Mortals, the OG God of War is in Marvel Snap

Ares, the God of War, descends upon the mortal realm of Marvel Snap, aiming to conquer and resurrect underperforming archetypes. But how does this deity of conflict find himself entangled in the game's strategic landscape?

Norman Osborn's unexpected ascension as Avengers leader following Secret Invasion leaves him with a peculiar team: Ares and Sentry. Sentry's allegiance is attributed to his intentional insanity, but Ares' support for the clearly villainous Osborn is puzzling. After all, isn't he supposed to be an Avenger, fighting against evil?

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The answer lies in Ares' unwavering loyalty to war itself, not to any specific faction. This perfectly aligns with his Marvel Comics portrayal and his Marvel Snap card. Ares thrives in large-scale conflicts, preferring the company of powerful individuals. He's essentially a powerful but rather dull character.

Table of Contents ---

• Best Cards to Team Up With Ares
• Ares: Not a Big Bad (Sadly)
• Concluding Remarks

Best Cards to Team Up With Ares

Unlike cards with readily apparent synergies (like Bullseye/Swarm/Scorn or Victoria Hand/Moonstone/Wiccan), Ares requires a unique approach. His strength lies in decks featuring high-power cards. Cards with "on reveal" abilities synergize well with Grandmaster or Odin, creating cunning plays. While a 12-power, 4-energy card is decent, a 21-power, 6-energy card is far more desirable. Repeating his ability is key to maximizing his effectiveness outside of Surtur decks.

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Despite his disdain for weaker opponents, consider protecting Ares with cards like Cosmo or Armor.

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Ares: Not a Big Bad (Sadly)

While a raw 4/12 card isn't available, comparable power levels can be achieved (Gwenpool and Galactus come to mind). The rise of control decks like Mill and Wiccan Control highlights the need for protective strategies against Shang-Chi. This necessitates a highly specific deck build, unlike the current trend of flexible decks.

Building a deck solely around power is generally unsustainable unless your wager significantly outweighs Mister Negative's (which it usually won't). Even "Move" strategies, which focus on accumulating power, often incorporate disruption. Ares needs to surpass Surtur's performance, as that archetype currently struggles to maintain competitiveness.

The Surtur 10-Power archetype (which relies on Cerebro-10 for optimal function) boasts a mediocre win rate of around 51.5% at Infinity level play, dropping to 48% below.

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Matchups against decks with limited high-power cards can favor Ares. However, Darkhawk lacks strong synergies in this context. Mill decks can significantly boost Ares' effectiveness against opponents lacking card draw. However, Death, a 12-power card with lower energy cost, often outperforms Ares.

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Ares' current status as a relatively weak card necessitates unconventional strategies. Playing him effectively involves careful consideration of power curves and wager outcomes.

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Disruptive strategies utilizing cards like Alioth, Cosmo, Man-Thing, and Red Guardian can enhance Ares' effectiveness.

Concluding Remarks

Ares is arguably the least desirable card this season. His vulnerability to counter-strategies, compared to energy-cheating cards (like Wiccan) and widespread power-granting cards (like Galactus), diminishes his appeal. His consistent success also demands a highly specific deck construction. A 4/6 card is generally weak, even if a 4/12 card is strong, unless it possesses exceptional abilities.