It seems that Marvel Snap (Free) has one more gift to give us before the developers sign off for the year. Friends, it’s the gift of balance changes, and it’s one that Second Dinner keeps on giving all year. It’s going to feel like candy to some players and coal to others, but however it hits your favorite decks, it’s important to know what’s in it so you can adjust accordingly. Let’s go over all the changes in this final over-the-air update of 2023.
Let’s go over the nerfs first so that we can end on a happier note. The biggest of the bunch is Professor X. He’s a great ace to have up your sleeve, given he can completely close down a location and score you a decisive win. His ability isn’t changing, but his stats are. Charles gets out of our heads by moving from 5-Cost 3-Power to 5-Cost 1-Power. You can still use him the same way, but you’re not going to be able to count on his power to give you the win for the spot.
The next nerf comes for the relatively recently added, and extremely powerful, Werewolf by Night. He’s definitely become the shining the star of the Bloodstone cards with the way he can build power quickly. Like Professor X, his ability remains unchanged. His stats have been adjusted, however, making him a 4-Cost 4-Power card instead of a 3-Cost 3-Power card. This delays his entry into the game and also moves him out of the Surfer Squad. Looks like Brood’s back on the menu, kids!
Black Widow gets a mixed change. It feels more like a nerf than a buff but it isn’t fully one-sided. Her stats change from 2-Cost 1-Power to 3-Cost 3-Power. On the one hand, she now packs a little bit of a punch appropriate to her cost. On the other hand, it’s harder to play her multiple times now, so you won’t be able to trigger her effect so often. On the third hand, she now qualifies for the Surfer Squad. Swings and roundabouts.
Another mixed change that makes the character qualify for the Surfer Squad is Viper. She’s been used as a very strategic card in the past, and she quickly found a home with cards like Annihilus bolstering decks that mess with the opponent. Her ability is untouched, but her stats move from 2-Cost 3-Power to 3-Cost 4-Power. According to the developer notes, this is to help keep Viper and Havok from being too much of a spoiler. Yeah, I can see that. Fair beans.
On to the buffs. Martyr pretty much fell flat on her face. Her ability works against you, and even with her low cost her power just didn’t justify that risk. She gets one extra point of power from here on out, going from 1-Cost 4-Power to 1-Cost 5-Power. Will it help? I guess we’ll see. Gladiator gets a similar tweak, moving from 3-Cost 7-Power to 3-Cost 8-Power. Kind of awkward seeing two such recent cards getting balanced tweaked already, but at least they’re moving in a positive direction rather than a negative one.
Ronan the Accuser gets a big win this time. His ability stays the same, as with all of today’s changes. But his stats have gotten a very nice buff, moving him from 5-Cost 3-Power to 5-Cost 5-Power. Maximus has gotten a stat change too, and it’s being painted as a buff to support Ronan rather than a nerf to punish the Surfer Squad. Maximus moves from a Surfer-tastic 3-Cost 7-Power to 2-Cost 6-Power. And I’ll stuff the last buff in here, with the Punisher getting an extra point of power, moving from 3-Cost 2-Power to 3-Cost 3-Power. Perhaps he’ll make the Surfer Squad cut now.
That’s it for the balance changes in this Marvel Snap update. We probably won’t be seeing any news for the game until the new season drops in 2024, so if you happen to only read my work via these Marvel Snap stories, I guess I’ll see you next year. Good luck with all the Snappings and such!
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