Marvelous

Three essential beginner decks for Marvel Snap newcomers

Oh Snap!

by Steven Asarch
Marvel Snap decks
Marvel

Marvel Snap is a virtual card game that’s easy to pick up and tough to put down. Combining the randomness of Hearthstone with a fully fleshed-out catalog of playstyles and cards, Snap will ensnare any superhuman wannabe looking for a fun and challenging title.

You won’t have many cards when you first start. At this point, there are 150 cards in total, but most of them are locked away for new players. In order to access them, you need to play games and upgrade the cards you already have. The first 46 cards in Pool 1 are what you’ll use most when you first start playing.

After hours of play testing (and way too many snaps), we’ve gathered the three best decks to help you climb the ranked ladder. Keep in mind that you may not get every card on the list until you upgrade some cards and raise your collection level. If you don’t have everything, don’t fret. Just try a different card with the same cost. (For example: if you haven’t added Scarlet Witch, try replacing it with Medusa or Mister Sinister.)

On Reveal Odin

Odin is one of the best cards when you first start out.

Second Dinner
  • Ant Man
  • Elektra
  • Nightcrawler
  • Cable
  • Mister Sinister
  • Scarlet Witch
  • Ironheart
  • Wolfsbane
  • Enchantress (or Cosmo)
  • White Tiger
  • Spider Woman
  • Odin

For players still getting acclimated to Pool 1, this is a rock-solid option. The goal is to get as much value out of your cards as possible. A perfect hand should be able to play Nightcrawler, into Mister Sinister (who splits into two), and then buffing all three of your characters with Ironheart. On turn five, you can play White Tiger to give your field more stats or Spider Woman to make your enemies weaker. Playing Odin with at least two of your other “On Reveal” cards should give you enough value to win the game.

Look out for Cosmo, who can negate all “On Reveal” cards and ruin your game plan.

Devil Dinosaur Destruction

Devil Dinosaur gets bigger the larger your hand grows.

Second Dinner
  • Mantis
  • Nightcrawler
  • Cable
  • Medusa
  • Sentinel
  • Mister Fantastic
  • Moon Girl
  • Iron Man
  • Devil Dinosaur
  • Klaw
  • Onslaught
  • America Chavez

Devil Dinosaur gets stronger the more cards you have in your hand. So his friends that add cards, like Cable Sentinel, and Moon Girl are his BFFs. The deck does struggle a bit if you can’t draw any of those combo cards, which is where Klaw (who grants power to a space to the right) and Iron Man (which doubles the power at a location) come in handy. Onslaught doubles any of those ongoing effects, giving you that extra push in turn six to win the round.

Zoo Crew

Squirrel Girl always brings her friends into play.

Second Dinner
  • Squirrel Girl
  • Ant Man
  • Hawkeye
  • Korg
  • Yondu
  • Elektra
  • Angela
  • Scarlet Witch
  • Captain America
  • Kazar
  • Blue Marvel
  • Onslaught

Every good card game needs to have a deck that lets you swarm the board with low-cost minions that can then be buffed with other cards. Half of your deck consists of the best one-point cards in Pool One, but you can always mix and match which ones you like the most. The most important thing is to use Kazar and Blue Marvel to increase the power of your teeny squad, transforming them into formidable foes. You can even use Onslaught on either, or both, of your higher-cost cards to get even stronger. Keep an eye on where you have Hawkeye and Antman, because each of them gets more powerful when allies are around.

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