The newest card in Marvel Snap is Cull Obsidian. At first glance, he seems like a very simplistic, big card. 4-cost cards are compelling, and while strong, 10 power for 4 energy might be too vanilla to compete at that slot. Is he too straightforward to be good, or can we find some sneaky combos for him?
One of the most fearsome members of Thanos’ MCU Black Order, Cull Obsidian, is called Black Dwarf in Marvel Comics. A bit confusingly, Cull Obsidian is another name for the Black Order in the comics. Marvel Snap tends to be closer to the MCU than the comics, so he's just called Cull Obsidian in Snap (another example is Goose, named Chewy in the comics).
Glenn Jones’ had this to say about Second Dinner’s tendency to mirror the MCU more closely:
“We often take our cues from the MCU when there’s a decision to be made, as a larger percentage of our potential audience is familiar with the films than the comics. The fact that some other characters might already be “deep cuts” is a reason to care about accessibility more, not less.”
Playability
Just how hard will it be to satisfy Obsidian's condition? Other high-power 4-cost cards with conditions like Rescue, Jessica Jones, and Crossbones have yet to see an exceptionally high amount of play. Cull Obsidian has more power (though that might be more of a liability than an advantage), and his condition should be easier to meet. Cull Obsidian could outclass the above cards enough that they (especially Crossbones) may need a buff.
As the table below shows, you only need a few 1-cost cards to ensure that Cull Obsidian is playable by turn 4 (or even turn 3 if you want to play him early with Zabu). While I won't be playing him in a deck with only one, he can safely be in a deck with just two 1-drops. Furthermore, the developers confirmed that you don't need a 1-cost card already on board. You can play Obsidian alongside a 1-drop, saying, “You can stage a 1-Cost on the same turn as Cull,” which is a solid boost for his reliability.
Synergies
Players will spot the apparent synergies between Thanos and his stones and the KaZoo archetypes since they play many 1-cost cards. But some more exciting synergies are less noticeable.
Disruptive 1-Drops
The three-card package of Iceman, Spider-Ham, and Cull Obsidian is an excellent combination of disruption and power that can find itself in nearly any deck with the space.
Priority Snatchers
Squirrel Girl is an underrated and underplayed card that could see more play with Cull Obsidian. Since being buffed, she is effectively a 1-4. Furthermore, she is fantastic for grabbing priority, which is excellent in combination with cards like Cosmo, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and especially Alioth. I think Cull Obsidian’s best home will be not in a Zoo or Thanos deck but in lockdown and control decks with Alioth as a finisher. A play pattern of Nebula, Jeff, Storm, and Cull Obsidian seems substantial. Other 1-drops that are good for grabbing priority that could be intriguing with Obsidian are Martyr and Nightcrawler.
Big Guys
In Cull Obsidian, another relatively inexpensive 10+ power card cheapens Skaar. We may be hitting a critical mass of these cards, which could mean great Skaar value. 4/10 is alright, but what about a 4/10 immediately followed by a 4/11? Or how about a 3/10, followed by a 4/11, followed by some huge cards on turns 5 and 6? Zabu and the Time Stone can both enable that play line. Skaar might be the greatest beneficiary of Cull Obsidian.
The Opposition
The one card that may hold Cull Obsidian back is the ultimate big card party pooper, Shang Chi. Cull Obsidian was indestructible in initial data mines and later set at 9 power. It's possible that Cull Obsidian was strong enough in Second Dinner’s internal testing that he needed Shang Chi as a counter. There are a couple of ways we can deal with this. Armor will be great for protecting Obsidian, while Cosmo can also help. However, we can also build a deck that can put out so many big cards in different lanes that we can absorb a Shang and still win.
ScoSco’s Day One Cull Obsidian Decks
Black Hawk
Cull Alioth Prio
Cull Disrupt Value
Perfect 10s
Black Order Thanos
Black Zoo
Octopus Arms
Variant
Once again, we're only getting one variant upon release. Marvel Snap has done a great job of making cards from deep-cut characters, but it might be easier for them to keep up with the art demands of the game if they get back to characters with more of a presence in the comic books.
Conclusion
Cull Obsidian is a card with a high floor but probably a low ceiling. He won't see play as a part of a massive combo, and Snap is essentially a game of large, flashy combos. However, he is a solid card that provides above-rate stats with a relatively easy-to-meet condition. I'm not sure he's a must-have card, but I'm confident he's playable. If you're tight on resources, you might want to save for a flashier card, but if you like playing “mid-range,” “good cards,” or “value” decks, he's a pretty good pickup. Additionally, this is a perfect opportunity to grab Thanos if you don't already have him.
