With every passing season of Marvel Snap, cards continue to rise and fall in prominence within the overall meta. However, there are some that thrive or remain a general nuisance for much longer than others, whether their powerful ability is gimmicked and tough to nerf, or they just have too many synergies and combinations. Released in Pool 5, Galactus continues to be a problem.
The fearsome Marvel villain Galactus’ On Reveal ability destroys all other locations in the game, but it must be the user’s only card at the chosen location. An impending Galactus play can also be identified in advance, if an opponent plays cards like Electro and Wave, ensuring that this 6-Cost card can be played in an earlier turn. Because of this, there are many ways to counter Galactus and his destructive wrath.
10 Viper
Viper is often overlooked in Marvel Snap, as the 2-Cost 3-Power card doesn’t look like anything special at first glance. However, she sends over an allied card to the opponent’s side of the same location, a perfect counter for a potential Galactus play.
This can initially seem detrimental to the cause, but whether Viper is sending over a card with negative Power like The Hood, or just a lowly Rock or Squirrel, that card can clog up the location that Galactus was about to be played at. Viper thrives on disrupting an opponent’s plans, and Galactus players are already sick of seeing her in play. Titania can serve a similar purpose, but Viper is easier to manage.
9 Juggernaut
Countering Galactus is often about throwing surprise cards at the location to stop its ability taking hold. Cards like Juggernaut and Stegron may go about it differently than the likes of Viper and Debrii, but they are still effective counters in their own right.
If the player has successfully identified an opposing Galactus play and has priority, then Juggernaut can work his magic. If the opponent has space in the two other locations, then Juggernaut can act quickly and move Galactus to one of them, rendering Galactus’ ability useless. Alternatively, Stegron will be placed at a different location and try to swat an opponent’s card to Galactus’ location, but this is more random and unpredictable.
8 Professor X
Predicting a Galactus play is always a risky move, even if all the signs are there. However, if a player identifies one location that the opponent has been keeping free, they can try to play a Professor X on that location, to lock it down for good.
Professor X has 3 Power whereas Galactus only has 2, meaning that in a direct face-off, Professor X would win. Professor X’s Ongoing doesn’t just stop cards from being placed there, it stops spread cards like Doctor Doom reaching there as well. The newer card Jeff can access a locked down location, but not all Galactus players prepare and account for this very specific scenario.
7 Goose
While there are plenty of ways to clog the locations to stop Galactus’ ability from activating, there are even ways to just stop the opponent from playing Galactus in the first place. Goose prevents cards that cost 4, 5 or 6 Power from being played at its location, which can work perfectly well in countering Galactus.
Trying to predict a Galactus with Goose placement will require patience, however. Playing Goose on Turn 2 will likely still leave the Galactus player with another free location, whereas playing Goose later may well leave them with no room at all.
6 Spider-Man
Spider-Man is known as a popular accomplice in Galactus plays throughout Marvel Snap, as he stops players from immediately reacting to Galactus’ destruction. However, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man can also serve as a counter for Galactus, should it be needed.
Spider-Man’s On Reveal ability stops the opponent from playing a card on the next turn, meaning it is the perfect card to lock up a location on Turn 5. However, Spider-Man doesn’t just counter a Turn 5 Galactus, as it can simply outscore a Galactus by itself, putting its own 3 Power up against the 2-Power Galactus. There are fancier Galactus counters out there, but Spider-Man certainly has his uses.
5 Green Goblin
When it comes to sending frustrating cards over to the opponent’s side, it doesn’t get much more annoying than Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. In the case of countering Galactus, however, Green Goblin is one of the best options out there.
Green Goblin is a 3-Cost -3-Power card that immediately goes to the opposing side at that location, if there is space. Thanks to its cost, Green Goblin can in theory be played on any of the turns that Galactus can strike, from Turn 4 onwards. Not only does it transfer negative Power to the opponent, but if played correctly, it will stop Galactus’ ability from activating and destroying the other locations.
4 Absorbing Man, Mystique, & Iron Lad
Cards that mimic others can also be shocking counters for Galactus. Mystique can copy the text of Ongoing cards like Goose, Professor X and Cosmo, while Absorbing Man does the same for On Reveals like Debrii, Juggernaut and even Green Goblin.
The idea of spreading a Galactus counter across multiple locations brings an exciting sense of security, and another recently introduced card helps this mindset even further. Iron Lad has recently arrived as a part of the Guardians’ Greatest Hits season, and it copies the text of whatever card is at the top of the player’s deck. There is randomness and uncertainty to this and its effectiveness, but Iron Lad is another fun way to counter Galactus.
3 Debrii
Debrii is a simple solution to countering Galactus. This 3-Cost 3-Power card adds a Rock to each other location for both players. This can be turned into an offensive tool in Patriot decks, but it is also defensively sound in countering Galactus.
Playing Debrii at a location where the opponent already has a card, means that all locations will have something there, and will prevent Galactus’ ability barring some immediate interference from Killmonger. Not every Galactus player is deliberate and obvious with their preparation, but Debrii can at least take the necessary precautions to expose a Galactus deck.
2 Polaris, Aero, & Magneto
Cards that move opposing cards into a location are the perfect counter for Galactus, and there are three exceptional examples for the various turns that a Galactus may appear. Polaris is a 3-Cost card with 5 Power, but its value lies in moving an opposing 1- or 2-Cost card to its location. Magneto may be a 6-Cost card like Galactus, but if the player takes advantage of Wave or finds a way to play it the same turn as Galactus, then it is the perfect counter.
Magneto moves all opposing 3- and 4-Cost cards to its location, which happens to cover Electro and Wave, the two signs that an opponent is about to play Galactus. The 5-Cost Aero is another to move an opposing card to its location, but it targets the last one that they played. Moving an opponent’s card over to prevent their own Galactus’ ability is a poetic and effective way of countering this formidable villain.
1 Cosmo
Countering card abilities can often be simplified to two cards, Enchantress to nullify Ongoing abilities, and Cosmo to prevent On Reveals from taking hold. Cosmo recently arrived to the MCU with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, meaning that more people now know about the good dog.
If a player can identify an empty location that a Galactus user will likely target, Cosmo will simply sit there and wait to nullify the incoming ability, rendering Galactus useless. Cosmo can counter so many On Reveal decks, that there’s no real surprise so many decks use it in the current meta.
#Shut #Galactus #Marvel #Snap
