of a deal considering Agent Venom, its biggest foe, has taken an even bigger nerf.
Overall, this is a great OTA that gives us a lot to explore. I focused on the two interactions that I think are most likely to impact the meta, Move vs. Scream and Thanos, and Arishem vs. Darkhawk and Cassandra Nova. But this also looks like a great time to explore decks that have struggled in the past because there should be much more space in the meta for them now.
I hope this breakdown helped you get a better grasp of what to expect with this patch. As usual, you can find me on the Marvel Snap Zone community Discord to chat, or use my Twitter page for a direct message or coaching inquiry.
Good Game Everyone.
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