Just a week after the release of the Savage Lands Season Pass and with the Zabu card released last week showing up in tons of decks, an all-new patch, the January 10, 2023 Balance Patch, has hit Marvel Snap, bringing with it balance changes. and another new card along with other new features.
Balance Changes in Marvel Snap’s New Savage Land Patch
Although it had already been revealed on Twitter that Second Dinner was targeting certain cards for nerfs, the Official Savage Land patch announcement from Second Dinner’s Twitter confirms the nerfs that were leaked and some cars were buffed. The changes applied to the following cards:
- aerodynamic– One of the most powerful cards in the meta was ultimately deemed too powerful and therefore was coupled a power, taking it to seven. However, it also got some really cool new animation, so it may have come out of the patch evenly in the eyes of some players.
- Leader: The current meta-monster card, Leader, has been dictating the game for months, and although his power was nerfed by one up to three, it’s doubtful that this is a significant enough long-term change to change the meta.
- Galactus: Galactus also received a reduction of a power, to two, but many players have considered it a buff rather than a nerf. Though noted as a nerf by Second Dinner, Galactus loves to play from behind in his decks, so this can slightly increase his overall power level.
Related: How to Build a Mr. Negative Deck in Marvel Snap
- New star: by far the strangest card on the nerf list, Nova also had its power reduced by one, up to one. However, this nerf made sense since Nova’s effect is extremely powerful, and having two powers also felt like overkill for Second Dinner.
- Drax and Groot: Both cards received buffs of a powerup to five and four, respectively, while being given reduced power buffs from his On Reveals. This change was made to make them feel less punished when they fail.
- dangerous materials: Hazmat received a single power benefit to two Power due to their underperforming decks.
- Black cat: a disappointing card for a long time, Black Cat received a benefit of a power up to seven due to its almost non-existence in the game.
- Nakia: finally, Nakia received a benefit of a power up to two for the same reason as Black Cat.
Along with the balance changes that occurred in the Savage Land Patch Notes, Sauron has been released to the Series 5 card pool and is now available for collection or purchase via the Token Shop. Originally, Sauron was going to be released as a standalone card on January 10, but with the patch delayed by a week, it is now released alongside it. Sauron is a three energy three Power On Reveal card thatt removes all abilities from current cards in your hand and deck. Although this effect is fairly linear in design, it is very powerful when combined with cards like Ebony Maw, Typhoid Mary, or Red Skull and fits right into your current decks. However, since it’s a Series 5 card, the chances of players running into it on the ranked ladder are slim, but will increase over time as more players gain access to it.
Related: Marvel Snap – The best cards to counter Zabu
The last big change was the addition of Killer whale in the Series 4 card pool. Orka is a continuous card of six energies and nine powers that gains five Power if it is the only card you have in its location. This card was supposed to release in the same update as She-Hulk, but was reportedly buggy and delayed at the last minute. However, the card did eventually make its way into the game, though unfortunately, it will most likely be quickly forgotten in the wake of newer, more unique cards like Zabu.
In addition to all these big changes, there were some smaller but noticeable ones. For example, two new packs have been added to the in-game store. The first pack, Primal Masterpiece, costs 3,000 gold and offers 1,500 credits, variants, and avatars for Sabretooth, White Tiger, and Kraven, and 155 Boosters for each variant. The second package, professional package, costs $100 and awards 12,500 credits and 155 power-ups for eight random cards. Lastly, Second Dinner added a feature that allows players to see which artists worked on each card and its variants, giving credit to those who designed the cards.
Second Dinner has made it clear that they are keeping an eye on nerfed cards, especially Galactus, Aero, and Leader, but these changes will likely keep the meta in a similar state. However, with players still discovering Zabu and the release of Sauron and Orka, there could be major changes to the current Marvel Snap metagame.
Do you want more information about Marvel Snap? Check out Marvel Snap variant rarity explained and how to build a Patriot deck in MyFullGames’ Marvel Snap!