Marvel Snap is the iOS and Android sensation of the moment. The accessible card game is free-to-play in impressive fashion, but dominating and winning can be quite tricky. Fortunately, WANT editor-in-chief Mark Hofman is playing around and can help you like no other.
Those just starting out on Marvel Snap may be looking for the perfect deck. This is only logical, since the game is quite complicated. Of course, you can tinker with your own deck with the experience you gain from playing, but a little help never hurts. Herewith.
Marvel Snap: 5 powerful decks for beginners on iOS and Android
Wow: that’s how I would sum up Marvel Snap. The game is incredibly accessible and one of the best mobile games I’ve seen in years. Developer Second Dinner takes an incredibly noble stance towards fans of Marvel and provides hours of fun completely free of charge.
Why? Because Marvel Snap does not allow you to unlock cards with money, but purely with points you earn from playing. The more cards you upgrade, the higher your Collection Level and the more you unlock. That’s just how it works.
Snap! (Image: Marvel Snap)
What is special about this iOS and Android game, however, is that the order of unlocked cards is not the same for anyone. So it can take some searching to find the right deck. But once you have it, it is enjoyable.
Good to know is that players in Marvel Snap are divided into different pools. The faster you develop yourself as a player, the higher the pool you are in. The structure is as follows:
Pool
Collection Level
Cards to unlock
Pool one
Collection Level 18 through 214
46 cards
Pool two
Collection Level 222 through 474
25 cards
Pool three
Collection Level 486+
77 cards
Pool four
Level 486+ Collection
10 cards
Pool five
Collection Level 486+
12 cards
Logically, in this list I focus on the players who are in Pool 1. The decks are from fan website Marvel Snapzone, but all used by me. I list my favorite decks, in order.
#1 Devil Dinosaur on iOS and Android
Devil Dinosaur is a fantastic deck in Marvel Snap. In fact, it still keeps me going extremely well with Collection Level 341 (Pool 2). As a result, it took me a while to complete the set, and I change the necessary cards. But all in all, as far as I’m concerned, this is the strongest deck you can build as a beginner.
Three of the cards in this deck are from Collection Levels 1 to 14, seven cards you unlock between levels 18 and 214. In addition, you make use of one Recruit Season and one starter card.
Map
Energy
Power
Special abilities
Ant-Man
1
1
If you have 3 other cards here +3 Power | Ongoing
Nightcrawler
1
2
You can move this card once
Angela
2
0
If you play a card here +2 Power |
Sentinel
2
3
Add another Sentinel in your hand | On Reveal
Lizard
2
5
-3 Power if opponent has 4 cards here | Ongoing
Mister Fantastic
3
2
Connecting locations get +2 points | On Reveal
Cosmo
3
3
On Reveal skills are disabled at this location | Ongoing
Moon Girl
4
4
Duplicate the cards in your hand | On Reveal
White Queen
4
6
Draw a copy of the highest Energy card from your opponent’s hand | On Reveal
Devil Dinosaur
5
3
+2 Power for every card you have in your hand | Ongoing
Professor X
5
3
Close this location (do not play, move or destroy cards) | Ongoing
Spectrum
6
5
All your Ongoing cards get +2 Power
How do you play it?
The importance of this deck is to be patient. Collect as many cards in your hand as possible or play cards for which you get a copy in return. On turn five, play the Devil Dinosaur and dominate a location with its points. Spectrum then gives another +2 points to every Ongoing card you have.
Only danger, however, is if you don’t draw Devil Dinosaur or your hand is too full to draw it (maximum seven cards possible). Fortunately, the remaining cards are strong enough to win a game.
Devil Dinosaur (Image: Marvel Snapzone)
#2 Kazoo is a Marvel Snap beast
A deck that relies primarily on low cards may not sound very appealing. Yet, thanks largely to Kazar, it is a treat. Indeed, this collection of cards is unexpectedly strong and easy to update as soon as you play yourself into a different pool.
The Kazoo collection consists of three cards from Collector Levels 1 to 14 and seven cards from Collector Levels 18 to 214. There are no starter cards in this deck, but uses two Recruit Season cards instead.
Map
Energy
Power
Special abilities
Ant-Man
1
1
If you have 3 other cards here +3 Power | Ongoing
Electra
1
1
Destroy any card (1 energy) of the opponent | On Reveal
Squirrel Girl
1
1
Place a 1-Power Squirrel in all other locations | On Reveal
Nightcrawler
1
2
You can move this card once
Rocket Raccoon
1
2
+2 Power if your opponent plays a card here this turn | On Reveal
Angela
2
0
+2 Power if you play a card here | Ongoing
Lizard
2
5
-3 Power if your opponent has four cards here | Ongoing
Mister Fantastic
3
2
Connecting locations get +2 points | On Reveal
Captain America
3
3
Your other cards here get +1 Power | Ongoing
Kazar
4
4
Your cards of 1-energy gain +1-Power | Ongoing
Blue Marvel
5
3
All your other cards get +1-Power | Ongoing
Onslaught
6
7
Ongoing effects are doubled at this location | Ongoing
How do you play it?
The idea with this deck is to play as many single cards as possible in your first three turns. Of course, these combine well with Angela for the extra points you get with her. Eventually you want to use Captain America, Blue Marvel and Kazar to give the cards a lot more power, which will allow you to unexpectedly dominate the game.
Kazoo! (Image: Marvel Snapzone)
#3 Ongoing on iOS and Android
As you may have noticed, you have cards with an Ongoing or an On Reveal effect. The former are effects that are constantly active after play, where the latter are only active when you play a card. In the Ongoing deck, we focus, you wouldn’t expect it, on that first row of cards. A smart decision when you have characters like Spectrum at your disposal.
In this deck, iOS and Android players need three cards from Collection Level 1 to 14 and six cards from Collection Level 18 to 214. Then use two Recruit Season cards and one Starter card.
Map
Energy
Power
Special abilities
Ant-Man
1
1
If you have 3 other cards here +3 Power | Ongoing
Nightcrawler
1
2
You can move this card once
Armor
2
3
Cards cannot be destroyed here | Ongoing
Colossus
2
3
Cannot be destroyed, moved or lowered | Ongoing
Lizard
2
5
-3 Power if you play a card here | Ongoing
Mister Fantastic
3
2
Connecting locations receive +2 points | Ongoing
Captain America
3
3
+1 Power for your other cards here | Ongoing
Cosmo
3
3
On Reveal skills don’t do it here | Ongoing
Namor
4
5
+5 Power if this is your only card here | Ongoing
Iron Man
5
0
Total Power is doubled here | Ongoing
Klaw
5
4
Location right gets +6 Power | Ongoing
Spectrum
6
7
All your Ongoing cards get +2 Power | Ongoing
How to play and how especially not to play
Ongoing cards are a treat on Marvel Snap, especially with this deck. There are powerful abilities that can get you victory, but Spectrum completes it. Almost every card you play in this deck, if you put Spectrum on the field, gets +2 Power which can give you just that last needed push to victory.
By the way, be careful with Mister Fantastic and Klaw, because mistakes are easily made. That first one is better placed in the middle so that both adjacent locations get extra points. That second one only works on the right location, so make sure you put it anything but right.
Ongoing (Image: Marvel Snapzone)
#4 Discard Aggro shows strength Marvel Snap
Destroying your own cards sounds like a bad tactic. However, Marvel Snap players know that with the right characters, it can work to your advantage. Characters you can already earn during your time in Pool 1. Party!
To use this mighty deck, you need two cards from Collector Level 1 to 14 and nine cards from 18 to 214. Then you use only one Recruit Season card.
Map
Energy
Power
Special abilities
Ant-Man
1
1
If you have 3 other cards here +3 Power | Ongoing
Squirrel Girl
1
1
Place a 1-Power Squirrel in any other location | On Reveal
Iron Fist
1
2
Move the next card you play one place to the left | On Reveal
NightCrawler
1
2
You can move this card once
Blade
1
3
Destroy a card from your hand | On Reveal
Angela
2
0
Get +2 Power for every card you play | Ongoing
Wolverine
2
3
If it is destroyed or moved it returns to the board | Ongoing
Lady Sif
3
4
Destroy the highest-cost card from your hand | On Reveal
Sword Master
3
6
Destroy a card in your hand | On Reveal
Kazar
4
4
All 1-energy cards gain +1 Power | On Reveal
Apocalypse
6
8
If this is destroyed from your hand you get +4 Power
America Chavez
6
9
Always comes into your hand in turn six
This is how to play the Marvel Snap deck
Apocalypse is your trump card in this deck. Once the card is destroyed it returns to your hand with +4 Power. Play Blade, Lady Sif and Sword Master to upgrade this 8-Power card to a 20-Power card.
Furthermore, the deck consists of enough powerhouses, such as America Chavez, to completely take control of a game. Fat gains, in other words!
Discard Aggro (Image: Marvel Snapzone)
#5 On Reveal on iOS and Android
So Marvel Snap has both Ongoing and On Reveal cards. Both are enjoyable to play with (if set up properly), but On Reveal can really make or break a game. That’s different for each player, though. My girlfriend (yes, I got her to do that) can hardly live without it, where I find that I personally don’t always like it. But it is a damn good deck to have in your possession.
iOS and Android users need five Collection Level 1 to Level 14 cards for this and five Collection Level 18 to Level 214. To that you add 1 Recruit Season and 1 Starter card.
Map
Energy
Power
Special abilities
Electrical
1
1
Destroy any opponent’s 1-card here | On Reveal
Nightcrawler
1
2
You can move this card once
Mister Sinister
2
2
Add a clone here with as much Power as this card | On Reveal
Sentinel
2
3
Place a copy of this card in your hand | On Reveal
Ironheart
3
0
Gives 3 of your random cards +2 Power | On Reveal
Wolfsbane
3
1
+2 Power for every card lying here | On Reveal
Enchantress
4
4
Remove the abilities of all Ongoing cards here | On Reveal
Jessica Jones
4
4
+4 Power if you don’t play a card here next turn | On Reveal
Moon Girl
4
4
Duplicate your hand | On Reveal
White Tiger
5
1
Place a tiger with 7-Power in another location | On Reveal
Devil Dinosaur
5
3
+2 Power for every card you have in your hand | Ongoing
Odin
6
8
Activate the On Reveal skills at this location | On Reveal
This is how you go loose
The art of this On Reveal deck is to combine White Tiger, Ironheart and Wolfbane with Odin. This way another 7-Power tiger appears at a location, three cards get another +2 Power AND Wolfbane grabs an additional 2-Power per card.
At the same time, it’s smart to keep your hand as full as possible with Moon Girl and Sentinel, allowing the Devil Dinosaur’s power to surface here as well. It’s a delight.
On Reveal (Image: Marvel Snapzone)
