W...
formerly wwlos, recently competed in the Johnson Cup and put up an impressive run along with his teammates, ultimately falling in the finals. After such a busy week, W was gracious enough to share his decklists on X (@W_MarvelSnap) that he took to the tournament. In all, W shared seven decks, and we’re going to take a look at each one to give our reactions and thoughts on why they were so effective in such a competitive event, as well as give some tips on how to handle each card’s role should you choose to try any of them out yourself.
Deck dump from Johnson Cup below.
— W (@W_MarvelSnap) September 13, 2023
Everything here was either played or heavily considered.
High Evo continues to be my bread and butter, never lost with either version.
No stream tonight, it’s been a hectic snap week and my mind needs a break. pic.twitter.com/ShMgA1rYnX
Deck One
Deck Code - Deck One
Looking over this deck list, it’s easy to see how W could push some serious power through cards that grow over the course of the match. Raw power isn’t the only goal of this deck, however, as we see elements of control with Storm and Wave that can push opponents around a bit. Doctor Doom gives the deck some ability to go wide or get into locked down areas, making this deck a bit more immune to opponent control or tough location draws.
Role(s) by Card
Sunspot - Sunspot allows you to gain power over time by floating energy, but it also puts pressure on your opponent to keep up. Sunspot in locked lanes can continue to grow over time.
Nebula - Like Sunspot, Nebula is there to pressure your opponent to react to the lane where she resides and can grow over time, even if you end a turn without extra energy. Nebula puts extra mental pressure on your opponent to calculate power gains multiple turns ahead.
Misty Knight - Misty Knight pairs well with any card in a High Evo package. Passively adding power to the board for each turn with floated energy, Misty Knight can easily put 3–4 power per match on your side.
Medusa - Medusa, with her recent buff, has a sneaky high amount of power for a 2-cost card. Played before Storm or immediately after, Medusa can get good stats on the board on curve or late in the match.
Jeff - It’s hard to argue against Jeff’s inclusion in about any deck, but he’s extra valuable in decks that run any sort of lockdown effect. Jeff is often a reliable get-into-jail-free card.
Storm - With a deck that has the ability to grow in power through Sunspot, Misty Knight, and Nebula while also subtracting power from the board through Cyclops, Storm is a great way to secure a lane or force opponents to react to a changing board. Storm also works well to remove troublesome locations or turn off a Limbo before turn 7.
Wave - Wave can serve many purposes. Obviously, Wave can be used to cheat out Hulk or Doctor Doom early, but Wave can also be used late in the match to limit the number of cards your opponent can play. Wave is also great to ensure your turn 5, 6, or 7 plays will float energy for your Sunspot, Hulk, and Cyclops cards.
Cyclops - Played on curve, Cyclops provides decent stats, but his real value is generated over time. For any turn you float energy, Cyclops is going to remove power from your opponent’s side. When played in a locked or filled location, Cyclops can severely punish the enemy.
High Evolutionary - On his own, High Evo brings very little to the table, but his empowerment of Misty Knight, Cyclops, and the Hulk is his actual purpose. This deck doesn’t work without High Evo present.
Doctor Doom - Doom is a card that, like Jeff, just slots well in most decks. Here, Doom helps the deck get wide while also accessing locked or troublesome locations.
America Chavez - Chavez’s role in this deck is to create a more reliable draw, but she can be used as a backup plan if Hulk never makes it to your hand.
Hulk - The ultimate power slam on turn 6 or 7, Hulk can get huge as he continues to grow in power for each turn you float energy. Hulk puts pressure on your opponent to guess where that power might drop.
Deck Two
Deck Code - Deck Two
Deck two is essentially the same as deck one, but it changes out Medusa and brings Armor into play. While it may seem like a small change on the surface, there can be some significant changes in decision making between deck two and deck one. By pulling Medusa, your power locations are a bit more flexible. With Armor, Nebula and Sunspot can be protected, as can your Hulk/Chavez. Sunspot and Nebula can get big in these decks, and feeling a bit less worried about Killmonger or Shang-Chi can be a boost to confidence.
Role(s) by Card
Armor - As the only change from deck one, Armor is here to primarily protect your power. On top of that, Armor can counter Destroy decks, or give you some extra assurance that Alioth won’t spoil turn 6.
All Other Cards - See deck one’s roles.
Deck Three
Deck Code - Deck Three
Deck three is the classic Shuri-Sauron package. Known for its ability to get VERY tall in two lanes, Shuri forces your opponent to play a more narrow path to victory, as spreading power wide will not work against her. Shuri decks are well documented, but here is a quick roundup of the roles by card.
Role(s) by Card
Sauron/Zero - Sauron and Zero are in the deck to remove negative effects that can harm your power totals. Zero will disable Ebony Maw’s restrictions, erase Lizard’s power loss, remove Typhoid Mary’s power subtraction, and kill off Red Skull’s effect that boosts your opponent’s power, but only on a single card basis. Sauron will remove ALL ongoing effects, making your deck less of a plus/minus tradeoff scenario. Note: Sauron will remove Armor’s ability too, so if you need Armor, get it down before Sauron.
Shuri - Shuri is here to double a card’s power and set that card up to be copied by Taskmaster.
Ebony Maw, Lizard, Typhoid Mary, Vision, Red Skull - These are the cards you use to get big power onto the board. Typhoid Mary, Vision, and Red Skull are your preferred targets for Shuri, but Ebony Maw or Lizard can work in a pinch. Ebony and Lizard are best used to build up some power in the non-Shuri lanes, however.
Taskmaster - Taskmaster is to be played on turn 6 in most cases to copy the card’s power that was doubled by Shuri on turn 5.
Armor - Armor serves to protect your power in one lane, especially since Shuri makes your turn 5 play very predictable for a Shang-Chi counter.
Jeff - Jeff is a bit of a fallback plan to the core play lines in this deck, but Jeff is useful in any package. Jeff can get you into closed-off locations and, in a rare instance, is worth doubling to use to beat out an opponent’s possible Doctor Doom play into something like Sanctum Sanctorum.
America Chavez - Chavez’s role in this deck is to create a more reliable draw, but she can be used as a backup plan if Taskmaster never makes it to your hand or you were unable to set up the Shuri combo play.
Deck Four
Deck Code - Deck Four
The fourth deck is the same as deck three, but with Jeff taken out and Enchantress tapped in. This is still a deck to put big pressure on two lanes and punish decks that do best going wide. Enchantress brings some unexpected strategies that might surprise your opponent.
Role(s) by Card
Enchantress - Enchantress can work in two ways in this deck. Obviously, Enchantress can be used offensively to disable an opponent’s ongoing card (Devil Dino, Luke Cage, etc.), but the real surprise factor can come in when used on your own cards. If you are unable to draw Sauron, Enchantress can be used to remove Typhoid Mary’s, Red Skull’s, or Lizard’s effects. An opponent calculating a win based on Red Skull buffing their cards or Typhoid Mary reducing your power might get caught off guard by the late Enchantress play.
All Other Cards - See deck three’s roles.
Deck Five
Deck Code - Deck Five
Deck five incorporates move and soft control elements. This deck has a lot of potential to spread good power across all three locations while dictating where your opponent can put their own power. The moving around of cards can also be far less predictable to your opponent and make them feel uneasy about which two lanes they can most safely contest.
Role(s) by Card
Nightcrawler - Nightcawler serves multiple possible purposes in this deck. First, Nightcrawler can move to reduce Miles Morales’ cost. Secondly, Nightcawler can move to the Kraven lane to buff Kraven’s power. Finally, Nightcrawler can be used to get into tricky locations. One more niche use for Nightcrawler is to cheaply suppress a Nebula.
Snowguard - Snowguard is rapidly becoming an important card in multiple archetypes. With her cheap cost and ability to generate two new cards, Snowguard helps you stay on curve. The real power Snowguard brings, however, is through her token cards, which can reactivate or suppress locations that may prove beneficial to you or problematic for your opponent. Snowguard can even shut down Limbo if needed.
Kraven - Kraven is the unexpected power engine in this build. With Silk, Nightcrawler, Jeff, Spider-Man, and Aero moving cards around, Kraven can get much bigger than your opponent may account for. Easy to play on curve, Kraven is a star in this deck.
Jeff - Like Nightcrawler, Jeff is multi-purpose and essentially does the same role, only with a bit more power and the ability to get into more locations.
Silk - Unpredictable, but with solid stats, Silk can account for plenty of good chaos over the course of a match. Being able to buff Kraven multiple times, reduce Miles Morales’ cost, and getting into tough locations are Silk’s reasons for being here.
Wave - Wave can be used to stifle your opponent’s late turn plays, limiting them to one card, or be used to cheat out Doctor Doom early. If leading in two or more spaces, Wave can ensure Alioth cleans up your opponent’s final play for turn 6.
Spider-Man - Spider-Man is here to upend your opponent’s plans, buff Kraven, and reduce Miles Morales’ cost, while putting decent power down. Spider-Man is good at forcing wide power to consolidate into fewer lanes (think of pulling a Collector on top of a Devil Dino), making it hard for the opponent to compete in the manner they had planned to.
Miles Morales - Miles is a big power drop for one cost the turn after a card moves. With so much movement going on, Miles will usually be played as a 1/5 card.
Iron Lad - Aside from having decent power, Iron Lad has nothing but positive effects to reach for in this deck. An unexpected early Alioth or Doctor Doom can put your opponent on the back foot, or an Aero effect can unlock Miles’ cost reduction. If Lad copies Jeff, that’s a lot of flexible power to move around late.
Aero - Aero is a solid tech card to, like Spider-Man, harm your opponent’s intended play lines. Aero can also be a fantastic setup for turn 6 to make your Alioth lane a safer play.
Alioth - The new villain in Marvel Snap, Alioth is a safe card to play to secure a win if you are ahead or within 4 power on a lane. If you have priority, nothing can prevent Alioth from securing the lane. Without priority, only a Cosmo or Armor can really stop Alioth.
Doctor Doom - Fitting with the theme of the deck, Doom helps you get wide on the final turn and can reach into inaccessible locations.
Deck Six
Deck Code - Deck Six
Deck six brings a solid discard package that is a bit more active than most discard decks. While many decks are fairly passive (only concerned with their side of the board), W’s deck does take the fight to the opponent to a higher degree. Lockdown is a great pairing with discard due to its ability to grow in later turns.
Role(s) by Card
X-23 - Often thought of as a destroy card, X-23 is a good discard enabler. X-23 will provide some light ramp options and put a card on the board that’s immune to destruction.
Morbius - The power engine for a discard deck, Morbius goes down easy on curve and grows as the rest of the deck does its thing. Morbius is a strong card played into a flooding location.
Wolverine - Like X-23, Wolverine provides an indestructible card that can grow over the course of a match. Like X-23, Wolverine can bounce into bad locations, such as Sanctum Sanctorum or Luke’s Bar.
Swarm - Most commonly used as discard fodder to power up Morbius, having multiple 0 cost Swarms at the end of the game can make for a big power slam.
Colleen Wing - A reliable discard effect lets you use Colleen to hit X-23, Wolverine, Daken’s Muramasa Shard, or, most ideally, Swarm. Colleen brings a solid stat line along with her effect.
Storm - Storm is a fantastic control card to pair with Morbius, Dracula, or Daken. She can also be used to turn off bad locations or counter a Limbo play.
Daken - A natural fit in a discard deck, Daken gives a discard target to grow Morbius while being able to grow to a solid stat line at a low cost. Daken makes your opponent have to account for his ability to grow at any point.
Dracula - Very few cards are able to counter Dracula, and just putting him out on the board will often steer your opponent clear of that lane. The classic Dracula/Apocalypse combo makes turn 6 a big power swing.
Silver Samurai - A recent big addition to discard, this card forces your opponent to drop a card from their hand they didn’t expect to lose, while often discarding a card from your hand that only brings a good effect for you. With his ability to buff Daken and Morbius, his 4/5 stat line is actually better than advertised.
M.O.D.O.K. - This card’s purpose is singular: discard your entire hand in one go. This turn 5 move will prepare your hand for the best Dracula play on turn 6, buff up Morbius, and possibly put X-23 or Wolverine into play. Discard doesn’t get to big numbers without this card.
Apocalypse - The card that just keeps coming back, Apoc is always a good discard target. If you can get Apocalypse discarded once or twice, Dracula has the perfect target to adopt on turn 6. Apocalypse is also a good backup option if you don’t manage to draw Dracula.
America Chavez - Chavez’s role in this deck is to create a more reliable draw, but she can be used as a backup plan if you don’t draw Apocalypse and you need a good power target for Dracula. She can be great on turn 6 to go in one lane while leaving Apocalypse in hand for Dracula as well.
Deck Seven
Deck Code - Deck Seven
Deck seven revisits the discard package from deck six, but it makes some important changes. While some cards adopt the same role, new cards put some tweaks on how the deck’s playlines evolve. Nebula, Zabu, and Absorbing Man join the deck six list while pushing out X-23, Colleen Wing, and Storm to make room.
Role(s) by Card
Nebula - Nebula serves to force reactions out of your opponent and to put pressure in the desired lane. Without proper attention, Nebula can easily grow out of control while you set up power elsewhere.
Zabu - Zabu comes to discount Dracula, Silver Samurai, and Absorbing Man, which opens up your hand to combo plays that may surprise the opponent. A Zabu on turn 2 after Nebula on turn 1 can easily give your opponent a false read on your deck.
Absorbing Man - Able to copy Silver Samurai, Daken, or even MODOK, Absorbing Man can create some unpredictability for your opponent. A turn 5 MODOK followed by a turn 6 Absorbing Man can make for some big power spikes. If Dracula is on the board, it’s probably best to put your Swarms out before Absorbing Man to ensure a good target for Dracula (assuming Apocalypse is in hand). If Dracula has not been played, leaving all the Swarms in hand will make Morbius obscenely large.
All Other Cards - See deck six’s roles.