There’s a case to be made that one of Marvel SNAP’s underrated cards has to be The Living Tribunal. At some point in the metagame, this fearsome entity ruled over the meta and put fear in many players’ hearts. But he was gradually forgotten despite facing no significant nerfs or downgrading reworks. So, is The Living Tribunal a bad, bygone Marvel SNAP card, or is he just an abandoned powerhouse that more players should exploit? I think it’s the latter—he’s just a good classic card trapped under a pile of new, shiny ones.
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If you’re looking to resurrect The Living Tribunal’s power and surprise your opponents with ridiculously high numbers on your side of the board, I’ve got you covered. This Living Tribunal deck, which you’ll learn about in the following guide, has the potential to give you over a million Power in each location.
The Best Deck for The Living Tribunal
A solid and stable deck for The Living Tribunal is an Onslaught & Iron Man lineup. To build such a setup, have this trio (Onslaught, Iron Man, The Living Tribunal) team up with the following cards: Magik, Wave, Jubilee, Mystique, Invisible Woman, Mister Negative, Howard the Duck, Iron Lad, and Ravonna Renslayer.
Card |
Cost |
Power |
---|---|---|
The Living Tribunal |
6 |
9 |
Onslaught |
6 |
9 |
Iron Man |
5 |
0 |
Magik |
3 |
2 |
Invisible Woman |
2 |
3 |
Mister Negative |
4 |
-1 |
Wave |
3 |
3 |
Howard the Duck |
1 |
2 |
Iron Lad |
4 |
6 |
Jubilee |
4 |
1 |
Mystique |
3 |
0 |
Ravonna Renslayer |
2 |
2 |
The Living Tribunal Deck Synergies
- Magik extends the match so you can play more of your big cards.
- Invisible Woman hides your early big drop so the enemy won’t read your next move.
- Iron Lad and Mystique copy the effects of your key Power providers—Onslaught or Iron Man.
- Wave, Mister Negative, and Ravonna Renslayer discount your cards.
- Howard the Duck ensures you copy the right card’s text with Iron Lad. (He exposes your deck’s top card each turn.)
- Jubilee is a joker card for times when you haven’t been able to draw a key card.
How to Play The Living Tribunal Effectively
Here are some notes and tips to keep in mind:
- Hide your intention. Try not to give away your centric lane where you will drop Onslaught, Iron Man, and The Living Tribunal. Otherwise, they might become an easy target for the opponent’s tech cards.
- Exploit Invisible Woman’s effect. If you want to play one of your key players early, hide it behind Invisible Woman’s ability. She can keep it unrevealed, which is a perfect way to evade some counterattacks.
- Go all in on doubling effects. The Living Tribunal decks are only undefeatable when you boost their Power with text- or effect-copying cards like Iron Lad and Mystique.
How to Counter The Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal’s direct counters are Enchantress, Echo, and Rogue. These anti-Ongoing tech cards can do a perfect job of preventing, stealing, or removing The Living Tribunal’s effect.
The only catch is that none of these cards are as multipurpose as other tech options like Cosmo or Shang-Chi. So, having them in your deck for the sake of countering The Living Tribunal—a rare character in the meta—doesn’t seem the most viable option.
Many argued that the release of Moonstone would revive The Living Tribunal. After all, she can generate immense Power in a single lane—so why not maximize it by spreading it across the board with The Living Tribunal?
The thing about The Living Tribunal is that he has such a practical text that there’s almost always a possibility for him to return to the top of the meta. He is one meta-breaker card away from becoming a staple part of most decks, and that’s the beauty of its design.
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