We continue this season with another alternate version of an existing character: Drax, Avatar of Life, drops this Tuesday! First, what is an Avatar of Life? An Avatar for life is essentially an individual chosen to uphold the cosmic balance between life and death. Last week, we got a glimpse into the alternate version of the most famous Avatar of Life, Adam Warlock, but this week, we get Drax. But what does Drax actually do, and will it bring life to your game? Let's take a look.
How much life does he give?
At first glance, Drax appears to be quite impressive, with the potential to gain an additional 12 power by the end of the game if your opponent plays a large card every turn. While you, as the player, don’t have control over the size or position of Drax, he does exert constant pressure on your opponent and influences their play. However, Drax does have some drawbacks due to his ability to move. This ability is situational; while it can help you win a lane, it can also lead to losing a lane that you were relying on Drax to win for you. Let’s break down some numbers to evaluate how effective he really is.
By the Numbers
Currently, in Marvel Snap, 35 cards can trigger Drax on the same turn that he is played. This number increases to 88 on turn 4 and continues to grow each turn, reaching a total of 161 cards that can trigger Drax. However, after the first trigger, the total number of cards that can increase his power a second time drops to 54, then to 17 for the third trigger, and finally to 6 for the last trigger.
*Note: These numbers are based on base power only. There are certain cards, like Sage and Devil Dinosaur, that can also trigger him, but for simplicity, only the base power is considered in these calculations. The numbers would be higher when taking specific gameplay actions into account.*
This isn't bad news; it makes sense that the more times Drax is triggered, the harder it becomes for him to gain power. It's reasonable to expect that 2 triggers will occur in a typical game, especially given the current meta, which features many high-powered cards. 3 triggers could become the average number of times Drax is activated in a single game.
Synergies
When considering synergies for this type of card, we can look at all the End of Turn cards that could be included. However, because this card's ability primarily relies on the opponent's actions, there is limited interaction available for the player using it. Drax functions more as a check, prompting the opponent to find a solution as the game progresses. This makes him similar to cards like Adam Warlock, Nebula, Viv Vision, and others, who can influence how the opponent plays, either forcing them to respond or ignore the threat altogether. Most players can safely include Drax in nearly any deck and let the opponent determine how to deal with it. Given that nearly 30% of the current meta consists of High Evolutionary and Star-Lord decks, Drax is positioned to be an auto-include for many players. Now, let's explore some possible deck lists!
JFsnap's first week deck lists.
Surfer, Avatar of Tres
The community has moved beyond the mindset of always including a 3-cost card like Drax in a Surfer deck, especially given the wide variety of 3-cost cards available now. However, Drax is a worthwhile addition. He can be played on turn 3 without any concerns and can grow to an impressive amount of power. Additionally, Surfer decks often lack early-game pressure since most cards are 3-cost, so having a card that forces opponents to react is beneficial.
Drax is also valuable during any turn he is played because his ability activates at the end of the turn rather than as an on-reveal effect. This means that even on turn 6, he can reach 9 power if you play Surfer on the same turn.
Wiccan, Avatar of Energy
While Wiccan has slightly fallen out of favor due to the availability of easier options for gaining energy, such as simply skipping turns (looking at you, Star-Lord!), he remains a decent choice for consistently generating power with a range of tech cards to counter your opponent's moves. Drax, Avatar of Life, is a solid pick because he can be played on turn 3 in every game without any concerns. He doesn't lose any potential impact by coming down on turn 3; in fact, it's optimal for him to be played at that time. Additionally, Drax adds another layer of interaction against your opponent by putting pressure on their plays while you accumulate energy and focus on your own strategy.
Avatar of Spread
With the current metagame focusing on building up strength in two lanes and waiting until the last few turns to execute a strategy using a 4-cost card (Again, looking at you Star Lord), I am considering a more consistent approach is to go wide. The idea behind this deck is to dominate one lane significantly or use The Thing to win one lane, while maintaining enough power across the other two lanes to secure another victory. Essentially, the strategy is to build up strength in one lane so much that your opponent won't be able to spread their power effectively across the other two lanes, allowing me to win at least one of them.
Drax fits well in this type of deck because he serves as a disruptive threat. He can target the lane with the opponent's strongest card and take control of it via his move ability. Meanwhile, we can spread our power in the other lanes to help secure the win and ultimately gain more cubes.
Variants
Conclusion
Drax, Avatar of Life, seems like a fun and easy-to-use card. His ability to move is likely a key factor in determining his effectiveness. In contrast, his power-gaining ability allows him to fit into various decks; the moving aspect either makes him shine or leads to inconsistency. Overall, he will be a solid card and a nice addition to the game. However, is he worth your tokens this week? I would say no. This is mainly because he doesn't significantly alter decks in the current meta or counter specific strategies. Yes, he can help contest a strong play from your opponent and secure a lane, but doing so might come at the expense of another lane.
I recommend waiting a few days to see how he performs before deciding to pick him up; there's no harm in letting others test him out first. That said, he does have some exciting variants being released, so if you're a fan of Vincenzo Riccardi (and who wouldn't be?), acquiring him might still be a good idea.