With many players overlooking Marvel SNAP’s Thaddeus Ross, he hasn’t gotten much attention—especially now that the Season Drop and leaked cards for the next season are stirring up more excitement.
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However, after testing him in different decks, we’ve found that the Surtur shell is where he truly shines. Some Hela decks can also benefit from his effect, but overall, this is the best deck for Thaddeus Ross in Marvel SNAP’s current metagame.
Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross (2–2)
- Text: When your opponent ends a turn with unspent Energy, draw a card with 10 or more Power.
- Series: Five (Ultra Rare)
- Season: Brave New World
- Release: February 12, 2025
The Best Deck for Thaddeus Ross
The least volatile shell for Thaddeus Ross is a Surtur-oriented lineup. You can build such a setup by having the duo (Thaddeus Ross and Surtur) team up with the following cards: Attuma, Aero, Crossbones, Zabu, Skaar, Armor, Iceman, Red Hulk, Sam Wilson, and Luna Snow.
|
Card |
Cost |
Power |
|---|---|---|
|
Thaddeus Ross |
2 |
2 |
|
Red Hulk |
6 |
10 |
|
Attuma |
4 |
10 |
|
Crossbones |
4 |
10 |
|
Skaar |
6 |
10 |
|
Zabu |
1 |
2 |
|
Surtur |
3 |
4 |
|
Armor |
2 |
3 |
|
Sam Wilson |
2 |
3 |
|
Aero |
5 |
10 |
|
Iceman |
1 |
2 |
|
Luna Snow |
3 |
6 |
Thaddeus Ross Deck Synergies
- Sam Wilson drops his shield on the board, ensuring you can play Skaar.
- Thaddeus Ross takes advantage of the enemy’s unspent Energy to draw more cards, speeding up your strategy of playing high-Power cards.
- Luna Snow and Iceman help trigger Thaddeus Ross’s effect by manipulating the enemy’s Cost and Energy.
- Zabu lets you play extra big cards with his synergy with the four-Cost, ten-Power cards in the deck.
- Surtur benefits from the high-Power cards you’ll play, growing into a secondary win condition.
- Armor is your primary tech card, protecting you from the enemy’s Shang-Chi attacks—and sometimes your own Attuma.
How to Play Thaddeus Ross Effectively
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Beware of Thaddeus Ross’s fragility. He faces multiple threats that can hinder his effectiveness. For one, he’s easy to spot and counter. Plus, he pairs with big, slow cards that are also vulnerable. To cover these weaknesses, reinforce your deck with solid tech cards like Armor and Cosmo.
- Don’t rely too heavily on his effect. It’s risky to base your strategy solely around Thaddeus Ross, as there’s no guaranteed way to trigger his effect. Instead, use him as a secondary element to support your strategy, not the central piece.
- Get creative with manipulating the enemy’s Energy. Cards like Luna Snow, Iceman, and Scorpion can disrupt the enemy’s Cost-Energy flow, increasing the chances of them having unspent Energy. Incorporate these cards as tech options in Thaddeus Ross decks to maximize his effect.
How to Counter Thaddeus Ross
The ideal counter to Thaddeus Ross decks is Shang-Chi. While not a direct response, he can disrupt Thaddeus Ross lineups, which often rely on big, high-Power cards. Shang-Chi can easily wipe out those cards and neutralize his effect.
Other counter options include Red Guardian, Lady Deathstrike, and Cassandra Nova. Red Guardian and Lady Deathstrike help shut down Thaddeus Ross’s ability early in the game. Meanwhile, Cassandra Nova can push most of Thaddeus Ross’s targets out of the 10-Power threshold, leaving him with nothing to draw.
Is Thaddeus Ross Worth It?
The answer is no. With all the new cards coming to Marvel SNAP and the upcoming Series Drop, you should definitely save your resources. Thaddeus Ross is a replaceable card in most decks, making him one of the most skippable cards of the recent seasons.
You could argue that his ability to draw more cards is invaluable in SNAP’s fast-paced matches, and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, the cost of those draws is often too high, and the reward is usually minimal.
Maybe if Thaddeus Ross were a Series Three one-Cost card, things would be different. In that case, his value to your decks could be justified. But right now, Thaddeus Ross feels like Howard the Duck—great when it works, but you can survive and thrive without him.
- Released
-
August 22, 2023
- ESRB
-
e
- Developer(s)
-
Second Dinner
- Publisher(s)
-
Nuverse