Mastering Marvel Snap's Iron Patriot: Deck Guide, Strategies, and Counters
Marvel Snap's Dark Avengers season introduces Iron Patriot, a premium Season Pass card. This 2-cost, 3-power card 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
Iron Patriot synergizes exceptionally well within a card-generation archetype, particularly alongside Devil Dino and Victoria Hand. A strong deck incorporating this synergy includes:
| 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 |
Consider replacing Frigga with Cosmo to mitigate opponent counter-strategies.
Iron Patriot Deck Synergies Explained:
- Iron Patriot: Provides a discounted high-cost card, fueling the core strategy.
- Card Generation (Valentina, Sentinel, Mirage, Agent Coulson, Moon Girl, Kate Bishop): These cards generate additional cards, triggering Victoria Hand's ability.
- Cost Reduction (Quinjet): Further reduces the cost of generated cards, enhancing playability.
- Duplication (Frigga): Copies a card, maximizing Victoria Hand's effect and potentially doubling key abilities.
- Cost Protection (Mobius M. Mobius): Prevents opponents from manipulating card costs.
- Win Condition (Devil Dino): Leverages the generated 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. The cost reduction only activates if you win the location on the next turn. Combos like Ebony Maw + War Machine can secure the lane, but risk over-commitment.
- Hand Management: Carefully manage your hand size, especially if Devil Dino is your win condition. Only play card generators when you have space for the additional cards. Avoid Agent Coulson with a full hand.
- Maximize Duplication Value: When using duplication effects like Moon Girl, prioritize playing her after benefiting from Iron Patriot's discount or other cost reduction to maximize value.
How to Counter Iron Patriot
Two main counter-strategies exist: cost manipulation and board clogging. Iron Patriot decks rely on energy and board space. Cards that disrupt these aspects are effective counters.
Strong counters include: US Agent, Cosmo, Iceman, Wave, Sandman, Shadow King, and even junk archetype cards like Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. Valkyrie can also be a cheeky counter, removing critical buffs from Victoria Hand.
Is Iron Patriot Worth It?
Iron Patriot is a valuable addition, particularly for competitive players. However, he doesn't fundamentally change the meta. He's not essential enough to justify purchasing the premium pass if you're a free-to-play player. Victoria Hand provides similar card generation synergy without requiring Iron Patriot.
