Do not index
Do not index
Welcome to the Untapped.gg Marvel SNAP Meta Report (Ranked) for the week of September 19, 2024. The Meta Report is a weekly article series where we review the best decks and strategies in the top ranks of Marvel SNAP.
Marvel SNAP Tier List
It's the final week of the Amazing Spider-Season and Tier A is still being dominated by the Hela Archetype at Rank 70 and above. To answer the rise of the Clog Archetype, which can be traced back to Hela's popularity, the Affliction Archetype has moved into Tier A and has been preying on players hoping to counter Hela. Scarlet Spider's release has done little to change the meta, and yesterday's OTA has impacted the Zoo Archetype and War Machine Archetype far more than the other targets, as detailed in our Marvel SNAP OTA Balance Update - September 26, 2024. Hela is currently sitting at 10.5% popularity at Rank 70 and Above since the OTA, a higher play rate than the next 10 decks combined. Affliction, the only other Tier A archetype, has just a 0.9% popularity rate, meaning you're more likely to run into Zoo (3.1%), Arishem Archetype (2.8%) and even Destroy Archetype (6.4%) on ladder.
TIER A DECKS
Looking a bit closer at the data, we can see the most popular Hela decks were already running Luke Cage to counterbalance the -2 Power stipulation on resurrects, so the recent nerf has just made the need for Luke on board a bit more necessary. Draw variance may make the archetype feel marginally weaker, but the game plan remains the same: use Hellcow to protect against discarding Hela until the end of the game for a huge power swing. Tech cards that counter Hela often require solid predictions and setup to use effectively, like Cosmo or Alioth, allowing Hela to play around them if need be. Amongst the archetype, a whopping nine of the most commonly played cards, including Blade, Hellcow and Black Cat are present in 90% of decks or more. The most popular Hela deck sports a 55.5% winrate and +0.39 average cube rate - a bit higher than the archetype average.
Most Popular Hela Cards
Clog has been the de facto counter to Hela, but Affliction has positioned itself to take advantage of players hoping to queue into the current meta tyrant. Even with Luke, Affliction is also able to hold its own against Hela, including cards like Red Guardian to remove Luke's ability, US Agent to hit all the high-cost cards the archetype includes and Ajax to generate big power, sometimes just off your own cards if Luke is on board. The deck also plays well into Clog, as its able to make the opponent filling their own board a liability - Clog's top end is often just Cannonball and Red Hulk, which means Afflicting its lower cost cards on board quite dangerous for the opponent. The most popular Affliction deck has a 56.9% winrate and +0.20 average cube rate - lower than the archetype average
Most Popular Affliction Cards
Going one step down to Tier B, we find Arishem making its way back to the top along with more Affliction in Toxic Surfer Archetype. Zoo is still putting up a fight, but its feeling the Marvel Boy nerf, which makes it much easier to target with Red Guardian. Combined with the rise in Affliction decks and Zoo is finding it tougher and tougher to gain its footing. With similar average cube rates and winrates, we'll be keeping an eye on the metrics to see which of the Tier B decks are able to go toe to toe with the Tier A powerhouses and which fade away.
TIER B DECKS
Most Popular Cards in Marvel SNAP
To have an edge in the meta, you must understand each and every tool both at your and your opponent's disposal. By studying the Card Tier List and checking the most popular cards each week, you'll have a better grasp of what to expect in any given match.
Hela is still warping the meta, as the entire top of the Card Tierlist are cards from the Hela Archetype. We don't even see a tech card until Shang-Chi at the top of Tier B. Don't be fooled, Shang is still present in 22.6% of decks at Rank 70 and above - almost double the popularity of the next tech card, Killmonger. If your deck is particularly susceptible to Shang, you may want to adjust your game plan or even which deck to play.
Decks that are susceptible to Shang aren't unplayable - your opponent still needs to draw the card and find the right time to play it to be impactful. Just be mindful of tech options as you evaluate your opponent's deck to keep all possible scenarios in mind for the final turn.
Next week we’ll see the new Symbiote Season launch with Agent Venom being added to the game alongside Scream, Man-Thing and Mobius M. Mobius, so be prepared to face players experimenting with their new cards, as we see a spike in popularity on spotlight cache days.
All Untapped analytics are Powered by data, not opinions, and backed up by thousands of games. Our Marvel SNAP Meta Tier List and Deck Database include a variety of lists that will allow you to find the perfect deck to play and even replacements for cards you are missing. Sync your collection to filter for only decks you can build.
For a look at the decks performing well in Conquest mode, make sure to visit our Conquest page.
Written by
