Marvel Snap launched globally in Oct. 2022 and continues to attract many new players. Due to the way these new players unlock their cards, the best Marvel Snap decks for beginners will always be relevant so that they can learn the game while having fun.
Games are fast-paced and take place over six turns in which both players play their cards in one of the three famous locations available in each battle. Each player’s decks have 12 unique cards with different energy costs and powers. The main way to receive new cards is by advancing the collection level.
In Marvel Snap, players receive new cards according to sets of cards called series. This means new players always start by gaining access to series one cards. Until you reach collection level 214, all players will receive the same cards in a different order, creating balanced matchmaking. The only exception is season cards that can be acquired via the Season Pass.
Since the global launch, sites like Marvel Snap Zone and content creators have shared their thoughts on the game’s meta with players. We’ll look at some of the best decks for beginners to build with their newly collected cards. The analyzed cards include cards from the Starter/Tutorial Deck and Season Pass for Beginners.
Best beginner cards in Marvel Snap
All cards with abilities can have specific strategies that make them stand out compared to others. However, in terms of value, some cards can fit into most decks, or have abilities impactful enough that the player wants to build a deck around them.
Angela
This card is available in series one. Its ability is: “When you play a card here, +2 Power.” Angela is a card versatile enough to be present in most starting decks. It is common for your deck to have low-cost cards, easily filling one or two locations during the game. That way, Angela can easily reach six power. Even if it can’t fill in the spot where you placed Angela first, it achieves solid stats for a two-cost card.
White Queen
White Queen has the ability: “On Reveal: Draw a copy of the highest Cost card in your opponent’s hand.” It may not be the most powerful four-cost card, but its effect can reveal the opponent’s plans for the player to play accordingly, or even use their trump card.
Devil Dinosaur
Devil Dinosaur has the ability: “Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your hand.” Devil Dinosaur-centric decks are powerful even against cards from series three and are an important card to unlock, especially when pairing him with cards that help his power grow.
Iron Man
The Avengers hero is available in the game from the start. Iron Man’s ability is: “Ongoing: Your total Power is doubled at this location.”
Since a large part of Marvel Snap’s mechanics lies in performing Snaps against your opponents, Iron Man allows for big twists with its ability to double the total power of a location. In the same way, it is possible to throw it in an empty place and double the power of that place in the last round to surprise opponents.
Ka-Zar
This card appears early for players between collection levels 1-14. Its ability is “Ongoing: Your 1-Cost cards have +1 Power.” An essential card for activating one-cost card synergies, it is also a mainstay of one of the most popular decks, ‘Kazoo.’ Also, many locations add one-cost cards, like Central Park, which adds squirrels to every location, and the presence of a Ka-Zar on the board can make you accumulate a lot of power.
The five best starter decks in Marvel Snap
Each player gets cards from the same series in random order, so we have five suggestions for decks powerful enough to win your matches in Marvel Snap. If you don’t have all the cards you need, you can replace the missing ones with others until you’ve advanced enough to acquire them.
Devil Dinosaur
This deck seeks to utilize Devil Dinosaur’s strength to the fullest. This means using cards that can increase the number of cards in the player’s hand and even be able to play two copies of Devil Dinosaur. This is possible by using Moon Girl’s effect of duplicating the cards in hand, so it is possible to have two Devil Dinosaur for turns five and six.
Angela, Ant-Man, and Lizard are other cards that manage to accumulate a lot of points to win a location. Nightcrawler, Mister Fantastic, Sentinel, and Spectrum can add points in a more spread way.
Cosmo can prevent certain opponents’ cards from having their effects activated, so it’s a great answer to On Reveal decks, for example. If it is played in a location before Devil Dinosaur, it can prevent cards like Enchantress from countering it.
Discard Aggro
Discard mechanics are well-known in many types of card games, and this is no different in Marvel Snap. The main card that uses this mechanic in pool one is Apocalypse. Its ability is: “When you discard this from your hand, put it back with +4 Power.” With him, accumulate large amounts of points until the final turn to beat a location.
The deck’s core strategy is to empty your hand as much as possible so cards with the ability to discard can discard Apocalypse. Even though he doesn’t play in your hand, Wolverine also uses this synergy to add some extra points to the board.
The beginning of the game is about picking a spot and throwing Angela into it to fill it with other low-cost cards in later rounds. With Angela trying to secure a spot, the most important thing is to use the cards with the ability to discard to power up Apocalypse.
America Chavez has an important role in the deck. Her ability ensures she will only be drawn on the final turn, making it easier to draw Apocalypse in previous turns. If that doesn’t work, America Chavez has enough power to try to secure a location in the final turn.
The main downside of this deck is relying on a little luck to trigger discard synergy effectively. And even though Wolverine is here to help, he can get in the way if his copy is placed in a location with Angela, as it doesn’t trigger her ability.
Ka-Zar is something of a backup plan if you can’t find Apocalypse in time to dispose of him. It can make the various one-cost cards in the deck stronger.
Kazoo
One of the most prominent decks in the Marvel Snap meta is Kazoo. Its great strengths are its simplicity and flexibility. The main strategy to win is to fill the board with low-cost units together with cards that benefit from it or make your other units stronger.
Angela is a force to be reckoned with, as it’s very easy to get her power up to six, especially when played on turn two in an empty spot. This way it is easy to make a location reach a lot of points. Lizard and Mister Fantastic can help spread power across locations and grant priority. Ka-zar, Blue Marvel, and Captain America are the mainstays of the deck and reward the player for playing too many cards. Since its abilities are Ongoing-type, Onslaught can double its effects and bring the victory.
This deck has a powerful ideal curve whenever it can be used. The first round is simple and just uses a one-cost card. Angela must be placed in an empty location on turn two. On the third turn, place three one-cost units again. The next turns are for Ka-Zar, Blue Marvel, and Onslaught.
The perfect curve cannot always be achieved, and these cases open spaces for Captain America to be played or other cards of cost one. The most important thing is to play as many cards as you can.
Ongoing
Ongoing synergy is quite simple to use and has been present on many cards from the beginning. Unlike other abilities, it remains active until the end of combat, making it easily a favorite with many players.
The great strategies of this deck involve using the surprise effect of cards like Klaw, Iron Man, or Spectrum at the end of the game. A great strategy to get some extra cubes with Snaps.
The first turn should be to pick a location and place your cards with Ongoing, while Namor can compete for another location alone. Ant-Man and Captain America are great for focusing on one location, while cards like Lizard and Mister Fantastic help distribute points in other locations to force your enemy to do the same.
The final turns are the time to decide how to surprise your opponent. Iron Man, Klaw, and Spectrum can turn the tide of a match if positioned in the right locations.
On Reveal Deck
The On Reveal deck has very powerful synergies in the late-game rounds. Odin’s ability is: “On Reveal: Activate the On Reveal abilities of your other cards at this location.” This allows you to reactivate powerful abilities from other cards while adding eight power to Odin’s location.
Some powerful strategies for the first turns are to play three cards in a location to fill it with Jessica Jones and accumulate a lot of points or to have three units on the board in turn three to extract the maximum value from Iron Heart, cards like Mister Sinister can help achieve that goal.
Turn five should be to prepare the final combo. Between Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur or White Tiger and Odin to spread the power out across the board, so each game must be evaluated individually.
Since White Tiger randomly places Tigers in other locations, it is possible to fill an unwanted spot with cards on the initial turn to be sure where Tigers will be placed. Iron Heart is a great card option to fill a location you don’t want to compete in.
