Welcome to our location control Marvel Snap deck guide. In this article, we will be discussing strategies and various decks that revolve around location control mechanics in Marvel Snap. This type of deck is based on disrupting your opponent’s play by various counters and, most of all, by stopping them from playing in certain locations by using Professor X and/or Storm. The location control deck archetype is, to be frank, one of the most difficult types to handle, especially if you are a beginner in Marvel Snap. This guide should make it easier for you to use it; without further ado, check out our full guide for location control decks in Marvel Snap.
Location Control Decks Strategies & Synergies
The basic premise of every control deck is exactly like the name suggests – you need to be in control of the match as soon as it’s possible. It is easier than it sounds – there are cards that can be used in order to force your opponent’s hand into a play which they won’t normally go for. In doing so, you are not only controlling the flow of the match but also disrupting their play. This is where the whole strength of control decks in Marvel Snap resides: if played well, control decks allow you to effectively win the game by not risking much. They are perfect for climbing the ranked ladder into Infinite – the first time I got into Infinite was with one of the early control decks.
Location Control Card Synergies
Before we proceed with deck examples, let’s see what cards are in great synergy with most control decks and how you can use them:
- Nebula: Overall, most control decks do require Nebula in them. The reason is the simple synergy it has with location control; once you destroy or lock a location, Nebula will keep gaining +2 Power due to its ability since the opponent can’t play anything there.
- Sunspot: The main issue with Nebula is the fact that it’s a Pool 5 (Ultra Rare) card so there is a chance you don’t have it. The alternative for it is Sunspot as you will be able to increase your Power on locked/destroyed locations by wasting Energy. It’s not a perfect solution but it does work really well in most scenarios.
- Jeff!: Similarly to Nebula, Jeff is an awesome card but it’s rare. It works really well with Professor X (and as a counter for it) as it ignores its ability and is able to move on the locked location.
- Daredevil is probably one of the most common and beginner-friendly cards. It’s OK if you use it in the beginning but after a while, you will already have a pretty good idea of what and where your opponent’s play will be on Turn 5 so you can replace it with something more useful.
- Storm: A must-card in all control decks. I mean it’s pretty obvious what you are trying to do with it since its effects destroy the location. That being said, although this card is a must to have, it’s not a must to play – you should only go for the location destroy if you have a plan for what to do in the next turn. More on that in our deck guide.
- Ms. Marvel: Generally speaking, all cards that cover several locations are good to have in control decks. Ms. Marvel is probably the best one as it yields the most Power burst and its effect can be greatly increased by Onslaught.
- Professor X: Similarly to Storm, this is one of your two main location-control cards. Note that its effect will also disable your own cards from being added to the location, such as Doctor Doom boots or similar ones. Also, note that it works as a counter for destroy decks as it prevents anything from being destroyed on the locked location.
- Klaw: Although it’s a bit “vanilla” card, Klaw has its purpose mostly in synergy with Professor X, Storm, and Onslaught. Definitely worth a try in all control decks.
- Doctor Doom: As we mentioned earlier, cards that boost several locations at the same time are performing really well in control decks in Marvel Snap. Doctor Doom is the ultimate weapon when it comes to that.
- Alioth: Well, I mean, it’s Alioth – the best card in the game. I know that many people will disagree but during our time in testing control decks, Alioth was pretty useful. The fact that you can destroy one or two locations and only need to have priority in the remaining one in order to achieve victory (and probably take a lot of cubes) is simply the main reason why this card should be in your control deck. It’s not a must but it’s definitely preferable to have.
Counters for Control Decks
There are several ways in which you can counter control decks. Probably the easiest one is by playingToxic or Reactive decks such as Annihilus decks. The reason for this is the fact that control decks rely on having the lead in the match and, like the name suggests, forcing the opponent’s play. If you disrupt this kind of play by using Annihilus, Viper/Hood, Debrii or similar cards you will manage to counter this type of deck.
Another simple solution, but not the optimal one, is to actually play zoo decks. Even the simplest Kazar Zoo deck will be able to overwhelm control decks as most of the cards have low cost and Blue Marvel and similar cards successfully buff them up even once locations are destroyed or closed. The reason why we say that it’s not the optimal solution is the fact that, well, you won’t be playing just against control decks, right? Although these decks do perform well against control, they are horrendous against other kinds such as High Evolutionary deck, Drakula Discard deck, and similar archetypes that have much higher Power potential.
Ms. Marvel High-Cost Deck
Deck Type: Control
Key cards: Wave, Electro, Nebula, Jeff, Iron Lad, Ms Marvel, Gamora, Professor X, Alioth, Onslaught
Support cards: Daredevil, Klaw
Deck Code:
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We will start with one of the Marvel Snap meta decks right now – and that’s Ms. Marvel High control deck. We must warn you, this deck is not so easy to master and there is a chance that you might lose some cubes until you get used to it. First of all, the trick here is to know when to retreat – since you have so many high-cost cards, there is a chance that you simply might not get Wave and/or Electro thus not being able to play this deck in the right way.
Nebula and Daredevil as well as Jeff are here just for support. The real deal is Wave and you should play here as soon as you can as you will probably have either Klaw or Onslaught ready. If you are an experienced player you might even go straight for Professor X on location if you know which one to pick. Either way, Professor X should be played on Turn 5 and the rest is pretty simple – even if you don’t have priority you still have Gamora in the deck for additional support.
Ms. Marvel Low-Cost Deck
Deck Type: Control
Key cards: Ant-Man, Medusa, Mister Fantastic, Ms Marvel, Klaw, Professor X, Onslaught
Support cards: Hazmat, Luke Cage, Cosmo, Armor, Orka
Deck Code:
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Ms. Marvel low-cost deck is similar but with two major differences: it’s less volatile but also gives less Power output. You will be able to compete for priority before Turn 5 with this deck and that’s what’s great about it. Hazmat and Luke Cage are optional combos here and have a fail-safe with Cosmo in case you have to play Hazmat but don’t have Luke in hand.
On the other hand, Orka is one of your main cards as you will need additional support in terms of Power on a location that’s not locked – and preferably protected by Armor and Cosmo. The other option is to go for a surprise on an empty location and that’s a viable strategy but it does require a lot of planning. Ms. Marvel – Mister Fantastic – Onslaught combo in the middle location gives roughly around +14 Power boost on adjected locations and is also a good option.
Reactive Control Deck
Deck Type: Control, Reactive
Key cards: Sunspot, Juggernaut, Storm, Gamora, Professor X, Klaw
Support cards: Echo, Lizard, Armor, Shadow-king, Attuma
Deck Code:
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This is by far, the trickiest deck to play with. To be frank, it took me a lot of time to understand it and to reach Infinite rank with it. The reason is the fact that it heavily relies on what your opponent is playing. The whole point of this control deck is to combine control strategies with reactive ones, negating your opponent’s play and pushing the game flow in your direction.
Echo is a heavily underestimated card, especially when you are not competing in high Infinite ranks. The reason is the fact that it’s so rarely used that your opponents often forget about its effect and just throw Ms. Marvel or other ongoing cards on a lane where Echo is, thus ruining their play. It’s advisable to play in the middle for that reason. Armor is there to counter destroy decks, Shadow-king is there for HE and Shurri decks as it has great potential on Turn 6 when combined with Shang-Chi (on another lane). All in all, this Marvel Snap control deck requires a lot of skill to master but is super fun (and super annoying for the opponent) to play.
Final Thoughts on Control Decks in Marvel Snap
These are just some types of Marvel Snap location control decks. There are more: we talked about High Evolutionary control deck as well as Annihilus control deck in separate articles so you can check them out as well. Depending on what cards you have, we are sure that you can combine at least one control deck and give this archetype a shot – once you get a hang of it, you will be climbing to Infinte rank in no time because some of these decks are best decks in Marvel Snap. Happy Snapping!
Photo credits: Marvel Snap
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