Marvel Snap is the new collectible card game sweeping the gaming scene, largely due to both its low barrier for entry and surprising depth. Most of the cards in Marvel Snap come in one of two types: On Reveal and Ongoing. Ongoing Cards, as the name suggests, continue to apply their effects throughout the course of each match. But some Ongoing Cards are better than others, and knowing how to use each of them is key to claiming victory.
Marvel Snap: Best Ongoing Cards
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is one of the earlier cards players can earn, but many regulars keep him in their decks even after growing their collection. He’s a one-cost card with only one power, but his Ongoing effect gives him a +3 power boost once every other spot on his location is filled. This makes him a powerful dark horse card that can turn a location when your opponent least expects it.
Ant-Man synergizes well in a deck built around making the most of Ongoing effects. Playing Ka-Zar, Captain America, and Onslaught at the same location can raise Ant-Man’s power to 11. Add Spectrum to any other location and you now have a 1-cost card with a power level of thirteen! Just watch out for Enchantress, as she can shut down a well-laid Ongoing effect plan in a second.
Colossus
Colossus, the X-Men’s resident metal man, appears in Marvel Snap as a tanky, low-cost card that has a very reliable Ongoing effect. In a manner befitting his mutant ability, Colossus can’t be destroyed, moved, or have his power reduced. This makes him immune to both location and enemy card effects.
Because of this, Colossus is a stalwart ally to have on hand when facing locations that reduce power on each turn or destroy any card played there. These locations are often avoided during matches, so having even one card there can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
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Armor
Similar to Colossus, Armor is a useful card for thwarting enemy maneuvers and overtaking location effects. Her Ongoing effect essentially makes it impossible for any card on that location to be destroyed, for either player. This is great for keeping your own cards safe from enemy destruction effects, but it can also be used to undermine your opponent’s plays.
One of the more popular tricks in the game is to play Wolverine and Carnage at the same location. Carnage destroys all other cards on his location, gaining 2 power for each one, while Wolverine respawns and is automatically played to another location. Armor shuts this strategy down cold, leaving your opponent with two cards stuck at a measly 5 total power.
Iron Man
Arguably one of the best cards in the game, Iron Man is a deceptively powerful hero with an Ongoing effect that can turn an entire match around in a single turn. Iron Man has no power of his own, but he doubles the total power of the location he’s on. When played alongside the right cards, Iron Man can shoot a single location’s power past a hundred.
The best play for this card is to pair it with Onslaught. Onslaught doubles the effects on all Ongoing cards at his location, so Iron Man will effectively quadruple your power. Play him alongside cards like Captain America, Ka-Zar, Blue Marvel, or Ant-Man to boost your score even higher.
Punisher
Punisher is a useful card that can effectively lock an opponent off from a location when used properly. His Ongoing effect boosts his power by 1 for every card your opponent has at the same location. His power keeps climbing with each new card played there, which can scare less experienced players away from the site altogether.
As with most Ongoing cards, Punisher does his best work in conjunction with Onslaught, who can give the anti-hero a maximum of 8 extra power. Combine these effects with a Captain America, Blue Marvel, or Spectrum card to turn Punisher’s measly base power of 2 into a powerhouse that can rival even the Hulk.
Mister Fantastic
Players will usually earn Mister Fantastic pretty quickly once they start leveling up their Collection Rank, and savvy players will add him to their decks immediately. Mister Fantastic is an incredibly useful card, even in the higher ranks, as he provides area control without needing to play a bunch of cards.
His Ongoing effect grants +2 power to each adjacent location, making him most useful right in the middle. This is good for taking over hazardous sites or giving a little extra boost to a location that might already be full. Back him up with Onslaught, Blue-Marvel, and Captain America to give him a +4 power boost and double the bonus power he gives to nearby locations.
Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is an interesting Ongoing card that does its best work when played alongside low-cost cards like Ant-Man and Squirrel Girl. His Ongoing effect provides all 1-cost cards with a +1 power boost, making him a friend to the smaller creatures of the Marvel Snap universe.
Ka-Zar is useful alongside Ant-Man, especially when also played with Onslaught at the same location. Because Ka-Zar’s effect isn’t limited to his location, he can provide significant boosts to cards across the entire field. If you combine this strategy with Squirrel Girl, you’ll earn yourself three, 3 power cards for the low price of one energy.
Klaw
Klaw is a deeply underrated card that makes working around dangerous locations a breeze. While his intrinsic power isn’t all that impressive, his Ongoing effect can shift the balance of power elsewhere in a single turn. While on the field, Klaw will give the location to his right a +6 power boost, effectively adding 10 power to your side of the field.
This makes it easy to claim hazardous sites that destroy any cards played there or reduce their power with each turn. Much like Mister Fantastic, Klaw enables players to control the whole field while only playing at certain locations. Throw Onslaught in the mix to double Klaw’s effects, or add Spectrum to the field to boost his underwhelming base power of 4 to a respectable 6.
Blue Marvel
Blue Marvel is a card every player earns on their way through the initial Battle Pass, and he’ll quickly become a staple of any deck built around Ongoing effects. His ability grants +1 power to all your other cards, giving them all a respectable lift that offsets his own high cost and low power.
Use this effect in conjunction with cards that allow you to amass an army like Squirrel Girl, Multiple Man, or Mr. Sinister. Add Ka-Zar to give Squirrel Girl and her assistants even more might. And, as always, throw him up alongside Onslaught to turn that +1 power boost into a much more impressive +2 score hike.
Onslaught
The Ongoing effect king himself, Onslaught rounds out the list because of his staggering cost and even more staggering ability. While he does cost a hefty 6 energy, Onslaught is more than worth it with his native 7 power and ability to just destroy any match in a second.
Onslaught’s Ongoing effect duplicates all other Ongoing effects at his location, doubling their effects. Blue Marvel now grants +2 power to all other cards, and Ka-Zar does the same for all 1-cost cards. Klaw gives the site to the right +12 power, and Ant-Man gets a +6 power boost when his location is full. It’s this effect that makes him one of the three, keystone cards necessary to trigger the game-breaking Bar Sinister strategy.
While these might be the best Ongoing effect cards in Marvel Snap, there are a ton of others that can be just as potent in the right deck. And if you’re looking for more on Marvel Snap, read about how it handles variant cards and how the different card pools work.
