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Marvel Snap control deck guide: Best control decks for September 2023

Marvel Snap has numerous possible strategies using the most varied combinations of 12 cards to build your deck. Not all of them focus on specific cards or game mechanics, as is the case with a control deck.

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Marvel Snap games have numerous variables that affect how players make their choices to get the best out of their cards. Locations, for example, are random and drastically change how each player uses their deck. Your opponent’s cards may even be predictable in some situations, but it’s always possible to be surprised.

But luckily, we have control decks to alleviate this situation.

Best control decks in Marvel Snap

The purpose of a control deck is to manipulate the board and cards to affect the player’s control over the game. The deck is often full of cards that can help you draw the right options, change locations when you want, negate your opponent’s effects, and even use their abilities against them. Another of the most common strategies for control decks also involves having good responses to decks in the metagame.

The following decks are suggestions that can be replaced according to each player’s collection and preference. Control decks already often use good cards to tackle the meta, so it may just be necessary to choose a second way to actively accumulate points.

Sera Control

Marvel Snap deck consisting of Nova, Kitty Pryde, Angela, Scarlet Witch, Sentinel, Mysterio, Bishop, Hit-Monkey, Killmonger, Shang-Chi, Enchantress, and Sera.
The most consistent deck in all of Marvel Snap – Sera Control. Screengrab via Snap.fan

Considered the most consistent deck in the game, Sera Control has been doing wonders as an unpredictable deck. The miracle plays that can be done in the final turn thanks to Sera’s cost reduction ability can be hard for the opponent to read, especially with the added boost of the Hit-Monkey and Mysterio combo.

Your main Power sources for this deck are Hit-Monkey, Angela, and Bishop. All of these cards benefit from playing multiple cards to potentially gain massive Power toward the late game. Kitty Pryde’s bounce effect can spammed on the Angela location, stacking plus two Power for both cards in the process.

The Nova and Killmonger combo is also there for an added Power boost in the late game. The destructive and disruptive duo of Shang-Chi and Enchantress, on the other hand, is a must to make the control mechanic of the deck fully functional, especially in the last turn. Scarlet Witch is also there to take care of the undesirable locations, as well as Sentinel for more points on the board.

Win condition cards for this deck

There are a lot of options that can be the win condition cards for this deck. Here are the cards that can be considered the main engine source of the deck:

  • Sera
  • Hit-Monkey
  • Angela
  • Bishop
  • Kitty Pryde
  • Shang-Chi
  • Enchantress

Sera is the heart and soul of this deck. The miracle plays can only be achieved most of the time with her help. The trinity of Hit-Monkey, Angela, and Bishop is the main Power source of the deck to build up Power on your locations. Kitty Pryde can also have the potential to gain more Power especially if you can be able to bounce her as many times as possible.

Shang-Chi and Enchantress’ control abilities can be converted to offense for your side, especially if you are successful in disrupting your opponent’s side of the locations.

Thanos Control

Marvel Snap deck consisting of Psylocke, Luke Cage, Jeff, Cosmo, Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, Iron Lad, Blue Marvel, Devil Dinosaur, Professor X, Klaw, and Thanos.
Thanos Control is a potential beast. Screengrab via Snap.fan

This version of the Thanos deck takes on more of a control strategy where your main goal is to disrupt your opponent’s play by using control effects instead of the traditional Thanos combo with Lockjaw. A variety of effects, such as locking down your opponent’s locations, disrupting your opponent’s setup, and creating a huge amount of Power are used in this deck.

The different effects provided by the six Infinity Stones, courtesy of Thanos, can give you certain advantages. This includes gaining more energy, changing a location, allowing you to move a card to a certain location, and more.

Thanos and Devil Dinosaur are your main Power sources for this deck. As for the lockdown mechanic, Professor X can be used to secure a location most of the time for your side. Klaw is a surprise factor, especially if the opponent is confident that they can already secure a win in a locked location.

Win condition cards for this deck:

The win condition cards for this deck are:

  • Devil Dinosaur
  • Professor X
  • Klaw
  • Blue Marvel
  • Shang-Chi

Devil Dinosaur is your most offensive card in this deck. Professor X can provide great control effects thanks to their lockdown abilities. Klaw is there for potential added support for two locations. Blue Marvel, on the other hand, can give more Power boost to your cards, possibly making an unexpected Power turnaround for a location if you manage to lock it down.

Shang-Chi’s destruction prowess can be used as converted offense for your side, so make sure to use him in a location without Cosmo.

Related: Best Silver Samurai decks in Marvel Snap

High Evo Control

Marvel Snap deck consisting of Wasp, Sunspot, Nebula, Daredevil, Storm, Cyclops, High Evolutionary, The Thing, Professor X, Legion, Doctor Doom, and Hulk.
Legion is a new control-friendly card. Screengrab via Snap.fan

With the arrival of High Evolutionary in Marvel Snap, another iteration of the control deck has emerged which is now part of the current meta. This strategy takes advantage of the newest big bad in the game to unlock the secret abilities of various vanilla cards, which could significantly contribute to the control engine.

Some of the unlocked control cards you can include in this deck are Wasp, Cyclops, and The Thing. All of these cards inflict negative Power on the opponent’s cards, potentially disrupting their supposed Power setup on the locations. Lockdown cards are also the key to this deck, which include Storm and Professor X. Legion, on the other hand, can be a great and surprise combo card with Storm since you can lock all locations by turn six if you play him on turn five in the flooded location.

Daredevil is a vital card in the process since he can provide vision on turn five, giving the possibility of locking and securing a location. Hulk is there for your offensive prowess in the late game, as well as Doctor Doom to potentially surprise the opponent for putting another card in a locked location courtesy of Storm. Sunspot and Nebula are useful in the early game to stack Power until the end.

Win condition cards for this deck

The win condition cards for this deck are:

  • Professor X
  • Storm
  • Daredevil
  • Legion
  • Hulk
  • Doctor Doom

As mentioned, the lockdown duo of Professor X and Storm is the key to fully utilizing the control strategy of securing a location. Just remember to lock a location responsibly, since it can backfire if you can’t grasp the opponent’s strategy in the early-to-mid game. Legion’s location manipulation ability is a game-changer.

That is why Daredevil should be played in almost every game to provide the vision that you need in the late game. Hulk and Doctor Doom are your late-game finishers. Use them accordingly, depending on the situation on the board.

Aggro Toolbox Move

Marvel Snap deck consisting of Kitty Pryde, Angela, Kraven, Jeff the Baby Landshark, Silk, Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, Captain Marvel, Miles Morales, Legion, Vision, and America Chavez.
The balance of power, move, and control is in this deck. Screengrab via Snap.fan

This deck isn’t really a full control deck since its main offensive engine revolves around moving cards across locations. But the disruption it can deal to the opponent can be massive, as well as how you can control your Power sources to stack Power, preventing them from being destroyed because of Shang-Chi’s effect.

Angela and Kraven are your main Power sources in the deck. The play and move strategy you can do to stack Power on both cards is limitless, especially if you are able to play both Kitty Pryde (for bounce) and Silk (for continuous and surprise movements on locations).

Move enablers such as Jeff, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Vision are vital to provide Power consistency on both Angela and Kraven. Legion is also there for surprise factor in terms of manipulating the locations in a snap.

Win condition cards for this deck

The win condition cards for this deck are:

  • Angela
  • Kraven
  • Kitty Pryde
  • Silk
  • Legion
  • Vision

Angela and Kraven provide the power spike for this deck, while Kitty Pryde and Silk are the main enablers to maximize the power potential of the two. As for Legion, you need to properly play him to disrupt your opponent’s setup, and Vision is your move enabler with the highest Power.

Control decks’ state in the meta

Sera Control is still a staple in the current Marvel Snap meta. Its consistency to outpower almost any deck in the game with its toolbox strategies makes it a force to be reckoned with, especially with the addition of Kitty Pryde which provides more Power options for the deck. Sera Control, however, can be a bit harder to master. But it will definitely be worth it once you are able to grasp the deck’s overall potential.

As for High Evolutionary and Thanos Control decks, both have been working wonders in the meta, but are not as consistent as Sera Control. The former can be a lockdown/power-hitter package since you can lock down a location while trying to power up one location with some high-Powered cards, as well as inflicting negative Power to the opponent’s cards. The latter, on the other hand, also focuses on locking down at least one location while boosting the other cards with Ongoing or control effects.

The Aggro Toolbox Move is a rising star in the current meta thanks to its power potential and disruptive effects. Silk is a proven game-changer since her five-Power stat is very vital in increasing the Power of your locations, while Legion’s ability to manipulate the locations can surprise your opponent in an instant.