That diamond is sharp!
Today, not only are we getting a new game mode, but we are also excited to welcome one of the most anticipated cards of the new season: Diamondback! Also known as Rachel Leighton, she is an Olympic-level gymnast who received a blood infusion from Captain America, giving her superhuman abilities. Her weapon of choice consists of four long, diamond-shaped throwing knives. We hope her animation showcases this as she slices through the opponent's card power.
What does she do?
The text is easy to understand. It simply states: "Ongoing: Enemy cards here afflicted with negative Power have an additional -2 Power." This means that if an opponent’s card has a negative Power affliction in the lane where Diamondback is placed, that card will receive an additional -2 Power.
For example, if I play Rocket & Groot and it hits my opponent’s Nocturne, then I play Diamondback in the same lane. Instead of Nocturne having 4 Power, she will have 1 Power in that lane due to the extra -2 Power from Diamondback's effect. It’s straightforward and effective.
So what do we do?
This is quite straightforward. Combine her with cards that cause affliction and then double up. It’s that simple. Here are all the cards that can inflict affliction on another card in Marvel Snap.
That's a good amount of cards to work with! But other than that list what are some other cards that work well or maybe against Diamondback?
When discussing affliction, this card is likely the first that comes to mind. However, Ajax will not receive any additional points from Diamondback. Instead, Diamondback simply intensifies the pain you have already inflicted in an enemy lane. The extra affliction does not enhance Ajax's power.
Scream can cause affliction with synergies with Diamondback but also Scream is the main card for a current deck in the meta game. Diamondback just extends that pain.
While this is not directly advantageous for either card, High Evolutionary facilitates the use of multiple cards that can damage the enemy, making them mutually beneficial when used together in the same deck.
This isn't exactly a friend of Diamondback, but they will likely be in the same decks together at some point. Luke serves as a general counter to Diamondback, and I expect that many players will see a lot of Luke in the upcoming week following her release.
Locations
The cool part is that affliction is not only associated with cards but also with locations! Making Diamondback a potential lane winner just by herself at certain locations.
JFSnap’s First week Decks
Enough of all that info. Diamondback is a simple card to understand so let's get to some first-week deck ideas
It's in the Air and It's All Around
This is a very simple inclusion in a Toxic Sera list where Diamondback allows you to essentially double down on one particular lane. While this might be good Diamondback might just be a win-more card in this deck. But, will sometimes be able to solo a lane depending on how everything shakes out.
Taste of Poison Paradise
I saw Tuccrr with the same idea but it's essentially an Ajax Toxic list with Sera and Diamondback in there to make for some explosive turn 6s. Diamondback is a great hit with Malekith which can cause some massive surprise power swings. However, if you don’t want to go with the Sera route you can always go more typical.
Don't you know that you're Toxic?
It’s little bit more typical that Diamondback is going to slot into these types of decks easily and be a great card to have. Especially if you have your own Luke Cage to counteract the affliction effects like Hazmat and Man-thing on your side.
Taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
Another list where Diamondback will fit nicely. Although, a lot of the scream decks are pretty tight lists so making her fit means you have to give up something. Either way, being able to move the afflicted cards to where you want them with Aero and Polaris means you can get them into the lane with Diamondback a lot easier.
Ok, those are the normal lists that a lot of people are going to try right off the bat. Here are my two cooks that will be good but off-meta enough to surprise some people.
Clogjax is Diamondback
This is a play off of my current Selene Clog list with some Ajax in there, you notice I am missing Luke Cage which can for sure be harmful but the main idea here is that the opponent will be clogged enough on one lane that we can win that lane with a small amount of power and Diamondback causing more pain and then another lane we win with Ajax. However, I will be honest, this will probably not be good for the first few days because everyone will be running Luke Cage.
Shine bright like a Diamond
Ok, to be fair this is a pile of cards that has some interesting ideas. Essentially it buffs your cards and hits enemy cards with some affliction. Double that down with Diamondback and you're good to go. This is a work in progress though so I'd just toy with it. But, other than the strategies that are hyper synergistic Diamondback still has a place as a solid 3-cost card that can add some extra hurt when played with some of the minor affliction cards like Silver Sable, Rocket & Groot, and Scorpion.
Spotlight Week
Honestly, this week's spotlight is a bit of a drag because of the Inclusion of Nimrod still and Phenoix Force not being the combo deck that it once was. Most people either own these cards or don’t want these cards because they are rarely used in the meta game of today. However, that the spotlight variants are pretty awesome personally. That being said, Diamondback is a good card to pick up especially if you like affliction strategies. It's possible that she is just a little win more and won’t make that big of a difference but if you have the resources and play affliction strategies I would pick her up. Especially if you are a fan of these variants because she has some good ones.
So is she worth it?
Only time can tell us that but she does have the ability to bring a lot of pain to those playing against her. If you like affliction I'd grab her. If not, I'd run Luke Cage at least for a couple of days. What are your plans for Diamondback?