The weekly Marvel Snap update which dropped on May 4 saw three under-used cards get small buffs, potentially bringing them into the meta.
With a new season having just begun, the weekly patch for Marvel Snap promises to try and disrupt the current ongoing and Galactus meta.
To that end, the developers have targeted three under-used cards for buffs that might help to counter some of those meta decks.
Here is everything in the Marvel Snap update released on May 3.
Luke Cage buffs
One of the biggest reasons that Luke Cage has become so weak is due to the Enchantress buffs from last month, which have made him very vulnerable to having his powerful ability negated. In addition, the recently-released Super Skrull also does everything that Luke Cage does but better so you don’t even need him in your deck!
With the Hero of Harlem getting some buffs, this could bring back the long-forgotten Cerebro decks that used to terrorize Marvel Snap.
Orka buffs
The devs admitted that Orka is one of the least-played cards in the game, largely because he blocks you off from using one lane until the end of the game.
Even though there have been some decks that have utilized Orka to great success, he’s getting a significant buff that could make him a deadly finisher in the event you find yourself against a Galactus with a free lane.
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The Collector buffs
Finally, Marvel Snap admitted that The Collector’s previous nerfs as part of the Devil Dino decks may have pushed him a bit too far out of the meta.
Despite the emergence of Bounce decks, The Collector has just not been relevant for a while now, so hopefully this buff will make him a bit more appetizing to play.
Marvel Snap May 4 update patch notes
Card balance updates
Here are the full Marvel Snap update patch notes for May 4, which can also be found below:
Orka
- [Old] 6/9 – Ongoing: +5 Power if this is your only card here.
- [New] 6/11 – Ongoing: +5 Power if this is your only card here.
Developer comments: This isn’t very complicated–Orka released low, consistently one of our least-played cards and weak on winrate. He’s especially vulnerable to “splash” damage in a metagame where being able to counter Galactus has a higher priority for players, so the solve should clearly involve raising his floor, a design term for the card’s weakest outcome. Just buffing his base Power also keeps his Ongoing symmetrical with Namor’s, further focusing on their fishy feud. We don’t expect to see Orka suddenly start tearing up the competitive ranks, but it’s free for us to make him stronger.
The Collector
- [Old] 2/1 – When a card enters your hand from anywhere (except your deck), +1 Power.
- [New] 2/2 – When a card enters your hand from anywhere (except your deck), +1 Power.
Developer comments: Those of us who were playing in the beta no doubt remember the glory days of The Collector, and the nerf that was merited then brought him in line as an on-curve play in some Discard and Devil Dinosaur decks. However, he’s been largely squeezed out of those archetypes since, without finding a new home. Hopefully he’ll be a bit more competitive with other 2-Cost cards at this rate, and start earning those slots back or showing up in new decks, like Bounce.
Luke Cage
- [Old] 2/1 – Ongoing: Your cards can’t have their Power reduced.
- [New] 2/2 – Ongoing: Your cards can’t have their Power reduced.
Developer comments: The two most popular decks with Luke are middling performers on the numbers, and the surge in Super Skrull plus the buff to Enchantress have both indirectly weakened him. We actually considered testing 3 Power briefly, but recalled how the Hazmat buff to 2 Power months ago killed a delightful Cerebro-1 deck. This change thus restores that combo as an interesting option for Cerebro-2, since Luke protects that deck from a handful of meddlesome locations as well. The added Power makes Luke more viable as a “tech” card in other decks, which might come in handy if afflict strategies reach a new high in the near future.
