Marvel Snap’s new OTA update nerfs annoying Arishem, Sandman, and more

Multiple meta offenders have been tweaked again.

Arishem the Judge as he appeared in Marvel's Eternals
Image via MCU Fandom Wiki

It’s time once again for a Marvel Snap OTA update, so get ready to shuffle some decks, delete some others, and build a whole bunch of new ones.

Recommended Videos

Here’s everything that’s changing in today’s Marvel Snap update on Aug. 15.

Marvel Snap patch notes today, Aug. 15

Marvel Snap Arishem card with Arishem full artwork
Thumbs down to you, pal. Images via Marvel/Second Dinner | Remix by Dot Esports

Arishem, an annoying issue for several weeks before the Cassandra Nova direct counter was added to the game, has been nerfed in this update by increasing his total number of random cards shuffled into the deck from 12 to 15. It will still be playable but should be a bit less oppressive to deal with.

“‘The Judge’ to his peers, Arishem has certainly presided over Snap for the last month,” Second Dinner said in the patch notes. “The play rate on release was unprecedented in the game’s history, and we’re happy to see a card we aimed to be fun and strong clearly hit for so many players. We gave Arishem some time to see how things would settle and whether Cassandra Nova would impact his performance, and things did even out a little bit. However, the play rate is still a bit higher than we’d like for any particular archetype, even given the inherent randomness of Arishem, so we’re taking a step to reduce how often the deck can access its strongest cards, like Loki and Blob, and better challenge players to improvise with the cards Arishem generates.”

Speaking of Cassandra, she’s one of several cards to lose some power in this Marvel Snap update. She’s lost one power in today’s OTA, along with Thena, Nocturne, and Sandman, arguably the other most annoying card touched in the patch.

Buffs-wise, Man-Thing gets a big plus-two power increase, while Lady Deathstrike gets plus-one, and Angel goes from a one/two to a two/three. Thanos’ Mind Stone is also back to a one/one after changing to a two/one for a while.

Marvel Snap Aug. 15 OTA: All buffs and nerfs

Nerfs

  • Arishem
  • Cassandra Nova
  • Nocturne
  • Sandman
  • Thena

Buffs

  • Angel
  • Lady Deathstrike
  • Man-Thing
  • Mind Stone
Author
Image of Scott Duwe
Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.