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Welcome back to our new weekly series Cache-ing In! Each week, we break down what cards will be available in the new Spotlight Caches, as well as the Spotlight Variants! The goal is to help you determine if you should “Cache in” for the content, or hoard for a better week.
We also now feature the other two existing cards in more detail in a separate guide, not just the new one! The goal is to give you a tutorial on how to use the card most effectively in an everchanging meta, as well as help you decide if the card is worth the tokens or if you should pick it up during a Spotlight Cache week! Check them out below:
Spotlight Cache Week of June 18, 2024
This week, the featured cards will be the new Series 5 card Makkari, as well as the return of Series 5 card X-23 and Series 4 card Gladiator!
Makkari
Decks with Makkari
Another week, another new card, and this week brings us Makkari! She is a 3-Cost, 4-Power card with the ability “After the turn, runs from your hand to a random location. (if possible)”. As a 3-Cost, she has clear synergy with Silver Surfer, but she struggles with synergies elsewhere. Her closest synergy is with Sunspot, since you can skip a turn and still play a card.
While most players think she is built specifically for Surfer decks, I don’t think Surfer even wants this card. Surfer already has a wide range of options, so what do you cut to fit in a [3/4] that will randomly pick a location? It could accidentally fill a location, block a space you needed on your Wong location, or simply land on a location you chose to abandon. If you want a Surfer card to reach restricted locations, simply use Nocturne.
Possible Meta Deck for Makkari
CanadianAlfredo
In an effort to think outside of the Silver Surfer box, the best reason I can find for running Makkari is freeing up hand space. Decks like Moon Girl combo that have all but died out could use her. The idea is you want to copy cards for a late game hand dump, but you can’t always clear enough space to only copy what you want. Makkari will always leave your hand, helping ensure you have ample space for the cards you want to copy. Using Ravonna Renslayer and Sera, you should be able to play up to 6 cards on turn 6 that can rapidly swing 2 locations. You also have substitute options like Werewolf By Night or Morph.
Low Collection Level Deck
CanadianAlfredo
This deck requires slightly more than all Series 1 and 2. For new players, High Evolutionary is one of the best cards you can get. Makkari has potential synergy with High Evo since you want to float energy each turn, and Makkari plays herself so you don’t need to waste energy. Besides High Evo and Makkari, the rest of the deck is all Series 1 and 2 and should be a strong list for new players (even without Makkari).
Fun Makkari Deck
CanadianAlfredo
Another way Makkari could be useful is with Agatha Harkness. You generally don’t want to run low Cost cards in Agatha decks because you need to ensure she plays Lady Sif or Wave as soon as possible. Makkari acts as a early game card that plays herself so Agatha won’t waste energy. Since Agatha plays randomly anyways, Makkari‘s randomness really changes nothing.
Overall, I think Makkari is an F-tier card. She’s something that new players would be excited to use at Series 1 or 2, then quickly forget about her as better cards are unlocked. Second Dinner didn’t even think the card was strong enough, so they threw on an extra Power after she was announced and swapped cards around in this week’s cache to make her more enticing to try. Unless I’m missing some important synergy with this card, this is the worst new card we’ve seen since Hercules.
Check out our strategy guide and more decklists on this new card!
Gladiator
Decks with Gladiator
Following Makkari this cache is the return if Gladiator! This card offers a solid disruption tool combined with a solid stat line. He sees play in a wide range of decks, including Surfer, Sera Control, and Mill. His Power is high enough to quickly threaten a location, but low enough to dodge Shang-Chi.
This deck centers around Silver Surfer. It runs the typical cards like Brood, Sebastian Shaw, and Wong for Surfer Power combos. This version of Surfer uses Gladiator and Red Guardian as tech cards, making it a pseudo Sera Control list. To help you float energy for late game Power dump, as well as build a single locations Power, you also have the Kitty Pryde package.
zall
Gladiator is an increasingly strong card in the current meta. With many decks using combos and heavy synergies, Gladiator is much more likely to pull a card that is helpful to destroy. His early game info can also help you determine if it’s worth staying in the match or not. With the upcoming Deadpool’s Diner, having info will be key to collecting the most Bubs.
For a detailed guide on how to use Gladiator, his synergies, meta decks, and more, check out our new Gladiator guide!
X-23
Decks with X-23
Bringing this mid-season cache to a close is the return of X-23! This card is the backbone of successful destroy decks. Nearly every competitve deck that utilizes destroy cards will also run X-23. The extra energy simply gives you more flexibility in play lines, as well as provides options of playing your big cards like Knull early.
SafetyBlade
Most players know the classic destroy lists by now. This deck changes up the idea of a destroy deck. Instead of focusing on powering up a Knull, you use destroy targets (Squirrel Girl, Mysterio, The Void, and X-23) to lower Death‘s Cost. The tokens also allow Mockingbird to lower in Cost, giving you opportunities to play your bug cards for no cost. If you miss your destroy cards like Carnage and Lady Deathstrike, you can use Sersi as an alternate way to generate rapid Power at a location.
Overall, X-23 has been time tested to be a solid card. With Deadpool’s season around the corner, you should make sure you own her if you plan to use destroy decks that season.
For a detailed guide on how to use X-23, her synergies, meta decks, and more, check out our new X- guide!
Spotlight Variants
If you already own the cards the Spotlight Cache offers, one of these variants will take it’s place! If you own none of the cards, the variants will appear after you open all four caches. Spotlight variants are time exclusive to their release week, and will only be available after 1 full year of time has passed.
After the year, they will be available for purchase, though no mention of cost yet. So if any of these Spotlight variants feel like a must have for you, make sure to Cache In if you have enough caches saved to guarantee the pull.
Francesco Tomaselli is our Spotlight artist of the season, and this week we get his Makkari variant!
Ryan Benjamin, artist for many of Marvel Snap’s base cards, launches his alternate take on Gladiator this week!
X-23 gets her Hellfire Gala variant by Mahmud Asrar this week!
Should I Cache In?
This week returns to the standard value of two Series 5 cards and one Series 4. Gladiator and X-23 are both strong cards that elevate the decks that are used in. Makkari simply looks like a bad card that will be difficult to justify slotting into most decks.
My recommendation this week is an easy Hoard Your Caches. X-23 being Series 5 is the only reason this cache may have appeal to some players. Now that Gladiator is Series 4, he is easier to obtain with Tokens. With the exciting new abilities of the upcoming cards, this week is a good time to build back up your reserves.
Wrap Up
Do you think Makkari will be a good card? Will you be Cache-ing In this week? Let us know in the comments! For the full schedule, check out our guide below:
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