Summary
Marvel Snapis off to a hot start in 2024 with its Planet Hulk season already introducing two new cards right off the bat. The Season Pass card for the Planet Hulk season ofMarvel Snapis Hulk’s son, Skaar, and Skaar’s mother, Caiera, also debuted in the game alongside him. While these cards bring some interesting new abilities to the mobile card battler,Marvel Snapboasts one obvious counter for Skaar that could make players reconsider using the card in their deck without a proper strategy in place to prevent opponents from removing Skaar from the equation.
WhenMarvel Snapintroduces a new card to the game, it tends to be somewhat overpowered until developer Second Dinner can rebalance the card to fit the meta after it has a chance to see some in-game play. Some of the past fewSeason Pass cards like Ms. Marvel and Elsa Bloodstonehave been very powerful at launch, warranting major nerfs in the time since their debut. However, it seems there is already a clear counter for this latest Season Pass card given some recent balance changes that put one card in the perfect position to deal with Skaar decks.
Skaar
6-Cost/11-Power
Costs 2 less for each of your cards that has 10 or more Power.
3-Cost/4-Power
Ongoing: Your 1 and 6-Cost cards can’t be destroyed.
Much like his father, Skaar is a strong 6-Cost card with a Power of 11 and an ability that reduces the card’s Cost by 2 for every other card with 10 or more Power the player has on their side of the field. This means Skaar benefits from being in a deck with other high-Cost/high-Powercards like Thanos, Giganto, or Magneto. However, filling their deck with these powerful cards opens players up to the threat ofMarvel Snap’s Shang-Chi, who can destroy all cards with 10 or more power at his location.
Even with the recentnerf to Shang-Chi, which increased the Power threshold for cards he can destroy from 9 to 10, Skaar and its supporting cards are at risk due to the nature of Skaar’s ability. There are ways players can prevent Shang-Chi from taking out their 10+ Power cards, such as by using cards like Armor or Cosmo, but these cards are only able to provide protection to cards at one location. Luckily,Marvel Snap’s Planet Hulk season also includes a card that has great synergy with Skaar and provides the protection needed to prevent Shang-Chi from ruining a player’s strategy.
Caiera is a Must-Have Card for Protecting Skaar
It’s not surprising that Caiera would be a great card to combo with her son, Skaar, since her Ongoing ability prevents all 1-Cost and 6-Cost cards on the player’s field from being destroyed. For a 3-Cost/4-Power card, Caiera’s ability is a fantastic addition to decks that are threatened by both Shang-Chi and Killmonger. As such, players who want to utilize Skaar decks for themselves will want to try andpull Caiera from a Spotlight Cacheto ensure they have the extra protection necessary for dealing with opponents running Shang-Chi in their decks.
Another factor to consider when using Skaar and Caiera is the roleShuri decks will likely play in this season’s meta. Many staple cards in Shuri decks, like Typhoid Mary, Red Skull, and Attuma, have a Power of 10 or more, meaning that Skaar can pair well with them in this deck archetype. However, most of these cards' Costs are below 6, so they won’t gain the protection of Caiera like other 10+ Power cards would, and would ultimately be vulnerable to Shang-Chi.
