Marvel Snap has exploded in popularity since its release in October, with legions of players flooding in to try the new card game. Though the mechanics of the game are relatively simple, Marvel Snap's deck-building and in-game strategy are both surprisingly complex.
Due to the game's collection system, wherein new cards are slowly unlocked as old cards are upgraded, new players may have a tough time building a well-balanced deck that can succeed in the later ranks of Marvel Snap. Here are a few beginner-friendly decks that are competitively viable.
The Odin Deck Uses On Reveal to Its Fullest in Marvel Snap
As one of the main card mechanics in Marvel Snap, it makes sense that an On Reveal deck would be powerful and beginner-friendly. This deck establishes strong early-game locations using cheap and powerful cards. In the later turns, using White Tiger and Odin in the same location to summon two huge tigers is the main win condition of this deck, but playing Spider-Woman in crowded locations can be viable as well.
The main cards that are necessary for this deck are Odin and White Tiger, but there is a lot of room for substitution otherwise. Temporarily adding an Elektra, Korg, Medusa, Wolfsbane, or Gamora card is a good solution for new players who won't have all the cards yet. This deck struggles against opponents who have Cosmo, as he blocks On Reveal abilities at whichever location he's placed.
The Kazoo Archetype Floods the Board in Marvel Snap
This deck makes the most out of Ka-Zar's ongoing passive, which grants bonus power to one-cost cards. By filling the board with one-cost cards and ideally buffing up an Angela completely, Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel will both provide huge buffs with their ongoing abilities. Ant-Man will have no trouble fulfilling his ongoing ability, and Onslaught can be put in the same location as Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel to essentially guarantee a win by doubling their buffs. America Chavez is mainly in this deck to ensure that lower-cost cards get drawn earlier but can be used as a last resort.
The main cards that are necessary for this deck are Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel, as they provide the majority of the deck's power. Many of the one-cost cards are replaceable, with Squirrel Girl, Bishop, and Yondu being notably potential replacements. Onslaught and America Chavez can also be replaced by Iron Man or other highly impactful cards. This deck struggles against decks running Enchantress, as her ability to block ongoing effects can completely mitigate Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel.
The Spectrum Ongoing Deck Makes Clever Use of Abilities in Marvel Snap
This deck makes full use of the Ongoing card mechanic, with Spectrum granting bonus power to any card that has an Ongoing effect. The general game plan for this deck is to spread cards between two locations in the early game. It's important to leave one location open, as Namor becomes much more powerful if he is alone. Players can then use Klaw and Mister Fantastic to further buff Namor and ideally win that location with a single card.
Unfortunately, there isn't much room for replacement in this deck, as there are very few Ongoing cards for new players to collect, and having Ongoing is necessary for Spectrum to buff the card. Cosmo or Captain America can be swapped for The Punisher, and some low-cost cards can be replaced, but all the high-cost cards are somewhat mandatory for the deck to work at a competitive level. Again, Enchantress is the main counter to this deck, but Cosmo can block her On Reveal effect if played correctly.