Marvel Snap is a game all about value curves and steady increases in power. Over the 6 turns that a match usually takes, you have to make the best of your energy and try to get the most out of your cards. Of course, that all starts with the 1-cost cards, the only ones you can play on the first turn.
While none of the 1-cost cards are as strong or transformative as the more expensive ones, they are still crucial in winning a game and can be the difference between a good deck and a bad one. Some of them also fit into certain strategies beautifully and provide beneficial effects. It is important to have a strong foundation for bigger plays to payoff, after all.
10 Iceman
Iceman, the iconic member of the X-Men, is a pretty great 1-cost card to start things off. It is a 1/2, which is the standard you should be striving for when considering 1-cost cards. On Reveal, Iceman gives a random card in your opponent's hand +1 cost.
Since most decks try to spend all the energy they get and try to maximize card value, messing with even one card's cost can be incredible. It could slow your opponent down just enough for them to lose. Especially when considering four, five, and six cost cards, this could really throw them off their game instantly.
9 Iron Fist
Iron Fist, another 1/2, is a great card that has become a staple of the movement strategy deck. The deck aims to move around cards that benefit from it. On Reveal, Iron Fist moves the next card you play one location to the left.
When combined with powerful move effect cards such as Kraven, Human Torch, and Vulture, Iron Fist finds a secure home in the deck and becomes a linchpin of the archetype.
8 Deadpool
Speaking of decent cards that become really effective in certain strategies, we have Deadpool. This iconic character has the ability to return to hand with double the power when it's destroyed. Once again, a perfect ability for the right deck.
Destruction decks are some of the strongest options in the current meta, utilizing cards like Carnage, Killmonger, and Death herself. These decks deliberately destroy cards to gain value down the line and make power pushes. Deadpool fits perfectly into this strategy as an annoying card that keeps coming back stronger. To be fair, that is totally in line with his personality.
7 Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl is another card that has managed to show how a good deck can be elevated the simplest of cards. Squirrel Girl is a 1/1, which is sort of weak, and has the ability to summon two 1/1 squirrels to the other locations On Reveal. Adding a tiny card to each location is not that amazing at first glance until you realize what it can be combined with.
One of the strongest decks currently is the 1-cost spam or buffed-up swarm. The deck aims to fill the board with small cards and buff their power with cards like Blue Marvel, Kazar, and Onslaught. Squirrel girl immediately puts three cards on your side, making it the perfect swarm card for the strategy to utilize. Just be aware of Killmonger, who instantly shuts down the whole deck.
6 Sunspot
Sunspot, a somewhat minor card in the Marvel universe, is yet another card that makes a name for itself, not due to specific abilities but its potency when combined with others. Its ability gives it +1 power for each unspent energy at the end of each turn.
That might seem counter-intuitive since most decks want to use all of their energy each turn. However, when you think about it, Sunspot closes that gap, gaining enough energy to make skipping some cards worth it. It works especially well with The Infinaut, another situational but strong card.
5 Mantis
Mantis is a card that many people prefer to use as an opener or sometimes even a mid-game option. On Reveal, if your opponent played a card at the same location, you draw a card from their deck. This is a great ability to disrupt your opponent, despite seeming a bit tame.
Marvel Snap, being a fast-paced game with small decks, has a large emphasis on power cards and the value you get per energy spent. Taking even a single card away from your opponent
4 Nightcrawler
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Nightcrawler, another very commonly used card, is an interesting case in terms of power. That stems from the fact that Nightcrawler is possibly the most deck-agnostic 1-cost card in Marvel Snap. It is the closest the game has to a staple across the board, potentially only rivaled by Quicksilver.
That's because Nightcrawler has the amazing ability to move location once. That itself makes it a great cog in the movement strategy. It is a 1/2, meaning it can be used in a 1-cost spam deck. Its ability to move around also makes it a nice pick for destruction decks, avoiding unnecessary loss of power. Nightcrawler is great in pretty much any deck.
3 Human Torch
Human Torch, a fan favorite of the X-Men, doubles its power each time it moves to a different location. For the more experienced Marvel Snap players, that should ring the alarms immediately.
The movement strategy is among the stronger in the current meta of the game, and Human Torch is an incredible fit for it. If you manage to buff it upon entry with cards like Forge, after a few movements, Human Torch can become an absolute menace.
2 Nova
Speaking of cards that are almost designed with a deck or archetype in mind, Nova is just that. When Nova is destroyed, all of your other cards gain +1 power, akin to the ongoing ability of the staple card Blue Marvel.
The thing is, Blue Marvel is a 5-cost card, and even despite that, it's commonly used. When you can get that in a 1-cost effect, considering how destruction decks don't mind losing a few cards anyways, Nova becomes a great addition to such decks.
1 Zero
While many cards that support or fit into a certain type of deck have been discussed so far, Zero is a bit different. That is to say, it's not a great addition to a deck, but it enables a certain type of deck.
Marvel Snap balances several cards with incredible stats by giving them detrimental effects. Zero, On Reveal, removes abilities of the next card you play. Combining Zero with beefy cards with negative effects allows for a very fun, unexpected strategy to be utilized.