Iconic Heroes that Could Use a Buff in Marvel Snap

Summary

Marvel Snap introduces players to obscure Marvel characters, but some iconic characters have underwhelming cards, which doesn't do them justice.
The game has boosted underwhelming cards in the past, but recognizable characters should also be buffed for higher levels of play.
Captain America, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and The Punisher all have cards that don't fully represent their characters' abilities or power, and should be improved.

Marvel Snap is a great vehicle for introducing players to Marvel characters they may have never heard of before as many of the game's top cards are somewhat obscure. Although it's great to see Marvel Snap represent a wide range of characters from obscure picks like Zabu and Wave to iconic faces like Iron Man and Captain Marvel, some of Marvel's most iconic characters are some of Marvel Snap's worst cards. This treatment does a disservice to the character the card is based on, and Marvel Snap should work to balance some heroes' playability with their popularity.

The game already has a track record of handing out buffs to iconic yet underwhelming cards such as the Hulk and Cyclops who got a massive boost from the addition of High Evolutionary. More recently, Hawkeye and Spider-Man received buffs to better represent their characters and make them more useful overall. Many of these cards are available as starters or in low Collection Levels to help players familiarize themselves with the game using recognizable characters, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be buffed to be more viable at higher levels of play.

Captain America

Arguably the most iconic Marvel hero, Captain America's presence in Marvel Snap doesn't live up to his legacy in the rest of the franchise. He is a 3-Cost/3-Power card with the Ongoing ability to give the players other cards at his location +1 Power, which is a pretty disappointing ability for a character that's supposed to inspire other heroes with his strength. Captain America is really only useful in Pool 1 Ongoing decks in Marvel Snap, but he could be much more versatile and become a great staple for Silver Surfer decks with an increase to his Power or to the Power his ability grants to other cards.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange isn't necessarily a bad card in Marvel Snap, but his ability doesn't fit well with his character and is too niche for such an important hero. Like Captain America, Doctor Strange is also a 3-Cost/3-Power card and his ability moves the player's highest Power card to his location, which is a great ability for move decks but nowhere else. Instead, Doctor Strange should simply swap abilities with Mavel Snap's Wong, as he is played far more than Doctor Strange and can fit into most decks making his ability far more appropriate for the Sorcerer Supreme.

Ant-Man

Ant-Man's Marvel Snap card betrays the potential his abilities hold in the rest of the Marvel universe given its underwhelming effect. It makes sense that Ant-Man would be a base 1-Cost/1-Power card given his small size when shrunk down to an ant-like form. Conversely, Ant-Man's ability to grow to a colossal size warrants far more than a +3 Power increase when at a location with three other cards and instead should grant him a much greater Power boost closer to +5 to balance out the Cost versus the risk of playing him while giving him an ability that matches the rest of his franchise appearances.

The Punisher

One of Marvel's most iconic anti-heroes is unfortunately one of the game's least-used cards outside of Pool 1, which goes against the true power and fury Frank Castle possesses in other Marvel media. The main issue with the current Punisher card is his 3-Cost only netting the player 2-Power with an additional +1 Power for each opposing card at his location thanks to his Ongoing ability. In total, he can reach a Power of 6 through the best-case scenario of his ability, which is only one point higher than Spider-Man who costs the same and has a more useful ability, meaning the Punisher deserves to either have his base Power increased or the Power per opposing card increased.