The latest Marvel Snap update was released today, April 18, bringing much-awaited nerfs for some of the game’s most powerful and used cards, especially Shuri and Leech.
Revealed through the game’s official Discord server, Shuri’s new ability is announced as “On Reveal: If you play your next card here, double its Power.” Developer Second Dinner called Shuri’s nerf “small and subtle.” Though this could hit the card in a big way, especially now that it will require its user to play their next card in the same lane as Shuri.
“The change we’re making today may seem small and subtle, but we expect it to be impactful and retain the same flow of play for her existing decks, which is a consistent goal in our balance philosophy,” Second Dinner said. “This nerf removes Cosmo’s protective capacity for her target, makes single-card answers like Valkyrie easier to aim, and indirectly buffs lane control elements like Professor X. We’re taking a risk here in that this nerf could leave Shuri still a strength outlier–if so, we’ll react quickly.”
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Leech was also affected by the latest patch, with its ability being nerfed. Previously, the five-cost, three-Power card could remove the abilities of all the cards in the opponent’s hand once it is played. Now, its ability will only work on turn six, preventing ability removals on turn five or earlier.
“We’ve tried in the past to weaken the stronger cards in those decks, but it’s been a balance and design obstacle. Thus, we’ve decided to remove the ‘early Leech’ from the equation,” Second Dinner said. “Leech is designed to counter some powerful endgame cards and combinations from a unique angle without any setup, which is important to have around in the event those decks begin to overperform.”
Aside from Shuri and Leech, other cards that have been considered meta were also nerfed. This includes Lockjaw, which now has its swapping ability restricted to only once per turn. Thanos/Lockjaw decks will be affected by this since playing multiple Infinity Stones in a single turn for multiple card swaps won’t work.
America Chavez and Jubilee also got their own dose of changes. The former will now always be placed at the bottom of its user’s deck. The latter, on the other hand, will now call the top card from its user’s deck. Leader, which was heavily nerfed in January, also had its ability changed a bit. Its ability now says “On Reveal: Copy the enemy card(s) with the highest Power played this turn, but on your side.”
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Other highlights from the latest patch include the introduction of the Weekly Spotlight section in the Token Shop. Second Dinner announced that every time a series five card will be released, it will have its own section. It will be hidden until the next card release if a player decides to buy it. Some cards will also have a rarity drop, including Ghost, M.O.D.O.K., Bast, Black Panther, and the now-nerfed Shuri.
