What to do with Jubilee Silver Surfer
The totally bodacious new Snap card is based on a brief appearance in the credits scene of an episode of the What If...? Disney+ show! Will her card have staying power in the Marvel Snap meta or will she be a flash in the pan? Here's everything I want to try with Jubilee Silver Surfer.
The Upside
We have a lot of cards based on granting "green Power" buffs and we're right in the middle of the "get buff for summer" metagame. How does Jubilee SS compare to what we already have? Can she elbow another card out of her way and slot right in to what is already being done? Could she engender new buffing strategies?
One advantage that Jubilee has over current meta darlings like Maverick and Stick is that she can affect more than one card. She has a static ability, not Activate nor On Reveal, that passes her current power on to whatever cards you draw while she is on board. If you play her on curve, that is on Turn 4, she will buff two cards in the normal course of the game. You can add Power to both your Turn 5 and Turn 6 draws, whereas some of the other Empowering cards in the game pass their power on once.
The Downside
You have to actually play the cards, though. Sure, she can hit more cards than Maverick or Stick, but what if one of the cards she adds Power to isn't one that you want Power added to. If your Brood or Captain Carter are already in hand or on board, Jubilee won't act as a buff-soaking, Power proxy for them like Maverick and Stick can. Plus, as we've seen with Gwenpool, it's not always easy to play out cards that have been buffed in your hand. With Gwenpool, you needed to build your deck in a way that maximized the chances that the Empowerment would actually make it to the board by having cheap cards or parters like Makkari that can sculpt your hand.
Buff Her!
You could use Jubilee to just pass on an extra 2 Power over your last couple of Turns, but to get the most out of Jubilee SS, you not only need to buff her, you need to buff her fast, so that she can pass on her buff more than once. Here are some of the ways to ensure Jubilee SS gets a buff before your Turn 5 draw.
Draw More!
If you play JSS out on Turn 4, that leaves you two natural draws to buff two cards. But surely, we can do better than that! If you can get her (or her text) out earlier, that gives you an extra turn of draws. Moreover, there are several cards in the game that can draw extra cards and each of those will get a Jubes' buff! I think Adam Warlock is finally coming into his own as a meta game staple, Crystal might not be entirely cope with Jubilee SS, and there are some sneaky-fun things you can do with Jane. Magus or Iron Lad can't get Jubilee out earlier than she can be played, but they have the advantage of taking on her text with more base power to begin with!
Scott's Day One Jubilee Decks
TOV Adam Draw
Anything that draws extra can get use out of Jubilee. Plus, Demons are cheap enough that we can likely play a few 1/8 Demons out at the end of the game.
Big Maverick Pass
Jubilee provides an alternative path for this deck if it doesn't draw its cards in the ideal order. If you key cards are hiding in deck, you can still stay in knowing that Jubilee can give them powerful buffs. Plus, if she's getting a Carter buff, she can give you two consecutive giant cards to play out.
Big Sinister
A giant Mister Sinister, alongside a couple of copied 'Squatches, is a powerful final turn that can dodge Shadow King. I like how Jubilee makes Clea a decent late draw, since most decks are best at finding a use for her only if you get her early enough.
Cheeky Galac
Those games where Zombie Galati is a late draw go from white-knuckle experiences to your most memorable wins. Magik means we can draw three JSS cards, and very few of the cards in this deck are bad hits for her.
Doublin'
Every little extra point helps when we're doubling our big boys. You can with either with a pair of Giant Bills or Panthers or you can cobble together a win in a different way thanks to the extra buffs.
Stingers
Even if you don't draw Pixie you can get use out of your Wasp and Yellowjacket. A 0/3 and at 0/4 can be hard to play around for your opponent. Of course, it's even better if you get that +2 on a 0-Cost Foom or Magneto.
Is She Worth It?
Jubilee is entering a set of archetypes that are very crowded. While I do think this is a card you want, and may have an immediate impact, you should expect her position, for better or worse, to be affected by upcoming balance changes. Changes could make some room for her by hitting her competition or they could negatively affect her by hitting her best synergy partners. Another thing to keep in mind is that the meta is shifting towards Shadow King control decks can Jubilee will be hit just as hard by those decks as their current actual targets are. She might come in feeling a bit weak, but she'll have a role, whether that's sooner or quite a bit later.
I've tucked four of my more quirky desires for Jubilee SS below for our subscribers! If you enjoy written, ad-free, fully human written Marvel Snap content and want to ensure it continues to exist, consider joining today!
