The second card released during the New X-Men season is Prodigy. Prodigy, also known as David Alleyne, possesses telepathic knowledge-absorbing abilities. In the game, this is represented by his ability text: "On Reveal: If this is in the back row, copy the text of the card in front of it."
The ability to copy a card is always powerful, with characters like Absorbing Man, Frigga, and Mystique offering varied uses regardless of the current meta. However, Prodigy introduces an interesting placement challenge. He cannot just copy any card; they must be in specific positions, and he must also be in a specific position. This makes him more restrictive than a simple mix of Mystique and Absorbing Man.
Placement Challenge
Throughout most of Marvel Snap's history, very few cards have focused on the specific location of the card. Recently, however, developers have started to create cards with location restrictions that are not based on a specific location but rather on row placement. Generally, I will refer to these position numbers as follows.
Prodigy relies on being in the back row, as they don’t perform their function otherwise. This means you need to play cards in spots 1 and 2 to activate his on-reveal ability. Additionally, he can only copy the card directly in front of him. For example, if Prodigy is in spot 3, he will copy the card in spot 1, and if he is in spot 4, he will copy the card in spot 2. He cannot copy a card from a different lane, nor can he copy a card in spot that is next to him. The copying is always done in a direct line, meaning that if a card is in the right position, Prodigy will copy it, regardless of the cards type. I’m a visual guy, so here are some visuals -
Cards to Copy
Several cards could be advantageous to copy. In truth, any card can offer benefits if you have two of them. However, due to location and placement restrictions, the options become limited. The card you choose needs to be played early enough for Prodigy to have time to copy it, yet it should also be played late enough that Prodigy ends up in the back row.
Moreover, it's worth noting that countering is often easier than many people realize. Cards such as Debrii, Green Goblin, Red Guardian, Killmonger, Stegron, Spider-Man, Aero, and Polaris can disrupt your lanes and cause cards to move out of specific locations or add cards to lanes, creating complications.
In any case, these cards could serve as potentially beneficial targets. They typically come out early enough to be in the front row, and having two copies of them would be advantageous.
The only issue here with these is that possibly having two of the same card in the same lane is a little overkill. But, multiple Elsa or multiple Hope Summers? That sounds amazing to me. Having two copies of Scream stealing power from your opponents also sounds nice. Multiple copies of Bullseye have already been shown to pop off, so that feels like a no-brainer. These are all lower-cost cards, and I am sure there are a couple more, but let's get to some high-cost cards that might be beneficial to double up on.
While a lot harder to pull off because of the cost restrictions, there are some combos using multiple copies of Wong or Moonstone that have already proven to be good, and this just gives everyone an extra tool to try and pull them off.
Ok, that's enough talking, let's get to some possible decklists for Prodigy.
JFSnap’s Day One Prodigy Decks
Talent Theft Auto
This first deck focuses on just standard good cards, featuring Prodigy as a potential doubling option. Great cards to consider for copying include Elsa, Hope, Angela, Juggernaut, and Gwenpool. Kitty Pryde also appears to be a solid choice for location manipulation, as she can shift your lane spots depending on how you sequence your cards. However, since Prodigy copies cards that are in the same location, certain cards, like Juggernaut, may lose some of their copying value. That said, having multiple Elsas in play could lead to a significant power swing.
The Mimic Protocol
With any solid 3-cost card, Surfer is a great option and an excellent fit for Prodigy. Essentially, Prodigy serves as a more affordable version of Absorbing Man, with the added ability to copy and mimic cards like Sebastian Shaw or any other card that can benefit from Surfer's buffs. However, Prodigy is likely to be used primarily as a last-turn play due to spacing issues, as Surfer doesn’t occupy board space as effectively as other decks. Fortunately, with the inclusion of Sam Wilson and the shield, we have some card position manipulation integrated into the deck, which can help address this limitation.
Meta Mirror
When a new card is released, simply adding it to one of the best decks in the format may not always be the best strategy. However, in the case of Thanos, Prodigy appears to be a valuable addition. With the Infinity Stones taking up a significant amount of board space, Prodigy is more likely to have multiple card options to copy. Additionally, using ongoing Thanos is a strong choice, as ongoing cards generally work well together and complement each other effectively.
Flex Tape Special
Okay, hear me out. While board presence and clogging don't typically go hand in hand—because you're less likely to have full lanes that make Prodigy effective—the reality is that Clog has a basic strategy: focus on one lane and win with either Cannonball or Big Guy in another lane. This means that hyper-focusing on one lane and doubling up on certain abilities, like Debrii, Doctor Octopus, and Viper, isn’t a bad idea.
Since you're trying to fill your opponent's board rather than your own, it puts you in control when it comes to the exact card you want to copy. Additionally, this tactic introduces a level of mind games that your opponent might not recognize.
For example, if I just played my Viper, my opponent is likely not expecting me to play Viper again in the same lane. However, Prodigy allows that to happen, or they might not anticipate me using Doctor Octopus in the same lane twice, which lets me clog it unexpectedly. And don't get me started on doubling Selene to inflict some serious damage!
Copies on Copies on Copies
One deck that I didn’t mention as a good inclusion for Prodigy is a bounce-style deck. This type of deck allows you to control which cards are in each location. Additionally, copying high-power 1-cost cards like Rocket and Silver Sable is a great strategy. You can also copy a Hit Monkey, then bounce both Prodigy and Hit Monkey back to your hand for an impressive final turn. There are many possibilities with this approach that I believe are somewhat underrated.
Variants
Is Prodigy Good?
This question is always interesting, and the honest answer is, I don’t know. I find him intriguing, and he has a pretty cool effect, but his restrictions seem a bit too heavy for him to be considered a good card. Location restrictions can be more detrimental to cards than people may realize, and Prodigy has essentially two location restrictions for a simple copy effect, which raises a big red flag. While he can copy any card, he must be in the back row and in the same lane as the card he is copying, which doesn’t provide enough flexibility for frequent use.
Regardless, he will be available in the shop for 5,000 tokens as part of the Seasonal Series 5 Booster, or 6,000 tokens if you prefer not to rely on luck to pull a booster. He also has some interesting variants coming to the shop, so it may be worth considering if you enjoy deck building and challenges. However, for most players, it might be wise to wait and see how others use him before making a decision.