How To Build A Winning Deck For Marvel SNAP

Marvel SNAP has been going strong for half a year at this point, and is showing zero signs of stopping. While the initial buzz of the new game is over, the game is constantly spitting out new cards that can shake up gameplay. On top of that, it’s becoming easier and easier for new players to get caught up and enter higher levels of play. However, as you unlock more and more cards, so do your opponent’s, and you may find yourself lost among all of the card options. Let’s spend some time going over how you can construct a deck that works for you.

First and foremost, no deck will win every time. You’ll have games where you never draw one of your most important cards, or a Location simply prevents you from being able to pull off the victory. While there are ways to mitigate this, don’t expect to build a perfect deck. But you can definitely build a deck that wins more than it loses.

Before we start, remember what you need to do to win. In order to win, you need more Power than your opponent at two of the three Locations. Whatever your deck is, this is the end goal. If you have a deck built around destroying as many cards as possible for example, you can’t win if you don’t have any cards left.

Alright, now let’s dive in. The first step in thinking of HOW you’ll win. Will you win by playing a big powerful card on Turn 6 to turn the tides? Or will you try to slowly build up enough Power each turn? Maybe you’ll win by sabotaging your opponent enough by destroying their cards, taking Power away from their cards, or even backing them into a corner so they need to retreat. Once you have an idea, let’s choose some core cards.

Since I’m a fan of the movies, I decided to build a deck around Thor and Mjolnir. (Source: Second Dinner)

A Marvel SNAP deck consists of twelve cards. From your card collection, choose two or three cards that synergize well together to pull off the win. You can use the “Search” feature to filter for specific words like “move” or “destroy.” One of my most successful decks is built around using both Thor and Jane Foster: The Mighty Thor. These two deal with summoning Mjolnir, a 0-Cost card that gives 0 Power, but gives Thor a +6 Power. Mjolnir costing 0 means you can hold onto it until the end of the game and surprise your opponent on Turn 6 while still having six energy to spend on other powerful cards like Odin (who doubles Mjolnir’s effect AND fits with the Asgardian theme!)

After playing Thor, you’ll have to find a way to get Mjolnir into your hand before Thor can get the boost in Power. (Source: Second Dinner)

Now that you have a basic strategy, think of cards that would help you get it together. Going along with the example above, one of my main ways of winning is getting Thor as soon as possible in order to give me enough time to draw Mjolnir. One way I’ve been able to do this is with Lockjaw or Jubilee, who can help pull cards from your deck onto the table. This works well with Thor, since Mjolnir gets shuffled into your deck when Thor’s revealed. If you run a deck all about playing tons of cheap cards and boosting their Power, having multiple cards that accomplish this, like Ka-Zar, Blue Marvel, or Captain America, can better your chances of pulling it off.

Next, find cards that can help solve problems you may face. Cards like Armor or Professor Xavier can stop your cards from being destroyed, while other cards like Storm or Scarlet Witch can get rid of a Location that may be hurting your chances of winning. Shang-Chi is a classic example of how to deal with problems by being able to destroy all cards your opponent has at that Location with 9 or more Power. Think of what problems would really hurt your chance of winning, and find cards to solve those problems.

Armor is a pretty good card in for decks. Just keep in mind it keeps your opponent’s cards safe too. (Source: Second Dinner)

By now, you most likely only have a few spots left. This is a great time to fill in the gaps. I always try to have one or two good 1-Costs for the beginning of the game like Iceman, Korg, or Yondu, who can be played Turn 1 while also hindering your opponent. There’s also nothing wrong with throwing a card in your deck that may not synergize well with everything else, but is just plain good. Cards like Green Goblin, Hulk, Sunspot, or Rescue are rarely a bad pick for filling out a deck. Use these cards to help balance out the costs of your cards. You don’t want an entire deck of expensive cards since you won’t be able to play anything for the first few turns when you don’t have a ton of energy.

The last thing to do is test it out. Try a few online matches and see what doesn’t work. Maybe you forgot to take into account a particular card interaction, or realized another card you have would work better as a replacement. In online matches, you should be careful, since an unfamiliar deck may end up costing you some Cubes. Playing against a friend in a Friendly Battle is a great way to test drive a deck without the risk of losing Cubes. If something doesn’t work, keep making tweaks until you find something that works for you.

Badabing badaboom. Didn’t even need Thor to win. (Source: Second Dinner)

If you’re just now getting into Marvel SNAP, I hope this has helped you think of ideas for a deck you may want to put together. If you’re a veteran player, hopefully this article gave you some new ideas for building your next deck for you to try out. One of the most fun parts about Marvel SNAP is seeing the different card interactions and how they can manage to pull off the win.

Join the Boss Rush Discord and share some of the decks you’ve been using, or find a friend and try out some of your new strategies. Let us know some of your favorite strategies to use below in a comment, and don’t forget to check back with Boss Rush Network for more advice and answers for your questions.

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