Best Darkhawk decks in Marvel Snap and how to counter them

Darkhawk is a hero in the Marvel universe who possesses superhuman strength, physical abilities, agility, and more. He is also known for gliding in the air using his glider wings, though he discovered to fly naturally later on. In Marvel Snap, he is one of the most powerful cards in the game.

Darkhawk’s ability reads “Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent’s deck.” On paper, it is already a strong effect. But with the right tools, you can unlock its full potential to make your way to the highest ranks in the game.

Here are the best Darkhawk decks in Marvel Snap.

Best Darkhawk decks in Marvel Snap

Darkhawk/Zabu/Sera

The deck that made Darkhawk popular in Marvel Snap is the Sera Control engine. This deck’s strategy revolves around bringing out Sera as early as possible to reduce the cost of all of its user’s cards in hand. Zabu also helps the four-cost cards of this deck to even lower their cost to two (assuming Sera is in play), paving the way for potentially playing multiple four-costs on turn six.

Sera’s ability reads “Ongoing: Cards in your hand cost 1 less. (minimum 1).” This can allow you to outplay your opponent in the late game, particularly in turn six. Zabu, on the other hand, reduces the cost of four-cost cards by one. And combined with Sera, your four-cost cards may cost as low as two. This can make Darkhawk a two-cost card in turn six while being at a high Power.

Aside from Darkhawk, some of the four-costs you can include in the deck are cards like Shang-Chi, which can destroy all of your opponent’s cards with nine or more Power. Enchantress can also be an option thanks to its ability to prevent all the Ongoing effects from working in the location where you played it. Rock Slide is a six-Power card that can give two rocks to your opponent’s deck, further boosting Darkhawk’s Power.

As for the other cards in the deck, you can add Korg, which also gives a rock to your opponent’s deck, Angela, which gains plus two Power for every time you play a card in the location where you placed it, and Sentinel, which adds a copy of itself to your hand when you play it. The cheap two-cost, five-Power Lizard is a good addition, with the ability that reads “Ongoing: -3 Power if your opponent has 4 cards here,” Bishop gains +1 Power every time you play a card at any location, and Wolfsbane gains plus two Power for every other card in your location.

The key to using this deck is to always prioritize bringing out Sera and Zabu. This will unlock your potential multiple outplays in the late game courtesy of Darkhawk, Shang-Chi, and Enchantress. Also, always maximize the value of Angela, Bishop, and Wolfsbane to gain as much Power as possible.

Win condition cards for this deck:

Darkhawk is the main Power source option for this deck, so playing it is essential almost all the time. But aside from it, the other win condition cards for this deck are:

• Sera
• Zabu
• Shang-Chi
• Enchantress

Sera and Zabu are the given tools to execute your multiple outplays in the late game. Shang-Chi is there to dismantle your opponent’s Power count, and Enchantress is needed in case your opponent’s strategy relies on Ongoing abilities like the Patriot and Devil Dinosaur decks.

The ideal sequential play for this deck is to play Angela or Zabu by turn two, Bishop on turn three, Angela or Zabu plus Lizard, Armor, or Sentinel on four, Sera on five, and Darkhawk plus Shang-Chi and Enchantress if they are needed, depending on the situation of your opponent’s board. Wolfsbane is also a good reserve card in case you need more Power on one of your locations.

Zabu/Darkhawk/Dino

Another deck where Darkhawk shines is the engine composed of Zabu and Devil Dinosaur. This deck relies on Darkhawk and Devil Dino’s Ongoing abilities to harness high Power to win your locations, as well as having the helping hand of Zabu to play more four-cost cards in the mid to late game.

Devil Dinosaur is one of the earliest cards you can have in the game. Its ability reads “Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your hand.” Having at least four cards in your hand means that Devil Dino can have at least 11 Power. Partner it up with its best pal, Moon Girl, which can duplicate your card to potentially have another copy of Devil Dinosaur, as well as some of your other important deck pieces.

Another vital card in this deck is Mystique. Its ability reads “On Reveal: If the last card you played has an Ongoing, copy its text. (if it’s in play).” It can copy the Ongoing abilities of either Darkhawk or Devil Dino, potentially becoming a clone of either one of those Ongoing cards. It can also copy the ability of Zabu, so playing Mystique wisely is a must in this strategy.

As for the other cards in the deck, you can include the likes of the other Darkhawk staples like Korg, Lizard, Armor, Sentinel, and Rock Slide. The Collector can be another offensive option for this deck since it gains plus one Power every time you add a card in your hand aside from drawing them from your deck. White Queen is also a good option since it can get a copy of the highest-cost card from your opponent’s hand. This can potentially boost Devil Dino and The Collector’s Power, as well as adding another late-game option card.

Cap off the deck with She-Hulk just to ensure you have another massive Power source in the late game thanks to its nine Power. It is also a flexible card since it costs one less Energy for each unspent Energy you have on the turn before playing it. The key to using this deck is to maximize the value of Zabu for Darkhawk, as well as having the right setup for the latter and Devil Dino’s Power boost in the late game.

You should also use Mystique’s ability in the right way, depending on the situation. It can adjust from being another offensive machine or as a Zabu clone.

Win condition cards for this deck:

Aside from Darkhawk, the win condition cards for this deck are:

• Devil Dinosaur
• Zabu
• Mystique
• Moon Girl

Both Darkhawk and Devil Dinosaur will be your main source of Power points, so you need to always prioritize bringing out those cards from turns four to six. It is better, though, to reserve Darkhawk until turn six, especially if you played Zabu before it to potentially outplay your opponent in terms of Power points.

Mystique is also a key card in this deck. As mentioned, use her ability to either copy Darkhawk or Devil Dino’s offensive Ongoing effect for more Power boost. But in any case that you want to play multiple cards in turn six, including Darkhawk, White Queen, or Rock Slide, copying Zabu’s Ongoing ability would be the right call.

Darkhawk deck staple cards

Here are the staple cards you should play in a Darkhawk deck, along with their effects:

• Korg – On Reveal: Shuffle a rock into your opponent’s deck.
• Lizard – Ongoing: -3 Power if your opponent has 4 cards here.
• Armor – Ongoing: Cards at this location can’t be destroyed.
• Rock Slide – On Reveal: Shuffle 2 rocks into your opponent’s deck.

How to counter Darkhawk decks

Since Darkhawk has an Ongoing ability, the direct counter to this card would be Enchantress. It completely shuts down Darkhawk’s Power boost, so playing it before Enchantress’ On Reveal ability would be the ideal scenario to prevent it from happening.

Units that let your opponent draw cards from their deck may also lower the Power boost of Darkhawk. This includes Mantis, which lets your opponent draw a card if you played another card on the location where it is placed during the turn it is also played. Adam Warlock can also be hard to deal with since it can potentially let your opponent draw two cards at the end of each turn if they are winning the location where it is placed.  

Darkhawk decks’ current state in the meta

After the latest patch implemented in Marvel Snap on March 21, 2023, Darkhawk decks are still seen as a decent contender in the current meta. Both the Darkhawk/Zabu/Sera and Zabu/Darkhawk/Dino decks work efficiently against other decks.

The Darkhawk/Zabu/Sera variant provides a toolbox strategy where you can use Shang-Chi to destroy the 26-Powered Red Skull or Taskmaster in an instant. If they have Armor, you can use Enchantress to dismantle its Ongoing ability. Then you can end the game with Darkhawk to potentially outplay your opponent with its high Power.

As for the Zabu/Darkhawk/Dino deck, it is strong against decks that rely on swarming the field with boosted units, such as the Patriot and DoomWave decks.