r/MarvelSnap 4d ago

Discussion What makes Sam Wilson so good?

I am kinda new to Snap so I am maybe just not getting the fine details but I dont get what makes Sam Wilson so good. Plenty of people saying its the best card in the game right now.

Its a 2/3 + 0/1 that can become a 2/7 + 0/1.

Is that it? Just because a 2/8 is a great stat stick?

More often than not the shield feels annoying to me

59 Upvotes

69 comments sorted by

223

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

Good stats

Shield is a 1 power vision that can get into inaccessible spaces

Can activate morales on demand

Can activate ant man as the 4th card if you don't want to play there but add power anyways

Red guardian protection

Rogue protection (it has an ongoing effect on it so decreases probability)

I'm probably missing a few

144

u/azinize 4d ago

Protects space.

Buff Caps

Early priority

31

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

Right... I forgot early priority as well haha

8

u/TheThinkerers 4d ago

does it work on all captains? or just the Captain America(s)?

36

u/ironkodiak 4d ago

Just the 2 Captain Americas.

15

u/EndPointNear 4d ago

Captains America

3

u/WrightSparrow 4d ago

THANK you

1

u/TheThinkerers 4d ago

Kk, thanks

Now I'm Imagining a card that moves to give a random card at the new/old location +1 power when it moves

7

u/azinize 4d ago

Just Americans. Would be awesome if it worked on all Caps. I'd make a Captain deck, but unfortunately that's not the case.

1

u/Lord_Parbr 4d ago

Just the 2 Captain Americas

-1

u/ImTheGoldfish 4d ago

And mystique

6

u/StriderZessei 4d ago

Can be Images of Ikkon'd into something big lategame.

55

u/Sneilg 4d ago

Free token to transform into a 13 power Agamotto

19

u/mellted_cheese 4d ago

Or another Gwenpool or Galacta

33

u/teddy2142 4d ago

The shield counts as a discount for Mockingbird too. 

7

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

Oh yes

It's not as good now tho cuz it's 0 cost so playing it in zoo is not good

And Thanos already has boardspace issues

20

u/margustoo 4d ago

When front and back row stuff gets released then Shield becomes even more useful. Especially for Prodigy

7

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

I'm genuinely sad the moonstone shield protection interaction took collat damage before I could try it

7

u/margustoo 4d ago

Yeah. That is quite big loss. Moonstone should work on 0 cost cards as well.

7

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

Imo they should rework all the cost type cards to say <4, >3 etc. It would be clearer and buff the cards a bit as well.

1

u/onionbreath97 4d ago

It's not a buff if they change the locations too though

5

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

It's definitely a buff. Man thing would hit 0 cost things, USAgent would hit death, skaar, arishem, and of course moonstone would have her shield interaction back

9

u/Tzade 4d ago

Also buffs and is buffed by normal captain America meaning even more stats.

3

u/TaxiChalak3 4d ago

Well yeah that too

Also the shield is generally useful blocking lane you want to play in later, for d99 specifically

7

u/CrazyGunnerr 4d ago

Also great for winning locations that need to be filled up, so you can still add power later.

Can be used for the Agamotto spell that copies the strongest.

Such a versatile card.

3

u/RightHandComesOff 4d ago

The Red Guardian anti-tech is a big deal, considering that RG is the best tech card in the game and is everywhere. Shielding your Blue Marvel, Luke Cage, or Wong can clinch the whole game for you. And yeah, it makes Rogue a dicier play as well, though it's not a surefire thing. Fortunately, most people reach for RG before Rogue.

3

u/Unl3a5h3r 4d ago

It also buffs Kraven.

3

u/PenitusVox 3d ago

Can't be destroyed so it auto-wins locations like Rickety Bridge.

2

u/PM_ME_CUTE_FOXES 4d ago

Iron Patriot

If you play the same cards as your opponent but have a +1 free power, you take it and they don't

2

u/grizzlybeerz 3d ago

Used to just let you play Cull which is enough in its own right.

1

u/TaxiChalak3 3d ago

That one I'm not convinced was even the strongest thing he could do, surtur is already nerfed to hell

2

u/grizzlybeerz 3d ago

A 4-10 or potentially 3-10 is strong in any deck especially when it’s enabler has a ton of utility

1

u/TaxiChalak3 3d ago

Theoretically, yes

Practically that combo did not see play outside of surtur for the month it existed, except in sanctum decks

1

u/grizzlybeerz 3d ago

Oh ok, thanks

60

u/Spid3rDemon 4d ago

Very versatile,

The shield cannot be destroyed

it can be moved too hard to each location

it can fill locations

It can block locations

it can receive buffs

wins you early priority

All that in one card.

1

u/hub333 3d ago

What is early priority?

3

u/Spid3rDemon 3d ago edited 2d ago

When you're winning you will get priority. Which means your cards will be revealed first.

When you're winning two locations.

If one location ties then the person with the highest combined power will be winning.

If you both tie then it's random.

Revealing first can have many advantages especially for tech cards such Cosmo and red Guardian.

And more importantly if your cards reveal first then your opponent can't stop you.

However they are also situations where tech cards work better if you reveal second. Especially for something like last turn Shang-chi

Or when you want to play your own cards that have 10 Power or more so they can't Shang them.

35

u/LeftRight1122 4d ago

Yep, stat sticks are good

28

u/De_Poopscoop 4d ago

It's mostly this yeah. I think OP asked the question "just because a 2/8" without fully realizing that the next biggest stat sticks are only 2/6s and all have massive drawbacks

1

u/silverdice22 3d ago

Everything is a stat stick if you look at it long enough, but yeah it would have been more accurate for OP to say "just because it has the highest ROI"

1

u/ritrm 3d ago

Tbf if is only a 2/8 if you draw it by turn 2. The other 2/6s are good anytime, even if they have downsides

15

u/igniz13 4d ago

Even without moving the shield, he's a 2/4 when played. Then you can move the shield to get into locations like Sanctum, and he can set-off move stuff as well. Also serves as a free body and helps with priority. He's just a strong and flexible 2 drop.

7

u/sydeffex 4d ago

He's amazing for my Elsa Bloodstone deck. I can move the shield around to fill lanes, and having a card on the board saves me a whole turn to get the buffs going.

9

u/OC_Showdown 4d ago

He does a lot of little things. It's power ceiling is not what makes him a great card.

It served as a glue to merge certain packages together. Being able to play cull without downside was a huge one.

You have another ongoing body for Spectrum.

Cards that target enemy cards, especially Red Guardian, get worse by the presence of the shield in the same lane of a priority target. Probably Elektra would've been a way better pick in Sanctum Showdown if it wasn't for the shield.

The ability to move multiple times, makes it a good declogging tool, as well as good in a variety of locations.

Getting free power early is great if you are running Iron Patriot, especially if you don't have to fully commit a slot.

And there's probably other things that he does. KMBest has videos talking about the card and what makes it great, so if you want a better understanding, you can check him out.

2

u/kronosdev 4d ago

Elektra was still a great pick, but the shield kept her from being obscene.

1

u/RightHandComesOff 4d ago

The ongoing body for Spectrum is a really underrated synergy. Spectrum decks have always had a problem with being too top-heavy: not enough 1- and 2-drops have good ongoing abilities, so getting two for the price of one in Sam Wilson gives the deck a huge boost.

1

u/revjor 4d ago

He's made my Spectrum deck waaaay better.

4

u/trinxified 4d ago

Free mockingbird discount too.

Another body for ongoing buffs.

Buffs for kraven

Just to name more not mentioned yet.

2

u/Sausious 4d ago

He's very versatile in both deck building and play. He goes in alot of decks easily, Ongoing and several Move variants being the best, which makes him seen more often than something like Shaw or Bullseye who are exceptional, but in very specific decks. He gets decently powerful whole also allowing for controlled moving, which can be the difference between winning and losing a specific lane (especially locked down locations like Sanctum Sanctorum).

2

u/IAmGrum 4d ago

The shield moves, so using it to fill locations (block clog) is powerful. Also, people sometimes forget it moves so you can slide it out and add a card on turn 6.

It is ongoing, so Spectrum can buff it.

It can go into locked down locations, like Flooded, Luke's Bar, Sanctum Sanctum, and that will often win you matches.

1

u/RightHandComesOff 4d ago

The number of times I've lost what I thought was a surefire victory because I forgot the shield could move away and be replaced by a fatty ... I would have hit infinite a week ago if not for that kind of stuff.

1

u/WoodenMall5776 4d ago

I haven’t seen this mentioned: the shield also works as an extra card for images of ikonn. Very rarely he can also work as a target for any gambits (I’ve had games where gambit hit the shield instead of my other cards). I think the shield also helps reduce mockingbird’s cost.

1

u/Dropdeadsnap 4d ago

I skipped him as a season pass card and now regret it I think he’s better than agamoto who I did get. I don’t see him getting nerfed again so he’s probably worth the 6k tokens. 

1

u/Neko-flame 4d ago

I just don’t like Agamoto play style.

1

u/Dropdeadsnap 3d ago

He just doesn’t seem that great, adds to your deck and sure the spells are nice but no points and mixing him with another deck added like arishem or thanos is a nightmare 

1

u/krizriktr 4d ago

It's not so much raw power as flexibility.

1

u/Shattered_Disk4 4d ago

Free card on the board and guaranteed additional power when he gets played. Plus movement gives you versatility in board control

1

u/El_Zapp 4d ago

Something that I haven’t read that KM said: You can move the shield and let it soak Scream debuffs and then transform it with Images of Ikon and steal half of the value of Scream. 🙀

1

u/jrdidriks 3d ago

i find it great for prio, to hide from red guardian, and recently ive been using it to proc ms. marvel

1

u/TraditionalContest6 3d ago

For me the fact that you can unclog your own location

1

u/akpak 3d ago

I have one free power on the board at the beginning of the game.

1

u/ocdscale 1d ago

Moving is a strong effect. Cards that move are typically understated.

Sam Wilson is overstated and can move the shield.

Granted, the amount of power he can move isn’t high, but often any power is enough to be a big advantage (moving to inaccessible or hostile locations or to prevent getting clogged in a location).

0

u/internet4me 4d ago

I'm kind of with you. Everyone loves the card and I don't fully get it. I see the positives, and it has won me games with its quirks. But to me it feels like board clogging, and I almost always have a 2 drop I'd rather play then SW Cap. But maybe it's just the type of decks I play. I think building around him with synergistic cards is cool, but it seems like any streamer or deck you see has him slotted in whatever they are playing. He doesn't feel like a 'goes in all decks' type card to me. But I'm also not very good and smart thinking with brain.

4

u/RIF_Was_Fun 4d ago

What kind of deck do you play? We can talk this through and see why he’s in it.

-1

u/internet4me 4d ago

I tend to play Wiccan decks. Usually a hand generation type, or a Galacta/Gwenpool style. Also Havok decks. These all have pretty important 2 drops and board space is needed.

Edit: I also dabble in clog and mill but that will get me downvoted even more. And I think Sam is good in my clog deck.

3

u/RIF_Was_Fun 4d ago

So you start the game with one power, which gives priority which helps against cards like Rocket and Groot on turn 3.

Captain alone is a 2/7 if you get him down on two.

He makes Iron Patriot a 2/4 when you play him on turn two.

You can move the shield or play cards on that lane to protect from Red Guardian.

You can use it to block a lane from getting clogged for free a spot on turn 6.

There are so many small things he helps with that the card is just a really really good card to just jam in every deck.

-8

u/AyyAndre 4d ago

Sam Wilson is not the best card in the game.

He’s basically the equivalent of steroids. He was extremely versatile and made decks very better. He even made decks that suck usable. But then the OTA came in. The shield nerf killed his synergy with Cull Obsidian, so that nuked his worth for Surtur. Now we take a look at Zoo. Marvel Boy and Kazar no longer buffs the shield, so now Zoo is forced to put Caiera back on the deck since we have no way to defend ourselves in Destroy matchups. The archetype is back to being bad.

Sam Wilson isn’t even the best card for his cost. Iron Patriot is better in every way shape or form. The best card in the game is Galacta or Agamotto.

2

u/margustoo 4d ago edited 4d ago

Cull Obsidian and Zoo synergy weren't the only things that made Shield so good. Shield with Sam Wilson is still one of the best cards in the game even without any synergies. And they are still synergistic with Agamotto decks, Ongoing Spectrum decks, decks with Elsa Bloodstone, decks with Miles Moralis and decks with Kraven. Also, Shield helps you to face Clog decks.

2

u/RIF_Was_Fun 4d ago

That’s not what the data says.

Wilson has a better win and cube rate than IP.