The Loki For All Time season is now well under way in Marvel Snap, having gotten off to a hot start with Loki and Alioth causing chaos and switching up the meta. The new card for the Spotlight Cache week beginning September 19th is hardly as exciting as these two previous cards, but Ravonna Renslayer does still have her place in some favorite decks.
As always with Marvel Snap Spotlight Caches, Ravonna Renslayer isn't alone in cards that can be picked up through these luck-fueled cache openings. She is joined by Zabu and Jean Grey, two cards that have also had their time in the sun, but still have much to offer. This week's selection may not compete with the previous week's Alioth, Snowguard and Hit-Monkey, but still has potential. Players would be wise to monitor Ravonna's progress in the coming days before making an informed decision on whether to open or save Spotlight Caches.
Ravonna Renslayer
Ravonna Renslayer is quickly being called the weak-link of the Loki For All Time season, but this was inevitable given how meta-changing and potentially breaking the other three cards are. However, Ravonna does still have her place in Marvel Snap, even if a buff may be needed in the long run.
Ravonna is a 3-Cost 3-Power card with the Ongoing ability that makes cards with 1 or less Power cost 1 less Energy, with a cap at 1. There are a lot of cards that Ravonna can target and ultimately make better, players just need to think carefully about the strategies they want to play, and how Ravonna fits into them.
The Best Cards That Ravonna Discounts
The idea of a card contributing 1 or less Power can be outputting at first glance, but Marvel Snap is not always all about raw Power output, as supporting cards have a major role to play in the later stages of a game. Ravonna Renslayer's cost-reductions for these low-Power cards can be extremely valuable, especially with further discounts on top, although Ravonna's discounts and any that would normally stack will not go below 1 Energy, unlike with Beast's cost-reduction.
Discounted Energy Cost (Base Cost) | Card |
|---|---|
1 (2) | The Collector |
1 (2) | Forge |
1 (2) | Angela |
1 (2) | Black Widow |
2 (3) | Ironheart |
2 (3) | Mystique |
2 (3) | Green Goblin |
2 (3) | Patriot |
2 (3) | Cerebro |
3 (4) | Mister Negative |
3 (4) | Darkhawk |
4 (5) | Hobgoblin |
4 (5) | Taskmaster |
4 (5) | Iron Man |
5 (6) | Arnim Zola |
Ravonna Renslayer's discount-targets span numerous archetypes and deck-lists, giving her serious versatility and value - in theory. Ravonna allows Mystique to be played alongside its combo-partners Cerebro or Patriot on turn 4, while being able to play Arnim Zola, Iron Man, Darkhawk and Hobgoblin much earlier than usual is a huge boost for a player's momentum as a game draws to a close. It will be some time for Ravonna's best place in Marvel Snap to be discovered, and that will certainly be after Mobius M. Mobius' time in the spotlight has ended, as he will be a direct counter to Ravonna's Energy manipulation.
Best Deck For Ravonna
So where does Ravonna fit in now? With Second Dinner making strides to separate Darkhawk decks relying on Zabu by changing Rockslide's cost, Ravonna Renslayer can replace Zabu in this Rocks & Hawks-style deck. Rocks & Hawks is all about Darkhawk's ability of generating Power for the cards left in the opponent's deck, and this is boosted with cards like Korg and Rockslide putting Rocks in there for good measure. Zabu still works in this deck if there are other 4-Cost cards as well as Darkhawk, but in this instance, Ravonna is a better alternative.
Energy Cost | Card Name |
|---|---|
1 | Korg |
2 | Angela |
2 | Black Widow |
2 | Jeff |
3 | Mystique |
3 | Green Goblin |
3 | Ravonna Renslayer |
3 | Rockslide |
4 | Darkhawk |
5 | Iron Man |
5 | Legion |
6 | Doctor Doom |
Ravonna grants discounts to cards like Iron Man, Mystique, Angela, Black Widow and Green Goblin, as well as Darkhawk to pump some serious Power across the locations. Legion, Jeff and Doctor Doom are there for extra versatility, as they can control locations accordingly. Ravonna makes this variation work, but it isn't exactly a vitally important component in Rocks & Hawks deck-lists in general.
Zabu
Zabu has been one of the best cards in Marvel Snap for months now, but mainly because of how it has carried the cost-reduction archetype alongside Sera. Zabu is a 2-Cost 2-Power card that simply makes 4-Cost cards 1 Energy cheaper, allowing them to be played earlier than normal. This generally sets up plays where two 4-Cost cards can be played on the final turn.
Zabu dominance is soon to come to an end with Mobius M. Mobius' imminent arrival on the horizon, as he will stop all cost reduction, affecting cards like Sera, Ravonna Renslayer, Mister Negative and Wave. However, Zabu will undoubtedly have some form of resurgence down the line, as its importance in many decks cannot be understated.
4-Cost Cards That Zabu Makes Cheaper
There are so many 4-Cost cards that are incredible inclusions in Zabu decks, just because of their impact on a game when played earlier than normal. The fact that these 4-Cost cards cover all archetypes is part of the reason why Zabu is so versatile and can slot in all sorts of decks.
Zabu can cheat out additional cards early with Jubilee, Iron Lad and Ghost Rider, while earlier Moon Girl and Mister Negative plays can set a plan in motion way ahead of schedule. Zabu's reductions set up explosive later turn plays as well in cards like Captain Marvel and Wong, with extra room for additional cards. This also works in the case of Shang-Chi, as being able to play this assassin of high-Power cards against another offensively capable card could well be the difference between winning and losing a game of Marvel Snap.
Zabu Still Works In Mister Negative Decks
While Rocks & Hawks has felt like Zabu's natural place for months now, Zabu essentially has a place in any deck with at least two or three 4-Cost cards. Interestingly enough, Zabu can slot into decks alongside another cost-reduction card in the newly-introduced Ravonna Renslayer, and the pair offer a new way to play Mister Negative decks. In this particular list, Zabu into Mister Negative triggering the Cost and Power swaps of Iron Man, Mystique, Wolfsbane and Ironheart isn't the only win condition.
Energy Cost | Card Name |
|---|---|
2 | Zabu |
3 | Magik |
3 | Mystique |
3 | Ravonna Renslayer |
3 | Wolfsbane |
3 | Ironheart |
3 | Brood |
3 | Rogue |
3 | Silver Surfer |
4 | Mister Negative |
4 | Wong |
5 | Iron Man |
Negative decks so often betray players by having the intended targets starting in the player's hand, but now with Ravonna Renslayer, this doesn't mean that the strategy is ruined. In fact, thanks to Ravonna's cost-reduction, both Iron Man and Mystique can be played on the final turn, either on the same location, or spread across multiple lanes. Ravonna offers a new win condition to the deck, but Zabu remains vitally important for those times that Ravonna doesn't turn up, in giving Negative and Wong further discounts. This is all without even considering Silver Surfer's existence in the deck, granting 3-Cost cards that extra +2 Power.
Jean Grey
Jean Grey had an explosive release back in the Rise of the Phoenix season due to her disruptive nature, but has since faded into obscurity withinin the current meta. However, as a 3-Cost 3-Power card with an Ongoing ability that forces players to play at her location until it is full, she still does have some very niche uses and synergies with other cards.
In a controversial decision, Jean Grey will be in yet another Spotlight Cache as early as November, prompting many players to wonder whether this week is even worth trying to get her. Regardless, Jean Grey is an iconic character with a cool ability, and is well-worth trying out, just as long as the price and general timing is right.
Cards That Work Well With Jean Grey
With Jean Grey forcing both players to play their first card of a turn at her location until there is no space left, there are some natural synergies that justify Jean Grey's place in a deck. Brood and Jean Grey on the same location fills up the player's side immediately but still has the chance of getting more Power with cards like Patriot, Blue Marvel and Silver Surfer.
Nebula is also a smart card to play elsewhere so that it can gain Power while the opponent struggles to fill up the Jean location. Cards like Juggernaut, Polaris, Aero, Spider-Man and even Jeff can help the Jean Grey player stay ahead of the mind games and most importantly stay ahead of their opponent. These combinations can slot well into a lot of decks, as long as they take up little more than a third of the deck space.
Jean Grey & Alioth Is An Evil Combination
With Alioth's recent introduction into the Marvel Snap meta, and its immediate impact, Marvel Snap players have noticed an opportunity with Jean Grey and Alioth. Jean Grey's disruption in forcing an opponent to play there and Alioth's destruction of cards played at its location go hand-in-hand, but in this particular Move deck, they are just a piece in the overall puzzle. This deck-list has Angela to benefit from cards being played on Jean Grey's location, Nebula on opposing cards being played away from it, but then Spider-Man, Silk, Jeff, Aero and Kraven to toy with and bully the opponent.
Energy Cost | Card Name |
|---|---|
1 | Nebula |
2 | Angela |
2 | Jeff |
2 | Silk |
2 | Kraven |
3 | Jean Grey |
3 | Spider-Man |
3 | Wave |
4 | Miles Morales |
5 | Aero |
6 | Alioth |
6 | Doctor Doom |
All of this goes on in addition to a standard DoomWave gimmick. For those instances where Alioth and Jean Grey are not in-hand or the optimal play, a turn 5 Wave and a turn 6 Doctor Doom can secure the win. On the other hand, Wave can insure an early Alioth or Doom, allowing for the other to be played later on. This deck is versatile, dangerous and disruptive - a killer combination to have in a Marvel Snap deck.
Marvel Snap's Spotlight Cache week beginning September 12th was always going to be a tough selection of cards to follow. As such, many Marvel Snap players will likely skip this week and save their Spotlight Caches to open another time. This isn't to say that Ravonna Renslayer, Zabu and Jean Grey aren't good at what they do, but with niche win conditions that rely heavily on Ongoing abilities in cost-reduction and location manipulation respectively, next week's introduction of Mobius M. Mobius and the subsequent inevitable rise of Enchantress will quickly render these cards useless for a while. Players can still have plenty of fun with these cards; they just need to be wary of the current state of the meta as it continues to shift.