The Ice Box Hot Location Guide: Strategy, Best Cards and Decks

The Hot Location for the next 24 hours is The Ice Box: Give a card in each player’s hand +1 Cost. This is a Hot Location for Marvel Snap’s July 2023 season, Rise of the Phoenix, that starts on selected Wednesdays and Sundays at 3 AM GMT. For 24 hours, it has a 50% chance of showing up in games. Players who strategically build around the location or counter the decks that do so can have an advantage over their opponents! Let’s find out what the best strategies, cards, and decks are for the new meta!

Variants

The Ice Box

Give a card in each player’s hand +1 Cost.

released

view card details Start a deck Decks with The Ice Box

Strategy and General Tips

This location increases the cost of one your cards by 1 energy. It is Iceman in an location. The strategy for this one will be more focused on what we can try to mitigate the negative feelings when certain cards are hit.

Variants

Electro

On Reveal: +1 Max Energy. Ongoing: You can only play 1 card a turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Electro

Variants

Wave

On Reveal: All cards cost a maximum of 4 until the end of next turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Wave

Variants

Black Panther

On Reveal: Double this card’s Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Black Panther

The first possibility is to focus your strategy around playing high cost cards later in the game. Generally this will lead to only needing to ‘dodge’ hits on Electro or your ramp card. We can also look to include cards like Wave to reset the cost of key pieces to 4 energy regardless of the effect. Combinations centered around cards like Black Panther can also be less impacted as we can often still play the Black Panther on 5 plus Arnim Zola on 6.

Variants

Beast

On Reveal: Return your other cards here to your hand. They cost 1 less next turn.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Beast

Variants

Kitty Pryde

When this returns to your hand, +1 Power. Returns at the start of each turn.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Kitty Pryde

The other way is to have lots of 1 and 2 costs cards in the deck which can be reduced again. Beast is the key care to look too as this is lower cost than Sera which can be impacted by The Ice Box and become unplayable. 1 and 2-Cost cards when hit by The Ice Box can still be fit into turns if required and are less likely to brick your entire strategy.

Variants

Zabu

On Reveal: Until the end of next turn, your 4-Cost cards cost 1 less.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Zabu

Variants

Ronan the Accuser

Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent’s hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Ronan the Accuser

Zabu at 2-Cost may be impacted but still be able to work to your advantage with the location. This combine also with Ronan the Accuser which can still be okay at 6 energy if your opponent’s hand gets impacted by the location and has more cards than normal.

Variants

Sera

Ongoing: Cards in your hand cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Sera

Variants

Magik

On Reveal: Replace this location with ‘Limbo’. Doesn’t work after turn 5.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Magik

Variants

Silver Surfer

On Reveal: Give your other 3-Cost cards +2 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Silver Surfer

Sera is one card which seems like it would be good here, but becomes unplayable when hit by the location. Magik is another card which can lead to frustration if you include it in your deck during this period, as well as most 3-drops. They sit in an awkward spot where if they are hit by The Ice Box you can no longer play two of them on Turn 6. This makes Silver Surfer slightly more difficult to play during the location also.

So for this week’s Hot Location it is back to basics with a collection of some of the most popular decks!

Deck Features

Basic Electro Ramp

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 10 months ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

The basic Electro Ramp can weather The Ice Box well. Although Electro and Sandman are bad with +1 energy, the deck can still put together combinations with hits on the energy of these cards. We play two scaling 1-drops which can be hit also by the location and Wave to reset key pieces to play them if we need to.

Basic Bounce

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 10 months ago

0

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

1.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This deck aims to use Nick Fury as a way to fill your hand with stuff to do and buff The Collector and Devil Dinosaur. What other ways can we use the extra energy? Bounce our early game and replay it later to buff The Collector some more. This deck has lots of low cost cards we can play anyway and we can use Beast to reduce the cost of other cards to play in combination with Hit Monkey on later turns even through The Ice Box location.

Classic Ronan

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 10 months ago

0

3x 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)

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

2.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This Ronan the Accuser deck looks to use Zabu to combine with a Darkhawk package. Zabu will hopefully allow you to still play 4-Cost cards like Darkhawk and Rockslide on curve and The Ice Box may make an opponent unable to play at least one card adding power to your Ronan.

Series 2 and Below (pre-CL 474)

Kazoo

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 10 months ago

0

3x Collection Level 1-14

6x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Recruit Season

1x Starter Card

1.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Zoo decks can drop flexible low cost power and can survive hits to Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel. In lower tiers this is one of the better ways to try and avoid the negative impacts of the location as your hand should be filled with options which will remain playable. Remember to play Blade on the final turns only!

What is the The Ice Box?

It’s a Super Powered Jail. The Ice Box is no ordinary correctional facility. It is a fortress of formidable proportions, designed to prevent even the most powerful of inmates from escaping. With its towering walls, electrified fences, and state-of-the-art surveillance systems, The Ice Box ensures that those confined within its icy confines remain isolated from the outside world.

What is your strategy? Let us know in the comments below, or our Discord community! Remember to share your decks using our deck builder or browse our deck database!

Good luck, have fun, and stay safe!