Card Preview - Fantasticar

The first Marvel Snap card to be put into the Super Premium Season Pass interacts with a set of cards that, until now, didn't have much cross-synergy: End of Turn Cards. It's a controversial release method and an intriguing card. Let's jump right in!

Fantasticar

Activate: Give your End of Turn cards +2 Power.

History of the Fantasticar

Introduced in Fantastic Four #3 in 1961, the Fantasticar is a delightful retro-futuristic design from Jack Kirby. The Fantasticar can accommodate all of the members of Marvel's first family, or it can split into silly little squares that each member can cruise around in solo! The wind must get pretty wild!

There have been a few versions of the Fantasticar throughout FF’s history. The one we have on the base card is the classic Mk. II, also designed by Kirby (drawn by Kirby above, John Byrne below).

Synergies

First Steps Cards

Mister Fantastic First Steps

End of Turn: Give a card in your hand -1 Cost or +2 Power.

Human Torch First Steps

End of Turn: +1 Power. Once per game, if your side here is full, double this card’s Power instead.

The Thing First Steps

End of Turn: +2 Power. Once per game, if your side here is full, destroy an enemy card here with less Power.

Invisible Woman First Steps

Activate: This turn, your End of Turn abilities repeat.

Silver Surfer First Steps

End of Turn: If you're winning this location with an On Reveal card, copy its text.

Galactus First Steps

My Herald is the next character I see you play. End of Turn: +2 Power if you're winning my Herald's location. (if in hand or in play)

The cards that thematically connect to Fantasticar and synergize with it are coming out over the next several weeks. With the exception of Mr. Fantastic: First Steps, none of these will be available to play together with Fantasticar upon release. Human Torch especially will benefit from the Fantasticar and is probably its best partner.

Pre-Existing End of Turn Cards

Adam Warlock

End of Turn: Draw a card if you're winning here. Otherwise, +1 Power.

Attuma

End of Turn: Destroy one of your cards here with less Power.

Bruce Banner

End of Turn: If you have unspent Energy, 33% chance to HULK OUT!

Doctor Doom 2099

End of Turn: Add a DoomBot 2099 to a random location if you played (exactly) 1 card.

Eson

End of Turn: Put a created card from your hand here.

Havok

End of Turn: You lose 1 Max Energy and this gains +3 Power.

Hydra Bob

End of Turn: This moves if a player Snapped.

Marvel Boy

End of Turn: Give 3 of your 1-Cost cards +1 Power.

Red Hulk

End of Turn: If your opponent has unspent Energy, +3 Power. (if in hand or in play)

Strange Supreme

Gains +2 Power from merging. End of Turn: Merge one of your created cards into this.

Sunspot

End of Turn: Gain +1 Power for each unspent Energy.

Thaddeus Ross

End of Turn: If your opponent has unspent Energy, draw a card with 10 or more Power.

Thena

End of Turn: +3 Power if you played (exactly) 2 cards.

Of the End of Turn effects that are already in the game, there aren't any that specifically synergize with Fantasticar’s +2 Power boost, but there are several that become more frightening lane winners with that extra power, including Sunspot, Havok, Thena, Strange Supreme, and Red Hulk.

Evolved Cards

Cyclops: Evolved

End of Turn: If you have unspent Energy, afflict 2 enemy cards here with -1 Power.

Hulk: Evolved

End of Turn: If you have unspent Energy, +2 Power. (if in hand or in play)

Misty Knight: Evolved

End of Turn: If you have unspent Energy, give one of your other cards +1 Power.

The best use for Fantasticar upon release is going to be with some of the cards that High Evolutionary evolves. Fantasticar is going to work best in a deck with as many End of Turn cards as possible and, until the remaining First Steps cards come out, High Evo has the highest concentration of such cards already naturally included.

Scosco's Day One Fantasticar Decks

Car Men

Reed v Evo

Marvel Car

Wagons

Future Foundations - Decks for the Future

Fantasticar is going to have more uses in the future as more End of Turn cards come out. I imagine many readers are planning to wait until August 5th or later for this card, so here are a couple of abstract concepts to keep in mind.

Full FF

Foom

Controversy

Now that we've analyzed the card, we have to mention the elephant in the room. Marvel Snap is selling a second card in the Season Pass via the Super Premium Season Pass. Previously, the Super Premium Season Pass included some borders and a variant alongside the extra Season Pass track levels. This is a move that is bound to create controversy, especially in the wake of the poorly handled Kid Omega fiasco, which I believe is going to create even more negative sentiment about putting another card behind a paywall than otherwise would have existed. The Kid Omega fiasco is likely to have ripple effects on community sentiment for a long time to come.

While the event pricing of Kid Omega is the single most consumer unfriendly action Second Dinner has taken since Nexus Events, placing a second card in the season pass is a positive. First, it's a Series 4 card that will be available later (August 5th) through the usual acquisition methods, so the payment here is to get your hands on the card early. Second, more new cards is inherently good for game diversity. Since the increased card output, the meta has been in the best place it's ever been and that that is a direct result of additional releases.

Third, I would rather pay $10 for a card than 3000 tokens. I've long been looking for more ways to pay into Marvel Snap and actually get something of value out. Most bundles, even the very best ones, don't provide much of value beyond some cosmetics and slight, ephemeral-feeling progression. I've even stopped buying the Gold Pass, since I didn't really feel like I was getting much out of it. Now, the highest value purchase in the game will be the Premium Season Pass, followed by the Super Premium Season Pass, followed by the Gold Pass at a distant 3rd.

Final Thoughts

Fantasticar has some exciting uses and will change the way we look at End of Turn cards. 4-Cost Activate is always a tricky spot, though, so there is short-term flop potential. That's good news for those of you who are planning to wait until the car comes to Snap Packs on August 5th. You're unlikely to really feel like you need Fantasticar before then, so waiting is a safe plan. For those who are looking to get more value per dollar than the typical cosmetic bundles, Fantasticar alongside the Super Premium Season Pass is worth the price.