Thunderbolt Ross Decks Dominate Marvel Snap

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, the latest addition to Marvel Snap, is a 2-cost, 2-power card with a unique ability: When your opponent ends their turn with unspent energy, you draw a card with 10 or more power. This mechanic, similar to Red Hulk and High Evolutionary effects, offers significant potential but is highly dependent on deck composition.

How Thunderbolt Ross Works:

The card's power lies in its ability to draw high-cost, high-power cards. However, its effectiveness is limited by the availability of such cards in your deck. Currently, several cards meet this criteria (Attuma, Black Cat, Crossbones, etc.), but most decks only include a few, if any. Therefore, Thunderbolt Ross shines in decks specifically built around high-power cards. Deck thinning is a key benefit; reducing the number of low-power cards increases the chances of drawing those crucial 10+ power cards. Red Guardian is a direct counter.

Optimal Deck Synergies:

Thunderbolt Ross synergizes exceptionally well with Surtur decks. A sample Surtur deck includes: Zabu, Hydra Bob, Thunderbolt Ross, Armor, Cosmo, Juggernaut, Surtur, Ares, Attuma, Crossbones, Cull Obsidian, and Skaar. The goal is to play Surtur on turn 3 and boost its power using high-cost cards, making Skaar free. Thunderbolt Ross significantly improves consistency by drawing these high-power cards. Note that this deck heavily relies on Series 5 cards.

Another viable deck is a Hela deck, which utilizes high-power cards of varying costs to be discarded and revived with Hela on the final turn. Thunderbolt Ross enhances this strategy by improving the chances of drawing these high-power cards for discarding. A sample Hela deck includes: Black Knight, Blade, Thunderbolt Ross, Lady Sif, Ghost Rider, War Machine, Hell Cow, Black Cat, Aero, Hela, The Infinaut, and Death. Again, this deck contains several Series 5 cards.

Is He Worth the Investment?

Currently, unless you're a dedicated Surtur or Hela player, Thunderbolt Ross's value is questionable for players with limited resources. His effectiveness hinges on the presence of multiple high-power cards in a deck, a condition not met by many current meta decks. Furthermore, the prevalence of Wiccan decks, where opponents rarely leave unspent energy, further diminishes his utility. His value will likely increase as more 10+ power cards are added to the game.