Marvel Snap September 28, 2023 OTA Patch Update

Marvel Snap has just released its September 28, 2023 OTA patch update and we’ve covered all of the changes, dissecting the much-awaited buffs and unfortunate nerfs. Following a meta that was extremely competitive, the Loki season has proven to be one of the most challenging times to play the game. This is because if you lack the certain meta relevant cards that are needed to elevate decks to new levels, you’ll struggle. Can these changes contain the play rate of overused cards and make underwhelming cards better? Let’s check it out.

For more Marvel Snap related content, make sure to check out these articles on KeenGamer:

1. Best Mobius M. Mobius Decks in Marvel Snap
2. Best Ravonna Renslayer Decks in Marvel Snap
3. Best Alioth Decks in Marvel Snap
4. Best Loki Decks in Marvel Snap

Buffs

There are a lot of cards in Marvel Snap that do not quite find themselves a home in any deck. Even if they do, there’s just simply a better card to include in its place. Therefore, the developers Second Dinner are always actively attempting to rework and buff cards that aren’t seeing much play. In the September 28, 2023 OTA patch update, these were the buffs:

• Psylocke: 2/1 > 2/2
• Squirrel Girl: 1/1 > 1/2

A much needed change, Zoo decks are getting some love with a nice buff to Squirrel Girl. Patriot also benefits from this buff as well. Despite Psylocke not being able to be played in Mr. Negative decks as efficiently, a power boost is certainly welcomed. To sum up: these were needed buffs, but surely not what anyone expected. It feels as though other cards deserve drastic buffs more than these two. For example, Strong Guy, Spider-Man 2099, and Quake.

September 28, 2023 OTA nerfs. (Source: Marvel Snap Zone)

Nerfs

Of course, when there are buffs, there are nerfs. Nerfs aim to keep the game balanced, targeting cards that see too much play specifically. Sometimes, Second Dinner nerf cards hard, completely ruining their viability. That being said, they always are on the lookout and fix it in the following few patches if so needed. A recent example of this is Dr. Doom and how they buffed him back after his earlier nerf cut him from the majority of deck lists. Regardless, these are the latest nerfs in Marvel Snap: 

• Galactus: 6/7 -> 6/5
• Kitty Pryde: 1/2 > 1/0
• Snowguard Hawk: 2/3 > 3/3
• Snowguard Bear: 2/3 > 3/4

Firstly, that Kitty Pyrde nerf was absolutely unnecessary. Of course, she saw a lot of play, but to knock off two power points and have her at a 0 is really damaging to the card. It’s safe to say we’ll see a lot less of Kitty outside of simply trying to power up Angela. Despite most getting her for free, it still stings.

September 28, 2023 OTA nerfs. (Source: Marvel Snap Zone)

Galactus is a nerf that was somewhat needed especially with the release of Alioth. Seven power was difficult to build in each lane in order to avoid his effect. Therefore, with 5 power it makes Galactus decks easier to counter. However, not only is Galactus now inconvenient to play, but it is almost as if stray cards get nerfed instead of the main issues. For example, Snowguard and Galactus getting nerfed instead of Loki and Alioth.

The developers increased the costs of both the Bear and the Hawk, making it so that the curve feels a bit clunkier. It feels like the developers are out of touch with the player base a little bit.

Final Verdict – How Will This Affect the Meta?

Overall, Sera Control, Loki, Kitty Shuri, and Galactus decks got hit the hardest. Any deck that relied on Kitty Pryde as one of their win conditions seriously suffers from this patch. With the buffs being a bit lackluster and the nerfs being major, could this make existing players frustrated to the point where they stop playing? Spending 6000 tokens on Galactus only to see him getting nerfed three times in a row makes it a bit unfair as you ended up having a different card than the one you paid for.

Regardless, we’ll leave that up to you guys to decide. Until then, you can read the full patch notes here.