Lockheed
Hey, sorry for being late! I got lost in another dimension while buying milk. Something that we all can relate to, right? But nevermind that, let’s talk about the smallest dragon with the biggest attitude.
Lockheed might not look like much at first glance, just a small baby dragon, but anyone familiar with the X-Men knows this little alien (yes, alien) is far more than a cute mascot. Hailing from the planet Strontia, Lockheed bonded with Kitty Pryde and quickly proved himself to be fiercely loyal, surprisingly intelligent, and more than capable of holding his own in a fight. He may be lightweight enough always to be welcomed on Kitty’s shoulder, but he absolutely scorches above his weight class.
Even though he looks like a baby, he has lived for almost two centuries and knows quite a lot. He can speak many languages, but chooses not to. Funnily enough, he possesses all the powers you would expect from a typical dragon: flight, hard scales, and everything else dragons usually have. However, his most striking feature is his empathy, which is exceptionally strong. He can sense and feel the emotions of others with ease.
After a perilous adventure on another planet, he bonded with Kitty Pride, and the two have been inseparable ever since.
Back to Snap
In Marvel Snap, Lockheed perfectly captures that scrappy, opportunistic nature. He does not overpower opponents through raw stats. Instead, he chips away at them turn after turn, rewarding you for efficiently playing a 1-Cost card every turn. If you are willing to play his game of cheap cards, Lockheed will happily scorch your opponent’s side of the board for you.
Lockheed’s End of Turn ability is simple but deceptively strong. If you played a 1-Cost card this turn, he afflicts an enemy card at his location with -2 Power. Lockheed's affliction happens every turn, even if you play the required 1-Cost card at another location, meaning Lockheed can quietly drain a lane into negative territory if left unanswered. If played on turn 2, he gets to singe your opponent’s cards for a total of -8 Power if you manage to fulfill his demands.
What makes Lockheed especially neat is how little he asks of you. Playing 1-Cost cards is already one of the most natural things to do in Marvel Snap for some decks. Lockheed does not demand sacrifices, destruction, or discards, and makes him incredibly flexible. He can anchor a lane on his own, support aggressive tempo decks, bounce, or any deck that features at least a couple of 1-Cost cards.
I’ve observed, studied, and prepared a nice list of options for us to use as we get that nice crisp into your opponent’s cards.
Pocket-Sized Synergy
Lockheed thrives in decks that naturally play multiple 1-Cost cards across the game. Luckily, Marvel Snap is full of excellent options for us.
Lockheed and Kitty are made for each other! She guarantees a 1-Cost play every single turn while scaling herself into a legitimate threat if you have some other synergies to go around. With Kitty fueling Lockheed consistently, one lane can slowly collapse under repeated -2 hits while Kitty grows elsewhere.
These guys being more End of Turn cards could mean that we could take this direction and revive the archetype. If we’re looking in this direction, don’t forget Invisible Kirby. This pairs beautifully with Lockheed’s End of Turn trigger. While your opponent worries about feeding Sunspot or contesting Nebula, Lockheed quietly weakens their board.
So far, Bounce seems to be one of the better options for Lockheed. Pick your favorite 1-Drops to get in and out of the board as often as you can with Beast, Toxin, and Falcon. In a list such as this, we can bob and weave a ton of cards into the field, so prepare some powerhouses like Sage and Hit-monkey to steal the game.
Oh, you want more 1-Drops? How about creating your own? These guys are the perfect solution to make sure that you have enough 1-Costed cards to play without filling your deck with them.
Did you notice how a lot of Skill Cards are 1-Cost? I’m not saying that you should play all of them into a single deck, but keep them in mind to finish your list if they suit the play style that you’re trying to play.
Dragonslayers
It is with a heavy heart that I say our boy here has many counters. Be careful snapping if you believe your opponent has access to any of these party poppers. Maybe we could slot in Cosmo to make sure our dreams don’t get stomped?
But with all that out of the way, let’s see some decks that have been all the rage!
Lockheed Curated Decks
Dragon Treasure
This bad boy will cost you 12000 tokens on day one for the privilege, but it might be worth it. We have a deck tailor-made for both of our dragons. We will be playing 1-Costed cards and more than one card as many times as we can in order to trigger some big explosions with Shou-Lao and some medium roast with Lockheed.
Heed at the End of the Lock
I told you we would go end of turn. Set up what comes in hand and remember to place your Activate cards together in order to get the most out of Jocasta. Cosmo is the real hero here; use it wisely to stop your opponents from ruining your game plan, as this deck is quite susceptible to many disruptions.
Lock Up and Down
Have I ever told you that I love bounce decks? Lockheed fits quite snugly into this archetype. We are playing and replaying so many 1-Costed cards that we can get some significant power from Lockheed. He is in this list replacing cards like Bishop and Angela. I tried it out, and he is a better fit as he is cheaper than Bishop and has a bigger potential than Angela.
Yes, It’s a Merlin-Werewolf Package
Variants
Must resist buying Rian Gonzales art—I can’t! Please give me that cute dragon now! Even if you don’t enjoy the cuteness, there are some fierce renditions from both Creative House Pocket and Divebound Studio.
Conclusion
Lockheed is the definition of quiet power. He doesn’t lead to flashy, explosive turns. Instead, he applies steady pressure that forces your opponent to consider investing more and more power into his location or giving it up altogether. In decks already packed with 1-Cost cards, his downside barely exists, and his upside can be game-winning. However, I feel like Shou-Lao is the big impactful card this time around, so Lockheed and his slowburn have gone relatively unnoticed on this first day of the season. I grabbed the little guy in the first hour and regretted it. But you still have plenty of time to decide and see if he suits your playstyle.
Giveaway!
Oh, hey there, can I interest you in some – FREE DRAGON? That’s right! I have a code with your name on it! If you’re interested in winning a free Premium Season Pass, write down in the comments your favorite Dragon in all media, ever! Don’t forget to post your Discord Username and be a part of our server so I can contact you to send the code your way! Good luck!