February is going by quickly, and I bring you today the final mid-month update for the February Marvel Snap Most Wanted poll, along with the final character spotlight of the month. The February poll will close on Monday, February 23rd. If you haven’t voted yet, and wanted to get straight to it, click the link below. Otherwise, join me as we explore some of the current results, and learn about this week’s spotlight: Abyss.
VOTE HERE
Looking at the current standings, the current leader is none other than Captain Britain! If this holds, it would be the first time Captain Britain tops the Most Wanted list at the end of the month. I look forward to Captain Britain one day coming to Marvel Snap. Although there have been hints of Excalibur here and there, there are more than enough remaining Excalibur members and villains for a full Marvel Snap season. If that’s something you’d like to see in the game one day, make sure you give Captain Britain your vote of confidence on the Most Wanted poll.
Quasar is still hanging on in the Top 20, but barely. He would be the only new addition to the monthly showcase, should he remain. Sitting at number 20 right now is Sunfire, who has had one appearance on the list in the past, but nipping at his heels are Valeria Richards and Blackheart, who would both be making their debuts should they overtake him.
Looking ahead, I mentioned last week that March is going to celebrate Marvel Snap March Madness with a tournament of the Top 32, instead of the traditional Most Wanted poll. Some of the characters right on the cusp of making it into the tournament include Amadeus Cho, Destiny, Arcade and Crimson Dynamo. Make sure to vote for some of your down ballot favorites if you want to give them a chance to shine next month!
Character Spotlight: Abyss
Last week I highlighted Ex Nihilo, a cosmic being created with the intent to transform, uplift and evolve any planet or species it came across. Every Ex Nihilo is, or was, born with a counterpart Abyss. The job of Abyss was to judge the work of Ex Nihilo. When the Builders, who created the Ex Nihilo/Abyssi system move on to other forms of universe building, the Abyssi all perished - except for one. The one I’m going to spotlight today.
Abyss travels to Mars with her brother, and from there they begin the process of changing Earth with Origin Bombs. They are met by the Avengers, and demonstrate their strength by quickly capturing the team. It’s here that we first see some of Abyss’ powers, including an invulnerable gaseous form, as well the ability to manipulate people’s minds.
Abyss and her brother travel in tandem, and the two join forces with Avengers when they realize that the ongoing incursions may mean there are no more worlds for them to evolve and change. After following the Avengers into an intergalactic war, Abyss and her brother join Thor and Hyperion to seek out the origin of the incursions. This includes traveling through various dimensions, and finally deep into space. The two ultimately meet their end, sacrificing themselves to stop a Beyonder.
Abyss in Marvel Snap
Last week’s Ex Nihilo card was a pretty wild one - replacing all three locations at once. I mentioned in that article that there was no specific, popular archetype for location control. That’s where Abyss comes in.
Abyss - 2/2 - On Reveal: Replace this location with its previous location.
Abyss is now the perfect card to judge the work of the Ex Nihilo card. It also opens up the door to various trick plays with cards like Magik, Storm, or Merlin’s Omniversal Presence.
Abyss can undo bad rolls by Ex Nihilo, but can also turn off Flooded locations or act as a more predictable Scarlet Witch. I debated whether or not Abyss should be an On Reveal or an Activate, but ultimately found it stronger as an On Reveal because of the surprise factor it could provide. (I would have probably made the Activate a 1-cost card - you can’t catch anyone by surprise if they know exactly where the Abyss sits on the board.)
I like the idea of a deck with cards like Quake, Legion, Scarlet Witch, Magik, Storm, as well as the Builder duo I created. With some extra cheated out energy, and a few strong tech cards, there’s more than enough to drive your opponent mad while you win a few games.
Conclusion
That wraps up the February Character Spotlights! There’s just under a week left to vote in the February edition of Marvel Snap Most Wanted! Make sure you vote now!
VOTE HERE
I also have two more season passes to give away! I’ll reach out to anyone who has voted this month and left their discord username! (Even if you already voted earlier this month!)
Also special thanks to everyone who suggested comics for me to read last week! I’ve bookmarked a few on my Marvel Unlimited app and plan on digging in shortly! I’ll follow up and let you know what’ve been reading!