Table of Contents
Howdy Snappers! If you’re Series 3 Incomplete, then you have a special currency to angst over spending – one rarer than Collectors Tokens or even Spotlight Caches. How then do you force yourself to press – and hold – “CLAIM” on your free Series 3 card of the month?
Give your temples a break. Scroll down for an overview of the best free Series 3 pulls and which other cards support their selection. Read on to understand the theory behind that list.
Introduction
There are two competitive reasons to spend this limited resource:
- The available card opens an archetype for you. Owning it broadens your playstyle possibilities, because the card takes advantage of other cards already in your collection in entirely new ways. These archetype-defining cards have no cheap substitute for their effect: Arnim Zola, Cerebro, Lockjaw, Magik, Mister Negative, Patriot, Sauron, Sera, Shuri, Silver Surfer, Wave, Wong.
- The available card completes an archetype that you already own the core of, and a deck in that archetype dominates the current meta. Perhaps you have Deadpool, Death, and Destroyer. From Pools 1 and 2, you already have Carnage, Deathlok, Forge, Hulkbuster, Killmonger, Wolverine. You also have Taskmaster, and you’ve recently opened caches for X-23 and Knull. You only need Venom for the Destroy archetype and the Deadpool Destroy deck Marvel Snap Zone ranked at Tier 2 in the meta as of September 7th, 2022. Owning Venom increases your chances of performing well in upcoming tournaments and conquests – at least until the meta adapts to counter that deck.
I usually select my free Series 3 cards because they work for the first reason. This appeals to both the strategist and the hedonist in me. The meta for Marvel Snap is never solved, especially with OTA changes coming regularly. Even if you could create the “best deck” today, its status would be challenged eventually. Additionally, playing an archetype is the best way to train yourself to predict and counter the moves of your opponents who play the same archetype. On a personal note, my baby unicorn Marble gets bored if I play the same deck for more than an hour, and nobody wants to bore Marble!
The second reason appeals in the short-term. There are Infinaut ways to play archetype-definer cards. However, at any given time that they appear in the top meta, they typically appear in concert with other specific, Series 3 cards. If you don’t have that top-rated synergy but you still pull an archetype-defining card, then you can build budget decks with it but might become frustrated with how those decks perform in the current meta.
My first Series 3 freebie (discounting Magneto, which I hastily snagged after hitting Series 3 at the very end of the Nimrod Season) was Sera. My second was Mysterio. When I pulled Mysterio, I felt unstoppable all season. I regularly played Sera / Mysterio / Hit Monkey until the OTA that increased Hit Monkey’s cost. After I chose Patriot two Seasons later, I didn’t touch it for a month. Last season, I chose Surfer. I then played Patriot Surfer with an absurdly high win rate until the meta caught onto it. Once I have Doctor Doom, I expect to dust it off again.
I’ve selected Sera, Mysterio, Lockjaw, Patriot, and Surfer. My only regret is Mysterio. Compared to the others, playing Mysterio did not significantly expand my understanding of the game. It has synergized well with Sera and Patriot, but it has not created similar opportunities for new decks.
This isn’t to discount choosing synergistic cards over archetype-definers entirely. If you want to win upcoming tournaments and Infinity Conquests, cards that reinforce your existing synergies appeal more. This is especially valid during the last week of a season. In ladder, the matchmaking algorithm attempts to pair players with roughly equal Collection Level. On the other hand, Infinity Conquests are stacked against players with incomplete collections. When faced with a shiny new toy and flashy Conquest Shop rewards that you could win with it, it’s only natural to experience the same response as when faced with an Artgerm White Queen – grabby hands and a little drool.
The following list ranks the Archetype Definer cards. Each card includes a list of common support cards that appear alongside this card. The more cards you have in that list, the more that the associated card should appeal to you. On the other hand, if you have all these Archetype Definers, then you might consider which of those support card lists you lack only one card from. If you have all the support cards for multiple Archetype Definer cards, I recommend selecting the card ranked higher on the list, as it will be more likely to remain strong as the meta shifts.
Tier 1 Choices
1. Sera
Sera has extreme versatility, with new variations coming out every Season. Since it costs 5, Sera typically affects only 1-2 turns of gameplay. Sera decks lean towards providing either explosive power or exacting control on Turn 6, often handing off priority going into that turn so that cards like Enchantress and Shang-Chi can better frustrate the opponent’s plans.
There are tried-and-true Sera Control decks. Silver Surfer often runs Sera as well. Since so many of the cards for Sera Control are from earlier Pools, she’s a great early choice for a free Series 3 pull.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
2. Patriot
Patriot has seen a resurgence in popularity after the OTA buff to Forge. It relies on cramping the board with many powerful but not hulking cards. For this to work, Brood and Absorbing Man are key Series 3 support cards. Patriot can also be weak to Ongoing removal.
Cosmo, Iron Lad, and Mystique support Patriot by copying its text into multiple lanes or blocking a lane off from Enchantress and Rogue. Iron Lad also supports Brood, Forge, Mister Sinister, and Absorbing Man.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
3. Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
On Reveal: Give your other 3-Cost cards +2 Power.
view card details
Decks with Silver Surfer
Popular archetypes with Silver Surfer include decks that lock down a lane using Storm, ideally followed by Brood and otherwise by Juggernaut or Spider-Man. Polaris can also pull a card off a Stormed lane. Shadow King, Rogue, Killmonger, and Cosmo are popular tech cards. Sera, Maximus, and Wolfsbane can be used for an explosive turn 6.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
4. Lockjaw
Lockjaw
After you play a card here, swap it with a card in your deck. (once per turn)
view card details
Decks with Lockjaw
Instead of reducing the costs of cards in your hand, Lockjaw provides another avenue for ramping board presence and stretching your energy. Lockjaw decks want two types of support cards: extremely cheap cards and extremely expensive cards. Cheap cards are played in the lane with Lockjaw, enabling the big cards to hit the battlefield quickly.
Wasp, Thor, and Jane Foster the Mighty Thor provide cheap plays for Lockjaw. Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Magneto, and The Infinaut are excellent targets for the card swap. Doctor Octopus and Magneto clog the opponent’s side of the lane, both disrupting their strategy and possibly preventing Shang-Chi. Jubilee also supports the same strategy, attempting to get out a heavy hitter for less than its original cost, and can be played in the Lockjaw lane for double effect.
Series 3 Support Cards:
- Doctor Doom
- Doctor Octopus
Jane Foster the Mighty Thor - Jubilee
- Magneto
- Thor
- Wasp
Other Support Cards:
Tier 2 Choices
1. Shuri
Shuri
On Reveal: If you play your next card at this location, double its Power.
view card details
Decks with Shuri
Shuri is another card that pairs well and stands alone weakly. Shuri decks typically rely on playing Shuri on Turn 4, then playing a massive card on Turn 5, and finally playing Taskmaster on Turn 6 to copy that card’s power. Armor and Cosmo are defensive staples.
With the addition of X-23, Shuri can be played to affect Deadpool on Turn 4 in Destroy decks. Shuri decks will often try to lose priority by stacking Armor or Cosmo, Shuri, and their large card into one lane, then win a second lane just with Taskmaster and a 1-drop on Turn 6.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
2. Wong
Wong typically finds a place as a support card in decks that run an On Reveal core, such as Silver Surfer or Arnim Zola decks. Wong is an archetype enabler, vastly improving the benefits of cards like Ironheart and Wolfsbane in Negative Surfer. Storm and Doctor Doom is another powerful combo for Wong decks. Like Sera, another reason to pick up Wong is the power he grants to support cards from earlier pools.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
3. Mister Negative
Mister Negative
On Reveal: Swap the Power and Cost of all cards in your deck.
view card details
Decks with Mister Negative
Mister Negative synergizes with low-power cards like Ironheart, Iron Man, Leader, and Mystique. Since these cards will often wind up in your hand before Mister Negative can be played, Bast is a staple of Mister Negative decks.
In the meta, Mister Negative decks tend to lean heavily on a few specific cards to be competitive: Zabu or Psylocke for an early Negative play; Magik for more turns to benefit from Negative’s ability; Silver Surfer to pump Ironheart, Mystique, and other popular 3-cost cards in the deck; Wong to support on reveal abilities like those of Ironheart and Silver Surfer.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
4. Sauron
Sauron
On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards in your hand and deck.
view card details
Decks with Sauron
Sauron improves the Cost-to-Power value of cards with high power but significant drawbacks. Of course, few games are won by simply playing high-power cards, and Sauron may not be drawn in time – or at all.
In the top meta, Sauron and the cards typically run with Sauron work best when paired another way to abuse their power stats – typically Shuri. Luke Cage also compliments Typhoid Mary. Zero does Sauron’s job but to one specific card; Enchantress does the same but for one lane.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
Tier 3 Choices
1. Magik
Magik
On Reveal: Replace this location with ‘Limbo’. Doesn’t work after turn 5.
view card details
Decks with Magik
While Magik is not a build-around card, it is a synergistic enabler for many archetypal decks. If you already have your Tier 1 and Tier 2 archetype definers and you enjoy playing Mister Negative, Silver Surfer, or Cerebro-2, then Magik is an excellent choice. Magik also enables The Infinaut, She-Hulk, and High Evolutionary to skip turn 6 and take advantage of the additional energy.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
2. Wave
Wave
On Reveal: All cards cost a maximum of 4 until the end of next turn.
view card details
Decks with Wave
Wave enables a lockdown effect on players’ hands. Ideally, Wave gets played on Turn 5 while winning all three lanes or while able to play a single card on the next turn which would win all three lanes were the opponent’s play disregarded. By creating extra energy on Turn 6, Wave synergizes well with High Evolutionary.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
3. Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola
On Reveal: Destroy one of your other cards here to copy it at the other locations.
view card details
Decks with Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola opens a powerful line. Ideal targets for Arnim Zola include large cards playable before the final turn, such as Devil Dinosaur, and cards with powerful On Reveal effects, such as Black Panther. Currently, Arnim Zola usually adds a win condition to a Wong or a Destroy deck.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
4. Cerebro
Cerebro often struggles to find a place in the meta, but it does unlock a new archetype. As an archetype, Cerebro is hurt by the prevalence of locations and cards which reduce power. As a result, Cerebro-2 decks are wise to run Luke Cage, and Cerebro-3 decks are wise to run Rhino, Scarlet Witch, Shadow King, and/or Valkyrie.
Series 3 Support Cards:
Other Support Cards:
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 other Pools. 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 go down the Series 3 Support Cards lists for the associated Archetype Definer(s). Especially early on, lingering in a familiar archetype helps you to learn and ingrain good snap and retreat habits. Play what you love, because it will help you learn the nuances of the game and because that’s what gaming is about!
What matters most, as always, is to help Marble achieve their goal of becoming the next Big Bad, with the power to change the name of the game from Marvel Snap to Marble Snap – COUGH, what matters most is to play what you love! Snap on!
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