Best White Widow Decks to Try on Day 1 and Strategy Guide: Welcome to Junkertown!

White Widow is the next Series 5 card for the April 2024 Season, Thunderbolts. It is a 2-Cost, 2-Power card that reads: On Reveal: Add a Widow's Kiss to your opponent’s side of this location. Today, we will take a deeper look at the new card and, of course, the best decks to try it out in.

Variants

White Widow

On Reveal: Add a Widow’s Kiss to your opponent’s side of this location.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with White Widow

Variants

Widow’s Kiss

Ongoing: This has -4 Power. Disable this ability if your side of this location is full.

None

view card details Start a deck Decks with Widow’s Kiss

Strengths and Weaknesses

White Widow is the next card to arrive in Marvel Snap. She is a 2 energy, 2 power card that adds a Widow's Kiss to your opponent’s side of the board when it reveals. The Widow's Kiss is a 0 energy, 0 power card that has an Ongoing -4 power while its side of board is not full. This can potentially block a location on your opponent’s side of the board, but at the very least it inflicts -4 power. I think it’s reasonable to say this new clog card might have a major impact on the meta, so how can we use it to maximize effect?

Variants

Black Widow

On Reveal: Add a Widow’s Bite to your opponent’s hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Black Widow

Variants

Green Goblin

On Reveal: Switch sides.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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Variants

Debrii

On Reveal: Add a Rock to each other location, for both players.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Debrii

The initial application is probably the best starting point to consider for the card. Junk decks want to do one thing, and White Widow is (on paper) the best card to do it yet. Unlike Debrii, it has a negative impact on the opponent’s side of the board if it’s not interacted with. This has the added advantage of incentivizing your opponent to fill the location to reduce the negative impacts.

Unlike Green Goblin, the floor isn’t -3 power on your side of the board if your opponent predicts the location; it simply won’t appear on the opponent’s side on the board. Unlike Black Widow, White Widow may not block a draw but you get to choose where the token is going to land. This allows you to use her as both a lockout tool and proactive disruption. However, it only adds two power on your side of the board. She is unlikely to be the game winning card, and her ability is not so good that it can fit into a wide variety of decks.

Her effect will want to be in decks that can make use of her effect to limit your opponent’s side of the board, such as Junk decks and some Bounce decks. While she could be very strong as potentially the best version of this effect, her success is tied to how well these decks do.

Variants

Angela

After you play a card here, +2 Power.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

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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)

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Which leads to what may hold the card back. Cards like Angela and Kitty Pryde can scale while easily fulfilling the condition for Widow's Kiss on the final turn. They can also be used to temporarily fill locations and make it harder to hit the initial play. This could result in White Widow having a more difficult time than it seems into these decks because they can naturally adjust to the play and defend from the downside. The fact that it fills a spot on the board at zero power when the location is filled is valuable, though, and that may be enough on its own.

Variants

Carnage

On Reveal: Destroy your other cards here. +2 Power for each destroyed.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

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Variants

Deathlok

On Reveal: Destroy your other cards here.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

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The simple way to counter the Widow's Kiss is to just destroy it, which is easy enough if you’re running a deck like Destroy. This could be an easy way of combating the Junk decks early on if this card makes an impact on Day 1.

Variants

Sentry

You can’t play this at the right location. On Reveal: Add a -10 Power Void to the right location.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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Variants

Annihilus

On Reveal: Your cards with Power below 0 switch sides. Destroy those that can’t.

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

view card details Start a deck Decks with Annihilus

She has a strange counter in Annihilus; it could be used to send the -4 power Widow's Kiss back while also appearing in many decks that are also looking to utilize the card. Managing the tension around this card could be key to early success with White Widow this week.

Variants

Hazmat

On Reveal: Afflict all other cards with -1 Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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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

The most exciting synergy that might open up the style of deck White Widow can be played in is Beast. This card curves perfectly with her to allow for two triggers before the end of Turn 4. This is a lot of disruption, and, even though the goals of the deck may remain the same, adding the flexibility of this play could add significant value to the deck and raise its ceiling. Hazmat is another card that benefits from another card on the other side of the board, so that’s another potential improvement in these decks.

The Verdict

White Widow does a lot, but she doesn’t win games by herself. The synergies exist for her to be a success in the right decks, though. Her ability could be frustrating for opponents, and it also has a high skill ceiling as players find interesting ways to block lanes or intentionally influence where their opponents choose to play.

These factors are likely to be balanced by the risk of playing a card that can end up being just two power (the opponent can play around the effect to basically negate it). Destroying the Widow's Kiss or simply filling the lane significantly lowers the power from this card. Intentionally filling lanes prior to the play is another viable counter that is just as accessible. Her long-term success depends heavily on specific archetypes, but she does seem to support some established archetypes on release. This makes her look like she is likely to make an impact this week.

Potential Score:

Darkhawk

BounceHawk

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 14 days ago

0

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

3x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

2.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This deck combines the best parts of Darkhawk and Sentry, and it has plenty of room to play White Widow multiple times. This has some synergy with just being frustrating and making the opponent’s plays difficult, and that is exactly what this deck wants to do. These sorts of applications may be where the card reaches some high skill ceilings since it can be used in multiple ways to impact the game. Sometimes it could be used to just lock out opponents, and sometimes it could be used as a late-game way to push power.

Hazmat

Hazmat Widow

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 14 days ago

0

1x Collection Level 1-14

8x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

1x Recruit Season

3.4

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This deck uses White Widow as an efficient way to get some cards onto the other side of the board. You can hit them later with Hazmat and, of course, they just get in the way of the opponent’s plays. You have Silver Surfer and Odin as well to contest lanes on pure points.

The Sentry

The Sentry

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 14 days ago

1

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

5x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

2.9

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This deck looks to play more into the lockdown part of the card. You have Ravonna Renslayer and Professor X supporting the Sentry package. The basic plan is to lock a lane and then overpower another one with Cannonball or Sentry.

Beast

Hazard Bounce

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 14 days ago

0

1x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

7x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

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

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

2

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

1.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

I wouldn’t leave a weekly column without giving you something new to try! This is a Hazmat Bounce deck. The goal is to use Beast to get extra value from Hazmat and White Widow while maintaining a way to play a big Hit Monkey on Turn 6 for power. Luke Cage negates the debuffs on your own cards, too. Without the threat of Alioth, this deck may be able to drop surprising amounts of power on Turn 6 once again.

Variants

Closing Thoughts

White Widow is likely to appeal to players who like Sentry and Annihilus, and that is currently a strong archetype in the meta. I expect White Widow will make an initial impact, so be prepared for that. She seems to have potential for a high skill ceiling, and she supports some very established decks on release.

Good Luck, Have Fun, and Stay Safe!