MARVEL SNAP News

Welcome back to another OTA! Arishem’s release was a huge shake-up to the meta, and we’ve been excited to see all the hype around the card! While his play rate has been unprecedented, his overall win rate hasn’t been out of line. Moreover, playing against Arishem decks creates much more varied experiences game-to-game due to the inherent randomness he injects into decks. Cassandra Nova releasing soon should also give players another great tool against Arishem decks, so for now we’re instead pulling back on some of his most impactful synergy pieces in an attempt to broaden the diversity of Arishem strategies.

• Blob
  • [Old] 6/0 - On Reveal: Merge cards from your deck into this until it gains 15 or more Power. Ongoing: Can’t be moved.
  • [New] 6/0 - On Reveal: Merge cards from your deck into this until it gains 15 or more Power.

While Blob not moving hasn’t been a large part of his strength, having an Ongoing ability has been. Unlike other decks, Arishem lists have enough cards to fuel two Blobs, and we’ve seen Mystique take full advantage of this by copying Blob’s text as an Ongoing card.. We’ve been looking to simplify this card since its last change, so this seemed like the perfect time to do so.

• Mockingbird
  • [Old] 5/9 - Costs 1 less for each of your cards in play that didn’t start in your deck.
  • [Change] 5/9 -> 6/10

Mockingbird has been hovering around the top of the meta ever since her release, and the combination of Arishem both providing cards that didn’t start in your deck and encouraging the use of Agent Coulson and friends has pushed her over the line. We still expect Mockingbird to play a big role with these new numbers, but to require a more substantial investment to use.

• Hydra Bob
  • [Old] 1/4 - After each turn, this moves if a player Snapped.
  • [Change] 1/4 -> 1/5

Hydra Bob, on the other hand, hasn’t made much of a splash. He’s been doing alright in games where he’s played, but his risky play style hasn’t been very popular. We think he has room to be a bit more decisive in the high stakes games he encourages, so we’re adding a Power here to help his final location matter more and ensure he’s a solid addition to players’ collections.

• Ravonna Renslayer
  • [Old] 2/3 - Ongoing: Your cards with 1 or less Power cost 1 less. (minimum 1)
  • [Change] 2/3 -> 2/2

Time and again Ravonna has been a strong piece of decks that incidentally want some low-base Power cards. Her ubiquity has also made it difficult to balance cards as she can turn reducing their Power into a buff. We’re dinging her in an attempt to make building around Ravonna a little bit more of a commitment.

• Viper
  • [Old] 3/5 - On Reveal: One of your other cards here switches sides.
  • [New] 3/5 - On Reveal: One of your other cards here with the lowest Power switches sides.

Viper demands a more specific game state to do her thing than other cards that junk up the opponent’s board, so we’re making this quality-of-life change to help her more consistently hit her intended target later in the game and against opposing junk strategies.

• Sauron
  • [Old] 3/3 - On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards in your hand and deck.
  • [Change] 3/3 -> 3/4

While Sauron decks utilizing Shuri and Red Skull have continued to have some success since their dominance in the game’s early days, they haven’t gained many new options while other decks have diversified their game plans. In order to keep this deck an accessible and viable option for players who are still building up to larger collections, we figured this (not so) friendly green dinosaur could use a small boost.

• Werewolf By Night
  • [Old] 3/1 - After you play a card, move there to gain +2 Power if it has an On Reveal.
  • [Change] 3/1 -> 3/2

After his former dominance, we played it safe when we reduced Werewolf By Night’s Cost from 4 to 3 because it provides more opportunities to scale up his Power. He hasn’t performed very well since that change though, so we’re giving him a bit more Power to help him out.

• Hit-Monkey
  • [Old] 3/2 - On Reveal: Gain +2 Power for each other card you played this turn.
  • [Change] 3/2 -> 3/3

Hit-Monkey has been struggling for a bit now. We’ve been conservative with this card because his playstyle is difficult to interact with, but we’re taking another shot at hitting the sweet spot.

• Lockjaw
  • [Old] 4/5 - After you play a card here, swap it with a card in your deck. (once per turn)
  • [New] 4/4 - After you play a card here, swap it with a card in your deck.

Lastly, Lockjaw has had trouble keeping a spot in decks since his move to 4-Cost, and his previous home in Jane Foster decks full of hammers hasn’t seen much play as of late. Given all that, we’re excited to try bringing back Lockjaw’s ability to swap out a flurry of cards at the same time, and see whether we can return the classic combo in a good spot.

—

That's all for this week. Until next time, happy snapping!

Hey there, you beautiful Snappers. Snappists? What DO you call yourselves? Anyways, that's not why we’re here. We’re here to mix things up a bit. Deadpool is taking over the entire game for the next few weeks and it all begins now. So let’s make some chimichangas, people!  Ahhhhh, who else could assemble a team this important and powerful? A comic book fan-girl, a cowardly ex-Hydra agent, and a shapeshifter?! I mean, COME ON![h2]NEW CHARACTER: Gwenpool[/h2] On Reveal: Pick a random card in your hand 3 times. Give +2 Power each time.
[h2]SEASON REWARDS[/h2]  Every good hero needs a few good decoys… we mean… assistants![h3]SERIES 5[/h3] After each turn, this moves if a player Snapped. [h3]SERIES 5[/h3] Ongoing: +1 Power for each card in play afflicted with negative Power. [h3]SERIES 5[/h3] When you draw this, steal the text from the bottom card of your opponent's deck. Do you smeeelllllllllll what Wade is cookin? You’re going to have to head over to Deadpool’s brand new Diner to earn this next baddie. Starting on July 23rd, Cassandra Nova is exclusively in the Diner (a limited-time event) for two whole weeks! Miss out and you’ll have to find her in the Token Shop starting August 13th.Want more info on Deadpool’s Diner? See below![h3]SERIES 5[/h3] On Reveal: Steal 1 Power from each card in your opponent's deck.
 [h2]So, when can you expect new cards?[/h2]You can expect new cards to be released weekly - starting with last month’s Season Pass Card, Gilgamesh, releasing as a Series 5 card on July 9th.

• July 9th: Gilgamesh - Series 5 Release
• July 9th: Hydra Bob - Series 5 Release
• July 16th: Ajax - Series 5 Release
• July 23rd: Copycat - Series 5 Release
• August 13th: Cassandra Nova - Series 5 Release

New Series 4 and Series 5 cards appear in the Spotlight Cache and the Token Shop. As you level up your Collection Level, Spotlight Caches become available for you to unlock a Series 4, Series 5 card, Spotlight Variants, or more. [h3][/h3] [h2]July 9th:[/h2]

• Hydra Bob
• Nebula
• Galactus

[h2]July 16th:[/h2]

• Ajax
• Beta Ray Bill
• Darkhawk

[h2]July 23rd:[/h2]

• Copycat
• Cull Obsidian
• Thanos

[h2]July 30th:[/h2]

• Nico Minoru
• Proxima Midnight
• Hope Summers

 [h3][/h3] 

• Weapon X Facility: Discard a card to draw a card.

• Taco Truck: Add a Chimichanga to your hand.

 [h3][/h3] Get all new Avatars, Variants, and Emotes by completing three new albums!If you haven’t figured it out yet, this month is all about Deadpool. There was definitely no coercion in assembling this album. Check it out on July 26th!

• Collect 1: Deadpool Avatar
• Collect 3: 1000 Credits
• Collect 6: Deadpool Variant
• Collect 9: Deadpool Set of Reactions

If that’s not enough for you, check out this sweet album featuring Pandart Studio. Available July 16th!

• Collect 3: Alioth Avatar
• Collect 6: Green Goblin Surprised Emote
• Collect 9: 1 Spotlight Key
• Collect 12: Alioth Variant

Wolverine? Never heard of him. We should probably boost his followers with an album starting July 9th!

• Collect 1: Wolverine Avatar
• Collect 3: 1000 Credits
• Collect 6: Wolverine Variant
• Collect 9: Wolverine Set of Reactions

 [h3][/h3] July 23rd - August 6th! Take a seat, Bub! The steaks have never been higher, and this month we’re introducing a brand new in-game event that will allow you to wager more than your typical cubes. Here at Deadpool’s Diner, you bet Deadpool’s Bubs before you play! Keep winning and you’ll keep moving up to bigger plates with more risk and bigger rewards. Make your way all the way up to the (biggest plate) and you’ll unlock a brand new character, Cassandra Nova!!! The games inside Deadpool’s Diner will be outside of the typical ladder games, so there’s no risk to your ranking, just to your stomach with that questionable chimichanga.You will first start on Table 1, where you will be given enough bubs for your first match. As you win, you’ll earn enough Bubs to step up to table 2, then 3, 4, and so on. As the tables increase, so does the risk. But no risk, no reward!And like that Wade guy said earlier, this will be the EXCLUSIVE location to obtain Cassandra Nova from! [h3][/h3] That’s right, all eyes on Deadpool! We need you to get over to Twitch and watch your favorite Marvel Snap Twitch streamers to earn Boosters, Credits, and a new Wolverine Variant! Drops will be available from July 9th to July 22nd. Don’t miss out!

• Watch 2 hours to earn: 65 Random Boosters
• Watch 4 hours to earn: 350 Credits
• Watch 6 hours to earn: New Wolverine Variant!

This month we’re creating even more opportunities to earn Boosters, Credits, and another Variant! Drops will be available from July 26th to August 4th. Let’s party!

• Watch 2 hours to earn: 65 Random Boosters
• Watch 4 hours to earn: 200 Credits
• Watch 6 hours to earn: Mystery Variant

Head over to marvelsnap.com/twitchdrops to link your accounts today. [h3][/h3] Was that Deadpool’s Diner announcement really spicy? Or is this just the hottest season yet? Get out there and stir up some chaos with these awesome new characters and we’ll see you out there!

This summer, MARVEL SNAP is about to get a whole lot wilder, funnier, and downright unpredictable. Your favorite ‘Merc with a Mouth’ is here to stuff it with chimichangas all summer long. Deadpool is taking over MARVEL SNAP, bringing his unique brand of chaos to new seasons, game modes, Leagues, Alliances, and more!Get the towels ready, generously apply sunscreen, whip up your best guac, and get ready to play MARVEL SNAP anywhere you travel. Oh, and beware of (land) sharks!

• NEW SEASON: Maximum Effort – July 9th
• NEW TWITCH DROPS: Wolverine Variant - July 9th - July 22nd
• NEW GAME MODE: Deadpool’s Diner - July 23rd - August 6th
• NEW DAILY REWARDS: Deadpool Variant - July 26th - August 4th
• NEW CREATOR EVENT: MARVEL SNAP CONQUERORS...Title and Date TBC
• NEW EVENT: REFER A FRIEND - July 26th - August 13th
• NEW FEATURE: Alliances – July 30th
• NEW SEASON: Young Avengers – August 6th
• NEW FEATURE: Deadpool League – August 8th - August 10th
• NEW…WEEK?: Jeff Week – August 19th - 26th
• NEW FEATURE: Jeff League – August 22nd - August 24th

 Dive headpool first into MARVEL SNAP’s next season, Maximum Effort, where you can collect and play with brand-new characters themed around Deadpool’s quirky band of misfits and malefactors.We’ll be diving deeper into Maximum Effort in a few days for the full reveal. Take a seat, amigo! To celebrate the upcoming Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine and MARVEL SNAP season, we’re introducing a bunch of content inspired by the movie, including a brand new in-game event that will allow you to wager more than your typical cubes. The stakes (or steaks?) have never been higher! 🥩Here at Deadpool’s Diner, you bet Deadpool’s Bubs before you play. You will first start on Table 1, where you will be given enough bubs for your first match. As you win, you’ll earn enough Bubs to step up to Table 2, 3, 4, and so on. As the Tables increase, so does the risk. But no risk, no reward! On your way to the top, unlock a brand new card, Cassandra Nova! If you make it all the way up to the biggest plate you’ll unlock a unique Cassandra Nova variant.Everyone’s asking for Deadpool’s Diner recipes, so we’ll be outlining the full menu and how it all works in the coming weeks so you won’t be hungry for long. Alliances are coming to MARVEL SNAP on July 30th! This long-awaited feature, formerly known as Clans, will transform the social experience of the game. Join or form an Alliance, collaborate with members, complete Bounties, and reap fantastic rewards together. Alliances are just the beginning; we'll be expanding this feature over time, starting with Alliance Competitions. This feature is for you, and we’re keen to evolve it based on your feedback. School’s out and it’s time for some rookies to step into the MARVEL SNAP fray. Starting August 6th, a new generation of characters will be joining your decks and they have big shoes to fill. This youth movement is ready to take over! Leagues are here! Leagues are a limited-time event that matches you with 30 similar players in a competitive leaderboard for prizes. Play your regular games, rack up League Points with your victories, and watch your ranking soar. Everyone gets rewards, but the top leaderboard positions will earn the best loot.To celebrate our inaugural global Leagues launch, the big prize for ranks #1-3 is a shiny new Deadpool emote. So jump in, climb the ranks, and earn some Deadpool boosters and maybe even a Deadpool emote! It's not a proper summer bash unless we have some fun with the friends we've made along the way. So, to help make this celebration easier, we're launching a temporary Refer-a-friend event during the Maximum Effort season! Reward thresholds are met by new and unique MARVEL SNAP accounts.

• • 1 Tutorial Finished: Exclusive “Marvel Messiah” Title
  • 3 Tutorials Finished: Mystery Variant
  • 1 Tutorial Finished + 1 Welcome Bundle Purchased: Premium Mystery Variant
  • 1 Tutorial Finished + 1 Premium Season Pass Purchased: Exclusive Domino Variant

We're also thrilled to showcase Deadpool Diner in a new CONQUERORS-themed event: Deadpool Domination! We can't wait to share more details with you, so stay tuned for the excitement that's about to unfold. This year we’re celebrating everyone’s favorite cartilaginous carnivore, Jeff the Baby Land Shark! For Shark Jeff Week you’ll see Jeff-themed Variants, Login Bonuses, Twitch Drops, Alliance Bounties, and rewards to sink your teeth into.Deadpool Domination is more than just a summer event; it's a celebration of everything that makes Deadpool a beloved character—his humor, his unpredictability, and his relentless drive. Dive into MARVEL SNAP today and prepare to experience the madness and mayhem all summer long.

June 27th - Balance Updates Our last OTA provided a huge shake-up to the metagame, and since then we've been thrilled to see a diverse range of decks contesting the top of the metagame. One card in particular has been too successful, however, so we're taking it down a notch and improving a handful of others in the hopes they find firmer footing. 

• Angela
  • [Old] 2/0 - After you play a card here, +2 Power.
  • [New] 2/3 - After you play a card here, +1 Power.

 Once more, we've seen Angela decks rise to claim a huge share of the metagame. On some weeks, Angela decks managed to exceed 20% of all games played while being the best deck, which is well above our threshold for health. If the decks were dissimilar that would be one thing, but over time these decks have largely homogenized to use the same core of cards with a handful of differences and the occasional small combo, like Annihilus/Sentry or Darkhawk and the rest. We're trying a more generous nerf than last time, since we do like these decks existing but not at this level, and Angela is the biggest culprit in pushing them to share similar cards like Kitty, Jeff, and Nocturne. 

• Hercules
  • [Old] 4/7 - The first time another card moves here each turn, move it to another location.
  • [Change] 4/7 -> 3/4

 The change we made to how move resolves a few weeks ago didn't have as dramatic an effect on Move decks as we expected–even Phoenix Force had some very good performances. However, a handful of cards did get meaningfully worse as a result of the change, and we're going to improve some of them this week. Hercules was the biggest negative change, so we've decided to go ahead and give the 3-Cost version a chance to compensate. Players seemed enthusiastic about this idea when Hercules first released, so we hope you enjoy trying it out. 

• Kingpin
  • [Old] 2/3 - When an enemy card moves here, afflict it with -2 Power.
  • [Change] 2/3 -> 1/2

 Kingpin also took a big hit with the change to move, so we're going to see if a more efficient Cost will improve this card's performance. Landing earlier should make it easier to slide Kingpin into curves for decks trying to play a lot of 3 and 5-Cost cards that move enemy cards. 

• Miles Morales
  • [Old] 4/5 - If a card moved last turn, this costs 1.
  • [Change] 4/5 -> 4/6

 The last of our move buffs goes to Miles Morales. Nothing too fancy here–it just seems like there's room to add a Power to the card. This does disrupt a movement-based Cerebro-5 deck we've seen from time to time, but that deck hasn't been very popular and we'd like to see if Miles could find more homes than that. 

• High Evolutionary
  • [Old] 4/4 - At the start of the game, unlock the potential of your cards with no abilities.
  • [Change] 4/4 -> 4/6

 High Evolutionary decks have slid from their once-prominent peak. We don't expect this buff to fix that, but it's a place we're happy to add some Power given there's room to do so and the deck could use a little help. We're also looking at other changes that will positively impact this archetype, so stay tuned. 

• Nick Fury
  • [Old] 4/5 - On Reveal: Add 3 random 6-Cost cards to your hand.
  • [Change] 4/5 -> 4/6

 Nick has been an underplayed card for a while, and has room to gain Power without being disruptive. Plus, 6 Power for 6-Costs is elegant. Long-term, we're optimistic about finding a few more reasons to consider Nick over the current default options for filling one's hands with cards. 

• Alioth
  • [Old] 6/8 - On Reveal: Remove the text from all unrevealed enemy cards here.
  • [Change] 6/8 -> 6/10

 Last but not least, Alioth is getting a Power buff to improve its performance. We were conservative with the last adjustment to this card because we knew players would rather see no Alioth than too much at the time, but we liked 6/10 as the healthier number long-term. With some Odin-based strategies showing up again, the time feels ripe to help Alioth be a versatile 6-Cost answer to endgame threats. — That's all for this week. Until next time, happy snapping!

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven’t updated your game yet, get the latest in the App Store![h2]PATCH HIGHLIGHTS[/h2]We’re getting MARVEL SNAP ready for a summer unlike any other!This patch is setting the table for Deadpool’s Diner, Alliances, and more. Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing more about these in the coming weeks. [h2]FEATURES[/h2]

• Character Albums are arriving in July, beginning with Deadpool and Wolverine. They are albums full of one character's variants that provide rewards for players who love to collect. Bonus progress will be given for any Bundle, Season Pass, Conquest, or limited time variants at the time of initial album release.
• Collectible Borders are now available to appear in the Season Pass, the Conquest Medal Shop, and in Login Bonuses.

 [h2]ART & VISUAL EFFECTS[/h2]

• The following cards and locations received new or adjusted VFX:
  • Ice Box
  • Death
  • Knull
  • Black Cat

 [h2]AUDIO[/h2]

• The following cards and locations received new or adjusted SFX:
  • Ice Box
  • Death
  • Knull
  • Black Cat

 [h2]CARD AND LOCATION UPDATES[/h2]This patch doesn't include any functional changes to cards or locations. We've been taking slightly heavier swings with OTAs on that front, in an effort to lean harder on them for our balance needs.We do have a handful of small text updates to improve some of the wording within the game.

• Odin
  • [Old] 6/8 - On Reveal: Activate the On Reveal abilities of your other cards here.
  • [New] 6/8 - On Reveal: Repeat the On Reveal abilities of your other cards here.

The word "activate" doesn't clearly communicate Odin's exact function, and it's the only instance of the word that appears in the game. It's been intuitive enough to avoid much confusion, but is an easy enough piece to improve. 

• Sersi
  • [Old] 5/7 - On Reveal: Transform your other cards here into random cards that cost 1 more. (if able)
  • [New] 5/7 - On Reveal: Transform your other cards here into random cards that cost 1 more. (if possible)

Sersi was slightly off our default wording here for the parenthetical check on whether her ability can resolve, so we've updated her to match other cards. The locations below were all using the word "first" to indicate "the first card played here once this location has been revealed," but given players often will play cards to blind locations we've found potential for confusion when the "second" card (or third, or fourth) at one of these locations triggers these effects. To that end, we've simply updated them all to say "next" instead.

• Krakoa
  • [Old] Your first play here adds its Power to the top of your deck.
  • [New] Your next play here adds its Power to the top of your deck.

 

• Vormir
  • [Old] The first card you play here is destroyed.
  • [New] The next card you play here is destroyed.

 

• Aunt May's
  • [Old] The first card you play here gets +3 Power and moves.
  • [New] The next card you play here gains +3 Power and moves.

This location was also slightly off the default for our "Power" verbs, and we corrected it accordingly. 

• Black Vortex
  • [Old] The first card you play here becomes a random 6-Cost card.
  • [New] The next card you play here becomes a random 6-Cost card.

 

• Castle Zemo
  • [Old] The first card you play here switches sides.
  • [New] The next card you play here switches sides.

 [h2]VFX & SFX Fixes in 29.x[/h2]

• Fixed an issue that was resulting in Soul Stone’s VFX displaying incorrectly
• Fixed sync issues of cards with preview VFX enabled
• Increased the volume of some VO lines in Indonesian and French

[h2]Other Fixes in 29.x[/h2]

• Opening up the Collection Track no longer starts you at the bottom
• Signing out and back in to an account no longer rarely causes a bug to UI and matchmaking
• Fixed an issue that was causing some Album reward types to trigger the Credits Full pop-up if at the Credits cap
• Reduced the glow effect of the Cosmetics Shop text
• Adjusted the framing of one of Killmonger’s avatars
• Fixed an issue that was resulting in some rewards not displaying correctly on the Season Pass reward track
• Toggling between the Discard and Destroy pages of the Graveyard no longer results in the assets overlapping
• Reopening the Avatar UI immediately after closing it no longer results in the Avatar page being empty
• Fixed an issue where the borders of Albums would often flicker upon entering the collection
• Text in the Shop that were broken in some languages should now be properly localized
• Adjusted the “Hold to Confirm” text in a handful of languages in order to prevent the text from clipping with other assets
• Resolved a bug that could occur when using the Make Me a Deck function and then immediately clicking the Equip button afterwards
• Fixed an issue that could see the “New” tag inadvertently applied to some variants that were not in fact new
• Resolved a number of smaller UI issues that could occur on the Login Bonus screen
• Fixed a rare issue when attempting to claim unearned rewards from the Season Pass

[h2]PC Fixes in 29.x[/h2]

• [PC] Fixed an issue when using the search and filter toolbar on the Avatar selection screen that would inadvertently preview an Avatar
• [PC] Resolved an issue where repeatedly favoriting cards and variants could result in false duplicates displaying in the Collection screen
• [PC] The “Hide Results” button should properly unblur the screen now

[h2]Existing Known Issues Fixed in 29.x[/h2]

• The “Matte Black” option in the Collectible Borders UI should no longer be difficult to see
• When upgrading a card from its base directly to Infinity players should no longer see the “Make me a Deck” occasionally trigger
• Fixed an issue when repeatedly Infinity splitting cards and then using “Make me a Deck” resulting in an error
• While events are running, the Login Bonus UI should no longer be clickable through the Collection Level Track
• Seasonal Music should no longer stop playing when changing languages through Settings
• A Pig created by Spider-Ham targeting an evolved High Evolutionary card should now be properly considered as having no ability text by things such as Washington D.C.
• Hard restarting your app in the middle of a Fast Upgrade should no longer cause an error to occur
• The Set As Favorite UI should no longer become misaligned when swapping between languages