Play the OTA - Decks for the 1/29 Balance Patch
What to Play after the OTA
A momentous OTA just hit Marvel Snap. Need some ideas for this brand new meta? Wondering what will be good now that the best deck has been nerfed? Look no further! We've got 8 ready-to-copy deck lists for you featuring the buffed (and the nerfed!) cards.
What changed?
- Shou-Lao: 5/8 → 5/6
- Maverick: 3/3 → 3/2
- Omniversal Presence: Change Location and give Merlin +2 Power → give +1 Power
- Deafening Chord: Remove the text of an enemy 3-Cost or lower character here. No longer Afflicts -1.
- Spider-Ham: 1/2 → 1/1
- Colonel America: 3/3 → 3/4
- Doom 2099: 4/5 → 4/6
- Lin Lie: 2/2 → 2/3 AND Sword of Fu Xi: If Lin Lie Iron Fist is here, he has +7 Power → +8 Power
- Topaz: 3/5 → 2/3
Post-OTA Decks
The most exciting buff was given to Lin Lie who got two more potential points of power to make him a potential 2/13 play, or 3/16 with Ghost Spider. He's also less of a liability when you fail to get him to his sword as having a 2/3 on board isn't a bad fail state.
When Lin Lie released, one of the primary ideas was to just shove it into the deck of top ladder player, Iris. It didn't prove valuable enough, but with the extra power it's worth trying again.
Iris with Lin
Lin Lie is great in an Aurora deck where getting the extra body in the form of the sword is valuable even when you don't unite them. This move/Aurora deck can put out quite a bit of unpredictable power on the last turn.
Love Bounce
Move/Bounce has two distinct ways to unite Lin Lie and his sword – three if you use Grandmaster.
The other exciting change was the cost reduction to Topaz. She's going to feel an awful lot more smooth at 2/3. She provides less power herself, but she's now a viable engine for gaining power in a couple of different packages.
Classic/Budget Move
FFFewd
Inspired by Bewd, this deck lets us play the surprise fun card of the season, Fin Fang Foom. I'll take any excuse. And, look, if we can't play Spider-Man 2099 on a OTA day, what is even the point?
Bi-monthly 2099 cope
What to play post-OTA? Just the same as before, of course! I don't subscribe to the idea that Shou-Lao's nerf was too gentle. I think Second Dinner hit it right on the head. The deck should still be a powerful meta contender without disappearing entirely. Spider-Ham might not be seen anymore, but there are still plenty of great 1 drops to pop into a Shou-Lao deck including Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Nico Minoru, America Chavez, Majestic Wingbeat, Agony, Elektra, Nicholas Scratch, or Loki.
Shou me Activate
This Shou-Lao deck looks a lot like the ones being played before the OTA, but we've swapped Iceman into Spider-Ham's slot, Majestic Wingbeat in for Deafening Chord, and H.E.R.B.I.E. for some extra potential power and flexibility/synergy with Jocasta. The deck lacks tech and is relying on Power, so will be vulnerable to giant combo decks, but that's what Shou-Lao was already vulnerable to.
Shou-Laoki
Inspired by master deck-builder SafetyBlade, this deck relies on the fact that many of our opponents will be playing cards that synergize well with what we're already doing. If you're feeling especially frisky, pop Mantis in there in place of Deafening Chord. Nico's Destroy spell into Loki on Turn 2 is often snappable. Loki is underrated and fun at the moment. Give him a try!
Colonel America is going to get people to try Khonshu Discard again. They'll realize this deck is as strong as ever. I waffle back and forth between Proxima and Marrow, but more people own Proxima, so she got the nod in the deck list below.
Khoronel
Overall, I am a big fan of this OTA. It nerfed the Season Pass card while leaving it playable. We got super fun new toys in Lin Lie and Topaz. Even discard got a little boost. Come find me on social media and let me know what you think of the OTA. And be sure to visit our YouTube channel!
Before we go, let's talk about one future deck. Don't dust off your Doom 2099 variants just yet, but keep this deck in your back pocket for when Moondragon releases in a few days.
Moon Rising
