Creativity is a Weapon
HuskyPuppies35 guides us through how to use creative deck-building to gain an advantage over our opponents!
Creativity is a weapon in any card game, but Marvel Snap is perhaps the most rewarding to creativity, and with the right techniques, we can make your creativity pay off in some of the most satisfying wins. As a player, I’ve never finished the season outside of the top 100 post-Infinite players, and I’ll try and teach you how to surprise even the best of the best.
Why would you do that?
If you’ve been playing any Marvel Snap long enough, I’m sure you've lost to some of the weirdest deck inclusions. A destroy deck running Shang-Chi, a discard deck running Cosmo, a Mr. Negative deck running Killmonger.
None of these inclusions make sense, and would no doubt make you exclaim “Why would you do that?!” The secret is that confusion and surprise is exactly what we’re going for. Because of Marvel Snap’s unique stakes raising Snap system and a quick limited turn game, surprising an opponent need only happen on one pivotal turn to win BIG.
Win rate is not the only metric that matters in Marvel Snap, as players are battling for cubes. Sacrificing some wins here and there to make room for a surprising personal inclusion is not only encouraged, but oftentimes optimal. A 55% win rate deck that wins 4 Cubes per game is far better than a 65% win rate deck that only wins 2 Cubes per game. It's important to build strong decks that also have a strong surprise factor.
Weird inclusions, Winning Games
If you’re looking for a fast, easy way to express creativity and still win at a very high level, a great way to start out is fairly simple. Start with a deck from a content creator or source you've seen, identify one card that is not crucial to the deck’s game plan, and switch it for a card that will have a significant impact on the game, or on your opponents' plays.
Great examples of cards that fit that description would be location changing cards, cards that stop certain effects like Cosmo or Mobius M. Mobius, or cards that deal with opponents' game plans, like Shang-Chi, Enchantress, or Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Bonus points if the inclusion stops a deck you commonly face.
This method is a quick and easy way to start changing decks to fit your own style, and to better suit certain matchups that you may see. It is a great way to build deck-building muscles, as you can take a proven product and change it to make it more and more your own and more and more successful.
My personal favorite part of altering a popular deck is you give your opponent a sense of false confidence, making them think they know your deck, and on that pivotal turn, you snap, blindside them, and laugh your way to an 8-Cube victory.
For the love of the game
Now creativity and surprise doesn't just have to come from tech cards. Two of my favorite cards can also change up the status quo and win big because of it. First, let's look at Blink.
Blink is a card that must be built around, but one of the best things to do with her is to set up a lane to be filled on the second to last turn, and then, just when your opponent thinks they have an easy win on a full lane, you swap that card you played at the filled location with something far more powerful, and win because of it.
Most Blink decks run Electro or another way to get extra energy, but some of my favorite blink decks swap out a card like Mobius M. Mobius or even Goose, high impact cards that do not need to be on the board at the end of game.
Next up is a fan favorite: Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, Stealer of Cubes. One of the most satisfying and fun cards in Snap. Galactus is not always the best card if you wish to climb the ranks in Snap, but at a certain point, does that matter? Snap is a game for fun, and there isn't much more fun than making your opponent “KNEEL BEFORE GALACTUS.”
Galactus can shut down opponents' combos and serve as a surprising and satisfying win condition with decks that can generate extra Energy. It often can't be the main win condition of the deck, but as a surprise card, it's incredibly fun.
A simple combo is to put Galactus in an Arishem deck, but any deck with Luna Snow or Wave could work. Is it optimal? Maybe not, but it's surprising, and very fun to win with.
The Real Insanity Begins
The last few fun parts I’ll share are the most creative and weirdest decks you may not have seen before. These decks won't be the best to play, but will be fun, and maybe get you thinking on the infinite possible ways to use your own creativity.
The Techno Organic Virus is spreading! Copy it with Moon Girl, and discount it with Quinjet, Black Swan, and Mobius M Mobius, then have an explosive last turn with multiple Sage or Hit Monkey, courtesy of the new Mother Askani. This list is the strongest of the four and is well suited for a high infinite meta.
Who needs the Living Tribunal? This Fantastic deck will have you using Onslaught, Mystique, Moonstone and Prodigy to make the left and right lanes the most powerful you've seen them ever get with Mister Fantastic.
Next up is perhaps the weirdest Galactus deck I’ve played in a while.
This deck aims to buff up Clea and Galactus, de-buff your opponents lanes and double up effects with Joaquin Torres. This deck may not be the most consistent, but going into the last turn and playing three Flames of the Faltine to win with a Galactus finisher is incredibly satisfying. This deck is not optimized, however the value that Negasonic Teenage Warhead has when there is only one location left should not be underestimated.
Finally, this Activate deck makes use of multiple Kid Omega activations all hitting Wolverine and increasing their power, with a standard Activate back-up line. Just double up Jocasta and watch those numbers soar!
Now Go Have Some FUN!
Marvel Snap’s format rewards off the wall deck-building, and now you have the tools to use it to your advantage. Many high-impact cards are obtained very early in your Snap journey, so use them to surprise your opponents, catch them off guard, and win with the knowledge that YOUR creativity is a weapon, the things that make your play style different can make you succeed, and if nothing else, HAVE FUN!
Who is HuskyPuppies35?
Husky is a high level Marvel Snap player and enjoyer of chaos. He often does challenge streams and has constant high level gameplay, and enjoys helping people out. Find him Streaming at HuskyPuppies35.
For more of Husky's thoughts on using creativity as a weapon, check out the conversation Lauren and Scott had with him about the topic!
This article was featured in-game by Second Dinner during Steam’s Deck-builders Fest.
