Bow to the King of Jotunheim
A lot of new Marvel Snap cards in the 4-cost category, from Galacta to Doom 2099 and Moonstone, are packing a serious punch when it comes to meta relevance, and Laufey, although simple, could bring back a widely popular and formidable archetype. As a 4/5, Laufey’s On-Reveal ability “steals” 1 Power from every card at its location, including your own, essentially debuffing the board while boosting itself.
From a broader perspective, it feels like Laufey is just a better Spider-Women since it can go up to an effective 4/13 by afflicting a full lane of enemy cards with negative Power. However, the fact it’s easier to play is a huge deal, and you can even mitigate the card’s potential downsides with the right approach and deckbuilding.
Unlike typical card releases, Laufey debuts in the limited Sanctum Showdown mode, so you can get him for free if you’re willing to put in the grind. Given his text and stats, he’s certainly in the conversation of being the best card you can obtain from the mode, and his long-term viability seems much more promising than Gorgon and Uncle Ben, the other two cards in Sanctum Showdown. So, is Laufey worth the effort? I’d argue so.
Cards That Synergize With Laufey
Laufey’s central mechanic revolves around affliction — similar to Hazmat, it has an unbiased effect that impacts both sides, and you can either use that wide affliction to your advantage or make it so it only affects opposing cards. However, it’s worth noting that Laufey only gains Power if it successfully afflicts a card with negative Power, meaning any card or effect blocking that transaction would fully stop Laufey from doing anything.
Ajax
When negative Power’s the name of the game, there’s no better card for the archetype than Ajax. This is the prime pairing for Laufey, letting you gain twice the Power you steal from both allies and foes, and it’s probably the only scenario where you actually want Laufey to impact your cards specifically. The fact Ajax also remains a staple in Affliction decks with a solid 55.24% Win Rate makes this duo a lot more fluid and easier to execute.
Luke Cage
Although Laufey afflicts cards on both teams, he doesn’t technically offer any downsides to you, since he just gains the Power stolen from your cards while the enemy team exclusively loses stats. Still, gathering too much Energy on one body can be an easy target for popular tech cards like Shang-Chi and Shadow King, which is where Luke Cage gets a chance to shine.
Despite Luke’s underwhelming stats, he’s still among the Top 40 cards in terms of Play Rate, showing just how vital he is in the current meta. His interaction with this card is a bit more technical, though — of course, Laufey won’t gain the Power from your cards on his lane if he’s played after Luke Cage. As such, it’s better to play Luke after Laufey as a cheat tactic so you gain back that stolen Power while the frost giant keeps the bonus Power he took from your cards.
The Goblins
Green Goblin and Hobgoblin gain more benefits if you afflict them with negative Power via cards like Selene or Hazmat, and Laufey is no different. You’re hitting two birds with one stone here; you fill the opponent’s board to create an extra target while also making the junk you sent over even worse. Green Goblin is generally easier to play because of its low Cost, but if you find yourself regularly playing Laufey on the last turn, Hobgoblin can be another noteworthy addition to your deck.
Invisible Woman
One of the main things Laufey wants in Marvel Snap is a higher target count — the more cards in his lane, the more Power he’ll accumulate, and this is where Invisible Woman comes in. Although a niche duo, playing Laufey after Invisible Woman in the same location guarantees the frost giant a solid number of enemy cards.
It also lets you comfortably play Laufey on any given turn without worrying about his effectiveness. After all, he’ll reveal at the end of the game with Invisible Woman’s help, essentially nullifying that pressure of sacrificing a smooth curve to play the card as late as possible.
Absalon’s Day 1 Laufey Decks
When looking at the decks, you’ll want to assemble something that takes advantage of Laufey’s affliction mechanic. Fortunately, there are a ton of sub-themes within the archetype that fit the role, and given Laufey’s stats, he can be a solid addition to those decks.
Laufey Rampage
The signature Ajax deck has remained a little dormant for some time since the release of low-cost juggernauts like Iron Patriot and Sam Wilson Captain America. Make no mistake, though, since it's still a strong deck even at higher ranks, and Laufey perfectly fits here by adjusting to the late-game play.
As a 4-cost card, you can play Laufey with Hazmat on Turn 6 to boost your Ajax and smoothen out your curve. Alternatively, you can even play Laufey solo on Turn 4 (if your opponent has a full or near-full lane) to gain a giant lead. He serves as a sweet balance between Man-Thing and U.S. Agent, keeping opposing low-cost cards below the ceiling while having enough Power to compete with the big cards and even stay away from Shang-Chi's crosshairs.
Clogged Up Laufey
Clog decks tend to make a comeback every few weeks, and Laufey may just be the card it needs to get that temporary boost once again. For a well-known deck at this point, it has a fairly straightforward game plan when it comes to winning — fill the opponent's board with junk and play a single, big card to win back the location.
Fortunately, Laufey can do both those things, using cards like the goblins, Debrii's rocks, and The Hood as a target to afflict negative Power on. Like Doctor Octopus and Cannonball, he has the stats to swing a clogged lane on his lane, and having 4 Cost means you can also play The Demon and other high-payoff cards in the late-game phase.
Arishem's Incremental Update
As a powerful mid-cost card, there's no denying Laufey would fit right in with Arishem. Unlike other potent 4-cost cards in the deck, like Doom 2099 and Galacta, you have more flexibility in playing Laufey later in the match. In fact, it’s actually better you play him as late as possible to extract the most value out of him.
The basic gist is inserting a good card, Laufey, into a strong deck that’ll adjust to the metagame. Alongside your powerhouse cards, you have enough room to slot in every relevant tech card to deal with the competition — Mobius, Red Guardian, Shadow King, Killmonger, and Enchantress — and Enchantress, specifically, can disable an opposing Luke Cage, who’s going to be a popular pick when Laufey releases.
Like most Arishem decks, there’s no specific synergy to need to rely on here. The impressive 57.6% Win Rate and 5.8% meta share clearly show the deck is thriving these days, so all you need to do is place more Power on the board with that extra Energy, reserving your tech cards for the right moment to pull off a surprise play.
Conclusion
That wraps up my preview guide on Laufey, where I discussed core card and deck synergies you can explore and try out for yourself. What makes this card so strong in his long-term potential and the environment he’s releasing in — Affliction decks are already solid performers at most ranks, and all they need is a kickstart to compete with the meta titans like Surtur, Bounce, and Iron Patriot.
The fact it’s basically a free Series 5 card makes things even better — you won’t need to argue about spending resources to get the card unless you’re adamant about not playing Sanctum Showdown. For tokens, Laufey is definitely a hard sell, but if all you need to do is spend a couple of hours in a time-exclusive mode, you won’t regret getting this guy.