Do not index
Do not index
Welcome to this week's Spotlight Cache Showcase! In this article series, we review the contents of Marvel SNAP’s upcoming Spotlight Caches and decide if this is a week worth your precious resources.
The new Series 5 card Madame Web will be released this week, alongside Series 5 Alioth and Series 4 Silk.
MADAME WEB – Researching Spiders in the Amazon
Madame Web joins Marvel SNAP as part of the Amazing Spider-Season. It is a 2-Cost, 1-Power card with the ability, Ongoing: You can move one of your other cards away from here each turn. It's focus on move resembles other cards you may be familiar with, such as Kingpin, Kraven and Heimdall.
While Madame Web may seem like its just another tool for the Move Archetype, the card is much more than that. One package in particular is gaining a powerful addition to its already strong core: the Kitty Pryde, Angela, Thena package. Stronger cards in the Thena Archetype have pushed Elsa Bloodstone out of most builds, but Madame Web may be the card that finally empowers the card to make a return. The deck has always relied on small movers, such as Nightcrawler, Jeff and Silk to fill the Angela lane and take advantage of the constant Elsa buffs, but Madame Web enables the same strategy without relying on drawing or even including these cards at all.
Madame Web is an extremely versatile card that will be a strong consideration for the 2-Cost slot in a number of decks. With the rise in popularity of the Clog Archetype, the card also offers a sorely-needed answer to Debrii and Kate Bishop's pesky Acid Arrow.
PROJECTED RANKING
ALIOTH – Silent but Deadly
Alioth is currently in Tier B of our Card Tier List, having both a positive cube rate and winrate, while being played in 14.1% of decks at Rank 70 and above. Alioth is most commonly played in the Arishem Archetype, which is inflating its numbers a bit. It synergizes well with Blob, Red Hulk and Galactus.
Alioth shines best in a Turn 6 meta - one where decks are saving the game-swinging play until the very end. Unfortunately, the cards in the Amazing Spider-Season aren't necessarily highlighting huge final turn plays, so the popular decks that arise may not rely heavily on the final turn. Regardless, Alioth remains one of the most power 6-Drops in the game, even more so since its bump to 10 Power.
RANKING
SILK – Jump Around
Silk rounds out the second week of the Amazing Spider-Season and the fall from grace is astounding. Once a meta tyrant and must-have card, Silk's game volume is now so low the card doesn't have enough data for a ranking on our Card Tier List. With Madame Web, however, Silk may be tangentially buffed as the Kitty, Angela, Thena package gains its latest tool.
Silk has seen better days, but Madame Web may be just what the card needs to see decks and archetypes that capitalize on its unique ability to see play again. Cards like Kraven, Angela and even the upcoming Araña are bound to come together and create a rejuvenated Silky Smoove deck, with Silk at the forefront.
Projected Ranking
Spotlight Variants
Each week, there's a chance you open exclusive Spotlight Cache Variants for the featured cards. These variants only appear once you own all three featured cards, so you’ll need plenty of Spotlight Keys if you want one. Spotlight Cache exclusive variants will not be available in-game again until one full year has passed following their release.
The featured artist for the Amazing Spider-Season is In-Hyuk Lee, so we should expect all Spotlight Variants for new cards, such as Madame Web, to get In-Hyuk Lee depictions. Alioth receives a portrayal by Michal Ivan and Silk receives a new variant from Eduardo Mello!
Final Thoughts
This week’s Spotlight Caches are filled with promise. Madame Web should enable a previous meta powerhouse to claw its way back into the meta, but will the current tyrants leave enough room for that to even happen? Marvel SNAP is a much different game than it was 4 or 5 months ago. That being said, Alioth alone may be reason enough to open this week and you may get the pieces to build the next best deck on the way.
The other factor to consider is the upcoming Spotlight Caches. Next week we’ll see Araña added to the game alongside Sage and Ms. Marvel.
What do you think? Are you using Spotlight Keys to get Madame Web or saving it for future weeks? Let us know your thoughts over at @UntappedSNAP on Twitter/X. Alternatively, come and chat with the wider Marvel SNAP Community on our Discord Server!
Written by
