Kang Is Ruining Marvel Snap’s Core, Defining Mechanic

Marvel Snap’s meta game hasn’t been in an entirely great place for the past couple months. The meta has seen multiple shifts, from the annoying Leech-Leader combo to the Silver Surfer combo, then to the Zabu–Darkhawk combo, and now we’re back to even more Leech with Thanos, Galactus, and Shuri sprinkled in.

Previously, I’d expressed concerns about Zabu being a meta-defining card in Marvel Snap, especially since it was locked behind the season pass paywall. And guess what? Zabu did indeed become a meta staple that season, enabling plenty of shenanigans like Spider-Man and Absorbing Man locking you out of the game entirely on turn 5, and Darkhawk, Moon Girl, and Mystique just ruining your day with ridiculous 1-cost point slams on turn 6.

Since then, Leader has been nerfed into oblivion, while Silver Surfer and Zabu have also been dinged slightly. This doesn’t mean the meta’s in a healthy place, though, as Thanos and Shuri have risen to the forefront, not to mention the fact that Second Dinner has inexplicably given Thanos a small buff when his archetype wasn’t even weak in the first place. Thanos is all over the meta and ladder right now, and a new card in town is about to divide the player base even further: Kang the Conqueror, who’s set to be a Series 5 staple.

Here’s the ability you’re getting with Kang: On Reveal: Look at what your opponent did this turn, then restart the turn (without Kang). He’s a 5-cost, 0-power card, and do note that you can play him on any turn as long as you have the energy for it. In addition to that, whenever Kang resets a turn, he also undoes any snaps you or your opponent might’ve made that turn. He’s essentially a souped up version of beta Magik, who used to be playable on turn 6 to extend the game and completely catch your opponent off-guard.

During the beta days, Magik was regarded as the straight up best card in the game, not because she was powerful on her own, but because she was such a huge enabler for other big combos especially in Negative decks when Negative Seratonin was in vogue. Most importantly, even if your opponent snapped on turn 6, if you played Magik, you could see their turn 6 play, then retreat and lose only two cubes instead of four if the game had ended then.

Kang basically fills that same role by letting players snap with no consequences, which is much more egregious than Magik ever was. Get him on turn 6 and you’re not quite sure what your opponent has up their sleeve for their final play? Snap and play Kang to see what’s in store for you, then retreat if you need to. The big upside to doing this is that depending on how even the board state is on turn 5, your opponent could even be bullied into retreating because they’re not sure if they can beat your final play. Kang is a “get out of jail free” card that completely negates the mind game aspect that comes with snapping to double the stakes in Marvel Snap, which isn’t great for a card game that’s all about effective snapping strategy while climbing the ladder.

It’s only been a couple of days since Kang has been added to Marvel Snap’s huge card collection, but he’s already looking like a solid addition to the current meta decks with Thanos, Shuri, and Galactus. Being able to see your opponent’s plays and make an informed decision based on that while catching them off-guard gives you a huge advantage, and we could very well be heading into another meta shift where Kang becomes important for deck efficiency.

It’s also worth noting that as a Series 5 staple alongside Thanos and Galactus, Kang is going to cost you 6,000 Collector’s Tokens if you want to buy him from the shop. Add on the fact that the current meta is dominated by these Series 5 staples, and it’s getting harder to ignore Marvel Snap’s gradual descent into pay-to-win territory. Something needs to change, and it starts with Second Dinner becoming more agile with balance changes and card updates. Until then, you can bet I’ll be abusing Kang in my matches just because I was fortunate enough to get him in the shop early and have enough Tokens to buy him.