Marvel Snap is so popular thanks to Second Dinner’s idea to turn the Marvel franchise’s heroes and villains into playable cards. But of course, there are some standouts when it comes to becoming the best cards in the game, based on ability, cost and Power ratio, and popularity because of effectiveness and consistency.
Second Dinner released a lot of cards in Marvel Snap this 2023, but which ones are considered the best?
Our picks for the best Marvel Snap cards of 2023
10) Shadow King
Shadow King’s utility as a card that brings back the Power of cards to their base Powers is so game-changing. It can easily disrupt cards that can gain or stack enormous Power outside of Ongoing effects, such as Kitty Pryde, Bishop, Angela, Kraven, Sebastian Shaw, and those affected by Power boosters like Forge and Shuri.
Despite the multiple reworks the card encountered along the way, Shadow King is a valuable unit that can sometimes win games. Some meta decks like the Darkhawk strategy also use Shadow King, especially since its current stat line lists as two-cost, two Power, and some space in the deck can be saved for it.
9) Blob
Blob debuted in Marvel Snap as a series five card just this December. But it quickly changed the meta and became a ruthless finisher, especially with its ability to create massive Power by merging itself to its user’s deck, eating all cards, and gaining the total Power of all those cards in an instant.
Ramp and Thanos decks are the best strategies where Blob can be used. Gaining a huge amount of Power for Blob in the final turn can be more consistent if you have multiple high-Powered units in the deck, as well as by having additional Infinity Stones. Overall, Blob can win games in a snap if you are successful in activating its effect.
8) X-23
A staple in Destroy decks, X-23 is a great destruction target thanks to its ability to regenerate itself whenever it gets destroyed, plus it gives additional energy during the next turn. X-23 is a utility unit that can pave the way for playing more high-cost cards in the game.
When you have X-23 on the board, the threat of your opponent having a Killomonger won’t be a worry for your side. It can even help you since you’ll have a free destruction mechanic while gaining bonus energy in the process. The possibility of playing the Knull and Arnim Zola combo has been more consistent because of X-23.
7) Ms. Marvel
If you thoroughly calculate Ms. Marvel’s Power bonus along with her five Power stat, it gives off a total bonus of 15 Power to your side as long as your cards in its adjacent locations have unique costs. But what’s more impressive is its four-cost, which is very much advantageous given its powerful effect.
The only downside Ms. Marvel possesses is the predictability that it can give to your opponent. You need to place it in the middle location to maximize its Power bonus to the two adjacent locations, making Echo a mid-location threat in the meta. But if you can protect it with Cosmo, then it is truly a Power bonanza for your side.
6) Kitty Pryde
When Kitty Pryde arrived in Marvel Snap this year, it literally crashed the game—quite counterproductive for a winning strategy, I know. But what made it one of the most used and consistent cards after it was fixed is its Power-stacking ability that paved the way for some of the most powerful combos in Marvel Snap, such as its interactions with Angela and The Collector.
Kitty Pryde can also be spammed in locations that give bonus Power, especially in Shuri’s Lab which can double its current Power when played while also having the ability to bounce back to its user’s hand. Indeed, you can’t play an efficient Bounce deck without Kitty Pryde.
5) Alioth
Alioth, when played correctly, can lock in a guaranteed win for its owner’s side. Why? It only works if you have priority during the last turn, but it can outlast your opponent since it can destroy their unrevealed cards during the turn it is played.
The ability of Alioth completely destroys the engine of Invisible Woman, which is to hide and reveal all the cards placed in the same location by the end of the game. Alioth also works with Galactus given that you’ll have priority since it can make sure that your opponent’s unrevealed cards in the lone location will be destroyed.
4) Zabu
Zabu is more of a utility card because of its ability to lower the cost of its user’s four-cost cards in the hand by one. Its effect may not be that game-changing compared to the likes of Blob and Alioth, but the possibility of playing at least two four-cost cards in the final turn is real with Zabu.
Most decks that use the Darkhawk engine have Zabu, especially since Iron Lad and Captain Marvel are both four-cost cards. Zabu also helps the control duo of Shang-Chi and Enchantress, giving you big chances of disrupting your opponent’s setups with high-Powered cards and Ongoing abilities.
3) Loki
Loki arrived in Marvel Snap as a season pass card for the September season known as Loki for All time. Since then, it became a part of a top-tier meta deck that involves the strategy of spamming the Power-staking ability of The Collector while having bonus cards as well.
Still, the value Loki brings to players is not just about making The Collector’s Power huge. The cards that you can have that would cost one less may pave the way for your side to play more high-cost cards in the late game. Combining it with Quinjet can even give you more chances to outpower your opponent.
2) High Evolutionary
Probably the most anticipated card that arrived in Marvel Snap this 2023, High Evolutionary seemed to give eight cards in one. It is a “big bad” card that won’t drop in series and will always remain worth 6,000 tokens, making it a must-have for both competitive and collector players.
The evolved versions of Wasp, Misty Knight, Shocker, Cyclops, The Thing, Abomination, and Hulk established a deck archetype of their own that revolved around conserving energy and inflicting negative Power to the opponent’s cards which topped the meta for quite some time.
As an independent card, High Evolutionary is just a normal four-cost, four Power unit. But just like the character it’s based on in the comics and movies, it gives normal species extraordinary abilities that are considered as its main asset.
1) Jeff the Baby Land Shark
High Evolutionary may be the most offensive-driven and meta-changing card released this year in Marvel Snap. But Jeff the Baby Land Shark is on another level when it comes to being literally unstoppable.
Yes, you heard it right. Jeff is literally unstoppable in playing or moving it to any location. For the record, Jeff is the only card so far that can move or be played in a Professor X location. You can also play it in unplayable locations, such as the Sanctum Santorum and Death’s Domain, and no one can stop you from doing so.
Jeff brings the value of unpredictability to your side. The phrase “Jeff wins games” is indeed true, making it the best Marvel Snap card of 2023.
