Free Card – Seasonal Series 3 Shop Guide

Howdy Snappers! If you’re Series 3 incomplete, you have access to a free Series 3 card of your choice at the start of each Season! Head over to the Card Shop in-game and scroll down until you find the “Free Card” section. It will show only one card every 8 hours until it has shown each unowned card once. So to help ease the burden of knowing which cards to pick first, scroll down for an overview of the best free Series 3 pulls!

These cards will be broken down into 3 categories:

• Deck Defining Cards
• Strong Supporting Cards
• Tech Cards

Cards in each of these categories should be prioritized based on which deck styles you prefer. The meta will make cards constantly rise and fall in usability, but these cards all continuously stand the test of time as solid cards across most metagames.

Deck Defining Cards

Cards in this category all give you unique deckbuilding opportunities and are irreplaceable. They each can “unlock” a new archetype for you to explore that was previously inaccessible to you.

1. Silver Surfer

One of Snap’s strongest and ever-evolving deck styles is a “Surfer Deck”. This is basically a collection of 3-Cost cards piled into one deck that all center around getting a burst of Power from Silver Surfer on the last turn. As more cards continuously get added to the 3-Cost pool of cards, Surfer decks continue to diversify and evolve.

Silver Surfer has proven to be an essential card in a range of decks. Since 3-Cost cards hold the highest percentage of the game’s cards, Surfer offers a consistent stat boost to all of them.

2. Patriot

Players who are new to the game will want to prioritize Patriot as much as possible. When you enter Series 3, you already own all of the base “No Ability” cards except Wasp. This makes Patriot instantly give you a usable deck style without missing other key cards. You can even use cards like Mister Sinister or Squirrel Girl for additional No Ability cards.

Once you unlock more supporting cards, Patriot also works well with cards like Brood and Debrii. With Ultron, you get access to a sub-archetype of Patriot since each of Ultron‘s Drones have “No Ability” text. You can also make fun combos with cards like Onslaught and Mystique to amplify your Power increase. Patriot is just a simple, fun card that gives you a nice range of decks to play with a small amount of late game cards to function.

3. Mister Negative

There are a range of strong cards in Snap that have little to no Power to make them balanced. With Mister Negative, you can swap their Power and Cost to make your deck full of overpowered cards! Think about options like a 0-Cost, 5-Power Iron Man, or a 1-Cost, 3-Power Wolfsbane. Low CL players have a solid amount of cards Mister Negative works with. As you collect more cards, you will continue to get even more cards that synergize well like Gorr the Butcher, Arnim Zola, and Mystique.

4. Venom and Knull

If you enjoy the destroy archetype, these two cards are an absolute must have. They both make classic destroy decks function competitively. They also give finisher options for decks like Deadpool, Nimrod, and even Galactus! Both cards are irreplaceable, and many decks arguably can’t function without them.

5. Kitty Pryde

While a 1-Cost card might surprise you as being archetype defining, Kitty Pryde has constantly proven that she is the backbone of a range of decks. At a low CL, she works well to trigger Angela and Bishop, while also buffing Collector without filling your board with cards. Once you reach higher CL, she becomes a key card for enabling a range of decks, such as Thena.

Kitty Pryde is the only card in the game that can remove herself from play without help from another source. This makes her dependable as a card you can play without clogging your board. She even makes her own deck where the goal is to grow her Power as high as possible with buff and merge cards.

6. Hela

While her popularity comes and goes over time, Hela creates a fun Deck style where you can cheat out cards to your board without playing them. While I think she’s the definition of archetype defining, she does require a high amount of Series 3 cards to be playable. I wouldn’t recommend her if you are at a low CL, but Discard enthusiasts will definitely enjoy this unique finisher.

7. Sera

Sera is Snap’s “control deck” enabler. Her purpose is to let you withhold your cards until the final turn(s) of the game to either pull off a combo, or to counter your opponent’s play. You will see her frequently used in a “Sera Control Deck” where you fill your deck with tech cards to be an all-in counter deck. She also is a frequent addition in Silver Surfer decks to allow you to play three, 3-Cost cards on turn 6, or play Silver Surfer and Absorbing Man on turn 6.

If you enjoy decks that like to play more reactively than proactively, Sera is a must have card. Without her, several decks have to play out their counters and combos early, which will either lose you the game or cause your opponent to retreat. Without Sera, many decks will have to show opponents their hand early, making countering them much harder.

Strong Supporting Cards

Cards in this category give strong advantages to multiple deck styles and archetypes. They don’t define an archetype on their own, but their inclusion always enhances decks they synergize with.

1. Brood

It’s easy to overlook this card since it takes up a majority of a location’s available spaces. The truth is though, this is the kind of card that can single-handedly win a location if you pair it with the right synergies. You could go the route of Patriot, since the Broodlings have no abilities. You could also use Silver Surfer, since Brood and the Broodlings are all 3-Cost cards.

Alternatively, you can go the other route with buffing Brood and do it before you play the card! Early CL options include Okoye, Forge, and Nakia. At higher CL, you gain access to cards like Gwenpool, Galacta, and Phastos. By buffing Brood in your hand, the Broodlings will all spawn with the same Power as Brood. So if Brood is buffed to 5 Power, the Broodlings will both spawn as 5 Power each, giving you 15 Power for only 3-Cost!

2. Wong

On Reveal decks are an archetype that begin at the earliest CL levels thanks to Odin. With Wong, those decks elevate to the next level by getting additional triggers. Something as simple as playing Wong, White Tiger, and Odin will give you 6 generated Tigers! For more complex options, you can create combos with cards like Mister Negative, Silver Surfer, or Doctor Doom! Wong is simply a must have card that enhances the decks that focus in On Reveal abilities.

3. M.O.D.O.K.

M.O.D.O.K. is a setup card to a range of Discard decks. He allows you to guarantee a discard on every target in your hand, making your turn 6 easily predicted. He elevates decks like Apocalypse, Daken + Swarm, and even some Hela decks! He may not have a flashy ability, but he is consistent, and a major contributor to the success of Discard decks.

4. Mystique

Mystique is one of the most versatile cards in the game, giving a huge range of decks building possibilities. She let’s you double up on your best Ongoing abilities, creating crazy combo potential! For some milder combos she can create, she can act as a second Iron Man on turn 6, or become a second Wong for a quadriple On Reveal location! You won’t see any decks built around her, but many decks will utilize her in different ways.

5. The Hood

A -3 Power card may seem terrible at first glance, but The Hood is actually one of the best cards in the game. He synergizes with a bunch of different cards, such as Killmonger, Bast, Viper, Annihilus, as well as bounce cards like Beast or Falcon. A [1/6] with no ability is incredibly strong, so clearly you want The Hood‘s ability to work out. Thankfully, the extensive list of synergies gives a ton of decks plenty of ways to negate that downside of -3 Power, making him a huge enhancement in a lot of deck styles.

6. Jane Foster Mighty Thor

This card is a bit different than the others, as she only sees play in 2 archetypes – Mister Negative and Thor. Her ability is so crucial to those decks though that she is basically a must have supporting card. In Thor decks, she guarantees you a way to draw any hammers you shuffle in your deck. In Mister Negative, she can draw you all of the inverted cards that now have 0-Cost, making your turn 6 incredibly strong.

7. Shuri

While you won’t see a ton of this card on a day to day basis, Shuri is a crucial card to a number of different decks. Sauron decks like using Shuri to make huge Power cards once their downside is removed (like Red Skull). You will also see her in decks like Nimrod, Black Panther, Phoenix Force, or some unique combo decks. While her base Power may be low, she offers a bunch of solid synergies that enhance a nice range of decks styles.

Tech Cards

Sometimes you need to counter your opponent in order to win a match. Cards in this category are strong counters to different archetypes across the meta. Depending on what’s popular at the time, you may want these tech options included in your deck.

1. Shadow King

Many decks will use card buffs as ways to generate Power. Shadow King is a super cheap way to counter buffed cards by resetting the buffs completely. He ignores the protection of Luke Cage, making his only counter Cosmo. If your cards are hit with Negative Power, he also gives you the benefit of resetting your own Power! He also pairs perfectly with Shang-Chi on turn 6! Depending on the meta you see, Shadow King can be the sole reason you win certain matchups.

2. Mobius M. Mobius

Cost reduction is a constant tactic players use to generate value. Ongoing effects like Sera or permanent effects like Zabu can be instantly canceled out thanks to Mobius. He can cause decks like Mister Negative to become useless, giving you an incredible advantage. You can also pair him with Sandman to tech against yourself to give your opponent a tough final turn.

3. Luke Cage

Affliction decks aren’t super common at low CL, but the higher you climb, the more you will see. Decks like High Evolutionary or Ajax depend on giving your cards Negative Power, so Luke Cage prevents those decks from functioning. He also works well as an option for countering locations that give Negative Power, especially on Hot Location days.

4. Super-Skrull

This is the kind of tech card you will keep in your collection for a very specific meta. When opponents are using lots of Ongoing abilities in their deck, Super-Skrull can give an insane amount of value for a 4-Cost. If you use him in an Ongoing deck with Spectrum or Onslaught, he can give you an incredible advantage in a mirror matches.

5. Juggernaut

This card is arguably not a true “tech card”, but many decks use Juggernaut as a tech against combos. Being able to force your opponent to play into another location is one of the strongest abilities in Snap. You can ruin combos, clog locations, or push On Reveal cards behind a Cosmo. This card has been continuously growing in popularity, so it makes sense for you to keep this tech option available for when you need it.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the card you should pick up depends on your collection and your playstyle. This guide is oriented towards a long-term strategy of opening archetypes which better enable the other cards you pull from Collectors Reserves and Snap Packs. These Archetype Definers best prepare you to pivot your deckbuilding strategy to match changes in the meta over future seasons.

However, if you are certain that you want to stick with one or two of these archetypes, then you might instead dedicated your free card pulls on cards that specifically support your favorite decks.