Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain.
If you're anything like me and have a mix of comic book and movie knowledge about Marvel, then you’ve likely seen Dormammu before, specifically in the scene where Doctor Strange traps him. Well, it looks like Dormammu might soon trap us all, as he is the next card from Series 5 to be introduced in Marvel Snap.
Dormammu, What Do You Do?
He might come across as a bit boring for a card that you just want to play out. But his main function is to initiate a ritual at the start of the game, and he also costs a hefty 7 energy, so playing him out is not exactly easy. Instead, you want to summon him.
So, what do we mean by "summon"? The ritual begins at the start of the game. If the player completes all three steps of the ritual, Dormammu will be summoned to the final location of the third step. That’s pretty cool! But how do we go about completing the ritual?
Rituals
Each ritual has a cost and a condition to be met. If both are met, then you will move on to the next ritual. However, they are not exactly just drop and play. Let’s take a look at each one.
Summoning Ritual Step One
This is pretty simple, however, probably the more complicated step since you need to have something destroyed first. But, as long as you meet that condition, this should be easy.
Step Two
Also, pretty simple. This works similarly to Laufey and gives Dormammu some extra power. Seems easy enough I’d say.
Step Three
Ah, yes. This is where the actual sacrifice comes in. I have to destroy two characters to summon Dormammu. Well, that is easily accomplished and could even be worth it if we synergize. After ritual one and two, Dormammu is probably pretty beefy, making it worthwhile if you have some good throwaway characters to destroy.
Dormammu, Why Are You So Hyped?
Dormammu is a new destroy card, essentially. He allows Destroy to have some spell cards that can be played to fill out the curve a little and allow for some extra destroy effects. Dormammu may find a place somewhere else, but at this moment, I’d stick with destroying and see where that goes. Also, I’d pretty much consider him a 4 cost card, and for his potential power output, that's a good deal. Particularly when combined with synergistic cards that don’t have a big drawback, he seems like a fantastic card.
Dormammu, Who Do You Synergize With?
Let me quickly list the destroy cards for you.
This isn't even all of them. So while yes, these all work, some will work better than others.
Kid Omega
I’m sure everyone picked this card up… or I mean. Never mind, too soon.
But, he is going to work very well with Dormammu. I can’t sugar coat that. It’s the truth. In fact, he might be one of the best cards with Dormammu.
Nico Minoru
This is a tricky one because she only has one spell that works with destroy. But when the spell does hit, it’s game-changing.
Bucky Barnes
When you get to the last ritual, he is going to be a great card to destroy and not worry about it at all.
X-23 & Wolverine
Same thing, they get destroyed and they come back, so there isn’t a negative for running them.
Nimrod
Again, same idea. Destroying a Nimrod doesn’t do any harm usually and has a lot of benefits.
Dormammu, I’ve Come to Stop All the Fun
The trickiest part about Dormammu is that the destroy play patterns are typically too predictable. I have a Nimrod on a lane. I’m probably going to destroy it, and that means I’m vulnerable. The same goes for all the other destroy cards. It’s what makes Destroy an average deck most of the time.
These lovely cards here ruin the fun most of the time.
Outside of that, though, there isn’t an exact counter. Technically, Gorgon can make the Summoning Rituals a little bit more expensive, but that’s about it. So let’s get to some deck lists.
JFSnap’s Week One Deck Lists.
Ok, I’m only going to include one Kid Omega decklist and then move on, but if you did get Kid Omega, this is what I’d run.
Pay-to-win Bargain
Or I’d run something similar to this. Kid Omega is useful in other decklists but for me personally I love Shuri Nimrod shenanigans. Dormammu is a nice extra payoff, and for most cards you want to destroy, there isn’t a drawback. Luna Snow is also nice because it’s a guaranteed 2 cards in a location that you can sacrifice to Summon. Shuri Nimrod also has that benefit as well while adding Dormammu to the location that typically would have less power after Nimrod leaves. Either way, this is a good spot to start with.
For those who didn’t grab Kid Omega. Here are some lists that should still completely work and be a lot of fun.
Salty Bargain
Ok, this is essentially the same idea, but without Kid Omega. You could probably fit a different card in there, but Elixir bringing back some of your cards is kind of an interesting idea, actually. Either way, putting Dormammu in a Shuri Nimrod deck is a good place for sure.
Forceful Bargain
I love Phoenix Force decks, and so this is a slight hybrid of the best Phoenix Force deck currently, adding in Dormammu. This deck may have too much going on to actually get going since a lot of your energy is already taken up trying to do PF things. But, it also adds a layer of complexity and flexibility to get a big threat like Dormammu on the board. However, both Dormammu and PF revive or do something with a destroyed card. This means that if you play Step One and PF, you need multiple cards already destroyed.
Inevitable Bargain
My final list is a good old Destroy Thanos list. It’s pretty straightforward. Use stones for fodder, have all the destroy cards. Use Wiccan for extra energy and drop some big numbers on the last turn. Pretty solid. Use Misery to make sure you can draw as many cards as possible as well, and summon away. I’m sure there is a fancier version, but I like things when they are right to the point and do what they want to do. Nimrod also could be a good inclusion in this deck but you might be competing with board space depending on the draw.
Dormammu, I’ve Come To See Your Variants
Dormammu, I’ve Come To A Conclusion
Dormammu seems like a lot of fun and has the potential to provide a lot of flexibility to destroy as well. Will he make a giant splash in the meta game? I’m not so sure. Destroy has a highly predictable play pattern, and if you’ve been playing Marvel Snap for even a short period, you know that most people will disrupt or use cards to throw a wrench in your plans way too often. This makes it a slight toss-up for me. But if you like destroying cards, summoning big cards, and doing new and exciting things, I’d go for it. What are your plans for Dormammu?