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Welcome to our first Spotlight Cache Showcase! - The article series where we review the contents of Marvel SNAP’s upcoming Spotlight Caches and decide if this is the week you should cash in those hard-earned keys.
This week we’ve got brand new Series 5 card Makkari appearing in the box, alongside Series 4’s Gladiator and long-standing staple of the Destroy archetype, X-23
MAKKARI – A BRAND NEW SERIES 5 CARD.
Makkari welcomes in week three of the Eternals season, which is a little surprising given she’s supposed to be the fastest woman in the universe. She’s a 3-cost, 3 power character who reads “After the turn, runs from your hand to a random location if possible”
We’ve not seen a jump-into-play effect like this since M’Baku, who was notoriously a bit of a flop. It’s important to note that Makkari running into play doesn’t count as “moving” to a location, so it’ll be of little help to a card like Kraven.
Sadly, I think Makkari might miss the mark for the majority of the metagame, and probably isn’t enough of a reason to open up a Spotlight Cache alone. Sure, she’s free, but that’s not worth a whole card in the average game of Marvel SNAP. If she’s going to find a home, I feel like it’ll be alongside Silver Surfer and Brood to slam down even more points, or as a bonus body in a decklist like Cerebro 3.
For example, this particular Silver Surfer deck is displaying very positive results at the top ranks amongst players with high collection levels, albeit with a small sample size. Surfer decks often struggle to find time to play out all the cards they draw each game, and Makkari offers a neat solution to that.
Makkari may be more appealing to this strategy than the bonus energy of Hope Summers or the counterplay of Mobius M. Mobius. It may even provide more efficient bonus stats than a card like Forge or Mockingbird – it'll all come down to how painful the random nature of her ability is.
You’ll even have a deck that wants to use the Gladiator you’re bound to open whilst looking for her. How neat is that?!
GLADIATOR – EIGHT (POWER) TO SEE YOU AGAIN!
Is that “Great to see you again” or “Hate to see you again”? Unclear...
Gladiator makes a roaring return as our first accompanying card of the week. He’s not the biggest stranger to the Spotlight Cache Schedule, originally releasing back in November and reappearing next to Corvus Glaive in February 2024. While we don’t know for sure when he’ll be back again, it’s safe to assume it won’t be too far in the future.
Sadly, Gladiator has been languishing in the C Tier of our Card Tier List for quite a while, having both a negative cube rate and winrate alongside a meager popularity rating of 8.2%. Those aren’t exactly the selling points of an all-star card.
That said, there is a few places that the hulking mass of Gladiator belongs. The aforementioned Silver Surfer deck is a great fit, but the most ”winning” decklist containing the card looks to abuse his potent On Reveal effect alongside Baron Zemo and Yondu to shred the opposing deck to bits:
This deck ends up feeling different every game, as Baron Zemo and his associated friends can eliminate just about any problem the opponent might present and the combination of Doctor Octopus and Shang-Chi will remedy much of the rest. When they’re done, just slam down a big chunky Red Hulk to win a second lane!
Overall, Gladiator has a few niche applications across Marvel SNAP, all of which he feels like an important card for. If those decks interest you, consider opening your spotlight caches for it. Otherwise, he’s a pass from me.
X-23 – DESTROY'S FAVORITE REPRINT!
The final card in this week’s Spotlight Caches is X-23, one of the longstanding Destroy archetype’s biggest lynchpins. You can see how important it appears to be to the fan favorite deck based on how many times it has already reappeared in Spotlight Caches. X-23 released back in August 2023, roughly 10 months ago. It then received some more punchy opportunities to become part of your collection immediately in October and November. Finally, it reappeared for a fourth time in February 2024 (hilariously, right next to Gladiator again!)
Somehow, X-23 is still a Series 5 card - so what do we make of lucky number five?
Things do look a little brighter for X-23. It averages a positive cube rate and win percentage by a fraction, putting it firmly in the B tier of our Card Tier List. However, the popularity rating of only 5.4% is something that stands out like a red flag – X-23 is a very niche card that slots into a small number of decks but is clearly a “must have” for those playing those lists.
So what sort of decks does she fit into? Well. The best one right now is Galactus.
This deck is a tale as old as time by now, revolving around one of Marvel SNAP’s big bads, Galactus. If you can use the acceleration powers of X-23, Electro and Wave to secure a single lane for Galactus to immediately win, then Alioth, Knull and Death will help to make sure you’ll always win that lane in the end. Destroyer and Ultron help to provide some snazzy backup plans in case you find yourself on the receiving end of a Green Goblin.
Of course, X-23 is equally happy to slot in alongside Deadpool and Wolverine in a traditional Destroy deck too. It’ll be just like the movie came out a little early. Consider cracking some boxes if those decks are for you!
Spotlight Variants
Each week, you have the chance to open exclusive Spotlight Cache Variants for all the cards featured within. These variants can only appear once you own all three cards featured, so you’ll need plenty of keys if you want one from scratch! Spotlight Cache exclusive variants will not be available in-game again until one full year has passed following their release.
Francesco Tomaselli is this month’s featured artist, and so it’s their Makkari variant you’ll find inside the Spotlight Cache. Gladiator receives an imposing portrayal by Ryan Benjamin, and X-23 gets a rather ravishing rendition to add to the Hellfire Gala collection. If these tickle your fancy, be sure not to miss out!
Final Thoughts
Truthfully, I find this week’s Spotlight Caches to fall a little flat. Makkari, Gladiator and X-23 all have the potential to be powerful cards but only in very particular decks, none of which are really thriving in the current metagame. If you’re really interested in building around Silver Surfer, Baron Zemo or Galactus then there’s good reason to crack the cases. Beyond that, you’re better off saving your keys if none of the Spotlight Variant art speaks to you.
But what do you think? Are we sleeping on Makkari? Let us know your thoughts over at @UntappedSNAP on Twitter/X. Alternatively, come and chat with the wider Marvel SNAP Community in our Discord Server!
If you’d like an extra helping of me, you can find me over at @HowlingMines for all things card games. You also may find me on the Ranked ladder. You’ve been warned!
Until next time – I've been HowlingMines, you’ve been amazing.
...Snap?
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