• Home
  • News
  • Arishem - Card Release Aftermath

Arishem - Card Release Aftermath

News
Scosco23

Last week, we had the most impactful release in Marvel Snap history. Arishem landed like an atomic bomb and immediately shot to the top play rate ever for a new card. Its play rate was well over 50%, even higher among infinite players and in conquest. By Thursday, Arishem’s play rate had dropped to 42%, and by Friday, it was in the mid-30s. As people moved to counter the deck and had some time to settle, the card currently has the following stats in the last 7 days:

  • 29.4% post-infinite play rate with a 51.2% win rate
  • 39% play rate at ranks 80-100 with a 57% win rate
  • 43% play rate in Conquest with a 53% win rate

The play rates have dropped from their historical highs in the 70s around release day, but they're still staggeringly high. Initially, Arishem's post-infinite play rate was much higher than pre-infinite, indicating that the most engaged players were early adopters who were willing to experiment with the card and take the risk of being hard-countered. This situation has slowly reversed as the post-infinite meta diversifies and adjusts to Arishem, while the deck remains a solid pick for those not yet infinite.

In this article, I will explore some of the community’s ideas with the card and go through what I think we've learned after Arishem’s first 12 days and the implications for the future.

Summary
Arishem
At the start of the game, +1 Max Energy. Shuffle 15 random cards into your deck.
Darkhawk
Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent's deck.

Arishem has enjoyed an incredibly high play rate while also feeling quite powerful. The fact that you have just a 37.5% chance to see any particular card has not felt limiting. You can't rely on one particular card or one synergistic combination, but it still feels like a deck you built most of the time rather than feeling truly random. There are many different ways to build the deck, and philosophies on how best to do that are evolving. So far, it seems very powerful, and it's hard not to choose it, even if many decks are trying to counter it. Arishem has felt relatively easy to counter with Darkhawk directly. Even Arishem decks are heavily designed to tackle opposing Arishem decks because it's the most likely deck to queue up against. However, this is gradually changing, and many players are having success with Arishem decklists that differ from the ones that dominated in the first few days of release. Let's take a look at some community ideas for the card.

Arishem Community Ideas

ScoSco's Arishem Decks

Get Ahead Arishem

Clogishem

Absorbershem

Above are the three Arishem builds I've had the most success with. I have found that running a plethora of anti-Arishem cards makes the deck weaker in mirror matches as opposed to stronger. If an opponent can just play Loki and take everything that best counters my deck, it seems unwise to include them when so many of my opponents are playing Loki. Playing Loki alongside those counters myself reduces the matchup to whichever player draws Loki and their other pieces better, which is not only unappealing and exhausting, but it's predictable and a poor way to leverage the strength of the card.

What Does the Future Hold for Arishem?

I expect Arishem’s play rate to degrade over the next few weeks slowly, but I think it's already become a comfort pick for many players. Like past Galactus decks or other very popular decks, many players will stick with Arishem no matter what. What implications does this have for an Arishem nerf? I think a nerf to either Arishem or to cards currently seeing a lot of play in Arishem decks is likely. While I don't think Arishem is overpowered, he's strong enough that with such sky-high play rates, he will continue to warp the entire meta around him. He has felt counterable with Darkhawk and beatable with Silver Surfer, clog, and others. I hope they leave Arishem as is for now. The meta-game feels diverse, with his play rate dropping below 30%. If Arishem gets nerfed, it will be because of his homogenizing effect on the meta rather than the win rate. How could they change him? They could make Arishem shuffle more cards into the deck to make him more random, or they could touch Loki or the Blob/Mystique interaction. Mockingbird has also been a powerful card in and outside of Arishem decks that could receive a change next week. A significant change to Loki would likely open up the metagame and force Arishem decks to be less inbred and identical.
Cassandra Nova
On Reveal: Steal 1 Power from each card in your opponent's deck.

However, another natural predator is coming very soon, providing even more counterplay to Arishem. Cassandra Nova steals 1-Power from each card in your deck, making her strong against Arishem. She has direct synergy with Korg and Rockslide, too, meaning she can fit nicely into a Darkhawk deck that would be a significant hurdle for any Arishem deck. She will be available in Deadpool's Diner, which will debut on July 23rd. The fact that she can be earned through the new mode rather than the Spotlight system means every player can access a direct Arishem counter. It will be interesting to see how this affects Arishem’s play rate and general success.
Copycat
When you draw this, copy the text from the bottom card of your opponent's deck.
Hawkeye Kate Bishop
On Reveal: Add 2 Arrows to your hand.
Symbiote Spider-Man
Activate: Merge your lowest-Cost card here with this. Copy its text like it just revealed.

Upcoming Spotlight card Copycat and future Season Pass cards Kate Bishop and Symbiote Spider-Man all have pretty good synergy with Arishem and may earn a spot in the deck. Kate Bishop especially seems like a strong first-turn play that adds cards that you can easily play out with all of your extra energy, which Arishem occasionally struggles with.

Arishem is seeing too much play right now. While I'm sure that will change eventually, either naturally or through the development team's actions, I want to make the point that Arishem should be strong and good for the game. Arishem and High Evolutionary are excellent first series 5 cards to target for new and low-collection players. Marvel Snap has had problems in the past of feeling like it is very difficult to get to a competitive level as a new player. Without cards like Arishem and High Evolutionary being viable, getting a deck that can compete on the post-infinite ladder takes months. I think these decks shouldn't be overbearing and can be well-balanced, but they should always be playable and competitive.

Arishem Card Grades

What are the best cards to play in an Arishem deck? Here are my impressions after extensively testing with nearly every reasonable inclusion.

I've judged these cards on the following grading scale.

  • Thumbs up - It's been good and is a reasonable deck inclusion.
  • Hard to Judge - The jury is still out, may be better or worse than expectations, might be meta-dependent.
  • Thumbs down - Has fallen far short of expectations or is a suboptimal deck inclusion.
Quinjet
Ongoing: Cards that didn't start in your deck cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Hard to Judge

Quinjet has seemed weak. Theoretically, it should allow you to play out more of your random cards or be a turbo boost when you play Loki. You rarely need it in practice, and its 2-Power isn't worth taking up a board space.
Loki
On Reveal: Replace your deck with your opponent's starting deck. Give those cards -1 Cost.

Thumbs up

For now, Loki seems powerful, but probably less so than most people had anticipated. Playing Loki to copy 1-3 of your opponent’s cards is much less potent when players aren't playing 6+ cards that directly counter their own deck. That being said, most people are doing just that. Loki can act as a last ditch reroll if you're drawing poorly. Loki is a reasonable inclusion in Arishem but far from an auto-inclusion.
Agent Coulson
On Reveal: Add a random 4-Cost and 5-Cost card to your hand.

Thumbs up

Coulson has felt excellent, and not just because of Loki. He gives you options, and those options are immediately playable.
Nick Fury
On Reveal: Add 3 random 6-Cost cards to your hand.

Thumbs up

Nick Fury has surpassed the modest expectations I had for him. There are a surprising number of games that you have to rely on what he's given you on turns 4, 5, and 6. Fury never found a niche in Loki or Devil Dinosaur decks, but he's worth considering in an Arishem deck.
Blob
On Reveal: Merge cards from your deck into this until it gains 13 or more Power.

Thumbs up

Blob is good in Arishem decks and is mainly responsible for the massive power output the deck can provide. Players are adapting by aggressively throwing priority and holding Shang and Shadow King.
Mystique
On Reveal: If the last card you played has an Ongoing, copy its text. (if able)

Hard to judge

Mystique is great for copying Blob, Rogue, or random cards you get. Occasionally you can get lucky and shrink opposing Darkhawks enough to steal a win. But I'm not convinced she'll continue to be as strong as the meta evolves and diversifies.
Mockingbird
Costs 1 less for each of your cards in play that didn't start in your deck.

Thumbs up

Mockingbird is probably the best Arishem card. She might be the best card in the game right now. I'm not convinced she will survive next week's OTA unchanged.
Shang-Chi
On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards here that have 10 or more Power.

Thumbs up

Shang Chi feels as close to an auto-inclusion as the deck has. The meta may shift in a way that changes, but he feels like an easy choice for now.

Tech Cards
Echo
After your opponent plays an Ongoing card here, remove its abilities.
Shadow King
On Reveal: Reset all cards here to their original Power.
Red Guardian
On Reveal: Afflict the lowest-Power enemy card here with -2 Power and remove its text.
Enchantress
On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards here.
Rogue
On Reveal: Steal the text from an enemy Ongoing card here.

Thumbs up

Tech cards generally have felt great in Arishem. Some posted that only having access to them an unreliable 37.5% of the time would mean they wouldn't work well in Arishem decks, but it's been the opposite. Because tech cards are so impactful, they widen your options dramatically. You could efficiently run an Arishem deck that consists entirely of tech cards (and Mockingbird, of course).
Namora
On Reveal: Give +5 Power to each of your cards alone at another location.

Thumbs up

Getting 16 Power from Namora is significantly easier to pull off on turn 4 than turn 5. She's big and efficient in a way that has surpassed Doctor Doom in these decks because of her lower cost. She's underplayed in the archetype.
Doctor Octopus
On Reveal: Pull the lowest-Power card from your opponent's hand to their side of this location.

Thumbs up

Doctor Octopus is extremely powerful at limiting your opponent's options while highlighting your own. If you pull something frightening early, you can react to it with tech or a retreat. The Doctor has provided excellent Snap and Cube equity in Arishem decks.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead
After an enemy card is played here, destroy it. (once per game)

Thumbs up

Negasonic is a good priority reward, and it is easy for Arishem to get priority. She has been excellent in my personal experience.
Cosmo
Ongoing: On Reveal abilities won't happen here.

Hard to judge

Though excellent as a priority reward like Negasonic, it's hard to play Cosmo proactively when unsure if it will hurt you or your opponent more.
Storm
On Reveal: Flood this location. Next turn is the last turn cards can be played here.

Thumbs up

It turns out that Storm on turn 2 is significantly better than Storm on turn 3! Who would have thought? She has even made Crossbones feel playable.
Darkhawk
Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent's deck.

Hard to Judge

Darkhawk is hard to pass up as a deck inclusion, given his power against other Arishem decks. Mystique's co-synergy with Darkhawk and Blob makes it all feel very tidy. However, I'm not convinced he doesn't result in more losses from opponents who play Loki while being uninspiring in all other matchups. I think Darkhawk in Arishem will slowly fade with time, and I've personally already cut him.
Legion
On Reveal: Replace each other location with this one.

Thumbs up

As with many impactful 5-Cost cards, they feel especially strong in Arishem decks. Legion can be game-winning, and tempting him out for power on turn 4 when he's not needed feels significantly better than how he feels when not impactful in other decks.
Green Goblin
On Reveal: Switch sides.
Hobgoblin
On Reveal: Switch sides.

Hard to judge

Before release, I expected these to be excellent for Arishem decks. Playing them earlier has felt okay but not world-breaking.
Phastos
On Reveal: Give each card in your deck -1 Cost or +2 Power.

Thumbs down

If you play him on turn 3, he's fine, but you can do so many more impactful things. He's not making your Blob any bigger because of Blob's updated text, and he often hits cards that you don't end up playing out anyway.
Absorbing Man
On Reveal: If the last card you played has an On Reveal, copy its text. (if able)

Thumbs up

Absorbing Man feels quite strong with random cards and Blob. He can also be a cube-winner when copying tech cards or disruptive cards.
Grand Master
On Reveal: Move one of your other On Reveal cards here to the middle location. Its ability happens again.

Thumbs down

The same theory as Absorbing Man hasn't also panned out with Grandmaster. He can make interesting plays, but Absorbing Man fulfills the role and works with Blob.
Arnim Zola
On Reveal: Destroy one of your other cards here to copy it at the other locations.

Hard to Judge

Arnim Zola can lead to some great moments and unexpected plays with random cards. He can copy Blob to dodge Shang Chi while unexpectedly diminishing an opposing Darkhawk. However, it seems like a once-in-a-blue moon play rather than something you can consistently achieve.

Smaller Card Generators

Thumbs up
Cable
On Reveal: Draw a card from your opponent's deck.
Mirage
On Reveal: Copy the card that costs the least from your opponent's hand into your hand. Give it +2 Power.
Sentinel
On Reveal: Add another Sentinel to your hand.
Valentina
On Reveal: Add a random 6-Cost card to your hand. Give it -2 Cost and -2 Power.
Snowguard
On Reveal: Add the Hawk and Bear auroras to your hand.

All of these have felt reasonable in Arishem decks. You are often thirsty for more cards to play and more options. Sentinel has surpassed my expectations, while Cable has fallen short. Valentina has felt much better in Arishem decks than she ever did elsewhere. Sentinel feels powerful and consistent. Mirage has been decent, especially when played alongside one or more of the others. Snowguard has felt the weakest of these options since you rarely want to tempo the animals out on curve.
Doctor Doom
On Reveal: Add a 5-Power DoomBot to each other location.

Hard to judge

Doctor Doom is good in Arishem decks with Storm but is disappointing in other builds. It's a testament to the power levels Arishem has ushered into the game that Doctor Doom doesn't feel impactful enough.
Magneto
On Reveal: Move all enemy 3 and 4-Cost cards to this location.

Hard to judge

Before Arishem’s release, I expected Magneto to be a strong card in the archetype. Since he can be played out a turn early, it makes it more likely you'll be able to use him to clog an opposing lane. Doctor Octopus has proven far more reliable in practice, and Magneto, on turn 5, is just a juicy Shang target. Not bad by any means, but not as good as I'd thought.

Move Cards
Nocturne
You can move this once. When this moves, replace its location with a random new one.

Thumbs up

Nocturne is great for changing locations, and getting her out earlier helps with that role more than I'd anticipated.
Jeff the Baby Land Shark
You can move this once. Nothing can stop you from moving or playing this to any location.

Hard to judge

Perhaps Jeff will be considered if the meta shifts to something more locked down. As it is, Jeff feels unimpactful in Arishem decks. You're generally better off generating a card than playing Jeff.
Vision
You can move this each turn.

Thumbs up

Vision has felt incredibly strong. Playing him out a turn earlier makes him feel a lot stronger. Move cards generally have felt pretty good, but Vision especially so.
Captain Marvel
At the end of the game, move to a location that wins you the game. (If possible)

Hard to Judge

Played on turn 6, Captain Marvel can steal cubes alongside something else impactful. But they probably enjoy her when Coulsen generates her, though.
Nightcrawler
You can move this once.

Thumbs down

I haven't been very impressed with many 1-Cost cards in Arishem. They're too small to have enough impact to feel relevant. There was some hope that Howard the Duck, Uatu, or M’Baku would feel acceptable, and they haven't at all.
Silk
After ANY card is played here, this moves to another location.

Thumbs up

Silk is excellent at gaining priority and getting into hard-to-reach places. Playing her on turn 1 is great, or she can be saved for turn 6 on occasion for surprising power.
Spider-Man
On Reveal: Move to another location and pull an enemy card from here to there.
Polaris
On Reveal: Move an enemy 1 or 2-Cost card to this location.

Thumbs down

Spider-Man and Polaris aren't reliably disruptive enough without the kind of additional synergy that Arishem can't provide.
White Widow
On Reveal: Add a Widow's Kiss to your opponent's side of this location.

Thumbs up

White Widow is great at earning priority, so she works well in Arishem decks that seek to do that.
Black Widow
Activate: Add a Widow's Bite to your opponent's hand.

Hard to judge

Black Widow is strong, and that you have extra energy makes her feel more affordable. She's good on later turns, but Arishem wants more proactive 3-Cost cards that can be played out on curve.
High Evolutionary
At the start of the game, unlock the potential of your cards with no abilities.

Hard to judge

I haven't had as much success with the High Evo builds of Arishem as some others I've seen. Also, the fact that it's just a chance if High Evolutionary will unlock cards without abilities that Arishem generates is a bummer and decidedly unintuitive.
Leech
On Reveal: Remove the text from 6-Cost cards in your opponent's hand.

Thumbs up

Leech is a reasonable inclusion to shut down opposing Shang Chis and Blobs.
Sera
Ongoing: Cards in your hand cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Thumbs up

Despite the extra energy, Arishem sometimes struggles to use up all of that energy and get a lot of cards out onto the board. Sera can help with that as early as turn 4. She also lets you get the most out of cards like Agent Coulsen or play a 6-Cost card with a 3-Cost card on turn 6.
Mister Negative
On Reveal: Swap the Power and Cost of all cards in your deck.

Thumbs down

It seems like building an entire Arishem deck around Mr. Negative would be too inconsistent, and it is. It's not much more than a meme, but one that you'll have an epic game with once out of twenty attempts.
Pixie
On Reveal: Shuffle the base Costs of all cards in your deck that started there.

Thumbs down

See above.

Screenshot_20240711-163025

[Art by Ron Frenz]

Let me know which cards you're playing in your Arishem deck below! Do you think Arishem needs a nerf? Share your ideas!

Who is Scosco23?

Scott is a former editor and teacher who is now a stay-at-home Dad. He has played TCGs for a long time, including Pokemon TCG and MTG and has been Snapping since global launch. He likes to walk the line between competitive meta decks and wacky Rogue decks.

You can find him on Twitter @scodenim

More Articles
Loading...

Game Overview

MARVEL SNAP unleashes the complete MARVEL multiverse into a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping, strategic, card battler. Assemble your team from a limitless dream roster of heroes and villains, collect endless styles of card backs, and experience superpowered play—all in just three minutes

Check it out at the official website

SNAP.FAN App

Collection Sync
Match History
Deck Tracking/Stats
Player Stats
Download our App