What to do with Ozymandias
I met a card player from an antique game,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert, surrounded by rocks!"
He was talking, of course, about the card, Ozymandias! Ozymandias is here to bring about a brand new archetype based on that most Marvel Snap item, rocks!
Will Ozymandias become the king of the meta, or will interest in this archetype fade into the obscurity of the desert sands? I think Second Dinner has set this guy up for success. Between the buffs to Debrii and En Sabah Nur and the general direction of the meta game, I think this Rock archetype has a solid chance for success. The real question is if there will be multiple things to do with this archetype of if it's a one-trick pony that will have a single ideal build. Here's everything I'm excited to try with one of the most exciting new Snap cards in a while!
How to Get Him
Ozymandias will be available for in the March 23-30 run of High Voltage: Overdrive. For strategy and decks, check out my guide, for details on how easy he is to unlock and the best method to do so, check out Lauren's breakdown of the mode's economy.
A New Archetype?
The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not Ozymandias will be strong enough to spearhead and entirely new archetype based on playing and producing rocks. At 5/9 and with a +3 bonus to any rocks, the numbers are there. +3 on something that cost 1 is huge and there are a variety of ways to magnify that effect. The Power output is solid. The success or failure of build-around cards is razor thin and unpredictable. These cards are, by their nature, inflexible and can't usually be used outside of decks that are all-in on working towards their goal. Past cards like Dormammu, Fantomex, and Morgan Le Fay are illustrative of this. Ozzy's success will come down to how smooth the deck feels and how good the cards that surround him will be, and how easy he is to counter or disrupt.
Fellow Travelers
The Rock Producers
Debrii will be in almost every Ozymandias deck. An 8-Power body that also produces rocks is just insane. Honestly, she might be too good. If this archetype really does take off, it will be on the back of Debrii. Sandstorm is the other slam dunk. It puts rocks into your hand and the deck is likely to be able to have a solid front-row presence. I hope you picked this card up from Team Clash in anticipation of this archetype! Rhino has been less obviously powerful than Debrii, but 2/5 is a solid Cost/Power ratio and he helps fill your board early for Sandstorm. The card I'm less convinced of is Mole Man. He's a high-variance card with a below-rate body and and informational downside. Don't worry about the banish – it's the same as if the cards were on the bottom of your deck – but the information reveal and variance keep me from being enthusiastic about adding this card to my deck. If we really can't find a better 12th card or we end up with a build replete with high-cost cards, Mole Man could make the cut (if you're thinking about Howard, you've already lost). Terrax is clearly not a good idea, but it is a funny one!
Multipliers and Shared Synergy
I don't know that we need to by copying Ozzy's effect with something like Mystique or even Prodigy, but that will probably be a good thing to do in the week one mirror wars (Super Skrull time?). Ancient One is interesting because Rocks will still be named Rock even if you give then an ability. Supergiant seems like a perfect card to pair with Ozymandias in the tradition of large, counterable, 5-Cost Ongoings. If you're looking for a sneaky way to protect your Ozzy, try Invisible Woman.
Seasonal Flavor
There are some cards from this season that have some degree of synergy with Ozymandias. En Sabah Nur might feel a little weird – you don't want to shuffle in your rocks! – but remember, if they have extra power, they likely won't get shuffled in by Apocalypse Celestials Chosen. But ESN gives you a solid way to dig for your Ozymandias or other key cards. I think he will be a solid partner for Ozymandias. I'm less sold on Selene. I actually think she'll be better in Demon-based Victoria Hand builds than in Ozymandias Rock decks, but I'm sure this will be one of the first places she'll be tried. Gambit, on the other hand, (unfortunately) probably will work out with our Rocks decks. We can't fuel him exclusively on Rocks, but there are so many easy ways to get to 5 that that's not a big deal.
Shattered Visage - How Counterable Is He?
The Power is there. The synergy is there. But how fragile will this archetype feel? Killmonger is an obvious concern for a deck that relies on 1-Cost cards and that puts a hard cap on how dominant this archetype can ever be – which is probably a good thing, strong decks need counters. Sure we can play Caiera, but anyone who has spent a lot of time tinkering with Zoo can tell you she's not a magic solution to Killmonger and basically always feels bad to play. The new Gambit taking out 4 of our Rocks is also going to feel bad. Our rocks are at risk, but so is Ozymandias himself. Rogue, Enchantress, and Cosmic Ghost Rider can leave us with a board full of useless Rocks. Having to protect both halves of the equation, our rocks AND the cards that buff them, will absolutely make this archetype feel fragile. You will need to be playing some combination of Armor, Invisible Woman, Cosmo, Caiera, Juggernaut or Supergiant to have a successful Rocks deck.
Scott’s Day One Ozymandias Decks
Straight on the Rocks
This is just a straightforward, basic Rocks deck that can serve as a basic jumping off point. We have enough high-cost cards to justify Mole Man, but we could also squeeze and Onslaught in here over the Nico. Nico could also become Squirrel Girl to make our Mockingbird more reliable. This deck looks like it's going to be heavily reliant on drawing the Rhino and Debrii early.
Super, Giant Rocks
Here's an example of what we could do with Supergiant. You can play your Ozymandias on 5, hidden by Sugi, but there are a plethora of other play lines. Playing our Rhino or Debrii under the Sugi, especially with Grandmaster, can be a fun surprise. One of my main concerns is getting enough Rocks down that Ozzy feels powerful. Grandmaster and Prodigy are two way to try to accomplish that with cards that have other uses in the deck as well.
Handful of Rocks
Rather than going the route of Rhino and Debrii, this deck aims to create the rocks in hand in order to have synergy with Vicky and Horsey Gambit. This deck feels a little too reliant on Mole Man and less consistent than the current crop of V Hand decks, but it's an excuse to play some rocks.
Duck Duck Rock
Would this deck be better with almost any card in place of Howard? Maybe. But when else are you going to be able to play Howard with at least THREE different synergy hooks? (never)
Is He Worth It?
I think the excitement for this card will begin to die down when it becomes clear how linear and inflexible the gameplan around him is. There is almost sure to be a "best build" and players are going to quickly adopt whatever 12 cards those end up being. Still, I think Ozymandias will be the centerpiece of a viable new archetype. This means there will be ups and down, but that I expect Ozzy to have a role in the meta from time to time over the next year. This is one of the few cards I would actually recommend getting day one, if you're interested in him at all, because being in on those first 48-72 hours of building with him, coping with direct counters, and trying different routes is likely to be the most dynamic and interesting time for the card. If you've been waiting for this card, feel free to pull the trigger right away.
Below the paywall I've tucked two more Ozymandias decks as a treat for our subscribers. If you like what we do at Fourth Location and want to ensure we continue to be able to do it, consider subscribing today!
