Marvel Snap Tier List: Best Pool 1 Cards
Welcome to our Marvel Snap tier list which will show all of the best cards that you can get in Pool 1.
Pool 1 contains a lot of good cards and combinations, but we tried our best to analyze cards both in a vacuum and by it’s synergy with other Pool 1 cards.
As such, you will see some cards high up due to synergy, while other cards are high up due to how flexible they are in many decks.
If you’ve already made your way through Pool 1, be sure to check out our Pool 2 Tier List to see more amazing cards you can unlock.
Note: Our tier list does not rank cards within tiers and simply orders them by cost and alphabetically.
Here are our rankings for the best cards in Marvel Snap’s Pool 1:
| Tier | Pool 1 Card Tier List |
|---|---|
| S | Ant-Man, Nightcrawler, Angela, Scarlet Witch, Ka-Zar, Iron Man, Blue Marvel, Odin, America Chavez |
| A | Elektra, Korg, Sentinel, Ironheart, Wolfsbane, Mister Fantastic, Cosmo, Enchantress, Jessica Jones, White Tiger, Devil Dinosaur |
| B | Hawkeye, Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Yondu, Blade, Cable, Carnage, Armor, Colossus, Medusa, Lizard, Bishop, Captain America, The Punisher, Hulk Buster, Moon Girl, Strong Guy, Namor, White Queen, Professor X, Klaw, Gamora, Spider Woman, Spectrum, Heimdall, Onslaught, Hulk |
| C | Iron Fist, Mantis, Nova, Uatu The Watcher, Forge, Kraven, Mister Sinister, Star Lord, Multiple Man, Wolverine, Morph, Groot, Lady Sif, Deathlok, Sword Master, Abomination, Apocalypse |
| F | Angel, Misty Knight, Quicksilver, Domino, Shocker, Cyclops, The Thing |
For a visual version of our tier list, check out our infographic below!
Card Commentary
With the full tier list now displayed, let’s go into our reasoning for ranking the cards as we did.
1 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 1 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | Ant-Man, Nightcrawler |
| A | Elektra, Korg |
| B | Hawkeye, Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Yondu, Blade |
| C | Iron Fist, Mantis, Nova, Uatu |
| F | Angel, Misty Knight, Quicksilver |
Ant-Man
Early on, Ant-Man will be one of the best cards you can run. With the effect active, Ant-Man will essentially become 4 power for 1 cost. Pool 1 Zoo decks (aggressive decks with a lot of low cost cards) dominate, and Ant-Man is definitely a power card for Zoo decks and for decks in general.
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler is S-tier simply because he is so flexible. You can place him on just about any location, even a blind location, and safely move him if needed. He can also be used late in the game to transfer some power from a winning location to a more contested location.
Elektra
Since 1-cost cards are extremely popular in Pool 1, Elektra will be very powerful. If you hold onto Elektra, you can often snipe an Ant-Man later in the game to win a location.
Korg
Korg is a powerful 1 drop simply because he has a solid effect. Giving your opponent a rock will sometimes ruin one of their draws. Simply being a 1-cost with a consistent effect is good in Pool 1.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is a decent card early on. With the effect, Hawkeye becomes a 1 for 3 which is good, but you do run into issues if the opponent is playing Guardians of the Galaxy cards like Rocket Racoon or Star Lord.
Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl is a common inclusion in Zoo decks as she will supply a lot of 1-cost cards on the board to buff up. However, she can clog up your board if you’re not careful.
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon is one of the Pool 1 Guardians of the Galaxy card which reward you when your opponent also plays a card at the same location. While these cards can be quite powerful, they are inconsistent. This is especially so for Rocket and Star Lord which are early game cards. Even so, Rocket is salvaged by being a 1-cost, thus being a decent card for Zoo decks.
Yondu
Yondu is another 1-cost card that simply has a consistent effect. Even so, it technically does not really accomplish anything. You may get lucky and remove an important card from your opponent’s deck, but statistically it does not make much difference.
Blade
Blade is interesting because there is a Discard archetype in Pool 1, but it is quite weak with the tools available in Pool 1. However, Blade can be used in Zoo decks in order to facilitate cards like Strong Guy.
Iron Fist
Iron Fist is one of the few Movement cards in Pool 1. Like Discard, there are some other Movement cards that can make up a deck archetype, but the deck simply doesn’t have enough tools in Pool 1 to be competitive. That being said, you can still do some cheeky things with movement cards.
Mantis
Mantis is like Rocket Racoon, but her usage is to synergize with Devil Dinosaur to keep your hand size large. Devil Dinosaur is a great deck in Pool 1, and Mantis is a good card for that deck. Even still, we don’t think Mantis edges out against other 1-cost cards outside of Devil Dinosaur decks.
Nova
Nova is a 1-cost card that synergizes with decks that Destroy with cards like Deathlok or Carnage. Once again, like Discard and Movement cards, destroy cards don’t have enough tools to be competitive in Pool 1. Nova will definitely move up in Pool 2, though.
Uatu
Uatu is an interesting case. Getting information on the other locations can be very good. However, that only happens when Uatu is in your first 4 or 5 cards. Outside of those situations, Uatu is simply a vanilla 1 for 2. We simply think the other 1 drops are better.
Angel
Angel is another card that synergizes with Destroy decks. Even still, we don’t think the card is very good, even in later pools with better Destroy cards.
Misty Knight
Misty Knight is simply a 1 for 2 with no effect. She is not worth running over just about any other 1 cost card.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver seems nice early on as you always get to draw him, but 1 for 2 simply isn’t good enough without a beneficial effect.
2 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 2 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | Angela, Scarlet Witch |
| A | Sentinel |
| B | Cable, Carnage, Armor, Colossus, Medusa, Lizard |
| C | Kraven, Mister Sinister, Star Lord, Multiple Man, Wolverine |
| F | Domino, Shocker |
Angela
As of right now, Angela is one of the best cards not only in Pool 1, but in the entire game. If there’s going to be a balance update, Angela will very likely get nerfed. But for now, she adds so much power to a location that Angela will be strong for a long time.
Scarlet Witch
There aren’t too many 2 drops that provide a beneficial effect while also being a solid rate of 2 for 3. Scarlet Witch is just that. She is your only counter to detrimental locations, and is even good enough to be played on curve on turn 2.
Sentinel
Sentinel is also a great 2 drop simply for the fact that it replaces itself. If you don’t have something to play on turn 3, Sentinel can cover for you if you played it on turn 2. Sentinel also synergizes very well with Devil Dinosaur.
Cable
Cable is a bit below rate being a 2 for 2, but his effect makes up for it. While it’s not overpowered, drawing a card from your opponent’s deck can give you good information while also potentially being a good card for you to play. Once again, Cable also synergizes well with Devil Dinosuar.
Carnage
Carnage can be quite useful if you run into squirrels that you don’t want or maybe a -2 Ninja that you want to get rid of. There are some synergies in Pool 1 with cards like Nova, but there isn’t quite enough in Pool 1 to get the most value out of Destroy cards.
Armor
Armor is a solid card for a few reasons. Firstly, Armor is an Ongoing card, which will synergize with cards like Spectrum. Secondly, you can use Armor to protect your Ant-Man from cards like Elektra. Lastly, Armor is simply a 2 for 3 with upside in the right decks.
Colossus
Colossus is another solid 2 drop simply because he can’t be destroyed, moved, or have his power reduced. This along with 3 power is enough to be a solid card in just about any deck. The Ongoing ability once again synergizes with Spectrum as well.
Medusa
Medusa, when played in the middle location, is a 2 for 4 which is above rate. However, being forced to play her middle in order to get the value can be a downside in certain games with bad locations.
Lizard
Lizard is a card that has a lot of upside, but also potential downside. Lizard can force your opponent to play toward a location that you can abandon. You can also play Lizard with Enchantress to gain a 2 for 5 guaranteed. Lizard, when played well, can be a very strong card.
Kraven
Kraven is another card that synergizes with Movement, but can be quite awkward to play. You really want to play Kraven on the left location to make use of cards like Iron Fist or Heimdall, but these can force you into bad situations. Movement decks also can surprise your opponent, but when you play Kraven, they know exactly what you’re up to.
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister can seem good. It’s 2 cost and provides 4 power. However, taking up two slots on a location is very important. Your opponent can often overwhelm your location with stronger cards if Mister Sinister takes up too much space. Even still, Mister Sinister does synergize with cards like Ironheart to curve out on turn 1, 2, and 3.
Star Lord
Star Lord, like Rocket Raccoon, is best when you can predict where your opponent will play. Sometimes, the locations will help you predict, but often times, Star Lord becomes a 2 for 2 which just isn’t enough.
Multiple Man
Multiple Man is another synergistic piece to the Movement decks. Being able to multiply him and even buff him up with cards like Hulk Buster or Forge can be great, but he just isn’t consistent enough.
Wolverine
Wolverine is a Discard synergy card, but even then, Wolverine is not great. Even in later pools as the Discard synergy gets better cards, Wolverine still doesn’t see much play. Being played randomly on a location can be a detriment, and even guaranteeing the discard isn’t easy.
Domino
Domino is simply the 2 cost version of Quicksilver. If you really have nothing else to play with 2 cost, you can go for Domino, but basically every other card is better.
Shocker
Shocker is the Misty Knight of 2 drops. A 2 for 3 that does nothing.
3 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 3 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | None |
| A | Ironheart, Wolfsbane, Mister Fantastic, Cosmo |
| B | Bishop, Captain America, Doctor Strange, The Punisher, Hulk Buster |
| C | Morph, Groot, Lady Sif, Deathlok, Sword Master |
| F | Cyclops |
Ironheart
On Reveal effects are some of the stronger synergies in Pool 1, and Ironheart is no exception. You might not always be able to buff up 3 cards, but even with 2 cards buffed, Ironheart is 3 for 4 while also not taking up space on a location you want to win. You can throw Ironheart on a different location and still power up your other locations.
Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane is a strong On Reveal for trying to win a location. Wolfsbane with Odin will generate a ton of power for any location.
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic is technically a 3 for 6, but you may not always need the power on every location. Even still, he can give you reach for locations that you can’t play on, and he also buffs up locations without taking up space on them.
Cosmo
Cosmo is amazing for countering On Reveal cards and decks. Being able to play this down and countering an Odin or White Tiger can cripple opponents.
Bishop
Bishop is a great 3 cost card that scales with the more cards you play. However, we don’t see him too much in Zoo due to turns 4, 5, and 6 being commonly Ka-Zar, Blue Marvel, into America/Onslaught. Because of this, Bishop doesn’t gain as much value as he does in future decks that have more late game flexibility.
Captain America
Captain America is a decent unit. On a full location, he is essentially a 3 for 6. The only drawback is needing to commit 4 cards to one location, but he fits right into Zoo decks.
Doctor Strange
Even though Movement cards and decks aren’t great in Pool 1, Doctor Strange allows you to outsmart your opponent on turn 6 with a big movement play. You don’t need a full Movement deck to run Doctor Strange, and he can win you a lot of cubes.
The Punisher
The Punisher is basically the opposite of Captain America. He is a 3 for 6 if your opponent has a full location. Both are good in Zoo decks, but Punisher has more relevance in non Zoo decks to try and counter a Zoo deck and compete for a full location.
Hulk Buster
Hulk Buster has two main uses in Pool 1. He can be played on an Angela location to buff her up without taking up card space. Secondly, he synergizes with Multiple Man to make him a 7 power Movement card. Hulk Buster is decent, but not great.
Morph
Morph is a complete RNG card. If you like having some fun, you can run this to try and snipe a high cost card from your opponent’s hand.
Groot
Groot is arguably the worst of the Guardians of the Galaxy in Pool 1. Being a 3 drop makes it hard to predict where the opponent will play as all locations are revealed. The upside being a 3 for 6 is not even amazing when compared to cards like Captain America or The Punisher.
Lady Sif
Lady Sif is one of the best cards to run in a Discard deck as you can guarantee a discard on Apocalypse. Even still, Discard needs more help before being good.
Deathlok
Deathlok is a 3 for 5 which is solid, but you need to play him on an empty location, or play him alongside Nova. Even still, curving into Deathlok on turn 3 doesn’t give you great Nova value. As Pools 2 and 3 give more Destroy synergy, Deathlok will see more play.
Sword Master
Sword Master is like Blade. While Discard decks aren’t amazing, running Sword Master and Blade alongside Strong Guy can be a variation of a Zoo deck to get lots of high powered cards on curve.
Cyclops
Once again, a vanilla card just doesn’t see play.
4 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 4 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | Ka-Zar |
| A | Jessica Jones |
| B | Moon Girl, Strong Guy, Namor, White Queen |
| C | None |
| F | The Thing |
Ka-Zar
Every account is guaranteed to get Ka-Zar in the beginning of their collection, and he is one of the most powerful cards in Pool 1. 1-cost cards are abundant, and Ka-Zar will buff them up a lot, providing a ton of value.
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones is another early collection card, and is also quite amazing. As long as you fulfill her requirement, she will be a 4 for 8, which is a great stat line.
Moon Girl
Moon Girl is solid simply due to her synergy with Devil Dinosaur. Outside of Dinosaur decks, Moon Girl doesn’t see too much play.
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is a decent card when played alongside the Discard cards like Blade and Sword Master, but he isn’t amazing.
Namor
Namor is a solid card for contesting a location with minimal cards. With other cards like Klaw and Spectrum, you can get 18 power on a location with one card.
White Queen
White Queen is another card that synergizes well with Devil Dinosaur. Copying the highest cost card in your opponent’s hand is also a powerful effect. Lastly, being a 4 for 6 with a good effect is very respectable.
The Thing
Once again, 4 for 6 with no effect just isn’t very good.
5 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 5 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | Iron Man, Blue Marvel |
| A | White Tiger, Devil Dinosaur |
| B | Professor X, Klaw, Gamora, Spider Woman |
| C | Abomination |
| F | None |
Iron Man
Iron Man is one of the most powerful cards in the game. He makes it so you can absolutely outpower any opponent on a location.
Blue Marvel
Blue Marvel alongside Ka-Zar make for probably the best turn 4 and 5 combo in the game. Zoo decks will terrorize Pool 1 with these two cards.
White Tiger
White Tiger is a big reason as to why On Reveal decks are good in Pool 1. Reveal decks can definitely compete with Zoo with the likes of White Tiger, Ironheart, and Odin.
Devil Dinosaur
Devil Dinosaur is the boss card of it’s own deck archetype. Devil Dinosaur is another deck archetype that can rival the likes of Zoo and Reveal decks.
Professor X
Professor X is another card that allows you to outplay your opponent by locking down a lane so you can win it with less investment.
Klaw
Klaw sees the most play alongside Ongoing decks with the likes of Spectrum and Namor. He also is like Mister Fantastic and can allow you to power up difficult to reach locations.
Gamora
Gamora is one of my favorite cards. Of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora feels the most satisfying to play. Being able to predict your opponent in the later turns and getting 12 power is huge. Even still, she might be inconsistent if you opponent is unpredictable.
Spider Woman
Spider Woman gives solid value, especially against Zoo decks. Against a full location, Spider Woman is basically a 5 for 11. Even still, there are other cards like Iron Man or Blue Marvel that simply provide more.
Abomination
Even though Abomination is a vanilla card, we do give him a C rating due to the 9 power stat line. 5 for 9 is actually decent enough to be playable. Compare that to The Thing who is just a worse White Queen, or Shocker which is just a worse Sentinel.
6 Cost Cards
| Tier | The Best 6 Cost Cards in Marvel Snap |
|---|---|
| S | Odin, America Chavez |
| A | None |
| B | Spectrum, Heimdall, Onslaught, Hulk |
| C | Apocalypse |
| F | None |
Odin
Reveal as a deck archetype is strong enough to compete with Zoo due to Odin. Odin with Wolfsbane can overpower any location, and Odin alongside Ironheart and White Tiger can buff up your other locations without wasting space. Odin makes Reveal decks very competitive in Pool 1.
America Chavez
In our opinion, America Chavez is the best 6 cost card in Pool 1. Firstly, she “thins” your deck for the first 5 turns, making it more likely you draw your other cards. Secondly, always drawing her on turn 6 to drop for 9 power is very valuable to give you that final push you need to win a location.
Spectrum
Spectrum is a big reason as to why Ongoing decks can work, but in our opinion, this archetype falls short to the others (Zoo, Dinosaur, Reveal). Because of that, we rate her lower for now.
Heimdall
Heimdall in a Movement deck is one of your major win conditions. The reason we rate Heimdall highly is due to the cube and snapping nature of the game. If you play your cards right, Heimdall will win you a lot of cubes through snaps even if you might not win more games.
Onslaught
Onslaught is a very powerful card alongside Zoo with Blue Marvel and Ka-Zar. He also can see play in Ongoing decks alongside Spectrum as another late game drop. However, we don’t think he is quite the powerhouse compared to the other 6 cost cards.
Hulk
The Hulk is the only vanilla card that is clearly above rate compared to other cards. Other 6 drops like Spectrum and Odin can give you more than 12 power, but The Hulk is simple and effective at the 6 for 12 stat line.
Apocalypse
Unfortunately, we don’t rate Apocalypse very highly. Apocalypse can win a lot of games once he ramps up to 16, 20, or more power, but opponents can too easily retreat when they see you discard Apocalypse. Furthermore, leaning more into the Discard synergy leads to more inconsistency until better cards arrive in Pools 2 and 3.
Tier List Discretion Advised
Keep in mind that tier lists aren’t the end all be all. You can make many cards work by putting them in the right deck, and this is simply to give an opinion on the strongest cards.
Furthermore, Marvel Snap isn’t about winning every game, it’s about leveraging the snap to gain more cubes over the course of many games.
Because of this, you can gain a lot of cubes even with a weaker deck or with weaker cards if you snap appropriately.
Wrap Up
This wraps up our tier list for the Pool 1 cards in Marvel Snap. Once again, tier lists and the power level of cards or decks is not everything in Marvel Snap. You can win a lot of cubes playing a Movement or Ongoing deck, but this list simply demonstrates the power of the cards.
We hope you enjoyed our list, and good luck with your games.
Be sure to check out our Pool 2 Tier List once your Collection Level increases!
