In the Marvel universe, some characters are inspired by animals that may have abilities and powers of their own. One of those is Howard the Duck, who is a character who often made appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy films. But in Marvel Snap, he is a card that helps players have a closer look at their deck.
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Howard the Duck is a one-cost, two-power card with the ability that reads “Ongoing: Tap this to see the top card of your deck.” At first glance, it may not be an effect that can change the tide of the game in an instant. But the advantage it can provide is indeed useful to solidify your strategy as early as turn one.
Here are the best Howard the Duck decks in Marvel Snap.
Best Howard the Duck decks in Marvel Snap
Ongoing Deck
One of the best decks Howard the Duck can fit in is in an Ongoing deck. This strategy revolves around Ongoing cards which effect can be copied by Iron Lad. And with the presence of Howard the Deck, it can make the deck more consistent than ever, with the potential of making explosive moves in the late game.
Iron Lad is a staple in this deck. It is a four-cost, six-Power card with the ability that reads “On Reveal: Copy the text of your deck’s top card.” This is the ultimate synergy effect for Howard the Duck since it can give you enough vision to determine the right time of playing Iron Lad. This combo can be included in most decks since their synergy works well as an added tech-in replica of the deck’s main offensive engine.
Ongoing cards are a great target for Iron Lad’s effect. The four-cost, six-power stat line of Iron Lad is great while having an Ongoing effect that can benefit your side of the location or other cards. Some of the Ongoing cards which can be excellent targets for Iron Lad’s effect includes Darkhawk, which can gain plus two power for each card in your opponent’s deck, Devil Dinosaur, which gains plus two power for each card in your hand, and Iron Man, which doubles the total power of the location where you played it.
Zabu and Sera are also great picks. The former can lower the cost of your four-cost cards by one, while the latter can lower the cost of all cards in your hand by one. Mystique, on the other hand, can copy an Ongoing ability of the card that you last played before it.
As for the cards that can support the Ongoing units, you can include Korg, which can add a rock to your opponent’s deck, Agent Coulson, which adds a random four and five-cost card to your hand, Rock Slide, which adds two rocks to your opponent’s deck, and Spectrum, which gives plus two power to all of your Ongoing cards.
The key to using this deck is to properly set up your locations with a bunch of Ongoing cards. The Howard the Duck and Iron Lad connection is also a combo you can prioritize pulling off since the six-power stat line of Iron Lad can produce a potentially huge offensive card if it copies a powerful Ongoing effect.
Win condition cards for this deck
Howard the Duck is more of a tool to make this deck more consistent. But the cards that can define this deck’s overall win condition are:
- Darkhawk
- Devil Dinosaur
- Iron Man
- Mystique
- Iron Lad
Darkhawk and Devil Dinosaur are your main power sources for this deck. Playing at least one of them in every game is almost a must since this is where your power boost to at least one of your locations will come from. Use their support cards as early as turn two or three to further boost their power in the late game.
Iron Man and Mystique are added potential offensive options for your late game. Both of them do not have a definite power value, but their effects can turn games upside down in an instant. Iron Lad, on the other hand, can be a game-changing card. Just imagine a four-cost, six-power unit using Iron Man’s ability, or either of the two Ongoing abilities of Darkhawk and Devil Dinosaur—it can be devastating for your opponent.
Galactus
Another deck where Howard the Duck can shine is in a Galactus deck. There is not much of a complex setup, but there is one particular combo that is the priority strategy—let Iron Lad copy Galactus’ effect while retaining the former’s stats.
Galactus is a six-cost, two-power card that can destroy the other two locations where it is not placed. This ability alone can change the flow of the game in an instant, giving the advantage to its user most of the time. Using the Howard the Duck and Iron Lad combo to copy Galactus’ effect can make it more advantageous for the side of its user since you will have a cheaper yet more powerful clone of the devourer of worlds.
As usual, you can put the Galactus staples on this deck. This includes Yondu, which can destroy the top card of your opponent’s deck, Wolverine, which can revive and place itself in a location once it gets destroyed while gaining plus two power, Electro, which gives plus one energy per turn in exchange for restricting you to play just one card every turn, Wave, which can make the cost of all cards four regardless of their original costs, and Spider-Man, which can prevent the opponent from playing cards on the location where it is placed after it the present turn.
As for the late-game finishers, you can put the likes of Doctor Octopus, which can pull up to four cards from your opponent’s hand to a location, Hobgoblin, which is a five-cost negative eight-power card that can transfer itself to your opponent’s side, Knull, which gains the combined power of all cards destroyed, and Death, which is a nine-cost, 12-power card that costs one less for each card destroyed.
The key to using this deck is to use the same old Galactus strategy to destroy the other two locations while limiting your opponent’s options to win the lone Galactus location. Though, the Howard the Duck and Iron Lad combo makes it more dangerous, so using it can be an added option you can resort to if you have the proper setup.
Win condition cards for this deck
Again, Howard the Duck is more of an accessory for this deck and not a main component to execute its winning strategy. The win condition cards for this deck are:
- Galactus
- Spider-Man
- Hobgoblin
- Doctor Octopus
- Knull
- Death
- Iron Lad
Galactus’ location destruction effect is the key to unleashing its full potential. This can pave the way for a handful of plays that can overpower your opponent to eventually win the only location that will be left if you are successful in triggering the cosmic being’s effect.
Spider-Man, Hobgoblin, and Doctor Octopus are your go-to cards if you opt to lockdown your opponent’s side of the Galactus location. Knull and Death, on the other hand, are your main power sources in the late game. The potential best play for this deck would be Wave on turn three, Galactus on turn four, Spider-Man on turn five, and Knull and/or Death on turn six.
But with the emergence of the Howard the Duck and Iron Lad combo, a turn-four Galactus with higher power can be an option you can play. Howard the Duck just makes the deck more consistent, so playing it as early as turn one would be ideal.
Current state in the meta: Howard the Duck
While a fun card with a consistently good effect—plus a great synergy with Iron Lad—Howard the Duck has no other major contribution to a deck engine, making it a card that struggles to crack into the higher-tier meta.
Related: How to get a free variant in Marvel Snap
Howard the Duck fits in best with Galactus decks which feature Iron Lad, but otherwise, other cards contribute a lot more in his place. He is often played in a fun deck rather than a competitive and consistent one. Ongoing decks can easily be disrupted, especially with the presence of Enchantress on Sera Control or High Evolutionary decks, both of which are far more popular and consistent compared to Ongoing decks.
