Mastering Marvel Snap's Iron Patriot: Deck Guide, Strategies, and Counters
Marvel Snap's Dark Avengers season introduces Iron Patriot, a powerful two-cost, three-power card that 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 assesses Iron Patriot's overall value.
The Best Deck for Iron Patriot
This deck synergizes Iron Patriot with Devil Dino and Victoria Hand, creating a potent card generation engine. The 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 replaced with Cosmo to mitigate opponent counter-strategies.)
Deck Synergies:
- Iron Patriot provides a discounted high-cost card, fueling the strategy.
- Valentina, Sentinel, Mirage, Agent Coulson, Moon Girl, and Kate Bishop generate cards, triggering Victoria Hand's ability.
- Quinjet further reduces the cost of generated cards.
- Frigga duplicates a card, amplifying Victoria Hand's effect and potentially doubling key abilities.
- Mobius M. Mobius protects against cost manipulation by opponents.
- Devil Dino serves as the win condition, leveraging the amassed 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 to maximize the discount. Combos like Ebony Maw + War Machine can secure the lane, but risk over-commitment.
- Hand Management: Carefully manage your hand size, playing card generators only when you have space. Avoid Agent Coulson with a full hand.
- Prioritize Discounted Duplicates: Use duplication effects like Moon Girl after benefiting from Iron Patriot's discount or other cost reduction for maximum value.
How to Counter Iron Patriot
Two main counter-strategies exist: cost manipulation and board clogging. Iron Patriot decks need energy and space; disrupting either hinders their effectiveness.
Effective counters include US Agent, Cosmo, Iceman, Wave, Sandman, Shadow King, and even Green Goblin/Hobgoblin (junk archetype). Valkyrie can also remove crucial buffs from Victoria Hand.
Is Iron Patriot Worth It?
While not meta-defining like Arishem, Iron Patriot is a valuable addition for competitive players. However, it doesn't justify purchasing the premium pass for F2P players; Victoria Hand offers similar card generation synergy without requiring Iron Patriot.
