How to Play X-23 in Marvel Snap
Welcome to another installment in our series where we cover new card releases and how to use them.
X-23 is the latest Series 5 addition, and she’s looking to power up the Destroy archetype by quite a bit. While she can work with the Discard archetype, there seems to be a higher ceiling with Destroy decks, so that is mainly what I will cover in this guide.
Let’s get right into it.
X-23 Effect
When this is discarded or destroyed, regenerate it at a random location and you get +1 Energy next turn.
X-23 Synergy
Much like Daken, X-23 will work in both Discard and Destroy decks. However, Destroy decks will be able to destroy her multiple times, meaning you can get a ton of extra Energy. In Discard decks, you’re only really looking to discard her once, and she also messes with the synergy between Colleen Wing and Swarm.
We may see decks in the future combine both Discard and Destroy, but for now, Destroy is the main consideration for X-23.
Destroy – Carnage, Deathlok, Venom, Killmonger
There are plenty of ways to destroy X-23, and every time you do so, you will get 1 extra Energy on the following turn. Carnage and Venom already want to destroy more cards, and having X-23 continuously revive makes her perfect for Destroy decks, as you will have more targets to Destroy.
Killmonger and Deathlok don’t benefit from destroying cards, but they add more consistency to Destroy decks, and Killmonger is a nice tech card in general.
Nimrod
Nimrod will be a great addition to a lot of X-23 decks. In general, most Destroy decks look to destroy on turn 3 with Venom or Deathlok. Even Carnage is often played on turn 3 if you have Wolverine or Bucky Barnes to play on turn 2.
Because of this, you can look to play Nimrod on turn 4 if you destroy X-23 on turn 3. This gives you two additional turns to continue destroying him, filling your board with tons of Power.
X-23 Decks
Usually, I would list multiple decks to try out with X-23, but this time around, I’m fairly confident this is one of her best decks. However, I’m not saying there won’t be more innovation or other archetypes to try her out in. I’m simply only putting one deck as I think this is the best starting point for X-23 and likely what a lot of other players will default to as well.
Keep in mind that this deck is simply a first impression, so things can definitely change rapidly. As new discoveries are made with X-23, I will be updating our Full Tier List, rather than update this article.
Be sure to check it out to see what the best decks are, or if X-23 is even in the best decks at all.
X-23 Nimrod Deck
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This deck is what I’m expecting the best X-23 deck to be off the bat. Shuri Nimrod was already a powerful archetype, and now the addition of X-23 simply makes the deck more consistent. Before, you really relied on playing Shuri, into Nimrod, into Destroyer or double destroy the Nimrods.
Now, with X-23, you can bypass the need for Shuri by playing Nimrod on 4, giving you two more turns to Destroy him with other cards. If you destroy X-23 on turn 4, you can also play Arnim Zola on turn 5 as well, potentially duplicating a Carnage or Venom to keep the Destroy train going.
This deck can output a lot of power if left unchecked, and the meta will likely need to adapt to add more counters to X-23, rather than be a purely midrange deck.
The deck is basically the same old Shuri Nimrod deck, except Nova became X-23, and Destroyer became Knull. Knull is often a strong turn 6 play, and Destroyer can be a liability if you have a strong Venom or Carnage on the board.
X-23 Counters
While X-23 is an amazing card, there is a ceiling on Destroy decks. If Destroy ever becomes the predominant meta deck, there are two easy counters that can slot into almost every deck.
Armor/Cosmo
Armor and Cosmo completely shut down Destroy decks. If you play X-23 into a lane, you can be sure that the opponent will counter with Armor if they have it.
Cosmo can be less reliable as a counter, because if you Destroy on turn 3, you can only be hit by Cosmo if they have priority.
Even still, these two cards are flexible enough to slot into many decks, and can easily shut down Destroy decks if they get out of hand.
Conclusion
All in all, X-23 is looking to be a very powerful card. Any card that can cheat Energy will find ways to be abused. The classic Destroy archetype with Nimrod will likely default as the best variation with the release of X-23.
Even still, with more support like Silver Samurai coming out, I expect X-23 to continue to evolve in the metagame.
Hope this guide helped you out a bit, good luck in your games, and snap away!
Be sure to check out our Tier Lists for out current rankings on Marvel Snap decks and cards.
- Best Decks Tier List
- Series 4/5 Tier List
Good luck in your games, and thanks for reading!
