Sleeper Decks of the Week – Battle for the Best, Their Counters, Spider-Man 2099, Stegron, and More Good Stuff!

Hello everyone and welcome to Sleeper Decks of the Week! I’m Glazer of Snap Judgments: The Official Marvel Snap Zone Podcast, and in this article, I’m going to take you through all of my favorite Sleeper decks this week. In addition to the podcast (this week’s episode features the Top 10 Decks in the Game with our own legendary Den!), I do my own daily videos where I scour the darkest corners of the net (ahem Twitter and the various sites) to find the best decks in Marvel Snap before the meta notices.

Remember: Each deck title will take you to a video explanation of the deck, so don’t be shy – check them out! This week we’re also trying out Videos from some of our favorite creators playing the decks – check those out, too, and let us know what you think!

One more thing before we get started. A week before every season, I do the biggest Marvel Snap Season Pass giveaway in the game on my Twitter. This is your last chance to enter! The giveaway consists of five EIGHT Phoenix Force Season Passes and a grand prize winner, who gets the Season Passes AND every Token Tuesday for the month of July. Remember to check my Twitter and enter before Monday!

The Battle for the Best Deck Rages On!

Lamby Bounce

Lamby Kitty Bounce

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Starter Card

2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.6

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: We talked about this deck last week, but it won a major tournament, so here it is again. On the podcast, Roy, Den, and I agreed this was probably the best version of the best deck. Kitty Pryde‘s stats on turn 1 are just insane, especially when combined with the stats from Bishop, and Angela early, Hit Monkey and Iron Man late.

Mysterio powers up the Monkey, Bishop and Angela, while Bast gives basically everything a huge power bump early. Iceman does a stellar job of messing up Lockjaw’s flow while other counters are often hit by Spider-Ham. Beast lets you use that power scaling and those disruption tools multiple times. The last card? That’s Jeff the Baby Land Shark. He gives an Angela bump and reach and, perhaps, should be Shang Chi. Either way, this is the deck to beat.

Hit Monkey is the only Series 5 that matters to the deck, but it’s really hard to play without him – you can go with a different build entirely cutting Mysterio and Bishop, running cards like the Collector, The Hood, and Falcon instead. It still is one of the best decks in the game, even if it’s not quite as good.

• The Legendary Den has an article about the deck. It’s also on top of the Conquest and Ladder Tier Lists.
• You can find Lamby talking about the win on his Twitch VOD and the deck on this podcast.
• Watch the deck played here by Nerfherder.

Evolved Lockjaw Updated – The Spicy Hot Dog!

Spicy Hot Dog

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Starter Card

3.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: So! Last week, I posited a similar version to this as the best deck since it was basically Spider-Ham proof and could, sometimes, go taller than Kitty Pryde. Well, this version does better against Kitty and worse against the mirror, even though Spider-Ham hitting an opposing Doctor Doom or Odin can be backbreaking.

Much of the rest of the deck is the same as the standard meta list. The Infinaut is insanely good in this meta whether hit by an opposing Spider-Ham, popping out of Lockjaw, or discarded by Dracula. Jubilee was another way to cheat out The Infinaut, but her counter synergy with Dracula led me to add Den’s great innovation. At Creator Clash, Den was the King of Swiss and finished top 4 with a standard list featuring Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock allows for huge disruption of opponents, especially bounce decks, outside of the mirror. He’s terrible there, but at ten stats, if you don’t play him, he’s a perfectly fine Dracula discard, as well!

Finally, the last change was going from Giganto back to Magneto. This remains a really close call, but Darkhawk decks are back in the meta and Magneto often steals that and the Silver Surfer match up, so back in he goes.

The deck is fine without Spider-Ham. You can easily slot in anything from Wave to Abomination. Without High Evolutionary, you can play this sort of deck using this shell.

You can watch our friend AZ Snap play the deck below:

Counters Arrive

W Los Invisible Darkhawk

Stats Wwin

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

2

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Starter Card

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.7

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Longtime readers and viewers know I love Darkhawk Stature decks – the mix of midrange and control really works for me. Well, W has innovated a great version of this deck and grabbed an Infinity Ticket with it.

The shell is the standard Darkhawk Stature list that’s been covered to death throughout the meta, including here prior. The history is also covered in this Deck of the Day article. So, let’s talk about innovations. The big one is Invisible Woman. She is an amazing Kitty Pryde counter, as a Killmonger behind her is all but guaranteed to ruin a last-turn Kitty. This is, similarly, an excellent way to Shang Chi at the end of the game, as Angela and Bishop often hit 9-10 power or more. Further, that’s absolutely amazing in a Lockjaw lane for that match-up.

The other big innovation here, and one I think I like more than Invisible Woman if possible, is going with Iron Man as the Iron Lad target instead of Doctor Doom. First of all, the meta is tall, not wide, limiting Doom’s upside, but further, Iron Man played out on turn 5 creates room for a turn 6 that could include two 4s because of Zabu or a 4 and Killmonger or any other number of combos that Doom, only playable on 6, does not allow.

Stature and Black Bolt are not needed for this deck. KM Best already got an Infinity Ticket replacing them with Aero and Miles Morales You also don’t need Jeff the Baby Landshark here. Any well-statted card from Medusa to Lizard works. If you are adding Miles Morales, though, Jeff should become Polaris or Nightcrawler. Zabu and Darkhawk are just needed.

Den’s Doom Wave Counter

Den’s Good Cards Conquest

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Freddybabes in Creator Clash had an anti-move innovation. He decided that if he played Wave on turn 4, he could Odin on turn 5 to basically keep the Sandman effect going without any way around it (except, I guess Magik). Our own Den took that idea and added it to the always-powerful Doom Wave shell. That playline of Wave into Odin can be finished off with either Doctor Doom or Shang Chi usually.

The deck doesn’t just fold in other matches, as we, again, see the Darkhawk package being insanely strong. Spider-Ham counters opposing answers, notably Doom, Hulk or Iron Man while Jeff the baby Landshark adds power wherever you need it. America Chavez is key here to see cards on curve – add it all up and you have a powerful deck that can go toe to toe with anything.

Jeff is very clearly the most powerful card in his slot here, but can easily be replaced in this deck. I suggest Mister Fantastic to do so. Iron Lad is harder to replace, but Jubilee operates just fine as a poor person’s Lad and is even better with Odin. Darkhawk and Zabu are just needed cards.

Watch our friend FaThorNewman play this deck:

Den’s Surfer Surprise

Den-Verse Surfer

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

4

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

9x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: I just did a full deck guide on this one Wednesday, so I’ll be brief. Silver Surfer operates now as a control deck, not a point slam deck. Invisible Woman with Killmonger is a huge key to beating Marvel Snap’s biggest bugaboo, Kitty Pryde. In addition, Shadow King shuts down the other big bounce offenders – Angela and Bishop. Add in the lane control Storm and Juggernaut apply, and bounce has serious trouble.

Lockjaw and other big guy decks are harder and require wise use of Goose to close off a lane after the major players appear. Here, again, Storm and Juggernaut are huge keys to victory. Silver Surfer, Maximus, Brood, and Polaris provide the numbers for this deck. Everything else is utility.

This deck is only Series 3 and lower cards.

Our own brilliant LaurenWhatever climbed 20 ranks in a day with this. I have won Gold Conquests, and Den finished Infinity. One of our readers also managed to hit Infinite with the deck in a wildly impressive three hours!

This deck is, however, not for everyone. SafetyBlade, who is a genius, cannot make it work. Neither could our friend Nerfherder. It’s always worth remembering that every deck is not for everyone, no matter how good you are!

Shuri Red Skull Returns

Royce Townsend Shuri Red Skull

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

3

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Another one with a full deck guide! This one was posted by Royce Townsend on Twitter!

Red Skull was buffed back to 14, so Shuri Red Skull is great again. Taskmaster is then the obvious combination, along with Armor to protect them and America Chavez for consistency. She-Hulk can also combine with Taskmaster after a skipped turn 5 for 18 power in two different lanes.

Sauron makes it so there’s no downside to Red Skull, and then there’s no reason not to play Typhoid Mary, Lizard, and Ebony Maw. Finally, Kitty Pryde is just great and pairs in silly ways with both Shuri and Taskmaster for huge power, working similarly to She-Hulk.

This is a pure Series 3 deck at this point.

Spider-Man 2099 Arrives

Bohe Thanos Destroy Move

Bohe Thanos Move

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

4x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Bohe is our newest writer here at Marvel Snap Zone, and his decks are phenomenal! This deck has two game plans that complement one another perfectly. Early on you want to play and destroy stones – the only stone that’s really usually worth saving is the Space Stone. This gets good power out with Carnage and sets up a cheap – hopefully very cheap – Death for the late game.

Beyond this, you’re focused on the move plan. I think of Spider-Man 2099 as a stats card – if he hits one key target, he’s great, but if he kills a Miles Morales, he’s fundamentally a 4/11, equivalent to the power of a really good Darkhawk. With even one good move – and you have Ghost-Spider, Cloak, and Iron Fist for mid-game, along with the aforementioned Space Stone, the power on Vulture or Dagger is usually 8 or so, meaning, they, too are top-of-the-line stats for their cost. Add in Heimdall to take it over the top or Death and Thanos to drop big stats at the end, and you have an absolute midrange killer that no one expects.

This deck needs Spider-Man 2099 to work, and he’s only borderline worth the tokens overall. Ghost-Spider is also an absolute must here. If you bought the season pass, have 2099, and enjoy move decks at all, this is must play though. You cannot play the Thanos deck without owning Thanos.

Savage Yeti really got a kick out of this deck:

MetaHawk Move

MetaHawk Move

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

2

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

3x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.2

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: This is another one with a deck guide!

Standard Darkhawk package? Check. Stature and Black Bolt? Check! This one doesn’t have the game against Kitty Pryde the one at the top does, but Spider-Man 2099 with this shell absolutely wrecks Lockjaw by killing either it or Thor. Ghost-Spider also lets you put an early Darkhawk, and yank him away from danger if your opponent snaps for an obvious Shang-Chi.

The swing card here is Vulture. I haven’t loved him and usually am now playing Jeff the Baby Landshark, Nebula, Ghost, or Spider-Ham. You’ll need Darkhawk and Zabu – I’m not sure anymore this needs Stature and Black Bolt. I may try Iron Lad and Iron Man or even Iron Man and Mystique here. If you don’t have 2099, what are we even doing in this section?

You can watch FaThorNewman play this one:

Jungcat Winner 2099

1st JungCAT – Move – Snap.fan June Open – 2099

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: This deck won an Open Tournament last weekend with Vision in the Spider-Man 2099 spot, but as has been discussed, 2099 is great stats for his cost, so I added him here. He could also easily be added for Stegron, but I really like the disruption of Stegron, especially for Lockjaw matches.

This is a completely standard move deck, gaining stats with the cards early, then trying to double play for a big swing on turn 5. Ghost-Spider or Cloak onto a Kraven with 2099, Vulture, or Dagger outrageously good power for their cost. Choosing between Magneto and Heimdall is then a mind game between you and your opponent. If you are good at reading the opponent, this is the deck for you.

2099 can obviously be Vision. Stegron can be Vision if you have 2099, but not Stegron. If you lack both, go Juggernaut and Vision. Ghost-Spider is a must-have, and you have two more days to buy her before the new season!

Watch our friend Combat Marvel Snap masterfully pilot this deck:

Is Stegron Meta now?

Safety’s Mosh Pit

Safety’s Mosh Pit

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Recruit Season

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: #Safetyisagenius. This is the last deck here with a guide.

This deck is running the pre-High Evolutionary lockdown package, but where that deck struggled for points, this deck uses Kitty Pryde and Angela to make up the difference in power between this and other meta decks.

Other Kitty decks need space to play, and Professor X and Spider-Man deny that especially taking advantage of Daredevil for a sure lane win. The power from there is that Kitty and Gamora in a lane the opponent goes for are 18-20 power alone, 22-24 if on Angela. If a lane is empty and an opponent is only going for a Hulk? Stegron answers that.

A Miles Morales after a move (Jeff) is no Kitty, but 1-5 is pretty good for that last turn, as well. Finally, Spider-Ham here keeps points manageable – Doctor Doom can’t steal a location from Spider-Man if he’s a pig. Hulk doesn’t get as big, Iron Man can’t make a lane too tall. Everything works together beautifully.

I think there’s enough synergy here that you really do want most of the higher Series cards. Stegron can maybe be Juggernaut, but the loss of stats here really matters. Nebula or even Sunspot is fine for Spider-Ham, but you open yourself up to more counters. Jeff the Baby Landshark can be Nightcrawler, but Professor X is in the deck, and Nightcrawler won’t help there. Still, all of that is doable!

Stegron’s Big Day

Stegron is Meta? 60% and .7

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

0

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.6

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Once in a while, I find a deck not by scouring my friend’s feeds, but by just searching the deck trackers. Well, the numbers on this deck were nuts, and playing it showed that they were no fluke.

Stop me if you heard this in two or three other sections, but the Darkhawk package is insane. Okay, moving along – this feels like a good cards mishmash. Wave is, in many decks, only for turn 5. That’s not true here, as playing it earlier for a Doctor Doom or Leader or Professor X can basically seal a game early. When Wave is played early, the last turn is meant to be two four-cost cards, accomplished by using Zabu.

Stegron and Shang-Chi combined solve a huge variety of problems. Darkhawk can be huge stats, and Rockslide is solid stats and, on turn 3 or 4, great disruption. Jeff the Baby Landshark is extra Professor X help, and, well, Iron Lad is a bit of everything. This deck is just so much fun and so strong.

This deck is kind of built around Iron Lad’s versatility, and you’ll need Darkhawk and Zabu. Jeff is great here but could be a good 2 otherwise like Lizard or Medusa.

Comrade Pup Infinite Hela

Comrade Pup Hela’s Fury

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

9x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

3.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Hela decks usually don’t work for me. They’re too greedy and inconsistent. This deck doesn’t need Hela though- she’s a combo piece if you see Invisible Woman into MODOK into her. Nick Fury’s cost being reduced from 5 to 4 is what really enables this as now he can provide all the 6 cost cards for Hela to discard.

The other playline is the Quinjet into Nick Fury line. That allows the playing of two 6-cost cards and potentially amazing power. These combine with Maria Hill and Agent Coulson to make the Collector a potentially lane-winning card, as well. Lady Sif lets you chuck Hellicarrier for more cards to help either plan- cards for Hela to bring back or power for the Collector. Black Bolt and Stature are just very good stats for the deck and can be anything.

Does Stegron belong here? I’ve liked him a lot, but Ghost Rider and Hellcow would both help the deck’s strategies too- Ghost Rider could pull back a Sif discard while Hellcow is a backup MODOK. It’s also possible these cards join and Black Bolt and Stature go instead. But then we want Zabu! This deck has so many options!

And Some More Good Stuff

DMoney’s Patriot

No-bility – DMoney CC Second Place

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

1

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.9

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: So, first, mea culpa on the video. DMoney played mostly bounce in his tournament run. Patriot decks remain very strong, though, they just need to high roll to match Lockjaw or Kitty Pryde decks. If Sandman is your problem though, this is the deck for you.

The deck doesn’t run Ultron, so it uses Mister Sinister, Brood, and Doctor Doom to go wide. All of those cards are good, but really great with plus two from Patriot or plus 3 from Patriot and Blue Marvel. Super Skrull wins mirror matches and goes over the top of cards like Devil Dinosaur or Iron Man and Debrii adds points to your side while taking up valuable space on the opponent’s side. Without Mystique, Onslaught does a fabulous job of adding a ton of power to the board on the last turn. Invisible Woman is a constant threat and your protection from Enchantress.

For all of this, though, Iron Lad is the key to the deck. Copying Sinister is 4 for 12, Brood 4 for 18. Iron Man is an immediate 12 that doubles anything else. Blue Marvel and Patriot buff your board. A second Super-Skrull can be overpowered. A cheap Onslaught is insane, and Doom becomes 14 power across the board. All of this is absolutely great. The only bad hits are Wasp, who just makes him get the Patriot buff and Invisible Woman, who’s okay as a 4-6, but nothing to write home about.

Without Iron Lad, you’re playing a very different deck. In fact, I think there is value to examining that deck, but that will wait for another day!

Drewberry’s Big Old Thanos

Drewberry Thanos

Created by PulseGlazer

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

2x Recruit Season

3.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

6.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Deck Thoughts: Thanos Lockjaw has long been a crazy powerful deck. Drewberry Snap, one of our guests on the next Snap Judgments Podcast has been absolutely dominant with this deck, winning Gold and Infinity Conquest runs. This deck combines the concepts of Zoo and Thanos Lockjaw to pressure an opponent. The deck REALLY wants to see Lockjaw and when it sees that or a lot of early stones, it’s insanely powerful.

The deck is simple: Go wide with Infinity Stones and pump them up with Ka-Zar or Blue Marvel. If this is done well, you can then go over the top with a last turn (or the last two turns with Time Stone) big card(s). If you are dumping some extra stones in Lockjaw along the way? The deck feels overpowered. But our friend Peaceful Sea tried it and it just didn’t work:

Wrap Up

That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed this look at successful off-meta decks. If you did, be sure to check out this week’s episode featuring the Top 10 Decks in the Game with our own legendary Den, subscribe to my YouTube, join us on Discord, and, as always, check in next week for another round of Sleeper Decks! Let me know what you all think of the new format!