In the right hands, and with the right deck, Apocalypse can be a wildly powerful card. Marvel Snap is full of fantastic 6-cost options, but there is just something about that 16 ft. mutant. First of all, he is the key card in nearly all Discard decks. Secondly, he becomes more and more powerful as you acquire more synergistic Discard cards.
That is the benefit and the drawback to Apocalypse and the Discard archetype in general. It is a challenging deck to play and its power potential can be somewhat limited by the size of your collection.
That said, Discard decks are viable in all tiers of play and worth a try. This list of 5 Apocalypse-centered decks are ranked both by their power potential and, therefore, by the amount of Discard tech cards you need to collect.
5. Pool 2 Swarm Discard Aggro
Pool 3 Cards: None
This is a great starting point if you have not quite completed your Pool 2 collection of cards or have just entered Pool 3.
It is also a fantastic way to learn this archetype. Discard does not work like any of the other Marvel Snap decks. Instead of being buffed by cards entering your deck, or being destroyed, Discard decks are buffed by card skills that remove cards from your hand.
So, when you play Lady Sif, and you have Apocalypse in your hand, she will discard Apocalypse. It feels counterintuitive, but he will only be lost for a second and he will re-enter your deck with 4 more power. The key to pushing Apocalypse to maximum power is finding ways to discard him multiple times.
If you can keep your hand small, you might be able to discard Apocalypse with Lady Sif, Blade and Sword Master. This nets you a 20 power Apocalypse for the last round of play.
What rules about this deck:
- You have three safe discard targets in Swarm, Wolverine and Apocalypse
- You are more likely to get Apocalypse in your hand early because of America Chavez
- If you don’t pull Apocalypse, America Chavez is a good turn 6 alternative
- You can use Angela and Bishop to build a nice secondary location just by playing cards there
- There are three cards that can discard Apocalypse, Swarm or Wolverine (though only one is targeted)
Cards in this deck:
- Blade
- Iceman
- Nightcrawler
- Ant-Man
- Angela
- Swarm
- Wolverine
- Bishop
- Lady Sif
- Sword Master
- America Chavez
- Apocalypse
4. Hela Discard
Pool 3 Cards: Dracula, Hela
When you start collecting Pool 3 cards and you are in the seemingly infinite Collection Level climb, it can be handy to note any synergies in your new cards. If you are lucky enough to draw Dracula and Hela in your first few, you should go out and buy a lottery ticket.
My first 3 pulls were Maximus, Giganto and Doctor Octopus. Not bad cards per se but they really didn’t mesh with any deck I was playing.
Regardless, if you are favored by the Snap gods and get those two Discard archetype legends, this deck is a great way to feature them.
Sunspot is either a nice distraction or will confuse your opponent and as a bonus, can soak up any extra energy that goes unused. Which is especially nice since you will have so many 6-cost cards you cannot play. Then use Blade, Lady Sif and Sword Master to slice up literally any of your 6-cost monsters and play Hela turn 6 to bring them back from the dead.
What rules about this deck:
- Morbius and Sunspot can accrue some secondary power while you prep for your last turn
- Dracula is a nice add because, when he consumes a card, it will count as another discard
- You can use Blade and Sword Master with impunity since it doesn’t really matter who gets discarded
- If all else fails, try your luck with Jubilee
Cards in this deck:
- Blade
- Sunspot
- Morbius
- Lady Sif
- Sword Master
- Dracula
- Jubilee
- Apocalypse
- Hela
- Hulk
- Odin
- Infinaut
3. Bane Juan Discard Collector
Pool 3 Cards: Dracula, Hell Cow, Colleen Wing
If your collection includes Dracula but you haven’t got Hela, check to see if you have Hell Cow and Colleen Wing. They’re not as sought after but synergize extremely well with Dracula in this deck.
The ideal way for this deck to function is to keep your hand extremely small and with Apocalypse in it. You could even use Moon Girl to make a copy of Apocalypse and then slice them each up with Hell Cow.
Your win condition should still center around Dracula discarding Apocalypse one last time and assuming his power value. But if you pick up some power on The Collector (with Moon Girl, Swarm and Apocalypse) or Morbius (with every discard) you can shore up the other locations. If you manage to dupe Apocalypse, you can play a buffed Apocalypse on turn 6 and leave your other Apocalypse for Dracula.
What rules about this deck:
- Having a synergy that doesn’t rely on discarding with The Collector and Moon Girl
- Two cards that gain power before turn 6 in The Collector and Morbius
- Hell Cow can potentially buff Morbius, The Collector, Dracula and Apocalypse in one play
Cards in this deck:
- Blade
- Colleen Wing
- Morbius
- Okoye
- Swarm
- The Collector
- Lady Sif
- Nakia
- Dracula
- Hell Cow
- Moon Girl
- Apocalypse
2. Hell of a Lockula
Pool 3 Cards: Colleen Wing, Gambit, Lockjaw, Dracula, Hell Cow
Hell of a Lockula is, essentially, a minor improvement on the previous deck. That said, the introduction of Gambit and Lockjaw creates some wild power potential.
While it doesn’t always work, if you set up your hand correctly, Lockjaw can cycle through your cards with Discard skills (he swaps cards that are played in his location). This will potentially buff your Apocalypse over and over, depending on what’s in your hand.
Gambit is also a critical card. While he picks his ammo indiscriminately, if you manage to toss Apocalypse or Swarm you will be increasing the value of your cards while destroying one of your opponents’.
What rules about this deck:
- Lockjaw shenanigans can be a wild power build if you keep your hand small and especially if it’s only Swarm and Apocalypse
- Morbius is a good side power generator, especially if Lockjaw starts cycling discards
- America Chavez makes an appearance to increase the likelihood of Apocalypse showing up before turn 6
Cards in this deck:
- Blade
- Colleen Wing
- Morbius
- Swarm
- Gambit
- Lady Sif
- Lockjaw
- Sword Master
- Dracula
- Hell Cow
- America Chavez
- Apocalypse
1. Discard Lockjaw
Pool 3 Cards: Colleen Wing, Gambit, Lockjaw, Moon Knight, Dracula, Wong
Season Pass card: Silver Surfer
This was the highest ranked Discard deck in the most recent Marvel Snap Zone Meta Tier List. As of December 11th 2022, this should be the best Apocalypse deck you can play in Marvel Snap and is also the first one on this list that includes Silver Surfer. So, if you’ve been chomping at the bit to include your shiny new Season Pass card in a Discard deck, now’s your chance!
It does, however, use 5 Pool 3 cards and the pass card and you really can’t make substitutions.
The neat part of this deck is the Silver Surfer package hidden amongst the usual Discard tech. This gives you a completely separate buff from Dracula and Morbius.
What rules about this deck:
- Having the Lockjaw package that can be buffed by Silver Surfer is clutch
- America Chavez is present to make your draws more predictable
- Moon Knight can be a welcome addition if you know you only have good discard targets and you can potentially discard an opponent’s win condition
Cards in this deck:
- Colleen Wing
- Morbius
- Swarm
- Gambit
- Lady Sif
- Lockjaw
- Moon Knight
- Silver Surfer
- Sword Master
- Dracula
- Wong
- Apocalypse
