The most recent Marvel Snap update left Leech haters happy thanks to a nerf, though some players feel the change may have buffed the card instead.
While this isn’t the first time developer Second Dinner has tried to better balance Leech (his original ability was altered in a patch last April), the recent Marvel Snap patch from Mar. 12 could very well shake up his position in the metagame. Between his useful ability and ease of acquisition ever since the game launched, Leech has been a popular addition to many decks—which is why some players, like Reddit user Boy-D_50p, are thrilled about the nerf.
In a post on the Marvel Snap subreddit, Boy-D_50p shared a “heartfelt, comforting message to anyone sad about the Leech nerfs,” but clicking on it reveals a picture of English TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson pointing at the camera and laughing. The post was a hit, with nearly 1,000 upvotes at the time of writing. Redditor M0ximal called the post “quality content I can get behind,” while Derek-Horn made a crack about how Leech players “actually have to think about turn five now.”
For context, Leech’s ability would remove all abilities from cards in your opponent’s hand at the start of turn six. It had the potential to completely disrupt other players’ strategies, since it would leave some of their best, game-winning cards almost useless. Now, though, Leech’s ability triggers when it’s played, but only disables cards with On Reveal abilities in your opponent’s hand.
While this means Leech can still negate some of Marvel Snap‘s more dangerous cards, like Shang-Chi and Odin, he can no longer disable strong cards with Ongoing abilities, like Devil Dinosaur and The Living Tribunal. That said, players like Moonchilde616 pointed out that there’s a slight upside to this change. Since Leech’s new ability doesn’t affect Ongoing cards, he can’t remove the penalties for cards like Red Skull and The Infinaut, which would make them more easily playable and potentially help the opponent secure an easier win.
However you feel about the Leech nerf, some players are now wondering which card will take his place as the one people won’t stop complaining about. In a separate Reddit thread, the likes of Hela (who resurrects all your discarded cards to random locations) and Sandman (who restricts both players to only playing one card per turn) have been suggested. Funnily enough, players like Key_Put_44 and Spid3rDemon think Leech will still be a nightmare to deal with despite Second Dinner’s nerf attempts.
