This is an odd midweek preview because some of you already own the newest card introduced to Marvel Snap. Agony, the newest symbiote on the block, is a simple card introduced to the game, and being essentially free makes it a good pick-up.
So what does Agony do?
Agony is a simple card that states, “After you play a card here, merge this with it.” This is nothing new to the game as it mimics Hulkbuster as a card that merges with others, giving them bonus power. However, unlike Hulkbuster, Agony has to be played first, and then the next card played there gets the buff. Just like Hulkbuster and Phoenix Force, Agony is not the card that stays on top, and the card played after Agony merges with will remain.
Simple yet powerful
While Agony is a very simple card, it has a lot of uses within the game. While 2 power isn’t a lot, there are several ways to use it best by extending that power in combination with other cards.
Deadpool
Being able to play Agony then a Deadpool means you’ll have much more power to double each time Deadpool gets destroyed. Deadpool has many helpers like Nico Minoru, Arana, Forge, and even Hulkbuster. Agony is just another tool to maximize Deadpool’s potential strength.
Gwenpool
Sticking with the family of Pools in the game. Gwenpool can buff cards in the hand. Generally, Gwen works best when you have low-cost cards in your hand so you can play all of the buffed cards out, making Agony as a 1-cost card a fantastic option in a hand buff type strategy.
Phoenix Force
While not precisely a good target for Phoenix Force specifically, adding 2 power to a Multiple Man or a Human Torch simply with Agony is fantastic. Also, if playing the Nimrod version, being able to create 8 Nimrods on those awkward draws is a lot better than just 6 power.
Human Torch
Adding 2 power to any doubling card is a fantastic way to make massive power. Also, because Agony does not become the top card, you can still move Human Torch with Ghost Spider, Araña, and Iron Fist after the merge.
Interesting interactions
Agony will only merge if her target is staged and revealed in her location. So if you play a card but it gets moved away with a juggernaut, Agony will not merge. However, Agony is not a one-time trigger; if, for whatever reason, she can't merge with the first card played to her location, she'll try to merge with the second one, and so on. She doesn’t exactly have any counter cards since she is a triggered ability, meaning she works under Cosmo, but Red Guardian will ruin her day if the opponent has priority.
JFSnap's First Week Decks.
The card has been out for a few days now, although depending on how you are playing the game, you probably are at the point where she is getting unlocked. With that said, here are a few decks people have tried and have been doing well with Agony already.
Agonized Death
It's probably the option that is the most straightforward. Agony helps you maximize your Deadpool while lowering the cost to do so. Agony takes the place of Araña in many of the destroy builds, just as a different option that is less counterable. This deck does well in almost all formats and is a natural place for Agony.
The Agony Force
This deck actually uses most of the doubling scalers in conjunction with Agony to maximize the power output. Phoenix Force always has some interesting interactions, but at a basic level, being able to add 2 power to your Multiple Man or create a massive Deadpool while also doing Phoenix Force things means there are a lot of interesting lines to take within a game that will have your opponent guessing every single turn.
Agony if Options
Along the same lines as the previous deck, instead of going full Phoenix Force, this deck includes the Nimrod package. Agony can help with some of the awkward draws by adding some extra power for a low cost as well as buffing Nimrod when you don’t have Shuri. Also, because of the merge factor, this deck can create a lone Nimrod for some easier Zola situations.
Buffed in Agony
This isn’t technically my idea, but some members of my Alliance have been messing around with Agony in the buffing space. While there are several ways to go, this has been working well, with Agony being a low-cost option to create some beefier cards, enabling Skaar or bigger Scarlet Spiders.
There are several other ways to use Agony, but for right now, I’d start in these places. However, as a cheap card that adds power, Agony will always have a place in some deck going forward.
Should you get Agony?
Agony is among the last rewards for playing the High Voltage game mode. Technically, she is a free card from a resources standpoint, although you’ll need to play a decent amount of the new game mode to acquire her. However, honestly, this is the simplest card to acquire and if you have the time I would definitely grab her through High voltage. If you don’t get her through the event, she will be released as a Series 4 card, which costs 3000 tokens. I’m not exactly sure she is worth the 3000 tokens because other options do pretty much the same thing, so High Voltage is the way to go. You still have about 4 more days to unlock her that way. Let me know your plans for Agony in the comments!
New Snap.Fan Features!
With the Collectors Vault quickly approaching Snap.Fan has added the ability to filter the different Collector Vault variant rarities. There are three Collector Vault rarities - Amazing, Sensational, and exquisite. If you missed a bundle variant and want to see what rarity it ended up as in the game, I would go check it out now so you can be prepared with the amount of Gold you'll have to spend to pick it up. Also, if you go to the specific variant screen, it will mention its quality.
