Marvel Snap: The Best Counters For Agatha Harkness Decks
Luck is certainly a factor in any game, but "Marvel Snap" is a title that greatly favors strategy and preparedness. Sure, players might have fashioned a deck out of the most powerful cards that they're comfortable with using in many different situations, but some of the more challenging decks that they'll encounter require a bit more customization to counter them — especially once they reach the higher ranks. Going into combat with the wrong cards in their deck can be catastrophic for the player. That's why it's important that they know exactly what their opponent's cards are capable of and the best ways to deal with them.
One deck type in particular that players seem to be struggling with is based around the card for Agatha Harkness. This mischievous witch is a 6-Cost, 14-Power card that starts in the user's hand and effectively plays their cards for them. This might initially seem like a bad idea for the person holding her since it takes away a degree of control over which cards are being played, but she's actually incredibly advantageous when paired with the correct deck. In fact, coming up against a well-constructed Agatha deck can be quite challenging since her nature is so inherently unpredictable. Still, there are a few solid counters that can help players get past her. Here are three of the best cards for facing Agatha — and how to use them.
Cosmo counters discards
One of the main strategies that Agatha deck builders use involves getting her to discard herself after she's played a few powerful cards. She does this by playing a card like Gambit, Lady Sif, or Sword Master –- all of which require the player to discard a card from their hand when they are played. Once she's out of their hands, Agatha deck users can briefly take control of the match and play a few chosen cards before they use another card to resurrect her and bring her back into the game or resurrect other, powerful cards. It's a smart way to take control of an otherwise uncontrollable card, but this method isn't without risk.
Players can counter this technique by using the Cosmo card. Marvel fans might remember Cosmo as the canine cosmonaut who gained sentience when he was exposed to cosmic rays after being rocketed into space by the Soviet Union, eventually going on to be the chief of security on the alien space station Knowhere. This lovable space-pooch has the Ongoing: On Reveal feature to block the abilities of other cards. Doing so when their opponent attempts to discard Agatha will force their opponent to keep the fickle witch in their hand, thus taking away their ability to regain control of the match and leaving their gameplay up to Agatha's RNG.
Leech can diffuse enemy resurrections
If players can't stop Agatha from being discarded, another option is to try and prevent her and her allies from being brought back. Many Agatha decks will use a card like Hela or Ghost Rider which can, On Reveal, resurrect the player's discarded cards and return them to the field. This can help them to turn the tide when their opponent manages to take down their more powerful cards, or if they want to revive Agatha herself. Therefore, any card that can stop that from happening is going to be a boon to players facing an Agatha user in battle. That's where Leech comes in.
While he's not one of the most well-known Marvel characters, Leech is a mutant with the ability to cancel people's powers. The Leech card in "Marvel Snap" has a similar power. It can "remove the abilities from all cards in your opponent's hand," -– including those of Hela or Ghost Rider. Using Leech around turn five is a good way to cut off an Agatha user's ability to bring back their cards before they have a chance to reveal a hidden Lazarus that they will likely have in their hand. This will probably force the Agatha user to change tactics and make more opportunities for the player's victory.
Shang-Chi destroys powerful cards
The main purpose of most Agatha Decks is to get powerful cards like Hulk, Abomination, Giganto, Magnito, and The Infinite out quickly so that they can overwhelm their opponents. Agatha pulls from the player's hand quickly while cards like Ghost Rider and Hela pull from the discard pile, ensuring the Agatha user's field is full of powerful cards. This is obviously an effective strategy for overwhelming an unsuspecting opponent, but high power-level cards come with their own weaknesses, which adequately prepared opponents can exploit.
One way of combating an opponent with a whole row of heavy hitters is to play Shang-Chi. This legendary assassin and master of the Ten Rings has an ability that's perfect for wiping out the toughest enemies Agatha users can summon. Shang-Chi has the On Reveal Ability to destroy all enemy cards, but only those that have at least nine Power. There aren't a ton of cards in the average deck with power levels that high, but Agatha decks tend to need a lot of technical cards, meaning the big guns have to be extra big to pull off the win. Shang-Chi is best used towards the end of the match when the Agatha user already has all of their most powerful weapons on the field. Plus, there's nothing quite so satisfying as seeing an opponent's all-star line-up crumble right as they're certain they're about to win.