Mastering Marvel Snap's Iron Patriot: Deck Strategies, Counters, and Value
Marvel Snap's Dark Avengers season introduces Iron Patriot, a premium Season Pass card. This 2-cost, 3-power card adds a high-cost card to your hand, potentially with a significant cost reduction. This guide explores optimal deck builds, effective gameplay strategies, counters, and ultimately, whether Iron Patriot is worth the investment.
The Best Deck for Iron Patriot
Iron Patriot synergizes exceptionally well with a Devil Dino and Victoria Hand core. This deck leverages card generation to overwhelm opponents. The optimal supporting cast includes: Sentinel, Quinjet, Valentina, Mirage, Frigga, Mobius M. Mobius, Moon Girl, Agent Coulson, and Kate Bishop.
| Card | Cost | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Patriot | 2 | 3 |
| Devil Dino | 5 | 3 |
| Victoria Hand | 2 | 3 |
| Mobius M. Mobius | 3 | 3 |
| Sentinel | 2 | 3 |
| Quinjet | 1 | 2 |
| Moon Girl | 4 | 5 |
| Valentina | 2 | 3 |
| Agent Coulson | 3 | 4 |
| Mirage | 2 | 2 |
| Kate Bishop | 2 | 3 |
| Frigga | 3 | 4 |
(Frigga can be substituted with Cosmo to mitigate opponent counter-strategies.)
Iron Patriot Deck Synergies
- Iron Patriot: Provides a discounted high-cost card, fueling the core strategy.
- Card Generators (Valentina, Sentinel, Mirage, Agent Coulson, Moon Girl, Kate Bishop): Trigger Victoria Hand's ability, flooding the board.
- Quinjet: Further reduces the cost of generated cards, enabling efficient plays.
- Frigga: Duplicates a card, maximizing Victoria Hand's effect and potentially doubling key abilities.
- Mobius M. Mobius: A tech card preventing cost manipulation by opponents.
- Devil Dino: The win condition, leveraging the abundance of cards for powerful buffs.
How to Play Iron Patriot Effectively
- Strategic Placement: Play Iron Patriot in a lane your opponent is unlikely to contest early. The cost reduction only activates if you win the location the following turn. Consider combos like Ebony Maw + War Machine for lane control, but be mindful of resource commitment.
- Hand Management: Control your hand size. Only play card generators when you have space for the additional cards. Avoid playing Agent Coulson with a full hand.
- Maximize Duplication: When using duplication effects like Moon Girl, prioritize playing her after utilizing Iron Patriot's discount or other cost reduction effects to maximize value.
How to Counter Iron Patriot
Two primary counter-strategies exist: cost manipulation and board clogging. Iron Patriot decks need energy and board space. Cards that disrupt these aspects are highly effective.
Strong counters include US Agent, Cosmo, Iceman, Wave, Sandman, and Shadow King. The "junk" archetype (Green Goblin, Hobgoblin) can also disrupt the opponent's strategy. Valkyrie can be a cheeky response, removing crucial buffs from Victoria Hand.
Is Iron Patriot Worth It?
Iron Patriot is a valuable addition to a competitive deck, but it won't revolutionize the meta. While competitive players will find it useful, it doesn't justify purchasing the premium pass solely for this card. F2P players can effectively utilize the same card generation archetype with Victoria Hand as the core, rendering Iron Patriot less essential.
