It’s been an exciting couple of months in Marvel Snap. September brought a slew of very interesting activate cards, including the extremely powerful Jocasta, which supercharged end-of-turn decks. October introduced an entirely new keyword in Horde, and so far in November, Move decks have gotten a ton of love across the board, and Merge decks are starting to feel like a real thing.
With all of the big changes that have happened in the game, this meta report will equip Marvel Snap players of all levels with the information they need to get out there and achieve their goals. Whether you’re trying to hit infinite for the first time, hit a new infinite leaderboard record, or just reach rank 60 for that free variant, we’ve got what you need to succeed!
The “Technical” Elephant in the Room
Perhaps the most important piece of information related to the Marvel Snap meta is that tech cards aren’t what they used to be.
Since September, Second Dinner has progressively been nerfing the premiere tech cards like Shang Chi and Enchantress to encourage a more combo-focused meta and less tech-slop mid-range policing decks (woo!) However, they haven't totally removed tech from the game. This has led to people flocking to the remaining tech cards that still have an impact or just do what previously strong tech cards did.
For example, Shang-Chi isn't blowing up your Human Torch anymore, it's Shadow King. He costs 1 energy less, has 1 extra power, and can clean up any other green power cards in that location.
This move away from the original S-Tier tech cards has left a void that’s easily been filled by remaining tech heavy hitters like Juggernaut, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Mercury, Shadow King, and Cosmo.
Major tech cards may have gotten nerfed, and as a result, there are fewer ‘tech decks’ running around, but until they outright remove these cards as a concept (which is never going to happen), tech cards can never truly be declared as “dead”.
The Apex Predator Decks
Since tech is in an overall weaker state, the top three deck archetypes running across the ladder focus more on combo-centric gameplay. These decks are more concerned with executing on their own game plan to great effect rather than their entire deck being built to disrupt others.
If you want to climb the ladder in Marvel Snap this season, these are the three meta deck archetypes you’ll need to have answers for. While the exact construction of these decks may differ slightly, their core plan remains the same.
If you're looking for specific purchasing guidance around the expensive Series 5 cards you can also kick back relax and check out this recent video of mine.
Let's take a look at those apex predator decks for the current meta game!
This deck's primary game plan is to win one location with a massive move scaler like Human Torch and then steal another with a well-played Juggernaut. By turn 6, most players will try and identify the location where your big move scaler will be and avoid that. That’s where Juggernaut can come in and steal those 4 and 8-cube wins.
Of course, a turn 6 Heimdall play can also be a massive spike in power, provided you make sure your Torch and Dagger/Kraven/Spider Punk end up in different locations after the moves resolve.
The best way to deal with this deck is to capitalize on their need to draw very well early. If they don’t have Madame Web down on turn 2 or Human Torch down on turn 3, they are in a poor position, and if your game plan is coming together well, you can comfortably snap.
Alternatively, if you’re running a deck that can afford Mercury, then snapping on a turn 3 where you have priority and play Mercury into their Madame Web location will likely steal you an easy 2 cubes. As a devout move player this season, I can attest to just how frustrating it is to see that sliver menace down on the board… even as a nerfed 3/4.
It’s the world champ deck! If you had told me three years ago that a Cerebro deck would be the first official world championship deck, I would have laughed out loud.
However, here we are, C3 is officially a world championship deck. While I personally don’t love the Cerebro play pattern, it is undeniably a meta force of nature right now. Also, I absolutely love how cheap it is relative to many other deck archetypes. Yes, the series 5 cards in there, like Bastion, are a big help, but you can use budget-friendly alternatives like Valkyrie and Lockjaw to keep things moving.
This deck lives and dies by one question: Did I draw Cerebro? If they’re able to draw and play Cerebro and Mystique by turn six, especially if they’re able to play Bast and make them both three power cards, then you’ll need to ask yourself if you can deal with a 36 power location.
While it may not seem like it when you’re playing against Cerebro, this deck suffers from location variance more than any other deck. Muir Island, Wakandan Embassy, any location that messes with power, whether positive or negative, is a menace to Cerebro.
To deal with this deck, you’ll need first to identify that you’re playing Cerebro. After a few games, it’s pretty obvious that no other decks are playing Bast, Sentinel, or Scarlet Witch…
Take note of their draws. Did they skip turn 2? Have they gotten Bast down by turn 4? If they’ve played Scarlet Witch and there’s still a bad location on the board, you’re almost always good to snap. Even if they try to avoid the “bad” location, all it takes is one Juggernaut or Cannonball on turn six to force Cerebro to buff only one card instead of nine!
Gone are the days of slamming down a Professor X on turn 4 and knowing you have that location won. I’m sure many of you reading this are thinking, “That’s a good thing!”
Well, even though Professor X is dead and buried, the Storm-> War Machine-> Legion combo is as oppressive as ever.
This deck wants to win the game with location lockdown, primarily by denying a turn 6 to the opponent. This practically guarantees a retreat, but you can still get 2/4 cubes depending on how you snap with this deck.
Of the three different apex predator decks on this list, the Legion Lockdown style is the most flimsy combo in that you need Storm on 3, War Machine on 4, and Legion on 5 or the combo just doesn’t work. However, its access to powerful cards like Galactus First Steps and card swapping with Lockjaw, Jubilee, and Blink shenanigans gives it plenty of opportunities to get high-power cards on the board. Heck, even Electro into War Machine gives you access to playing down The Infinaut and Ebony Maw on turn 6!
To take down this kind of deck, just make it to turn 4 (hopefully without mutual snapping). Have they missed their Storm play? Do they have Ebony Maw on the board without War Machine? Did they use Lockjaw on a Blink play and pull into Storm again? Awkward play lines like this can show you that they don’t have their nut draw, and you’re safe to snap or stay in games.
Closing Thoughts & My Recommendation
With a reduced tech meta on hand, things feel pretty open in terms of what you can play. Destroy feels good, Discard feels good, Horde feels good, and can accommodate tech cards, heck, you could even try Negative if you aren’t afraid of Mobius (I barely see him)!
What’s critical to success in this meta is picking a deck that you like and practicing, knowing that you aren’t going to run into a slew of cost-reduction-based tech decks.
However, if your game plan is to win with “just points” and you aren’t working in cards like Juggernaut and Mercury into your deck, then you’ll need to understand the three Apex Predator decks we’ve covered here inside and out.
I hope this meta report has helped you position yourself for success on the ladder! If you have any questions, hit us with a comment below and be on the lookout for more great Marvel Snap content!
If you’d like to listen to me ramble about all things Marvel Snap, check out my YouTube channel
Thanks for reading and good luck on the ladder!