Team Clash Strategy Guide - May '26

The Marvel Snap mode that leans most into character connections is back from May 26-June 2. Team Clash lets you choose a group from the Marvel Universe and battle them against opposing teams! Team Clash has a lot going on and a ton of things have changed, so I'll give you the lowdown on everything that's different and get you prepared to dominate Team Clash!

This guide covers Team Clash from a gameplay perspective (and provides lots of deck ideas!). For coverage on the economy side of Team Clash and what's required to get the new Kingpin emote and Dagger variant, keep an eye out for Lauren's article.

Refresher Course

How does this mode work again?

Team Clash features 6 teams, each with its own unique mechanic. You can stick with the pre-constructed decks, or you can build your own decks. You must include all 6 of the pre-designated characters for each team, but you can fill the remaining 6 slots with any cards, including the characters on that team's larger extended roster or not. Other than each team's unique mechanic and the new abilities on the special characters, the mode is similar to normal Marvel Snap — the winner of two lanes after 6 turns wins the game (Magik is legal, though). However, there are no cubes or snapping in this mode, just wins and losses. Wins net you 10 XP and 10 Emblems, losses still get you 5 of each. Winning also gets your ticket back, just like in Sanctum Showdown, and tickets again have a soft cap of 9.

Keys to Success

• Missions are often focused on playing and winning with different teams, so you'll need to be prepared to play with each team rather than just jamming with your favorite one.
• For maximum win rate, you'll need to modify the pre-cons. One or two of the pre-cons will inevitably float to the top and they are stronger this time, but, especially after the first few hours, pre-cons are going to fall behind.
• There are A LOT of cards. It's almost like learning an entirely new version of Marvel Snap. The initial mental load in the mode is high. Prepare ahead of time if you're going full try-hard for Team Clash.
• If you're free-to-play, you'll need to prioritize missions, be comfortable with all of the teams, and have solid lists for each team.

Note: The full extended rosters and banlist are at the end of the article. Team Clash deck-building works differently, so unfortunately there are no copyable codes, but I've organized recommendations into what to swap out of the pre-cons and what to swap in in their place.

What’s Changed

There have been a number of balance changes to Team Clash cards, plus two new bans. I'm really pleased that the team continues to tweak the mode through extensive buffs and nerfs. Hopefully we're getting closer to a situation where each team feels fun to play and complete missions with.

New Bans:

Gambit saw extensive play in both Brotherhood and Thunderbolts decks, while Fin Fang Foom was a terror in both X-Men and Spider-Verse decks. That kind of cross-team dominance in a mode like this seems pretty bad! These two bans were absolutely necessary, even though both of these cards have been changed since the mode last ran.

Card Changes:

The new team from last time, The Brotherhood of Mutants, landed pretty flat and needed quite a bit of help, especially as Gambit HoD has now been banned. Three cards got strict buffs. White Queen got a point of Power and slight informational upside, Magneto got a major buff that could account for up to 5 extra points of Power compared to last time, and Scarlet Witch got a bigger body and her ability became much more powerful and synergistic with what the team is doing. Plus, the Brotherhood should get one of the biggest boosts from new cards, since so many new non-Gambit Horseman have come to the game since last time, and I'm assuming they'll be Brotherhood members.

The X-Men were fun and popular, but most of the builds I saw last time relied on Fin Fang Foom, who is now banned. Jean Grey got a much-needed point of Power, as did lynchpin Professor X. Mother Askani and Askani'son could help out a lot too, if they're on the extended roster.

The Guardians remained quite weak last time, following on from their poor performances in previous runs, so Drax got a buff that can be doubled, while Groot, who often felt like the worst member of the team, got a point of Power.

Thunderbolts took a major nerf to their team ability and still still remained the best team, so they took a set of 1-Point nerf in addition to the loss of Gambit HoD.

Impactful New Cards

There are several recently released cards that could make a splash. I'm assuming Mother Askani will be on the X-Men team, but she could see play on 3 or 4 different teams. Wilson Fisk will probably be on Spider-Verse and will fit in there in addition to other teams that aim for big bodies.

Still Six Teams

We didn't get any new teams this time around, so there's not an entirely new set of cards to learn, but so much has changed between the two big bans, mode-specific card changes, and interim OTA changes, that the mode is going to feel entirely new.

Avengers: Go Tall in Two Lanes

Avengers: After you play an Avenger, give one of your Avengers there +1 Power. 

What has changed for the Avengers:

Not much! One of the few teams without card changes or significant bans, the Avengers are also the team that saw the best results with it's unchanged pre-con! The Avengers are like the stone in the river that stays steady, while everything changes around it.

The Pre-Con:

• Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Thor, Captain America, Vision, Hulk
• America Chavez, Quake, Sam Wilson, Ironheart, Captain Carter, Iron Man

Deck Upgrades

The goal is simple: make one giant Captain Carter lane and one giant Hulk lane. You can choose how you want to try to leverage Doctor Strange, if at all.

Fully Assembled

You can honestly just play the Avengers out of the box. Ironheart is the weakest link in the pre-con, despite her usefulness with Doctor Strange to boost Iron Man and Captain Carter. Obvious potential subs include Ant-Man, Moonstone, Shang Chi or Iron Lad. Mobius is also a great idea to counter what this new meta might bring.

Zombie Avengers

Spider-Verse: Energy Producers and Scalers

Spider-Verse: You get +2 Energy if one of your Spider-Verse cards moved last turn.

What's Changed for the Spider-Verse

Spider-Verse was terrible in the first run, but was one of the most powerful teams last time, though that was largely on the back of Fin Fang Foom. Still, the changes made last time to Anti-Venom and Scarlet Spider were important, and I expect the team to be alright without Foom, despite needing to shift gears.

The Pre-Con:

• Agony, Ghost-Spider, Starlet Spider, Anti-Venom, Symbiote Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099
• Vulture, Madame Web, Kraven, Peni Parker, Silk, Man-Spider

Deck Upgrades

You have to make a choice of which scalers you're going to prioritize. Here's a deck focused on scalers:

Scaler Focus

And here on Man-Spider:

Spider Focus

Thunderbolts: Comeback Potential

Thunderbolts: Each turn, give the first Thunderbolt you reveal at a losing location +2 Power.

What's Changed for the Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts were strong last time, but relied on Gambit HoD. They'll have to shift focus to thrive.

The Pre-Con:

• Valentina, Toxie Doxie, Winter Soldier, Ghost, Taskmaster, Sentry
• The Hood, Hulkbuster, Viper, Absorbing Man, Klaw, Red Hulk

Deck Upgrades

The Thunderbolts are less focused on playing massive amounts of Thunderbolts and their mechanic is based on coming from behind, which adds up to the highest potential to include tech and interaction.

Fierce Little Tech

Cloggers

We can also try to counter all of the Mother Askani shenanigans I expect with Gorgon and clogging.

Guardians: Mind Games

Guardians of the Galaxy: ALL cards reveal with +1 Power at the glowing location.

What's Changed For the Guardians

The Guardians were the weakest last time, both in terms of the pre-con and custom builds. It often felt like a slog to get Guardians missions done. Thankfully, they finally changed the pre-con. Gone is the bizarre Beta Ray Bill and other sub-optimal choices, and in their place we've got much better cards like Grandmaster and Drax AoL. The Guardians still have access to Star-Lord, but he's been nerfed twice since this mode last appeared. Martyr was on the Guardians roster last time, but has gone from unplayed to one of the most important cards in the game in the intervening time.

The Pre-Con:

• Mantis, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Drax, Groot, Gamora
• Nebula, Adam Warlock, Grandmaster, Drax AoL, Major Victory, Gladiator

Deck Upgrades

The pre-con is just so much better than is was before that I'm going to give it a solid go before moving on to custom builds. The best extended roster cards available are Star-Lord MotS and Cosmic Ghost Rider.

Bounce Guard

Look, if you want to sneak Starhawk in here, just because he's rad, I'm not gonna stop you. The other question is if you should go all-in and replace the last pre-con spot with Chavez or The Hood in addition to the other five.

TOV Guard

Guardians might be the team most primed to make use of new meta darling, Techno-Organic Virus. Once your ability is used, you're safe to wipe its text.

Star Lord Classic

X-Men: Flood the Board

X-Men: You get +1 Energy for each location where you have 3 or more X-Men.

What's Changed for the X-Men

The X-Men got quite a few changes last time, but they were hard to evaluate as Fin Fang Foom took over the team and made it his own. Now, Xavier's students will have to find their way without the big Lizard. New cards like Isca and Mother Askani will make a major difference, if they're indeed on the extended roster.

The Pre-Con:

• Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jubilee, Professor X
• Sunspot, Surge, Hope Summers, Prodigy, Isca, Sasquatch

Ok, they're just begging us to pop Mother Askani into this list, aren't they? I think there's a good chance the X-Men take over the mode once again with the newest meta tyrant. The question is what to replace. I could see arguments for quite a few cards. Sunspot is an important scaler, but vulnerable to Elektra and Killmonger. Hope is an important engine and it would be nice to have her alongside Mother Askani. Isca is a solid addition to the pre-con and it's hard to take her out, but Mother Askani is probably better with the rest of the list.

Deck Upgrades

Rachel Summers from the Future

Fallen One Shenanigans

Brotherhood of Mutants: Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

Brotherhood: End of Turn: Give a Brotherhood card in your hand +1 Power for each location you're winning.

What's Changed for the Brotherhood

The Brotherhood weren't even especially strong with Gambit HoD, so they would have been much weaker without him, if not for the buffs to Magneto and Scarlet Witch alongside a bunch of new Horsemen, like Storm. The Brotherhood were terrible last time, but we've entered a boost-heavy meta since then, so between that and new cards, I do have some solid hope for the team this time around.

What are We Boosting?

The Brotherhood ability can hand out giant buffs and the extended roster has some perfect partners for this effect.

The Pre-Con:

• Selene, Scarlet Witch, Mystique, White Queen, Lady Deathstrike, Magneto
• Black Cat, Martyr, Mister Forge, Maverick, Sebastian Shaw, Horseman Wolverine

They realized that the Brotherhood's team wide ability was having trouble going off, so they added Black Cat and Martyr to get ahead.

Deck Upgrades

Boost Bros

Getahead

Final Thoughts

Last time was marred by the presence of Fin Fang Foom and Horseman Gambit in so many games. With both of them banned, something else will fill the void. My bet is on Mother Askani, so consider packing cards like Shadow King and Mobius to compete with her. In times of upheaval, consistency becomes extra valuable and the Avengers are straightforward, unchanged, and have a solid pre-con. I expect them to do quite well, especially initially while everyone is still figuring things out. Despite the regrettable lack of snapping in this mode, I'm looking forward to this mode and expect it to feel a lot fresher this time.

Banned Cards

Added this time!

Full Extended Team Rosters (PENDING UPDATE!):

Note: The normal versions of the new Team Clash cards are available for use, outside their teams. You CAN play regular Nightcrawler in the Avengers, but you CAN’T play regular Nightcrawler in the X-Men or Team Clash Nightcrawler in the Avengers.