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Kang the Conqueror is easily the most divisive of Marvel Snap’s “Big Bads” (cards that are permanently in Series 5). Although there was a lot of hype leading up to his release, he’s largely been met with a mediocre reception from prominent content creators and members of the Marvel Snap community. I’ve even seen people boldly claim that Ghost (!!!) is a better card than Kang.
Decks with Kang
While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, let’s not beat around the bush here: I think Kang is an incredible card that is easily worth the 6000 token price tag. With the recent change to the Token Shop (i.e. the card acquisition removing Series 3 cards from the Token Shop and increasing the rate of tokens gained for players who haven’t completed Series 3), the multiverse hopping madman Kang just became a lot more accessible to the endgame player base.
Today I’ll cover Kang‘s unique value on the ranked ladder, how his value will only increase over time, and his unmatched value in the upcoming Conquest mode. Let’s dive in!
The Nature of The Big Bads
Around the release of Kang, Marvel Snap content creator ZombiesGoNomNom made an excellent observation about the nature of the three Big Bad cards, saying they all “break the game” in a unique way. That really is a perfect way to think about the three Big Bads: Thanos breaks the game by giving you access to an 18-card deck, Galactus breaks the game by limiting the game board to one location, and Kang breaks the game by giving you access to information and snapping mechanics your opponent doesn’t have.
Decks with Thanos
Decks with Galactus
With Thanos and Galactus, players instantly see the build-around potential. Thanos wants ways to either cycle out the low-cost/power Stones with Lockjaw or buff them with Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel. Galactus wants cards with huge power levels that benefit from the cards he destroys upon entry like Knull and Death.
Kang, however, doesn’t work as a build-around card the same way. You aren’t making a “Kang deck”; instead, by slotting him into many of the best deck archetypes, you’re getting access to information that gives you an incredible edge over your opponent when used in the right way.
Lowering Your Cube Losses
When Kang reveals, you get to see what your opponent thought their best play was on that given turn. Sure, they have the choice to change up their play line, but you have the knowledge that can either win you the game or let you know that you don’t have a chance and scoop – saving yourself cubes on the climb to Infinite.
Admittedly, “losing fewer cubes” doesn’t have the same headline punch as the effects of other cards, but this is so valuable for players trying to make the grind to Infinite. In my climb to Infinite this season, this aspect of Kang was critical to a fast climb and saved me from many four- and eight-cube losses.
An opponent thought they had me with a surprise Turn 6 Darkhawk and Mystique combo? Sorry, I’m out of here! Oh, I see… You’re one of the 11 people using Enchantress on my Devil Dinosaur location. You can have my one cube!
It doesn’t make for a good screenshot. But when you’re making the push for Infinite, every cube you don’t lose is a bonus in the grand scheme of your climb.
Slotting Into Many Deck Archetypes
Shuri, Thanos, Galactus, DeathWave, Mister Negative. All of these archetypes love the information Kang provides.
Decks with Shuri
When you’re playing Shuri, if you’ve ended up needing to place your buffed Red Skull in a location without Armor or Cosmo, Kang lets you scout if your opponent has a Shang-Chi up their sleeve.
Decks with Lockjaw
In Thanos Lockjaw, you can potentially see what your Lockjaw location can pull into. If you pull Kang from a Lockjaw cycle, you’re actually thinning your deck and boosting consistency.
Galactus decks are almost as sensitive as Cerebro when it comes to having its game plan disrupted, so scouting with Kang on the turn you plan to drop Galactus lets you see if they have an Aero or cheeky Polaris looking to shut you down.
Decks with Mister Negative
In a Mister Negative shell, although you’re not getting any benefit from his 0/5 flip, playing Kang before you drop Jane Foster Mighty Thor frees up space in your hand for another Negative-flipped 0 cost card.
Decks with Wave
Kang’s inclusion in a DeathWave deck may seem odd, but it’s also a perfect fit. If you get Wave down on Turn 5 and play Kang on Turn 6, chances are your opponent can really only make the play they’ve inadvertently shown because of the synergy between Wave and Kang’s abilities.
Decks with Daredevil
In all of these examples, Kang’s “game-breaking” information gives you an edge you just can’t get with another card. Some might argue that Daredevil‘s effect is sufficient in most cases, but his effect is limited to Turn 5 and your opponent knows it’s coming.
Check out the bottom of the article for some versions of these decks featuring Kang.
Seeing RNG Outcomes
Decks with Strange Academy
The ways Kang can show the outcomes of RNG elements and how players can change those outcomes deserve an entirely separate deep dive. For our purposes here, I’ll just say that if you have priority on the turn you play Kang and that turn has an RNG outcome, such as Strange Academy tossing cards around the board, those RNG outcomes will stay the same on the following turn as long as you follow the same play line (without Kang, of course).
Decks with Sinister London
This makes the most sense with a live example that happened to me recently: On Turn 5 my opponent and I each had cards in Sinister London (the middle location). If I played Professor X in Sinister London and the copy went to the right location, I could secure the middle and right locations for a guaranteed win.
With priority, I played Kang into Sinister London, and Kang’s copy went to the right and the opponent’s card went left. The turn reset. This time, I played Professor X, and just like Kang his copy went to the right location and my opponent retreated shortly after this resolved.
This type of interaction won’t be relevant in most of your matches, but when you have the opportunity to seize on this layer of information you’ll feel like you’re making a truly galaxy brained play!
The Bluff Snap
Perhaps the most significant way Kang does his job as a Big Bad in “breaking the game” is by enabling bluff snaps. On the turn you play Kang, you can (and often should) snap since Kang will reset the entire turn. Your opponent will always have to wonder whether the snap is genuine or if you’re about to play Kang.
Decks with Cosmo
As long as you don’t get juked by a Cosmo play, you have a risk-free opportunity to force your opponent to commit to a 4- or 8-cube game knowing you’ll get to see what they thought was their best play with a high number of cubes on the line.
The ability to bluff snap introduces one of the key aspects of playing Kang well: when not to play him. If you’ve already got your win condition, have a respectable lead, or have one of your surprise cards ready, dropping Kang on the board could spook your opponent and leave you with one or two cubes instead of the four or eight that you could’ve gained if you played things out normally.
On the other hand, if you’re going into Turn 5 or Turn 6 not feeling confident about your ability to win, doing a bluff snap and playing Kang could make your opponent dip when in reality they had the win all set to go.
The Evolving Snap Metagame
New cards introduce new archetypes that we won’t know how to play around right away. Kang is the only surefire way to see what the opponent is doing until you have a grip on what new archetype or tech card the opponent is using.
While many of the 2023 card releases haven’t created new deck archetypes so far, cards like Jeff the Baby Land Shark, High Evolutionary, and The Living Tribunal all create entirely new play lines and win conditions.
Decks with Jeff the Baby Land Shark
Decks with High Evolutionary
Decks with The Living Tribunal
Over time, we’ll all adjust to those decks like we have with Thanos and Shuri in this meta. When those cards first hit the scene, though, Kang is the best way to mitigate cube losses while we’re still figuring things out. Why lose eight cubes to someone dropping Jeff the Baby Land Shark into your Professor X location when you can scout their Turn 6 play with Kang?
Conquest Mode Ambitions
Many creators in the Marvel Snap community that have been lukewarm on Kang have clarified that he’s much better in the context of battle mode matches. Well, with the announcement of the new Conquest mode planned for June, we’re getting a version of battle mode with online matchmaking and a separate ranking system from the traditional ladder we’ve all been playing.
While there are still a lot of unknowns about Conquest, we do know that in order for players to rank up they’ll need to win three matches in a row. Kang isn’t going to be a big cube winner for many players, but he will steadily help you win one or two cubes in any given match.
Additionally, the mind game potential with Kang outside of a best-of-one-match scenario is just plain insane. After you reveal Kang for the first time, your opponent will need to question every snap and Turn 5 and 6 play as being final or one where Kang is going to swoop in and spoil their game plan.
Starter Decks
To round up this article, I’ve included some starter decks with Kang to get you going.
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Conclusion
Overall, the question you’re probably asking is “should I buy Kang before Thanos and/or Galactus?” And there isn’t an easy answer. Kang is amazing in both Thanos and Galactus decks, but personally, I’m not a huge fan of the traditional Galactus play style. Thanos is probably a better buy before Kang if you’re earlier on in your Series 3 card collection, but if you’re locked and loaded with a powerful Shuri deck, Kang could be the better priority.
So there you have it. My case for Kang. I hope more of you will consider the power of this Big Bad in Marvel Snap, and I hope those that do have a successful climb to Infinite with him in your deck! If you want to talk more about Kang, make sure to leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter @ItsTheDMc. Until next time!
