No matter your Collection Level in Marvel Snap, you’ll have a wealth of Ongoing cards to play with. As such, you’ll go up against some powerful Ongoing decks. This list details the 10 best Ongoing cards in Marvel Snap, ranked primarily by how integral they are to multiple competitive decks.
10. Patriot – Ongoing: Your cards with no abilities have +2 Power.
Unlike the original star-spangled superhero Captain America, Patriot is actually a great Ongoing card, particularly for those that aren’t Series 3 complete. That alone grants him a spot on this list, but his stocks have decreased over the last few months. While Patriot has obvious synergy with cards like Mystique and Ultron, he shines in his relatively recent collaboration with Silver Surfer, as the Brood into Absorbing Man combo steals games away with massive power outputs. Sure, he’s not the crux of this deck, but Patriot’s ability to buff up above-average cards like Mister Sinister and Brood keep him in the mix – for now. Don’t be shocked if Patriot falls off this list completely, as it’s very unlikely that Second Dinner will release more cards that have no abilities; however, they may add cards that buff cards without abilities or create ability-free tokens like Squirrel Girl. If that happens, Patriot might see a resurgence.
9. Iron Man – Ongoing: Your total Power is doubled here.
While Iron Man doesn’t define his own deck, you can slot Tony Stark into any number of them for a surprising burst of power on turn 5. Recently, he has made his way into a number of Ms. Marvel Ongoing decks and control decks, and players have experimented with him and Revonna Renslayer. However, he shines in somewhat gimmicky combo decks: Mr. Negative allows you to pull and play him for 0 cost 10 power, and his inclusion in a Hela Tribunal deck gives you another way to play him out alongside The Living Tribunal and Onslaught if your opponent can counter the Invisible Woman into MODOK and Hela play. It’s not a stretch to say that deck builders will consider Iron Man, given the power of his effect, as an inclusion in just about any deck.
8. Cerebro – Ongoing: Your highest-Power cards have +2 Power.
Yes, Professor Xavier’s powerful little helmet is one of the best Ongoing cards in Marvel Snap. Cerebro decks have never been broken, sure, but this card (along with Mystique doubling its effect) have formed the linchpin of many surprisingly strong decks – from Cerebro 2 making use of Brood and Blue Marvel to the joke-deck-turned-viable Cerebro 5 that makes Medusa a playable card. In fact, Cerebro 5 is likely the most viable of its decks, as it can output an impressive amount of power without the supercharged helmet. More than any other card in Marvel Snap, both weekly over-the-air patches and major updates affect Cerebro as cards often have a point of power added or taken away, making or breaking its decks. Unfortunately, the recent nerf to Luke Cage means Cerebro decks are far more susceptible to cards and location effects that decrease the power of a card.
7. Sera – Ongoing: Cards in your hand cost 1 less. (minimum 1)
Though at one time she would’ve been in the top 3 of this list, Sera has fallen from her domineering perch that she had for much of Marvel Snap’s first year, mainly due to the addition of Mobius and the nerf to Hit Monkey. Still, the power of reducing the cost of cards cannot be understated as it allows for massive combos and, in the case of Sera, absurd turn 6 plays that can take opponents completely by surprise. At the moment, Sera finds herself primarily in Silver Surfer decks alongside one of the more recent card releases of Sebastian Shaw. Since you typically drop Sera on turn 5, common Ongoing counters have little effect on her unless your opponent can read your mind and doesn’t have priority – just watch out for the Dream Dimension location. She may not be the force she once was, but Sera will always have a place in the meta.
6. Professor X – Ongoing: Lock down this location. (Cards can’t be added, removed, etc.)
As one of the most powerful and recognizable mutants, you’d expect Professor Xavier to be a great card in Marvel Snap, and you’d be right. An ever-present staple in control decks, when played right, Professor X is a lane-winning condition on his own, with only Jeff being able to squeak into his location or an effect like Ms. Marvel or Klaw. In fact, he single-handedly makes cards such as Psylocke better, as ramping into him on turn 4 can quickly win you the game. For quite a while, he was the main win condition of a “scam” Thanos list, and though that decklist has fallen off lately, he’s still present in a top-tier deck simply called Lockdown, featuring the likes of Storm, Ms. Marvel, and Gamora alongside him to shut your opponent out and control where they play.
Related: What to Spend Gold on in Marvel Snap
5. Mystique – On Reveal: If the last card you played has an Ongoing, copy its text. (if it’s in play)
While she’s technically an On Reveal card and not an Ongoing one, Mystique single-handedly makes just about every other Ongoing card in the game more of a threat by doubling up on their effects. We’re including her because, simply put, she is only playable when she becomes an Ongoing card. She’s found in everything from combo-heavy Gambit and Wong decks to a simple inclusion to copy Devil Dinosaur’s effect. Players – and the designers themselves – will rate every future Ongoing card added to Marvel Snap not on its own merits but on how well it combos with Mystique. At the moment, she’s finding a place in a Darkhawk and Ms. Marvel deck where she can copy either of those cards’ abilities.
4. Devil Dinosaur – Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your hand.
All Marvel Snap players at the beginning of their arduous journey gaining Collection Levels will have played a Devil Dinosaur deck at some point. While many cards fall off as your collection grows, Devil Dinosaur remains a potent threat no matter how complete your collection is, and with the addition of more cards that add cards to your hand – such as Snowguard – he’ll only become more viable. Sure, he’s cut in favor of Werewolf by Night in Loki decks, but Moon Girl’s pet dinosaur has found a home alongside Ms. Marvel and Darkhawk in a potent hybrid deck. A 5 cost 15 power card is just too good to ignore as more cards get released and the meta shifts.
3. Darkhawk – Ongoing: +2 Power for each card in your opponent’s deck.
Darkhawk decks have also been a staple since his release, and while they’ve risen and fallen in popularity, how well he combos with disruption cards such as Black Widow, Korg, and Rock Slide makes him one of the best Ongoing cards in the game. What makes him even better is that he plays well with two other amazing Marvel Snap Ongoing cards: Ms. Marvel and Zabu. All three are often found in decks together; however, Darkhawk’s stocks might fall off with the release of Blob – a card that absorbs your entire deck, thus rendering Darkhawk useless. It remains to be seen how prevalent the big boy will be, however, so for now Darkhawk is safe.
2. Ms. Marvel – Ongoing: Adjacent locations where your cards have unique Costs have +5 Power.
Second Dinner doesn’t often miss when it comes to Season Pass cards, and Ms. Marvel, while not at all broken but top-tier powerful, is proof of that. A conditional 4 energy for a whopping 15 power, she has become a game-winning linchpin in several decks, including her own deck that includes other amazing Marvel Snap Ongoing cards with Darkhawk, Devil Dinosaur, and Mystique. Furthermore, she has landed a spot in meta-defining control decks with the likes of Professor X. Suffice to say, Ms. Marvel is one of the best cards released in recent memory, and if she isn’t nerfed – which is a very real possibility in 2024 – she’ll be a meta staple for the foreseeable future.
1. Zabu – Ongoing: Your 4-Cost cards cost 1 less. (minimum 1)
Even after being nerfed from a 3 power 2 cost card with the ability to decrease 4 cost cards by 2 power, Zabu is still a meta-defining card as he directly makes every 4 cost card in the game more viable. Cheating out Mr. Negative a turn early in order to draw more inverted low-cost cards from your deck? Yup. An obvious slot into top-tier decks such as Ms. Marvel and Darkhawk? Of course. A great way to discount powerful tech cards such as Shang-Chi and Enchantress for explosive counter-players? All thanks to the jungle cat. While there are plenty of great decks without Zabu, you won’t play more than a match or two without hearing his roar. In fact, it’s kind of remarkable that such an obscure character – for those who haven’t read the Tarzan-esque Ka-Zar comics – is one of the best cards in the game.
