Discard players, get ready to celebrate. Khonshu, the God of the Moon, has now entered the arena of *Marvel Snap*, bringing with him a powerful asset for discard-focused decks. This card, introduced by Second Dinner, is one of the most complex yet, so let's dive into the mechanics of how Khonshu operates.
How Khonshu Works in Marvel Snap
Khonshu is a 6-cost card with an initial power of 5. His ability states: When discarded, he returns in his next phase. On Reveal: He resurrects a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 5.
In his 'next phase,' Khonshu becomes a 6-cost card with 8 power, and his ability changes to: When discarded, he returns in his final phase. On Reveal: He resurrects a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 8.
Finally, in his 'final phase,' Khonshu is a 6-cost card with 12 power, and his ability reads: On Reveal: He resurrects a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 12.
Each time Khonshu is discarded, he returns to your hand and upgrades, enhancing his On Reveal effect significantly. This mechanic is reminiscent of how Apocalypse functions.
The strategy with Khonshu typically involves discarding him one or two times before playing him on the final turn. This allows you to resurrect a card that benefits from a power boost, such as Iron Man or Gorr the God Butcher. Although Khonshu cannot revive a specific card, playing a 12-power final phase Khonshu on turn 6 to revive a 1-cost card like Meek can often secure victory.
Best Day One Khonshu Decks in Marvel Snap
Finding the perfect deck for Khonshu will require some experimentation, as he may not fit seamlessly into traditional discard decks. I envision him working well in a Darkhawk-style Stature list, along with other alternative discard-type decks. Let's explore the former:
- Korg
- Blade
- Fenris Wolf
- Juggernaut
- Moon Knight
- Lady Sif
- Rock Slide
- Silver Samurai
- Darkhawk
- Black Bolt
- Stature
- Khonshu
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The only Series 5 card in this deck is Fenris Wolf, which is crucial as resurrecting an opponent’s discarded card from Moon Knight, Silver Samurai, or Black Bolt can be a winning move in itself.
The strategy with this deck is to fill your opponent’s deck with rocks to empower Darkhawk while maximizing Khonshu discards. Besides Fenris Wolf, Rock Slide, and Silver Samurai, Moon Knight will target Khonshu, and Blade will hit him again after he returns to your hand. The key is timing your discards correctly; you want Moon Knight to hit Khonshu instead of Rock Slide.
The plan is to play Stature early, followed by Darkhawk on turn 5, and Khonshu on turn 6 to revive a card with 8 to 12 power. Since all these cards have less than 8 power, Khonshu directly boosts them.
While Khonshu may not fit into traditional discard decks better than Apocalypse, there's ample room for experimentation. His 6-cost makes it challenging to pair him with Apocalypse without energy ramp, which can be achieved with Corvus Glaive in the following deck:
- Miek
- Scorn
- Blade
- Morbius
- Swarm
- Moon Knight
- Corvus Glaive
- Lady Sif
- Dracula
- MODOK
- Khonshu
- Apocalypse
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The only Series 5 card here is Scorn, which can be swapped for another discard activator like Colleen Wing or X-23 for additional energy ramp.
This deck leans towards traditional discard but hinges on playing Corvus Glaive on turn 3 to enable dropping Khonshu alongside other discard activators. This strategy aims to enhance Apocalypse and flood the board. Whether this will outperform traditional discard decks without Khonshu is yet to be determined, but getting Khonshu to his final phase should be manageable with Moon Knight, Blade, and Lady Sif, while maintaining Apocalypse's power for Dracula to absorb.
Is Khonshu Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?
Regardless of your affinity for discard decks, Khonshu stands out as both powerful and intriguing. He's likely to become a staple in hybrid discard lists and could very well become meta-relevant. If you have the resources, Khonshu is definitely worth acquiring with your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens.
