With Gladiator coming to Marvel Snap, we’ve compiled an article on the best decks using him in the game.
Who Is Gladiator?
Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, Gladiator debuted in 1977’s X-Men #107. If you don’t know who Gladiator is from the Marvel comics, you’d be forgiven, as he’s not exactly the most well-known character around. A Strontian, Gladiator has super strength, though it’s only available to him when he’s full of confidence. Regardless, he’s played a key role over the years in the various adventures of the X-Men.
Best Gladiator Decks in Marvel Snap
Gladiator has an On Reveal ability that reads: “Add a card from your opponent’s deck to their side of this location. If it has less Power, destroy it,” which has some interesting applications along with his above average 3-Cost, 7-Power statline in Marvel Snap.
Truthfully, while Gladiator can fit into a deck or two, his effect is that of a worse Yondu, but with a higher Power output. In the end, he’s likely on par with another 3-Power, 7-Cost card: Maximus. Both cards have a drawback when their On Reveal effect goes off, yet that 7-Power is sometimes too enticing to give up.
A couple things to note about Gladiator: the card drawn from your opponent’s deck, even if it is below 7-Power, will get their On Reveal or Ongoing effects off. Pulling a Black Panther will cause it to double up to 8-Power, whereas a Professor X will lock down the location and prevent himself from being destroyed. You’ll really only want to use him against decks with combo pieces or counters you want to make sure are out of play.
Related: I Finally Hit Infinite in Marvel Snap, and All That Effort Wasn’t Worth It
As you’d expect, he fits right into Silver Surfer deck with Forge:
- Forge
- Nova
- Brood
- Silver Surfer
- Cosmo
- Killmonger
- Mobius M. Mobius
- Werewolf by Night
- Wave
- Gladiator
- Maximus
- Sera
This Silver Surfer deck receives a slight boon due to the buff Mobius M. Mobius received after his massive nerf, returning his powerful ability but raising his Cost up to 3. Furthermore, with so many On Reveal cards in this deck, Werewolf by Night can jump around the board quite a lot – but if you don’t have him, you can swamp him or any other card out for comparable, high-powered 3-Cost cards.
Cosmo, however, is a non-negotiable addition: not only can Cosmo shut down your opponent, the little pup can also negate the effects of Gladiator and Maximus. Luckily, Werewolf by Night triggers regardless of if the On Reveal effect activated or not. Furthermore, Forge can buff either Gladiator to almost guarantee a kill or Brood for a higher powered Broodlings.
He also works in a Moon Girl “junk” style deck, where you aim to clutter up your opponent’s board. If Gladiator destroys an opponent’s card? Great. If he doesn’t, then there’s one less spot for your opponent to play and for you to clog up.
- The Hood
- Sunspot
- Titania
- Black Widow
- Viper
- Green Goblin
- Debrii
- Gladiator
- Moon Girl
- Sentry
- America Chavez
- She-Hulk
The goal here is to fill up a lane on your opponent’s side with cards such as Viper into The Hood, Titania, Black Widow, Debrii, Green Goblin, and then the Gladiator, before playing Moon Girl on turn 4 and skipping turn 5 – ideally soaking that unused energy into Sunspot – before playing two She-Hulks plus cards such as Titania and Gladiator.
Gladiator Counters in Marvel Snap
Gladiator is a rare card that doesn’t necessarily need a counter if you’re playing against him. While his power output is high for 3-Cost, as long as he doesn’t pull a combo piece (like a Hela in a Hela Tribunal deck or a Cerebro), he’s just as likely to pull something that wins you the game. Still, if he’s giving you trouble, playing a standard destroy deck – which is very strong at the moment – and having Gladiator pull cards such as Wolverine, X-23, and Deadpool, only adds to your chance at winning.
Is Gladiator Worth Your Collector’s Tokens/Spotlight Cache Keys?
No. Gladiator is not worth using a Spotlight Cache key unless you want another one of the cards he’s paired up with – Mirage or Loki. And he is definitely not worth 6000 Collector’s Tokens, as he’s a Series 5 card. Second Dinner may be a little crazy for pricing him that high, honestly. In the future, if Gladiator receives a buff or two, he might make for a worthwhile card, but more often than not destroying a card in your opponent’s deck while they still get the On Reveal effect is going to lose you the game while thinning their deck out to draw into other cards they’re looking for.
If you’re looking for more, check out our picks for the best Ms. Marvel decks in Marvel Snap.
