As we wait for the information on the new season to drop, we shall have to content ourselves with looking at the latest update to Marvel Snap (Free). It’s just a balance update, but it makes some very big changes that combined with the arrival of some new cards completely up ends the meta we saw in recent weeks. Some folks are definitely going to have to rebuild their decks after all of this. Is that a good thing? I don’t know, but it is what it is. Let’s check out all the changes.
Just for fun, I’m going to start with the buffs. Squirrel Girl isn’t the least useful 1-Cost card by any means, but she has become very situational over time since she fills out a lot of spots with only a little power. Second Dinner has decided to give her a little boost to see if she gets more play out of it. Squirrel Girl goes from 1-Cost 1-Power to 1-Cost 2-Power, but her Squirrels remain 1-Cost 1-Power. Will that make a difference? I’m skeptical, but we’ll see.
Psylocke is the other major buff recipient. Playing her will give you an extra point of Energy on your next turn, which is pretty good. But in her old 2-Cost 1-Power form, that extra point of Energy is really all she’s good for. She gets a little boost in this update, moving her up to 2-Cost 2-Power. That’s a bit better, and it might help her become slightly more versatile for players looking to ramp up to bigger plays.
Snowguard recently got a reworking that saw the card get a fair bit more play, but in an unintended way. Since playing Snowguard will now drop two cards in your hand to represent her auroras, players using the Loki and Collector combo are just using her as a card generator. Better than nothing, I guess. With that being the case, the developers are adjusting the cards she generates to make them less efficient to cut back a little on folks having their cake and eating it too. Snowguard Hawk goes from 2-Cost 3-Power to 3-Cost 3-Power, and Snowguard Bear goes from 2-Cost 3-Power to 3-Cost 4-Power. Hello, Silver Surfer.
Okay, let’s head into the nerfs. I’m going to be honest, I think they kind of suck in some ways. These are cards that have had more than one nerf already, and the fact that they keep getting smacked makes me wonder if maybe the pace of new cards is making it tough to balance things properly. First up, Kitty Pryde. She got hit hard a couple months ago, but she was still finding a place in some decks. Well, Elsa Bloodstone is incoming next week, and her ability combined with Kitty would create an absolute monster. To pay for Elsa’s sins, Kitty Pryde goes from 1-Cost 2-Power to 1-Cost 0-Power. Absolutely rude.
Alas, poor Galactus players. Just as Kitty is paying the price for Elsa, Galactus is paying the price for another new-ish card that combines with him in a very potent way. In this case, the naughty boy is Alioth. Since that card is somewhat new and the memory of getting him is quite fresh, the developers probably don’t to nerf him yet. Thus, Galactus gets beaned upside his goofy purple helmeted head with a serious nerf. He goes from 6-Cost 7-Power to 6-Cost 5-Power, and since his ability (and raison d’etre) is tied in with him having a Power advantage, that is a very unpleasant shot.
And that’s the lot. It feels like Second Dinner is doing more nerfing than buffing lately, and that never feels good for players who are using the cards that get spiked. With Mobius M. Mobius being a huge disruptor for many popular decks, people were already trying to figure out what to do next. This is just another wrench to the head. How will it all shake out? I don’t know, but I have to sort it out quickly because it’s almost time for our new monthly deck guide. How do you feel about these changes? Do they affect you? Comment below with any thoughts.
