Marvel Snap’s development team Second Dinner has decided to make more frequent balance updates to mix things up a bit and keep the meta as fresh as possible (because nobody likes a stale meta in a card game) and these changes are indeed very nice looking, and Prima Games is very glad to bring them to our readers. Here are the Marvel Snap OTA Balance Updates for April 27.
Buffs and Nerfs in Marvel Snap – OTA April 27th 2023
We have four changes to present to you, along with the statements and comments from the developers, along with some input of our own. Make sure to check out our Marvel Snap game tag under the article, as well as related articles that might be useful to you.
Welcome to the new world of regular balance updates using OTA! OTA stands for ‘Over-the-Air,’ which means we can change the game without a big download. We’re making four changes today to freshen up the game balance, let’s dive right in:
1. Shanna Buff in Marvel Snap (April 27 2023)
[Old] 4/2 – On Reveal: Add a random 1-Cost card to each location.
[New] 4/4 – On Reveal: Add a random 1-Cost card to each location.
Shanna has fallen a bit flat since release. Even during the height of Zabu’s might, she was a low-performing 4-Cost card and we’d like to give her a better chance to shine. This buff is simple, but highlights that Shanna wasn’t being appropriately compensated for needing four available slots to hit her ceiling. In general, cards and decks that fill many slots early are safer to make strong, since there’s plenty of game left to react or retreat and their ability to gain cubes is impeded. This is especially true in Shanna’s case, where the randomness and the existence of cards like Killmonger makes her a bit riskier. Hopefully this additional Power is enough.
They are correct. Arguably, almost nobody played Shanna. 4/2 is a terrible stat line and Killmonger wrecks everything you’ve built. Or even worse, clogs you so you cannot play your stuff. We’ve spoken about Shanna before and at the time, the general expectation was that you’ll get good “rolls” on these random summons. As time progresses, there will certainly be even better 1-Drops.
Related: Is there a Marvel Snap Collection and Statistics Tracker? – Answered
2. Lizard Nerf in Marvel Snap (April 27 2023)
[Old] 2/5 – Ongoing: -3 Power if your opponent has 4 cards here.
[New] 2/5 – Ongoing: -4 Power if your opponent has 4 cards here.
When one card becomes a clear outlier on play rate because it’s playable in a huge number of decks, that’s something we flag and keep an eye on. That doesn’t mean we always take action–it’s important for us to keep in mind that the Series structure can serve to make cards appear overplayed when they’re actually just widely available. However, when we have a clear top card for the Cost and can slice a little bit of strength away from it without necessarily dethroning it, that’s largely a solid change for us to make. So that’s what’s happening here, with arguably the softest nerf we’ve ever made.
I believe that this is a fantastic nerf. 2/5 is still powerful, but it forces you to either play Zero or Sauron. On the other hand, it forces the opponent to overcommit on a Location if they want to cancel your gains. And finally, it’s a nerf to the pesky ol’ Skrull.
3. Sandman Nerf in Marvel Snap (April 27 2023)
[Old] 5/5 – Ongoing: Players can only play 1 card a turn.
[New] 5/3 – Ongoing: Players can only play 1 card a turn.
Since Sandman’s change from 4/1 to 5/5, we’ve seen him become a foundational piece of an Electro-based strategy that slows down the opponent and makes his effect feel asymmetrical by contesting multiple lanes with Dr. Doom or just some heavy hitters. That’s certainly the deck we expected to see, but it’s become more popular than we’d like. This tap on the main man makes him a less competitive source of Power, giving added edge to players committing cards early and making the endgame choices of each player more likely to ultimately determine the outcome of the game.
Yes! Thank you! It was a great dissatisfaction to deal with the buffed Sandman.
Related: How to See Discarded, Destroyed, and Remaining Deck Cards in Marvel Snap Matches
4. Enchantress Buff in Marvel Snap (April 27 2023)
[Old] 4/4 – On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards at this location.
[New] 4/6 – On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards at this location.
It’s been particularly telling to us that in a world where Armor, Patriot, Darkhawk, Devil Dinosaur, Sandman, Blue Marvel, and even Knull are major players that Enchantress is a poor performer on both popularity and actual winning. There are mitigating factors, of course–Energy curves, priority battles, and so forth. But ultimately, she’s not functioning as a solid counter for Ongoing cards, especially the symmetrical ones that Rogue can’t interact with. Hopefully, this change lets her contest locations in addition to neutralizing major Power problems like Darkhawk or reclaiming a big turn 6 from an early Sandman.
Great way to help against the onslaught of Ongoing decks.
Related: How to Spot a Bot in Marvel Snap – Bot List
That’s all for this update, stay tuned for more under the game tag below. See you soon at Prima!
