Marvel Snap’s best discard decks and how to play them (MODOK or not)

Marvel Snap’s February 2023 seasonal meta has been dominated by MODOK, which means discard decks have never been more in style.

There are many Snap decks fall into one of three archetypes: ramping up to a big combo or card on turn five or six, establishing tempo early to take control of the pace of the game and lock down some locations, or countering your opponent’s big combos or cards. Discard decks tend to fall into the first one — the cards you’re playing typically lead up to a massive play on turn six. There are however, a number of different types of discard decks that you should be aware.

I think the current easiest way to divide discard decks is into two categories: “Hela decks” and “Apocalypse decks.” A lot of Snap players are familiar with Apocalypse decks — Apocalypse is a powerful card in Pool 1, and can be a cornerstone for early decks. Apocalypse saw a rebound in popularity after MODOK was added to the game. SnapBecause the cards are in a natural combination, you can play. MODOK discards your hand, and Apocalypse wants to be discarded, so it’s a great fit for a strong turn six.

Hela can be a new card for many players since it is behind Pool 3. Hela decks are higher than Apocalypse, and have a lower ceiling. However, Hela has a lower floor because Hela’s effect is random. Hela will resurrect every card that you discard this game at a random place. There is a certain amount of randomness to which cards you are able to discard each game, and then there’s the issue of where they get played. But if you manage to discard a lot of powerful cards before you play Hela, your chances are pretty good you’ll like the end result.

Let’s start with a rundown of some of the best cards to be aware of in the discard rotation, before getting into the Apocalypse versus Hela of it all.

Good cards for discard decks in general

• Lady SifThis four-power and three-cost card by Lady Sif, is very valuable for her effect which, on reveal, discards the highest cost card in your hand. By taking out a good amount of the randomness inherent to discard decks, you have more control over your endgame — you can basically guarantee discarding your Apocalypse or a high-value card you want to resurrect with Hela with Lady Sif.
• Morbius:Morbius, a zero-cost and two-power card that Morbius can gain two power for every card he discards. Morbius is a rare card that can win you a lane if you build your deck around discarding cards as often as possible. A fair warning, though: Morbius’ effect is an ongoing one, which means it can be nullified by Enchantress or stolen by Rogue.
• Dracula:Dracula is a four-cost card with zero power. The best card in the game Snap, Dracula can easily win a location on its own if you have the right deck for it — either discarding an Apocalypse one final time and taking on its power, or discarding a card like The Infinaut and gaining 20 power without having to worry about the “you can’t play a card the turn before” condition. Also in Dracula’s favor: the effect is not ongoing (therefore it is immune to Enchantress), and since it happens at the conclusion of the game, it’s Shang-Chi-proof as well.
• Sword Master and Hell Cow These two aren’t necessarily a combo package, but they’re good for the same reason — they have high power for their costs. Sword Master costs three and has six power. It discards one card out of your hand. Hell Cow costs four, but is six-power, and discards two. Generally speaking, I think these cards are better in Hela decks, where you’re trying to discard a ton of cards (whereas in an Apocalypse deck you’re trying to discard one card repeatedly), but they’re solid in both decks and can help you win lanes while also pursuing your ultimate win condition.

Image: Second Dinner/Nuverse

Good cards for Apocalypse decks

• Colleen Wing, Swarm A combo package, you’d definitely want to take these two together if you decide to include them. Colleen Wing’s effect is the opposite of Lady Sif’s, discarding the lowest-cost card from your hand on reveal. When discarded, Swarm is a three-power, two-cost card with triple-power that creates zero-cost copies of itself. So if you play Colleen Wing with Swarm in your hand (when you have no other two-costs or one-costs), you’re guaranteed to get two free cards. While it sounds small, it could be a significant difference in turn six when you are able to play two cards at six costs and one more. You want Hela’s power to bring back more powerful cards so these cards will not work with Hela decks.
• Lockjaw:Lockjaw cards will not be removed from your deck if they are played in the same place as Lockjaw. This happens after their “on reveal” effect, so you can play lower-power discard cards like Blade, Gambit, and Lady Sif, utilize their discard effect, and then also replace them with (hopefully) a higher-power card on your board. You can also use your Swarm on Lockjaw locations, which is especially useful with Colleen Wing or Swarm.

Good cards for Hela decks

• Jubilee: Your Hela deck is going to include too many powerful cards to play, so you’ll want to introduce other ways to put them on the board. Jubilee, who plays an additional card from your deck, is a great way to bring in a surprise powerful card, and can help you stay competitive if you don’t draw Hela.
• Ghost Rider Ghost Rider plays a card you discarded already — think of it as a mini-Hela. It’s a great combination to play Lady Sif (removing one of your major cards), and Ghost Rider (replaying the same card).
• These are the heavy hittersAll the cards that you wish to be resurrected are the most crucial part of any Hela deck. It’s the usual suspects; any card with a high power will do the trick: The Infinaut, Giganto, Magneto, Death, and Hulk all fit the bill. But if you’re looking for something a little more interesting, Captain Marvel is another fun one to include.
• The Invisible WomanAlthough a Hela deck is easy to understand, once you have started discarding the major cards, an errant Cosmo or Shang Chi can ruin your entire day. Invisible Woman can help you hide that information until it’s too late, and leaves room for you to play MODOK with Hela, since MODOK’s effect won’t take place until after the game if played behind Invisible Woman. Even without Modok, you can use Invisible Woman for some of your other discard effects (like Hell Cow) to make sure you don’t accidentally discard Hela.

Marvel Snap decks with the best discard cards

Modok:

Polygon Image of Second Dinner/Nuverse

You are looking at the deck.Morbius. Swarm. Colleenwing. Lockjaw. Moon Knight. Lady Sif. Sword Master. Dracula. Hell Cow. MODOK. Apocalypse. America Chavez.

Our goal is:Dracula is able to win one lane by discarding Apocalypse. Another lane can be won by using Morbius or MODOK along with other high-powered cards. Lockjaw can use the third lane to try as many of these discard effects as possible. America Chavez is here as a safety valve, especially if you don’t draw Apocalypse.

Alternatives worth looking at: Gambit, Wolverine

…if you don’t have MODOK:

Polygon Image of Second Dinner/Nuverse

You are looking at the deck. Zabu, Lady Sif. Sword Master. Jubilee. Ghost Rider. Hell Cow. Captain Marvel. Magneto. Hela. Giganto. The Infinaut. Death.

Our goal is: As many giant cards as you can on the board. Lady Sif and Ghost Rider make a great combo. Jubilee is also a good option. It is important to get rid of your major cards (Lady Sif, Swordmaster, Hell Cow) so Hela can bring them back all. Important warning! If you have Ghost Rider, be careful not to play Jubilee first before any other discard cards. This deck is sure to make you miserable if Ghost Rider and Jubilee are drawn together.

Alternatives worth looking at: Morbius and Dracula. Hulk. Invisible Woman

For players who are not yet in pool 3, here’s a list of beginner discard decks.

Marvel Snap Pool 2, discard deck

Polygon Image of Second Dinner/Nuverse

You are looking at the deck. Blade, Iceman and Ant-Man Nightcrawler Swarm, Morbius Wolverine Sword Master Bishop Lady Sif America Chavez Apocalypse

Our goal is: Discard Apocalypse as many times as possible, or Wolverine and Swarm if you can’t. Bishop or Morbius can win you your non-Apocalypse other lane, depending on whether you’re drawing your discard cards or your good one-cost cards.

Alternatives worth looking at: Sunspot, Yondu, Angela. If you’re in Pool 1, you’re better off waiting to get more pieces before playing a discard deck. Try playing one of these beginner’s Marvel Snap decks instead.

Enjoy your discarding experience!