Quick Links
Marvel Snap’s weekly card addition continues on, withGladiatorbeing introduced on November 14. Gladiator is a Series 5 card and has a6,000 Token cost in the Token Shop. Players can also unlock this new card usingSpotlight Keys, as it will be in the Spotlight Caches, alongsideMirageandLoki, from November 14 to November 21.
RELATED:Marvel Snap: Coolest Card Variants, Ranked
Gladiator’s On Reveal Ability can make him tough to fit into a deck. It’s more of a downside than a boon, but it can still be used pretty effectively in the right scenarios. Gladiator will likely not change the game’s meta, but it may come in handy in future seasons when a higher number of low-Power cards are prevalent.
Marvel SNAP
Best Gladiator Decks
Gladiator’s On Reveal Ability states, “Add a card from your opponent’s deck to their side of this location. If it has less Power, destroy it.” Destroying an enemy card may sound like a great effect, but this will likely work against you more often than not. The chances of Gladiator’s Ability pulling an opponent’s card that has 7 or more Power is not low, which means you’re able to easily give your opponent a boost with a free card if not careful. This can be mitigated in a few different ways, and the decks below will emphasize how.
On Reveal: Add a card from your opponent’s deck to their side of this location. If it has less Power, destroy it.
Gladiator Silver Surfer Deck
This deck is a classicSilver Surferdeck with a few modifications to fit Gladiator’s needs. Here, cards likeCosmoandZerocan be used to eliminate Gladiator’s On Reveal, making him a purely positive card. When in a pinch, cards likeEbony MawandMaximuscan also utilize Cosmo and Zero, as their Abilities are also more harmful than helpful.
There are a few movement cards, likePolaris,Spider-Man, andWerewolf By Night, present as well which means you’re able to often get a cheapMiles Moralesadded to the board as well. The ideal play in this deck is to cover the board in as many 3-Cost cards as you can and end your game with Silver Surfer to boost all of their Power even higher.
Deck Contents:
Gladiator Darkhawk Deck
Gladiator works decently well in aDarkhawkdeck. Cards like Korg and Rockslide will throw Rocks into the opponent’s deck, increasing the chance of Gladiator pulling one of those cards when played. If Gladiator does pull a +7-Power card,Shang-Chican usually follow up to destroy it.
Cards likeMaster MoldandBlack Widowcan also be used to clog up your enemy’s hand making it tougher for them to play out their strategy. Ms. Marvel servers as a way to boost the power of your lanes and can be very effective if players make sure to not place two cards with the same Cost in a lane together.Onslaughtcan come in handy too, boosting the effects of Ongiong cards like Ms. Marvel or Darkhawk.
Gladiator Shuri Deck
One ofGladiator’s biggest downsides is the potential for him to draw a high-Power card from your enemy’s deck and place it on the board. Not only can he not destroy cards that have higher Power than him (and there are a lot that do), but this scenario also gives the opponent a free card placement. AShurideck can help alleviate this. Shuri can double the Power of the next card played. This includes Gladiator, which means he will destroy any card with 14-Power or less, making him a tough act to beat.
In this deck, Shuri can also be used onRed Skull,Typhoid Mary,Vision, orBlack Pantherto get a massive card on the board. This can be made even more effective if followed up byArnim Zolato spread that card to other lanes as well.Taskmastercan also be used as a follow-up to a high-Power card.CosmoandEnchantresscan be used in a pinch with this deck, as they can eliminate/negate the negative Abilities of cards like Typhoid Mary, Red Skull, and Gladiator.
RELATED:Best Competitive Mobile Games
Best Gladiator Counters
Gladiator may not have any obvious counters, but there are plenty of cards that make his ability a real pain. Basically, any card above 6-Power will be trouble for the players using Gladiator. The list of cards that fall under this category is a bit too long to include here, but there are a few cards that arereallypainful to see when Gladiator pulls a card from your enemy’s deck.
There is a much longer list of cards that will be painful to see when playing Gladiator, but the ones listed above are especially annoying.
Best Gladiator Synergies
Gladiator synergizes pretty well with other cards, but his synergies don’t have a lot of variety. Their Abilities revolve around either boosting Gladiator’s Power, so he can destroy a wider range of the opponents' cards, or eliminating his Ability altogether, giving you the benefit of a 3-Cost, 7-Power card without the drawbacks of hisOn Reveal. Cards that boost Gladiator’s Power, likeForgeorShuri, should be played just prior to Gladiator to maximize their effectiveness. A longer list of synergies, with card name, card Ability, and synergy info, can be found below.
Card Ability
Synergy With Gladiator
On Reveal: Remove the abilities on the next card you play.
Zerocan be used to negate the potentially damaging effects of Gladiator’s On Reveal Ability.
On Reveal: Give your other 3-Cost cards +2 Power.
Silver Surfercan boost Gladiator’s Power, thanks to its 3-Cost.
On Reveal: If you play your next card at this location, double its Power.
Shurican boost Gladiator’s Power when played, resulting in a higher chance of destroying the opponent’s card.
On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards at this location that have 10 or more Power.
Shang-Chican be a backup in case Gladiator’s Ability pulls an opponent’s high-Power card.
On Reveal: Shuffle 2 Rocks into your opponent’s deck.
RockslideandKorgcan throw Rocks into the opponent’s deck, increasing the likelihood of Gladiator drawing that Rock when played.
Ongoing: On Reveal abilities won’t happen at this location.
Cosmowill stop Gladiator’s dangerous On Reveal ability from happening if played in the same lane prior to Gladiator.
