Kitty Pryde Re-release Edit:
With today's update and the re-release of Kitty Pryde, I wanted to share a quick update. As mentioned in the background, I didn't manage to quite get to infinite last season, so I start the season at Diamond. I played a bit here and there (started today at Vibranium 75) but was really just waiting for Kitty Pryde to be released so I could switch out my Nebula for her. Here are the results of my games since the update: https://imgur.com/a/kAUV5Gu
Apologies, I tried to insert the image using an imgur link, but either I'm too dumb to understand how to do it properly or something else is happening. It's probably a me thing though so if anyone knows, leave a comment so I can fix it :]
Kitty Pryde Re-release Edit For Reaching Infinite:
Got to Infinite same day as the May 15 update. Final Untapped.gg stats here: https://imgur.com/a/X9JfYrg
Out of 120 Games, 60.8% Winrate, +91 Net Cubes, Average Cubes per Game: +0.76
Overall this is probably my favorite deck to play with so far. Stats dropped a bit from previous pictures as I started playing dumb at 1 point away from Infinite and made some pretty poor choices lol.
Background:
4d6 here with what's probably my favorite deck to play in Marvel Snap thus far. I wrote the guide for It's a Leap of Faith (Finally got infinite last season for those who read that guide/are wondering) and with the end of the season, I wanted to share my favorite variation of a Hit-Monkey deck that I tested and played the most this season (I'm hovering in the mid 90's right now so I probably won't hit infinite this season since I've been playing too much Mega Man Battle Network since it came out, so instead I'm going to spend the time to write this guide for you guys lol).
This is a Pool 3 heavy deck, and Hit-Monkey himself is a season pass card, so I'll try to add some alternatives to the Pool 3 cards, but the cards in the deck have a very specific function to play (like Beast and Falcon) where there is really no alternative, so the deck won't be as strong.
Description:
This deck is a Hit-Monkey bounce/flood deck, with the goal of the deck being to get as large of a Hit-Monkey as possible by flooding the board on turn 6. Angela, Bishop, and Kitty Pryde are your other heavy hitters. Use Bast, Mysterio, Rocket Raccoon and The Hood to generate power. Beast and Falcon bounce cards back to your hand. Finally, Rogue and Shang-Chi round out the deck with fantastic support.
Heavy Hitters:
- Hit-Monkey: The bread and butter of the deck. Hit-Monkey is a powerful 2 cost card that is very unique and satisfying to play. He's essentially a Wolfsbane on steroids, as you don't have to play him in the same lane as other cards and can easily get to the +10-20ish power when played on turn 6. Hit-Monkey also plays similar to Wolfsbane in that you don't have to play him last to get max damage increase. Make sure to play him at least second to last so you don't get Aero'd into a lane you didn't want him played. Very rarely will you want to have priority on the last turn so that you don't have to deal with a Shang-Chi for example, just be cautious of a well placed Cosmo.
- Angela: Drop on turn 2, drop 1 cost cards on her (especially Kitty Pryde) to ramp her up, then Falcon/Beast her to continue to ramp her up.
- Bishop: Drop him turn 3 and forget about him. He isn't ongoing so you don't have to worry about getting Enchantress'd, and the only thing that can really kill it is Shang-Chi once it's strong enough or a Galactus.
- Kitty Pryde: Fantastic card and everyone will be getting a free copy in May, drop her on Angela, return her to hand next turn and do it again and watch them both grow.
Power Generators:
- Bast: Such an amazing card that will generate power to every card hit, even Mysterio (changes from a 4/0/0 to a 3/3/3 as Mysterio), and removes the penalty of using The Hood. Don't use Bast turn 1 as you want to hit as many cards as possible unless you already have Falcon in hand, and if you hit Bishop early, don't worry about having to play him right away as he already has the equivalent of 2 played cards. Just be careful if you bounced her and have a Demon or powered up Kitty Pryde in hand. Forge is much weaker but a decent substitute for Bast, I would prioritize using him on Bishop since Forge will only affect the 4 powered Mysterio as he only affects the next card played (Each Mysterio counts as a card played). Nakia or Okoye are other substitutes.
- Mysterio: As stated a second ago, each Mysterio is considered a card played. That means each card will boost Bishop (+3) and Hit-Monkey (+6) for just 2 power, assuming all cards get played on a lane. Because of this, however, Mysterio won't go into a lane that it can't be played at, such as Crimson Cosmos or Flooded. There are no real alternatives to Mysterio as he's unique in that each card is played rather than added like with Squirrel Girl. Maybe an Ironheart is an okay substitute.
- Rocket Raccoon: Rocket is a pretty great 1 cost card that can easily get to 6 power in this deck, and depending on locations maybe even more. That being said, even if you only get him to 4 power, he's here to ramp up your other cards, not the other way around, and once Gorr is released, I'll be switching him out.
- The Hood: Great card to generate more 1 cost, 6 power Demons, and with Bast, you don't even have to worry about the -2 power detriment. Substitutes can include Agent 13, Cable and Mantis, or Maria Hill if you have her.
Bouncers:
- Beast: Always prioritize Hit-Monkey with your Beast and 1 or 2 other cards (depending on if your hand will be full, and even then depending on what you're bouncing back) to make them cheaper. Other cards you might wanna target alongside your Hit-Monkey are Angela, Demon, Kitty Pryde or Rocket Raccoon. I usually like to play Beast on turn 5 so that I can give the opponent priority, but depending on what deck or locations you're playing against, you might want to use him turn 4 alongside your Hit-Monkey. This card is basically essential so if you don't have him, maybe flood the board on turn 5 with whatever you can and your Hit-Monkey, then Odin your Hit-Monkey lane... But you'll want to get this card as soon as possible.
- Falcon: Want to add more power to your Angela with your 1 drop cards? Falcon. Dropped Bast early and want to use her again? Falcon. Need another Demon? Falcon. Don't have Falcon? Get Falcon. Or Odin your Hit-Monkey lane?
But seriously if you don't have Beast or Falcon, prioritize them first, and then get Mysterio.
Supports:
- Rogue: Rogue (or if you don't have her, Enchantress) is a great support card in a world of Darkhawks. Mister Negative/Iron Man decks? No problem. Hazmat decks? Look at you, you're Luke Cage now. Wong decks are a thing of the past and if you have priority when you play Rogue, their Mystique is now useless.
- Shang-Chi: Surprisingly, no one expects a Shang-Chi in this type of deck, and I've had opponents snap me and lose because of it. I usually use him on turn 4 or 5 though, unless I got a good Beast bounce where I have plenty of 0/1 cost cards to play alongside Hit-Monkey, or if I calculate that I'll for sure win lane with just Shang-Chi.
Suggestions:
Released:
- Snowguard: I know a lot of people online are calling this card weak, and it is, but in a game where THEY KEEP ADDING MORE AND MORE LOCATIONS WHERE YOU CAN'T PLAY ANYTHING... I think it works great (I would probably switch Rocket Raccoon for this if you have it). Focus on the Hawk transformation on turn 5, or 4 if that's the turn it's in Hawk form... and flood the board everywhere the next turn. If she gets buffed to where you get to choose the transformation, you'll definitely want this card. Just beware, Snowguard can help your opponent as well.
- Carnage: Great card that helps against pesky annoyances your opponent might want to throw at you like Green Goblin or The Void.
- Jeff the Baby Land Shark: Not much to say except it's an amazing card, especially in a game where more and more locations are being added that make it difficult to play there. Basically a Snowguard Hawk but only for itself, and you can do it twice without a bounce.
- Enchantress: Great support card similar to Rogue, but fulfills a different need. Rogue is used to turn opponent's benefits into your own, Enchantress is used to just remove any ongoing effects sans Cosmo. I was running the deck with Enchantress before her buff, but I can't justify removing 3 (now 2) power with Bast instead of 1... Mainly I was using her against Sandmans, but he was recently nerfed and I haven't been seeing him much since. (I think I only saw like 2 on my climb)
- Magik: Need another turn to get a card that will for sure win you the game? Magik. Plus, the extra energy will make your Hit-Monkey even more bananas.
Unreleased:
- Bullseye: Didn't get Hit-Monkey? Here's another chance to draw him right away. But really any of your 2 cost cards are a pretty good draw even if you don't get Hit-Monkey.
- Gorr: Wooooah, there is NO WAY this remains as it is. People are going to complain so hard and they're gonna nerf him. HARD. If he's released as he currently is, try to get him as soon as possible and enjoy him for as long as you can.
- Loki: Interesting card. Flood the board turn 5 with Loki included and ruin your opponent's day. I would definitely switch him out for Shang-Chi as I don't want to give that to my opponent.
- Nebula: Sad about the Sunspot nerf? Going to get the season pass and need another card to fill out the deck? Grab Nebula. Plus she gives you a better chance to boost your Rocket.
- Spider-Ham: Seems like he will be a fun card, just pray you don't hit The Infinaut.
- Uncle Ben: Tired of getting Spider-Man'd after Galactus? Spider-Man them back.
Weakness:
Locations will be added in the "Locations" section, but here are some cards to definitely watch out for:
- Cosmo: A well placed Cosmo can ruin your game as it stops your Hit-Monkey from getting power and your Beast from picking him back up.
- Doctor Octopus: Unless you get lucky and he targets your Beast after your Hit-Monkey, depending on what he grabs, you might want to retreat. Hit-Monkey only works on cards that you played and however many cards Doc Ock grabs doesn't add to your Hit-Monkey's power.
- Galactus: Only really an issue with this deck unless they Spider-Man you right afterwards or you have priority. Shang-Chi to be safe as more often than not they'll drop big cards, or if you want to win with style, Rogue their Knull instead.
- Ghost: Don't see her played that often, but you almost never want to have priority. If you can, Rogue her as soon as possible.
- Killmonger: Surprisingly not too much of a big deal since you'll more than likely be bouncing your 1 cost drops. Even if they get you, it's generally not THAT big of a deal if you play smart.
- Leech: Unless they Leech early, you're going to want to retreat unless you draw Hit-Monkey turn 6. Otherwise, flood turn 5.
- Professor X: 1 less lane to play with, but you should be spreading out your cards with all three lanes so it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
- Sandman: Recently nerfed so I don't see too much of him anymore... But some people are still running him and he'll ruin your day.
- Shadow King: I've seen this card maybe twice? But will definitely delete whatever lane he's played in.
- Valkyrie: You don't want priority so this card is surprisingly easy to handle. Often times your opponent will play this on your Angela lane as you'll likely have the most cards there.
- Wave: If you're opponent knows you're a Hit-Monkey deck, they will play this turn 5 and ruin your day.
Final Thoughts:
Hit-Monkey is such a great time. Even in games where I've lost, just trying your best to calculate how much power you can get him to and surprising your opponents with how big he got, it's the most fun and most fist bump emotes I've received in any season. The only reason not to play this deck is a bad hot location, or if you don't like doing quick maths.