Nobody stays dead in comics. Well, unless you're Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben's death in the comics inspired Peter Parker to become a hero. Will his death in Snap lead to some heroic moments?
When Uncle Ben is destroyed, you get a free Spider-Man. That certainly would have felt more valuable back when Spider-Man was a 3-5, but we still have a few ways to leverage this ability to our benefit. In addition to the small amount of disruption the movement provides, there are a few synergies we can exploit.
Ben has strong synergistic packages he fits into, but they point us in just a few directions. The classic Death Bird decks that try to work towards cheap Death and/or Mockingbird is probably the clearest concept. Scream is the other, but I'm not sure how much Ben helps that deck or solves any problem it has. I expect people to play him there simply because it's one of the few places they can take Ben for a spin.
Scosco's Uncle Ben Decks
Ben DeathBird
Destroying Ben and Bucky discounts both Death and Mockingbird by 2 each while adding power to the board.
Ben DeathMill
Mill decks often rely on massive late power swings with cards like Fenris and Shang Chi. Ben adds another tool to that kit.
Ben Screams
This Scream deck adds Killmonger to activate Ben and gives us additional help against decks that play powerful 1-Cost cards. Keep your eyes peeled for times you can use Nico’s destroy spell on Ben to draw what you need.
Ben DeathMoons
The idea here is to get a stack of discounted cards, depending on how the game develops.
Ben Control
Amidst the chaos of the last turn with this control deck, a Killmonger hitting a Ben you placed early could steal a few wins.
Ben Shanna Sacrifice
The idea here is to play a free Mockingbird early and finish with a free Death later on.
Final Thoughts
Is Uncle Ben more than a meme? He has a few intriguing uses, but it's hard to see him having a major impact on the metagame. He feels quite narrow and the cards that work alongside him point to just a few builds. I think Laufey is a clearly better card, and Gorgon has value as a tech card to pull out if your personal pocket meta demands it. Most players can happily live without Uncle Ben. He's a fun card that off-meta deck brewers will enjoy, but most people won't be heartbroken if he's their last portal card pull.
Be sure to check out the Sanctum Showdown strategy guide here!