Summary
Marvel Snapfeatures a handful of troubling cards that can precipitate a tough challenge later on and even enforce a tactical retreat once the groundwork for some larger plot is acknowledged. Basically anything following Wong being played could be devastating, for example, while seeing Sauron followed by Shuri is usually a horrible omen. Likewise, many discard decks can be countered early if such signs are caught onto, and it’s often obvious wherea Knull might be played at the end of a destroy deck build. Control decks aren’t as popular in the meta anymore due to how little Power they tend to generate, but one new addition has shown how traumatizing it can be to run into it.
There’s hardly a deck build that doesn’t have a reason to fearMarvel Snap’s Professor X. Indeed, not being able to play cards at a Sanctum Sanctorum location still allows tokens, discards, and revived cards to appear there, but Professor X completely locking down a location and disallowing any cards to be added or removed is incredibly irritating if players intended to make use of that location later on. Players are lucky if cards there already can idly gain Power, such as in a High Evolutionary deck, but Alioth’s debut last season helps ensure that a second location is locked down in a way that can feel twice as disarming and arresting during a final turn.
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Marvel Snap’s Professor X and Alioth Combo is Nearly Impossible to Predict or Counter
Marvel Snap’s Alioth isn’t a character or entity fans of Marvel comics alone may be familiar with since its obscurity could elude even the most dedicated enthusiasts. Having debuted duringMarvel Snap’s recent Loki All the Time season, fans might remember this entity most recently as a pseudo-antagonist in season one that is otherwise portrayed as an enormous purple storm that consumes time and space appearing in the Void.
Much like its intimidating depiction, Alioth is equally menacing inMarvel Snapsince itsOn Reveal abilityallows it to destroy all cards the opponent played at its same location that turn. This even extends to unrevealed cards played that turn, meaning a Hela cloaked by Invisible Woman or the Dark Dimension location can still be destroyed and the opponent’s strategy upended.
Now, with the unpredictable and omnipotent power of Alioth considered, pairing it with Professor X can make for a lethal control deck. Professor X can lock down one location, for instance, and leave opponents with a 50% chance of playing cards on the same location that Alioth is played and almost assuredly lose both locations. Alioth is a 6-Cost 3-Power card whileProfessor X is a 5-Cost 3-Power card; therefore, by default fans can play these cards back-to-back at the end of a match.
However, there are obviously many ways players can extend matches, lower card Costs, and procure additional Energy each turn, which only increases the opportunities for players to get creative with how they can pair Professor X and Alioth in a control deck. These two cards aren’t necessarily enough on their own to win a location because they lack aggressive Power.
But with a mindful setup and careful observation of where opponents might play a card, Professor X and Alioth together can be a nightmare for a lot of builds leaning heavily on late-game opportunities, especially if players’ control decks have already funneled opponents’ choices to one or two locations. Paired further with other sabotaging cards such asGreen Goblin, Hobgoblin, Killmonger, Daredevil, or Rogue, this build soon presents a strategy players will want to retreat from.
Marvel Snapis available now on mobile devices and PC.
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