Marvel Snap’s final OTA patch of 2023 brings a big nerf to one of the meta’s most annoyingly powerful cards

Marvel Snap’s introduction of over-the-air, or OTA, updates was one of the best changes made to the game in its first full year of operation in 2023.

OTA updates allow the game’s developer at Second Dinner to change numerical values on cards, altering the meta in both minor and major ways in between large-scale updates that come with each season.

There’s one final OTA in 2023, and it’s been deployed today, bringing about some interesting changes for cards in the meta by nerfing some strong ones and buffing those who need a little bit of help for Christmas.

Here are all the cards that changed in Snap’s final OTA update of the year.

Marvel Snap Dec. 21 update: OTA patch notes

The biggest change in the update is one to Professor X, who’s been dominating the lockdown meta for a while now. His text remains the same, but he will now be a five-cost, one-power instead of three-power.

“Professor X decks are especially effective at preying on metagames in flux or certain featured locations,” Second Dinner said. “Those are both times when we’d prefer players focus on the excitement of what’s possible vs. insulating themselves from the threat of a locked-down location. For now, we’re addressing that problem with a Power reduction that we hope is stern enough to make players try harder to threaten these kinds of wins.”

Another nerf comes to Werewolf By Night, a strong card since joining the game in October. He will now be a four/four instead of a three/three, and Second Dinner said the change “should remove a meaningful amount of energy and time from the card, and also bring Brood back in from the cold.”

The final nerf in the patch comes to Black Widow, who will now be a three-cost, three-power instead of two-cost, one-power. This change is because “getting stuck with a bunch of Widow’s Bites can be fairly frustrating for a lot of decks, so we’re moving to a higher cost to make that more difficult.”

Here’s the full list of other changes in today’s patch, rolling out on all platforms now.

Marvel Snap Dec. 21 OTA: All card changes

Buffed

• Martyr: One/four -> One/five
• Ronan the Accuser: Five/three -> Five/five
• Maximus: Three/seven -> Two/six
• Gladiator: Three/seven -> Three/eight
• Punisher: Three/two -> Three/three

Nerfed

• Professor X: Five/three -> Five/one
• Werewolf By Night: Three/three -> Four/four
• Black Widow: Two/one -> Three/three

Changed

• Viper: Two/three -> Three/four