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 shake up the meta and revive forgotten archetypes. But how does this deity of conflict find himself aligned with Norman Osborn, the unlikely leader of the Avengers post-Secret Invasion? With the original Avengers scattered, only Ares and the mentally unstable Sentry remain by Osborn's side. This raises a crucial question: how can a supposed Avenger, a champion of good, support such an undeniably villainous figure?

The answer lies in Ares' unwavering loyalty to war itself, not to any specific faction. This inherent characteristic perfectly embodies his Marvel Snap card, making it a flavorful representation of the character. Ares thrives in large-scale conflicts, preferring the company of powerful individuals and finding lesser opponents dull. This preference shapes his strategic role within the game.

Best Cards to Team Up With Ares

Unlike some cards with readily apparent synergies, Ares doesn't boast an instant connection to a pre-established combo. He requires a different approach. Ares excels in decks packed with high-power cards. Cards with "on reveal" abilities synergize particularly well, creating opportunities for cunning plays with cards like Grandmaster or Odin. While a 12-power, 4-energy card is decent, a 21-power, 6-energy card is significantly more impactful. Repeating his ability is arguably the best way to maximize his effectiveness outside of Surtur decks.

Despite his disdain for weaker opponents, consider protecting Ares with cards like Cosmo or Armor to mitigate threats from Shang-Chi or Shadow King.

Ares: Not the Big Bad, Sadly

While a raw 4/12 card isn't available in Marvel Snap, analogues like Gwenpool and Galactus can achieve similar power levels. The rise of control decks like Mill and Wiccan Control, designed to counter Shang-Chi, highlights the need for a specific deck build around Ares. Unlike flexible decks, Ares demands a precise strategy.

Reliance solely on power is unsustainable unless your wager consistently outperforms Mister Negative (which it usually won't). Even Move decks, focused on accumulating power, often incorporate disruption for an advantage. Ares likely needs to surpass Surtur decks in performance, as those have fallen out of favor recently.

Surtur 10-power decks currently boast a win rate around 51.5% at high levels of play, significantly lower at lower ranks. The matchup against a Rock-heavy opponent is a 3 vs. 2 scenario if the opponent's top three cards contain only one Rock. However, Darkhawk lacks strong archetypes in this context. Mill decks can drastically enhance Ares' effectiveness (turning him into a 10000% [4/12] against opponents with depleted card resources).

Ares' current status as one of the weaker cards of the season necessitates creative strategies. Playing him involves a gamble, relying on winning the wager and leveraging the power curve. Strategic use of cards like Alioth, Cosmo, Man-Thing, and Red Guardian alongside Ares can enable disruptive strategies.

Concluding Thoughts

Ares, in my opinion, is a skippable card this season. His vulnerability to counters compared to energy-cheating cards (like Wiccan) and widespread power-granting cards (like Galactus) has diminished the appeal of 10-power archetypes. Consistent wager wins require a highly specific deck build. A 4/6 card is generally weak, even if a 4/12 card is powerful, unless accompanied by a strong ability.