Strategy means everything in collectible card games, and in the high-stakes superhero battles of Marvel Snap, players are constantly on the lookout for the slightest advantage. The Nuverse product has made waves in the card battling genre, winning a prestigious award at The Game Awards within months of its release, and the continuous stream of content has kept gamers engaged in the months post-launch. With each update, new paths to victory emerge in the form of decks, keeping players on their toes and forcing strategies to evolve to maintain a winning record. Bounce Cards have added a fresh dynamic to Marvel Snap's gameplay in the months since its addition, and the deck has quickly gained popularity in the community for its ability to overwhelm opponents.
Any given deck can quickly turn the tide of a battle in Marvel Snap, and the Bounce Deck comes with a mechanism that allows players to maximize their favorite characters' abilities. It has an archetype that plays and returns cards to the player's hand, permitting the same card to be played multiple times. This level of location control helps players limit sustained damage by cutting losses in one area and redeploying their cards in places that are more effective. The Bounce Deck consists of bounce-enabled cards and cards that directly benefit from its effect, although players still have to keep a wary eye out for Marvel Snap's Interference Cards.
Beast is the Star of the Bounce Deck
Marvel Snap's decks often have star characters, and though the Bounce Deck doesn't give much away by name, Beast is easily the most powerful card in the archetype. Beast can return every card at its deployed location to the player's hand, and the 3-Cost 4-Power card gives the added boost of cost reduction - as each returned card costs 1 Energy less when played again. For this reason, many players pair Beast's bounce mechanic with a Sera deck to run the famed Hit-Monkey/Mysterio power play in the Sera Control strategy. Marvel Snap's deck order is never the same, but even cheap-cost cards like Iceman can wreak havoc when paired with Beast.
While lauding Beast's remarkable abilities, it is essential to note the other Bounce characters that fly under the radar - Falcon and Kitty Pryde. Falcon's usage is heavily limited compared to Beast but is nothing to sniff at, as the character can return every played 1-Cost card to the player's hand. In a pinch, Falcon shines through with his ability to clear unwanted 1-Cost cards from any location on the battlefield. Kitty Pryde returned to Marvel Snap after her removal early in the year, and she only bounces herself, returning to the player with a +2 Power Boost whenever her card is in play.
The Bounce Deck also has other staple cards apart from Beast, which includes Korg and Rockslide. Both of these On Reveals introduce rocks - Second Dinner's version of Yu-Gi-Oh's famous Tokens - into an opposing player's deck, cards with no abilities but costing energy. With these many advantages, the Bounce Deck may appear unstoppable, but there are a few counters that nullify its effect. Cosmo is considered by many to be the Achilles' heel of the Bounce Deck, as its On Reveal ability can render Beast ineffectual.
In addition to Cosmo, players need to note lockdown decks with cards like Professor X and Spider-Man, as they restrict the locations cards can be played. Additionally, Sandman and Wave can limit players to playing only one card at a time, and since Bounce Decks aren't usually under the protection of Luke Cage, they are prone to affliction by negative Power. Bounce Decks, just like any other deck in the game, call for careful consideration before use - but the mechanism is near the top of the food chain in Marvel Snap's current meta.
Marvel Snap is available for PC and mobile devices.