The Best Pool 1 Cards in Marvel Snap, Ranked

Nuverse / Drew Swanson

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Penned by Drew Swanson

Drew has been a fan of games since he could hold a GameCube controller. Nowadays, he plays everything from mobile and PC games, to PS5 and Switch.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

While it might seem limited early on, Pool 1 in Marvel Snap contains a handful of fantastic cards that are quite useful even once players reach higher pools. This pool contains a number of versatile cards meant to help new players get a feel for the game in the early levels. We all have to spend time in Pool 1, so I can say with confidence that there are several cards in this pool that you don’t want to sleep on.

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The Best Pool 2 Decks in Marvel Snap (2024)

That’s why I will be breaking down the best Pool 1 cards in Marvel Snap, and giving you some tips on how to most effectively use them in your deck. Afterwards, you can use them to build some of the best Pool 1 Decks in Marvel Snap!

The cards below are ranked from good to best.

#10 Ka-Zar

While not the greatest card on his own, Ka-Zar is crucial for a popular Pool 1 deck type. He’s a 4-Cost/4-Power card with the ability to give all friendly 1-Cost cards +1 Power. This is a great way to make weaker cards much more viable and is the basis for one of my favorite early-game decks: the Kazoo deck archetype.

This type of deck focuses on trying to play as many of the most powerful 1-Cost cards as possible before playing Ka-Zar and giving them all an additional boost. I’ve found that this strategy ends up working very well in Pool 1 thanks to all of the 1-Cost cards available alongside Ka-Zar.

#9 Ant-Man

Ant-Man can be quite the versatile card in Pool 1 and beyond. He’s a 1-Cost/1-Power card, but don’t let his looks fool you. His ability gives him a +3 Power boost if there are three other friendly cards at the same location. This can make him a hidden threat for a variety of decks, including the Kazoo archetype.

Decks that focus on filling the field like Kazoo decks are where Ant-Man thrives, but I have found use for the card in others as well. With +3 Power from his own ability and another +1 from Ka-Zar’s, Ant-Man can end up giving players some real bang for their buck.

#8 Iron Man

One of Marvel’s most iconic heroes is also one of Marvel Snap’s best Pool 1 cards. Iron Man is a 5-Cost card with 0-Power, but has the fantastic ability to double the power of the location where he is played. I think this card is the perfect compliment to ramp decks that focus on powering up cards each turn.

Saving Iron Man to play at a location with an already solid Power level in the final turns can often put the match out of reach for opponents. Despite Pool 1 lacking some of the heavy-hitting combos of higher pools, Iron Man stands out to me as a card with the potential to devastate opponents if played strategically. 

#7 Angela

Angela has undergone many balance changes throughout Marvel Snap‘s life. However, she remains a consistently good card both within and outside of Pool 1. Angela is a relatively low-Cost card to play, but in my experience, her potential power level makes her a valuable asset for a variety of deck types.

She is a 2-Cost/2-Power card that gains +1 Power each time you play a card at her location. This means she can end up being a 2-Cost/5-Power card if you fill her lane. This ability puts her on the same level as a card like Lizard, only without the drawbacks. While she becomes much more useful in high pools, Angela is still one of my go-to cards in Marvel Snap‘s Pool 1.

#6 Mister Fantastic

Mister Fantastic is another card that finds utility in pools beyond just Pool 1, and I’ve personally used him in many Pool 4 Ongoing decks. He is a 3-Cost/2-Power card with the Ongoing ability to grant adjacent locations +2 Power. While this may seem like only a small boost, it can end up making quite a difference.

Playing Mister Fantastic at the center location is ideal since his ability will grant +2 Power to both the left and right locations this way. This extra Power can be helpful if one of those locations prevents cards from being played there like Sanctum Sanctorum or Luke’s Bar. With a relatively low Cost, I think Mister Fantastic makes for a great staple in a variety of deck types.

#5 Nightcrawler

While he thrives in movement decks, Nightcrawler can be one of Marvel Snap’s most versatile cards. He is a 1-Cost/2-Power card with the ability to move locations once during a match. This ability makes Nightcrawler perfect for getting a card on the field early in the game without having to commit to playing him at a specific location.

If a better location or more favorable position appears later in the match, I tend to move Nightcrawler to that spot instead. As such, I’ve seen Nightcrawler used in a variety of Pool 1 and higher decks. 

#4 Bishop

Similarly to Angela, Bishop is a card that benefits greatly from having other cards played, but not just at his location. He is a 3-Cost/1-Power card but gains +1 Power every time you play another card anywhere. As such, I find he is best played as soon as possible in order to maximize his final Power level.

Bishop works great in zoo decks from my experience, since they tend to be filled with lots of 1-Cost cards. Having Bishop on the field and then playing multiple 1-Cost cards a turn is a great way to quickly boost his Power. It’s also great that Bishop is a Pool 1 card since players can learn to use him early on before gaining access to more advanced archetypes that feature the card like bounce decks.

#3 Cosmo

Cosmo is one of the best options for control decks in Pool 1 and beyond, and is one of my personal favorite cards in the game. I get a lot of mileage out of his ability to shut down On Reveal abilities at his location. He’s perfect for an Ongoing deck as you can freely play him to sabotage an opponent’s strategy while walking away unaffected yourself. He is a 3-Cost/3-Power card, so he can be played fairly early in the game.

Ideally, you will need to try and predict when and where an opponent will play an important On Reveal card and use Cosmo to shut down their strategy completely. Just be careful of which location you play him as he could end up unintentionally disrupting your own strategy, which I admit I have done before. 

#2 Wolverine

Wolverine is one of the most versatile cards in the game and can fit into several of Marvel Snap‘s best deck types. He is a 2-Cost/2-Power card with the fantastic ability to return to the field with +2 Power each time he is discarded or destroyed. This makes him a must-use card in both discard and destroy decks. He can synergize really well with cards that focus on discarding or destroying others.

Not only is Wolverine perfect to combo with other discard and destroy cards, but he can also be used to take advantage of locations with typically adverse effects. Locations like Death’s Domain or Altar of Death that destroy a card after it’s played there can be used to automatically power up Wolverine. With how many situations Wolverine has become useful in, I believe he’s easily one of the best Pool 1 cards in Marvel Snap.

#1 Devil Dinosaur

Devil Dinosaur is such a powerful card that it has entire decks themed around it. As a 5-Cost/3-Power card, it may not seem that powerful. However, its ability gives it +2 Power for every card in your hand. I’ve seen this ability used in a variety of ways and it can easily lead to a snowball effect and put the match out of reach for opponents.

It synergizes really well with cards that add to your hand like Moon Girl and Sentinel. Devil Dinosaur can even get around popular strategies using Sandman to limit cards played per turn. I know I’ve struggled against Devil Dinosaur decks in Pool 1. With the power potential and great flexibility, Devil Dinosaur is a force to be reckoned with both within Pool 1 and in higher pools.