Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross, portrayed by Harrison Ford in Captain America: Brave New World, is making his debut in Marvel Snap as a new card. With such a high-profile actor associated with the character, expectations are high for its impact on the game's meta. Let's delve into the details of Thunderbolt Ross and how he can shake up your gameplay.
How Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Works in Marvel Snap
Thunderbolt Ross is a 2-cost, 2-power card with the ability: "When your opponent ends a turn with unspent Energy, draw a card with 10 or more Power." This effect is reminiscent of Red Hulk and cards influenced by High Evolutionary, indicating a familiar yet potent mechanism.
Card draw is a cornerstone of strategy in Marvel Snap, and a card that could potentially draw another card each turn is highly valuable. However, Thunderbolt Ross's condition to draw only cards with 10 or more power narrows its utility. Here are the cards he can draw:
- Attuma
- Black Cat
- Crossbones
- Cull Obsidian
- Typhoid Mary
- Aero
- Heimdall
- Helicarrier
- Red Hulk
- Sasquatch
- She-Hulk
- Skaar
- Thanos (if generated into your deck)
- Orka
- Emperor
- Hulkling
- Hulk
- Magneto
- Death
- Red Skull
- Agatha Harkness (if generated into your deck)
- Giganto
- Destroyer
- The Infinaut
Most decks include only a few of these high-power cards, if any. Therefore, Thunderbolt Ross's effectiveness hinges on the presence of these cards in your deck. His ability to thin the deck and draw powerful cards can be a game-changer in the right context. As for counters, Thunderbolt Ross is primarily neutralized by Red Guardian.
Best Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Decks in Marvel Snap
Thunderbolt Ross naturally fits into Surtur decks, which are currently meta-relevant. Here's a sample Surtur deck:
- Zabu
- Hydra Bob
- Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross
- Armor
- Cosmo
- Juggernaut
- Surtur
- Ares
- Attuma
- Crossbones
- Cull Obsidian
- Skaar
Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
This deck contains several Series 5 cards, including Hydra Bob, Surtur, Ares, Cull Obsidian, and Skaar. If needed, you can replace Hydra Bob with another 1-cost card like Iceman, Nico Minoru, or Spider-Ham. The strategy is to play Surtur on turn 3 and then use 10-power cards to boost him, making Skaar free. Juggernaut and Cosmo serve as final turn counters, while Armor protects against Shang-Chi. Thunderbolt Ross can significantly enhance this deck by drawing crucial 10-cost cards like Skaar, potentially turning the tide of the match.
For a different approach, consider this Hela deck:
- Black Knight
- Blade
- Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross
- Lady Sif
- Ghost Rider
- War Machine
- Hell Cow
- Black Cat
- Aero
- Hela
- The Infinaut
- Death
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This list includes Series 5 cards like Black Knight and War Machine. War Machine is optional but useful for dropping The Infinaut on the final turn; you could substitute him with Ares or another discard activator like Swordmaster. The aim is to discard high-power cards of different costs to revive with Hela on the final turn. Thunderbolt Ross aids in drawing these high-power cards for discarding, adding consistency to the strategy.
Is Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?
Currently, unless you're heavily invested in Surtur or Ares decks, Thunderbolt Ross may not be worth the investment of Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector's Tokens if you're low on resources. His effectiveness is limited to specific deck compositions, and the current meta favors Wiccan decks, which tend to use all their energy each turn, reducing Thunderbolt Ross's utility. However, as more 10-cost cards are added to Marvel Snap, his value could increase.
