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When a card gets nerfed three times in a row, it might be time to accept that its design might not be healthy for the game. I personally don’t mind Hela too much because I typically enjoy proactive decks that can easily slot Cosmo and Alioth in their lists. Still, I understand how it can get very annoying to face Hela on repeat. It isn’t even so much about the deck’s power level (which has been reasonable lately). Facing Hela is boring due to the deck’s very simple play patterns and almost nonexistent interaction with the opponent. Those patterns are the reason so many players use Hela to climb, but they’re also why so many complain whenever it is a popular archetype.
With Hellcow only discarding one card from now on, this debate should be settled until Hela resurfaces with a new card or future buff.
Speaking of annoying archetypes, Junk is also taking a slight hit with Viper losing one power. More importantly, White Widow is finally not a 2-Cost that can be played in virtually any deck.
These changes show the direction that Second Dinner wishes to take with Marvel Snap: promote open matches that aren’t decided by decks that lock the game early or decks that play solitaire and Snap when their draw aligns. Obviously, this is what we all wish to have in a card game, but it’s very difficult to attain. Indeed, less disruption (or strong combos) can lead to the best flexible deck taking over the meta once the community figures out which one that is.
Fortunately for us, we also got the usual flurry of small power buffs that provide lots of cards to test in order to assess their new strength. I’m even more excited about a very intriguing new Zabu, which basically buffs a dozen or more 4-Cost cards with one change.
Zabu is Back!!
In Marvel Snap, 4-Cost cards are among the most diverse and powerful in the entire game. Cards like Gwenpool, Shang-Chi, Wiccan, Ka-Zar, Wong, Dracula, Mister Negative, and plenty of others are the backbone of this game, and some of them have even defined entire archetypes from Marvel Snap’s history. As such, there is a lot to explore with this new Zabu, especially because we once again have the ability to play two 4-Costs on the last turn of play.
Before I show you the decks, here’s a bit of math with this new Zabu:
- You have a 33.33% chance to draw Zabu on Turn 1, which is increased it to 36% if you decide to play Domino.
- If you play Zabu on Turn 1, you have a
- 46.5% chance to draw a 4-Cost by Turn 3 with two targets in your deck
- 64.3% chance to draw a 4-Cost by Turn 3 with three targets in your deck
- 78.5% chance to draw a 4-Cost by Turn 3 with four targets in your deck
- Based on the amount of 4-Costs in your deck, you have a
- 85.8% chance to have a 4-Cost in your opening hand if you run four of them
- 74.5% chance to have a 4-Cost in your opening hand if you run three of them
- 57.58% chance to have a 4-Cost in your opening hand if you run two of them
Based on these numbers, it looks like playing three 4-Cost cards is Zabu‘s sweet spot. Running four or more is probably correct if you also run Psylocke or another way to get a 4-Cost out early. Wiccan is both a 4-Cost and another way to open a double 4-Cost play on Turn 6, which makes him one of Zabu‘s best pairings (at least on paper).
Onto the decks! Here are a ton of ideas to explore!
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A lot of these are ideas that were based on shells from Zabu‘s past, but some were doing pretty well before the OTA. There are almost certainly other builds to test considering how deep the 4-Cost cards go in Marvel Snap. Plus, once the community identifies a solid foundation for Zabu and the best 4-Costs to pair with him, a lot of other cards gain some upsides, too. In particular, Grand Master looks like a great follow up to get a second round of discounts.
For the past few months, 3-Cost cards ruled Marvel Snap. Cards like Cassandra Nova, Copycat, Cosmo, Nocturne, and Juggernaut were seen in a variety of decks. They often represented both a solid Turn 3 play and a possible combination play on Turn 6 when you don’t find your 6-Costs or you value flexibility over power.
Now that Zabu is back in the ring, 4-Cost cards have a chance to see play on Turn 3, which could reduce the need for 3-Cost cards and open a completely different philosophy when it comes to building our decks.
Decks with Grand Master
Overall, I don’t see the fate of these cards changing much with an extra point of power. Okoye was fine as [2/2] if you drew her on Turn 2, and she will be a bad inclusion if you don’t draw her on Turn 2 no matter what her power is. The same can be said for Grand Master, who isn’t played for his power but for the On Reveal cards that you could retrigger. I would imagine the change to Zabu will be much more important to Grand Master‘s future success than the extra power.
Finally,
Decks with Scream
Decks with Viper
Scream and Viper are pretty similar because their performance is based on their signature archetypes more than their own strength. Junk will be hurt by White Widow‘s nerf much more than Viper losing a point of power. As for Scream and Kingpin losing functionality with Juggernaut, it will cost the “Move Them” archetype a bit of power, obviously, but the hype surrounding that archetype has already almost vanished. That means this change will only impact the archetype’s strength, not the rest of the meta.
If you are curious, here is the current best performing deck for Scream‘s archetype:
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Closing Words
The nerfs in this OTA are much more impactful than the buffs, even with Zabu factored in. Indeed, if Hela were to disappear, the ranks leading up to Infinite should open up to allow new decks to emerge. White Widow now basically forces you to play Red Guardian or Armor now, which prevents the card from being a default 2-Cost inclusion in a lot of archetypes. That should also change the landscape quite a bit.
As always, limiting the strongest cards should lead to seeing more of ones that are slightly less dominant but still present. Then, even if Hela and White Widow deserved to be toned down, Zabu has to come in clutch if we don’t want this meta to become an Agent Venom fiesta.
I’m rooting for the Smilodon to keep the game fresh.
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.
Good Game Everyone.
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