Discard players, rejoice. Khonshu, the God of the Moon, has joined *Marvel Snap*, and with him, an amazing tool for discard-centric decks. It’s also one of the most complicated cards Second Dinner has released to date, so let’s dive deeper into how Khonshu works and explore the best ways to utilize him in your decks.
How Khonshu Works in Marvel Snap
Khonshu is a 6-cost, 5-power card with a unique ability: When discarded, it returns in its next phase. On Reveal: Resurrect a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 5.
Khonshu’s ‘next phase’ evolves into a 6-cost, 8-power card with the ability: When discarded, returns in its final phase. On Reveal: Resurrect a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 8.
Khonshu’s ‘final phase’ becomes a 6-cost, 12-power card with the ability: On Reveal: Resurrect a card you discarded to another location with its Power set to 12.
As you can see, each time Khonshu is discarded, he returns to your hand and upgrades himself, making his On Reveal effect increasingly potent. This mechanic is reminiscent of Apocalypse's functionality.
The typical strategy with Khonshu is to discard him one or two times before playing him on the final turn, resurrecting a card that benefits from a power buff, such as Iron Man or Gorr the God Butcher.
While Khonshu cannot revive a specific card, playing a 12-power final phase Khonshu on turn 6 to revive a 1-cost, 12-power Meek often leads to game-winning moments.
Best Day One Khonshu Decks in Marvel Snap
It will likely take some time and experimentation for players to figure out the optimal deck for Khonshu, as he may not be the best fit for traditional discard strategies. I envision him fitting well into a Darkhawk-style Stature list, as well as some alternative discard-type decks. Let's examine the former:
- Korg
- Blade
- Fenris Wolf
- Juggernaut
- Moon Knight
- Lady Sif
- Rock Slide
- Silver Samurai
- Darkhawk
- Black Bolt
- Stature
- Khonshu
Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
The only Series 5 card in this list is Fenris Wolf, which is crucial as resurrecting an opponent’s discarded card from Moon Knight, Silver Samurai, or Black Bolt often serves as a win condition.
The strategy with this deck is straightforward: fill your opponent's deck with rocks to boost Darkhawk's power and discard Khonshu as much as possible. Besides Fenris Wolf, Rock Slide, and Silver Samurai, Moon Knight will consistently hit Khonshu, and Blade will target him again upon his return to your hand. The key is knowing when to discard and when to wait—aim for Moon Knight to hit Khonshu, not Rock Slide.
Play Stature as early as possible to set up for Darkhawk on turn 5 and Khonshu on turn 6, resurrecting a card with 8-12 power. Since all these cards have less than 8 power, Khonshu directly buffs them.
While I don't see Khonshu fitting into traditional discard over Apocalypse, there's definitely room for experimentation. Khonshu's 6-cost makes it challenging to run alongside Apocalypse without energy ramp, which is where Corvus Glaive comes in handy in the following list:
- Miek
- Scorn
- Blade
- Morbius
- Swarm
- Moon Knight
- Corvus Glaive
- Lady Sif
- Dracula
- MODOK
- Khonshu
- Apocalypse
Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
The only Series 5 card in this list is Scorn, which can be replaced with another discard activator like Colleen Wing or X-23 for more energy ramp.
This deck leans more towards a traditional discard style, relying heavily on playing Corvus Glaive on turn 3 to enable dropping Khonshu alongside other discard activators. This strategy aims to buff Apocalypse and flood the board. Whether this deck will outpace traditional discard lists without Khonshu is uncertain, but achieving Khonshu's final phase should be manageable with Moon Knight, Blade, and Lady Sif while maintaining Apocalypse's strength for Dracula to absorb.
Is Khonshu Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?
Regardless of your preference for discard decks, Khonshu stands out as both a powerful and intriguing card. He is likely to become a key component in several hybrid discard decks and may even become meta-relevant. If you have the resources, Khonshu is definitely worth acquiring.
