Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, the latest addition to Marvel Snap, arrives with the gravitas of Harrison Ford's portrayal in Captain America: Brave New World. While his acting pedigree is impressive, let's examine if Ross himself makes a similarly impactful addition to the meta.
How Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Works in Marvel Snap
Ross is a 2-cost, 2-power card with a unique ability: When your opponent ends their turn with unspent energy, you draw a card with 10 or more power. This mechanic, similar to Red Hulk and High Evolutionary effects, hinges on card draw—a powerful tool in Marvel Snap. However, the restriction to cards with 10+ power significantly limits his applicability. Currently, this includes cards like Attuma, Black Cat, Crossbones, Cull Obsidian, Typhoid Mary, Aero, Heimdall, Helicarrier, Red Hulk, Sasquatch, She-Hulk, Skaar, Thanos (if generated), Orka, Emperor Hulkling, Hulk, Magneto, Death, Red Skull, Agatha Harkness (if generated), Giganto, Destroyer, and The Infinaut.
Most decks will only feature a few, if any, of these high-power cards. Therefore, Thunderbolt Ross's effectiveness is directly tied to deck composition. If your deck heavily features these high-power cards, he becomes a valuable asset, offering both card draw and deck thinning. His primary counter is Red Guardian.
Best Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Decks in Marvel Snap
Thunderbolt Ross finds a natural home in Surtur decks, currently one of the most meta-relevant strategies. Hela decks also offer a viable alternative, even after her recent nerf.
Surtur Deck:
- Zabu
- Hydra Bob
- Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross
- Armor
- Cosmo
- Juggernaut
- Surtur
- Ares
- Attuma
- Crossbones
- Cull Obsidian
- Skaar
[Click here to copy this list from Untapped.]
This deck, unfortunately, relies heavily on Series 5 cards (Hydra Bob, Surtur, Ares, Cull Obsidian, and Skaar). Hydra Bob can be substituted with other 1-cost cards like Iceman, Nico Minoru, or Spider-Ham. The remaining cards are largely essential, though Cull Obsidian can be replaced with Aero if necessary. The strategy revolves around playing Surtur on turn 3, boosting it to 10 power with other high-cost cards, making Skaar free to play. Juggernaut and Cosmo provide late-game counters, while Armor protects against Shang-Chi. Thunderbolt Ross significantly enhances consistency by drawing crucial high-power cards.
Hela Deck:
- Black Knight
- Blade
- Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross
- Lady Sif
- Ghost Rider
- War Machine
- Hell Cow
- Black Cat
- Aero
- Hela
- The Infinaut
- Death
[Click here to copy this list from Untapped.]
Series 5 cards in this list include Black Knight and War Machine. War Machine is optional but offers a strong alternative to Hela for playing The Infinaut on the final turn; Ares or another discard activator like Swordmaster could replace him. The deck aims to discard high-power cards of varying costs to revive with Hela on the final turn. Thunderbolt Ross improves consistency by drawing these high-power cards for discard. Black Knight and Ghost Rider provide reliable power output before the final turn.
Is Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector's Tokens?
Currently, unless you're a dedicated Surtur/Ares player, Thunderbolt Ross might not be worth the investment if resources are limited. While his value will increase as more 10+ power cards are added, his current utility is constrained by deck requirements and the prevalence of Wiccan decks (which incentivize opponents to spend all their energy).
