Marvel Snap is coming up on six months in the wild, and the game is every bit as captivating as it was in October 2022. New cards like Modok and Nimrod have injected life into old archetypes, while nerfs to staples like Aero and Silver Surfer have opened up the meta for fresh play.
And yet, time ticks. As good as Marvel Snap has been to me, I’m ready to hang up the Infinity Gauntlet.
Why I’m Quitting Marvel Snap
I’m no stranger to card games. In 2019, I wrote about how my climb to Legend in Hearthstone sparked my love of modern Smash Bros. In the years since, I’ve dabbled in Legends of Runeterra, dipped my toes into Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and tried my hand at hands of Gwent.
My relationship with card games is on-again, off-again. I’ll spend weeks on a Hearthstone binge, only to lose interest when a newer, fancier game hits store shelves. Yet, like a siren, these games always have a knack for drawing me back in.
Marvel Snap is different. For six months, I’ve played on the daily, hours passing me by as I completed quests, upgraded cards, and unlocked caches. As the minutes racked up, so did the milestones: I completed my series-three collection, collected crazy variants, made it to Galactic rank (i.e., 90), and even bought Shuri in the Token Shop when she was available. I was a zealot of Second Dinner’s religion, and my faith never wavered.
Therein lies the problem. My relationship with Snap wasn’t on-off. It was on—always on—to the point of it becoming a genuine distraction. 2023 has massive games on the horizon, and I was risking total apathy because my Lizard variant was cold as fuck.
Thankfully, the end game (oof, I’m sorry) was in sight.
The Marvel Snap Deck That Got Me to Infinite Rank
As you probably caught on by now, the Marvel Snap deck that carried me to Infinite is a Thanos list. However! Before you grab your pitchforks, a few important details:
- I’m not a monster. My Infinite run came after the most recent Thanos nerf (no Quinjet or Lockjaw/Leech nonsense here).
- This isn’t a netdeck. I homebrewed it after struggling with a different list on Marvel Snap Zone.
- It’s still good! I continued to win with it at Infinite, and I anticipate it’ll stay strong for future seasons.
Satisfied? Let’s get into it.
“Valkyrie Thanos” Infinite Rank Deck List
- The Hood
- Ant-Man
- Sunspot
- Daredevil
- Mojo
- Polaris
- Spider-Man
- Ka-Zar
- Blue Marvel
- Professor X
- Valkyrie
- Thanos
The goal of Valkyrie Thanos is simple: Get cheap cards on the board to flood your opponent, then buff them with Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel for a surprise push. Professor X and Spider-Man seal off entire lanes, while Valkyrie can dismantle big cards on your opponent’s board for an easy win.
A few best practices when piloting this deck:
- Thanos is here purely for the stones. You’ll rarely have time to boost him to 20 power. If you do, great, but you’re better off holding certain stones in hand for turn six.
- Ant-Man, Mojo, and the Soul Stone all synergize with Valkyrie. Ongoing effects aren’t altered by Valkyrie’s ability—only base stats. Drop her when you have priority and reap the rewards.
- Spider-Man is often a stronger play than Professor X. Play him on turn five, then add to the lane on turn six if you need to contest it.
- When you do play Professor X, make sure to play him over a Sunspot or group of stones. You can float a turn or play Ka-Zar/Blue Marvel to catch up if you’re behind.
- Polaris is a great enabler for Mojo—especially when paired with Spider-Man or Professor X.
The rest is self-explanatory.
Putting a Bow on a Great Run
It’s been a stellar ride. Though, don’t get me wrong: It wasn’t without its issues.
Bundles are overpriced, bugs abound, and the drop rate for series four and five cards is insultingly low. But I awarded Marvel Snap a 9.3 in my review, and I stand by that score. No other mobile game has given me so much mileage with such effortless simplicity. It’s a marvel (…OK, I really am sorry) of game design, and I look forward to seeing what Ben Brode and Second Dinner accomplish in the future.
Below are a few pictures of my run. To those still playing Marvel Snap, I hope my experience inspires you to keep pushing toward Infinite, so you too can be at peace.
Most of these cards in my Marvel Snap Infinite decklist are series three or below. If you have Thanos (and also happen to have Valkyrie), give it a whirl and let me know how you fare!
