Over the course of its now seven seasons, the Marvel Snap deck-building meta has evolved drastically. As new cards are introduced each season, players are quick to discover optimal strategies to build new decks around. However, one fearsome card has become a mainstay in the Pool 1 meta and beyond due to its potential to synergize with a variety of cards and play styles. Devil Dinosaur is a name Marvel Snap fans have become quite familiar with, and while many fear its power-scaling potential, others have sought to unlock the full power of this behemoth for themselves.
Prior to the release of Marvel Snap, it's very possible many casual Marvel fans had never heard of Devil Dinosaur, as it is not one of the more well-known creations of Jack Kirby. Now that it has gained some popularity due to its power in Marvel Snap, fans of this beast can look forward to the upcoming animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur releasing in 2023. With the Savage Land event for Marvel Snap slated to begin in January, it's likely Devil Dinosaur could receive some more attention in the coming update.
Devil Dinosaur Character Background
First appearing in 1978's Devil Dinosaur #1 created by Jack Kirby, Devil Dinosaur inhabits the prehistoric, alternate Earth known as Dinosaur World alongside its companion, Moon-Boy. These pair of characters have made several appearances across Marvel Comics, including a trip to modern New York City after being accidentally teleported there by the sorceress Jennifer Kale. Not long after their arrival in the city, Spider-Man rescues the pair and relocates them to the Savage Land which sees them join forces with the likes of Kazar, Lockjaw, and the Pet Avengers.
During these adventures in the Savage Lands, tragedy strikes as Moon-Boy is killed while attempting to recover the sacred Nightstone from Killer-Folk. Devil Dinosaur follows the Nightstone into a time vortex after the Killer-Folk that killed Moon-Boy, seeking to avenge his fallen friend. However, he ends up back in modern-day New York City where he meets the Marvel universe's smartest character—9-year-old Lunella Lafayette—now in possession of the Nightstone. First appearing together in 2015's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1, Lunella contains the Inhuman gene within her DNA and, as such, is able to form a mental link with Devil Dinosaur.
The two team up to track down the Killer-Folk and end up bonding with one another leading Lunella to adopt the identity of Moon Girl in honor of Devil Dinosaur's lost companion. As their adventures in New York City continue, the two would go on to battle Kid Kree which saw the pair team up with Ms. Marvel to take on the son of Captain Marvel. Following this escapade, the team would take on the infamous Doctor Doom alongside Doctor Strange and several X-Men allies.
The unique variety of characters that Devil Dinosaur interacts with through its comic appearances gives Marvel Snap players some idea of what to expect in regard to cards it will synergize well with. The developers of the game, Second Dinner, did a great job at conveying ties between important Marvel characters through the ways in which their in-game abilities play off each other. It will be interesting to see how future cards added in the upcoming Savage Land event play into the strengths of Devil Dinosaur.
Devil Dinosaur Control Deck Breakdown
Devil Dinosaur's source of power in Marvel Snap comes from its Ongoing ability, which grants it +2 Power for each card in the player's hand. As a 5 Cost card with only 3 Power to begin with, it greatly benefits from other cards that allow the player to increase the size of their hand, and the potential power scaling of this ability makes it a relevant threat in Card Pools beyond Pool 1. With the ultimate goal of increasing hand size, players can design their deck around a variety of play styles and add Devil Dinosaur to top it off since drawing cards is almost always beneficial.
Unsurprisingly, Devil Dinosaur has great synergy with Moon Girl as her ability duplicates the player's hand, effectively doubling the number of cards in it. Not only does this offer players the chance to double up on some of their most powerful cards, it also feeds Devil Dinosaur's ability giving it a massive power boost. The maximum hand size in Marvel Snap is seven cards, so while players with more than three cards in their hand won't see it doubled with this ability, they will still reach that seven card cap regardless. With Moon Girl being a 4 Cost/4 Power card, playing her on turn 4 before playing Devil Dinosaur on turn 5 is a fantastic strategy that leaves room for damage control on turn 6 should the player need it.
As a control deck, players will want to be able to react to moves made by their opponent and respond with cards that can turn the match in their favor or catch their opponent off guard. Scarlet Witch makes a great addition to this deck as a Pool 1 card with the On Reveal ability to change the location it's played at. This ability can turn an unfavorable location into a more favorable option and even potentially ruin the opponent's strategy. Sentinel makes for another Pool 1 staple card with its ability to draw a copy of itself when played, effectively allowing players to maintain their hand size while still playing a card.
Pool 2 adds even more cards that synergize with Devil Dinosaur, with standouts like The Collector who gains +1 Power any time a card enters the player's hand by means other than drawing. The ability activates when Moon Girl is played, giving The Collector a greater boost depending on how many cards the player is able to duplicate. White Queen is another great Pool 2 card to add to this deck since its On Reveal ability gives players a copy of the highest Cost card in their opponent's hand while having a relatively high 6 Power for being a 4 Cost card. With this ability, both The Collector and Devil Dinosaur can benefit, making her inclusion a must.
Marvel Snap is available now for Mobile and PC.