The Marvel Snap season themed around Marvel Rivals is drawing to a close, but a freebie from October's "We Are Venom" season—the Lasher card—awaits players willing to tackle the returning High Voltage game mode. But is this latest symbiote worth the effort?
Lasher's Mechanics in Marvel Snap
Lasher is a 2-power, 2-cost card with the ability: Activate: Afflict an enemy card here with negative Power equal to this card’s Power.
Essentially, Lasher inflicts -2 power on an opponent's card unless boosted. Given Marvel Snap's numerous card-buffing options, Lasher offers more potential than free cards like Agony and King Etri.
For example, Namora can transform Lasher into a 7-power card, or even a 12-power card with Wong or Odin, effectively creating a 14 or 24-power play. He synergizes particularly well with the season pass card, Galacta.
Remember, as an "Activate" card, playing Lasher by turn 5 maximizes its impact.
Optimal Lasher Decks in Marvel Snap
While Lasher's meta position is still developing, he fits well into buff-heavy decks like Silver Surfer, which usually lacks two-cost slots. Activating Lasher on the final turn can significantly shift power dynamics. Consider this decklist:
Nova, Forge, Lasher, Okoye, Brood, Silver Surfer, Killmonger, Nakia, Red Guardian, Sebastian Shaw, Copycat, Galacta: Daughter of Galactus (Copy this list from Untapped)
This deck features expensive Series 5 cards (Red Guardian, Sebastian Shaw, Copycat, and Galacta, excluding the season pass card). However, except for Galacta, these can be substituted with other strong 3-cost cards like Juggernaut or Polaris.
Lasher serves as a valuable third target for Forge, ideally saved for Brood or Sebastian Shaw. After playing Galacta on turn 4, buff options often dwindle, making Lasher a key addition. A 2-cost, 5-power card (with Galacta's boost) inflicting -5 power is essentially a 10-power play, requiring no extra energy on the final turn.
This Silver Surfer deck is adaptable; consider omitting Absorbing Man, Gwenpool, and Sera. Lasher's best fit currently seems to be in meta decks with strong hand and board buffs. While he might find a niche in affliction decks without buffs, experimentation with Namora as a primary buff card is anticipated.
Another deck example (from Untapped):
Agony, Zabu, Lasher, Psylocke, Hulk Buster, Jeff!, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Spider, Galacta: Daughter of Galactus, Gwenpool, Symbiote Spider-Man, Namora (Copy this list from Untapped)
This is a very expensive deck relying heavily on Series 5 cards (Scarlet Spider, Galacta, Gwenpool, Symbiote Spider-Man, and Namora). Jeff! can be replaced by Nightcrawler.
This deck aims to use Galacta, Gwenpool, and Namora to boost cards like Lasher and Scarlet Spider, spreading power across the board. Zabu and Psylocke facilitate early deployment of 4-cost cards, while Symbiote Spider-Man reactivates Namora. Jeff! and Hulk Buster offer backup.
Is Lasher Worth the High Voltage Grind?
In increasingly expensive Marvel Snap, Lasher is worth acquiring if you have the time to grind High Voltage. The mode offers various rewards before unlocking Lasher. He may not become a meta mainstay, but like Agony, he'll likely see play in several meta-relevant decks.
