Summary
As the one-year anniversary ofMarvel Snapapproaches, the hit mobile card game continues to find ways to iterate and innovate on its core mechanics. The introduction of unique cards like High Evolutionary, Thanos, and Kang the Conquerer has givenMarvel Snapa feel all its own and kept players on their toes as they adapt to newly evolving strategies around these complex cards. While these cards are typically referred to as the “Big Bads” ofMarvel Snap, the game’s October 2023 season may finally be introducing the first “Big Good” inMarvel Snap.
There are currently four cards inMarvel Snapthat are considered Big Badsand they are Thanos, Galactus, Kang the Conquerer, and High Evolutionary. They get this title by being notable Marvel villains with abilities inMarvel Snapthat break the conventional rules of the game, such as Kang’s ability to rewind time and replay the previous turn, or High Evolutionary’s ability to unlock the secret abilities of cards who typically have none. However, the Bloodstone season ofMarvel Snapis introducing the hero Nico Minoru whose ability rivals those of the “Big Bads.”
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Nico Minoru’s Marvel Snap Ability Seems like a Game-Changer
Among the new cards being introduced in the Bloodstone season ofMarvel Snapis the 1-Cost/2-Power cardNico Minoru ofThe RunawaysandMarvel’s Midnight Sunsfame. What makes her such an interesting card and a candidate for the designation ofMarvel Snap’s first Big Good card is her On Reveal ability which casts one of seven spells after the player plays their next card. In the announcement trailer for the Bloodstone season, Second Dinner’s Ben Brode likened this ability to Thanos and his Infinity Stones which give the player a diverse toolbox of abilities to work with similar to using Nico Minoru.
The different spells Nico can cast vary greatly in their effects with one turning the next card the player plays into a demon, another destroying it and allowing the player to draw two cards, and one even doubling its power. Which spell Nico casts seems to be left up to chance, but it appears an icon will display on her card to letMarvel Snapplayers know which spell will be cast before they play her. As such, Nico Minoru will likely be a strong and flexible option forMarvel Snapplayers, but not overpowered since the randomness of her spells will balance out their overall utility.
As a 1-Cost card with a variety of potential abilities, Nico Minoru looks to be a very versatile card that will be able to find a home in manyMarvel Snapdecks. In particular, she seems like a good fit to pair with her Big Bad counterpartThanos decksto give players a wide range of play options between the Infinity Stones and Nico’s spells. A control or lockdown deck featuring these two cards could be quite good as their diverse toolkits can give players enough different synergies that they can adapt their play style based on whatever their opponent throws at them.
The main drawback of Nico Minoru is that each of her spells can be very situational, making one or two great for certainMarvel Snapdeck archetypes, but others ultimately unhelpful. This inconsistency may lead to players being forced to play her with a disadvantageous spell, such as the one that moves the next card they play when Fisk Tower is a location on the board. So while being a 1-Cost card may make her a cheap card to play, some players may end up having to keep her in their hand or risk activating an unwanted ability at the wrong time.
Marvel Snapis available for PC and mobile devices.
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