Latest Marvel Snap patch takes aim at Galactus, Leader, and more

A few cards are on the Snap team’s radar

The newest patch for Marvel Snap is live, adding some new locations and balancing several cards. Galactus, Leader, and a few other are among the primary fixes in this latest update, as the Marvel Snap team is keeping an eye on their power level.

In the latest update notes, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner outlines how the patch affects some of the common deck archetypes. Cards like Galactus, Leader, and Aero are cards worthy of building a deck around, and they’ve seen some bumps in popularity.

Galactus specifically moves from a 6/3 to a 6/2, slightly adjusting his power. The balance team says that even at the highest ranks of play, Galactus is seeing “concerningly high” win rates, and they’ll be keeping an eye on the world-eater as time goes on.

Leader is also under a microscope. While his bump from 6/4 to 6/3 is also fairly small, the team outlines why they’re keeping an eye on the card. The six-cost card is proving to be both polarizing and frustrating for players, and is something that may be open to further changes down the road.

Additionally, Aero and other cards are also getting a few shifts to keep them in line with the overall lineup. But it’s not all balance; also added in today’s patch is a fast-forward option. Now, when cards drop an incredibly long series of buffs and procs, the game will just skip ahead to the big finale. Plus, some new sounds, locations, and the ability to see artist credits on cards are all included in this latest Marvel Snap patch.

If you want to see the full patch notes, you can find them here. Down below are the specific card balance updates and dev comments on them.

Marvel Snap balance patch notes (Jan. 10, 2023)

• Aero 5/8 -> 5/7
  • Developer Comment: Aero’s effect can be a very powerful disruption and control tool. While previously, we buffed Aero up to her current statline, players have since learned to utilize her to great effect, so we think it’s appropriate to reduce her Power a bit.
• – Galactus 6/3 -> 6/2
  • Developer Comment: Even at the highest ranks of play, Galactus and decks using him are demonstrating concerningly high cube-gain and win rates. Not all of these decks overtly herald his approach, and the range of cards that can complement him has proven wide and difficult for some decks to counter. We’re taking one Power away from Galactus now and evaluating whether or not we should make more meaningful changes to his design in the future.
• Leader 6/4 -> 6/3
  • Developer Comment: Leader’s effect is proving to be very frustrating to many players and polarizing in its ability to lock down games and discourage playing some other 6-Cost cards. We are taking a bit of power away from him for now and exploring further changes to the card in the future.
• Nova 1/2 -> 1/1
  • Developer Comment: Nova’s effect makes him much stronger than an average 1-Cost card, so we don’t think it’s appropriate that he has the stats of an average 1-Cost card.
• Drax 4/4 On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +4 Power. -> 4/5 On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +3 Power.
• Groot 3/3 On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +3 Power. -> 3/4 On Reveal: If your opponent played a card here this turn, +2 Power.
  • Developer Comment: We believe the Guardians’ effects create fun moments, but they can feel too sink or swim. We’re giving Drax and Groot a small buff to their baselines to make them less risky to play and hopefully open them up as more viable contenders in the 3 and 4-Cost slots.
• Hazmat 2/1 -> 2/2
  • Developer Comment: While we are aware of the Hazmat combo decks that may feel strong, Hazmat is actually doing fairly poorly overall. We’re giving the decks she enables a small buff with this update.
• Black Cat 3/6 -> 3/7
  • Developer Comment: Black Cat sees virtually no play, so we’re giving her an extra Power to make running her more worthwhile.
• Nakia 3/1 -> 3/2
  • Developer Comment: We think Nakia’s effect is a fun mechanic to play with, but she’s currently seeing very little success. We’re hoping a small buff will make her a more appealing option.