Some of the most popular and powerful villains in the Marvel universe are known as the “Big Bad” cards in Marvel Snap. These cards possess game-changing effects that can turn matches upside down. Their abilities are often inspired by their comic or movie counterparts. One of the most highly anticipated cards in the game is High Evolutionary, the main villain in the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the movie, High Evolutionary is a creator of civilizations and beings, able to evolve creatures in terms of intelligence, power, and more.
In Marvel Snap, High Evolutionary is a four-cost, four-power card with the effect that reads, “At the start of the game, unlock the potential of your cards with no abilities.” This ability has the potential to unlock the secret abilities of all the vanilla cards, allowing players to create multiple deck archetypes and potentially alter the meta.
Here, we will explore the best High Evolutionary decks in Marvel Snap.
All Vanilla Cards’ Secret Abilities in Marvel Snap
Before diving into the best High Evolutionary decks, let’s take a look at the secret abilities of the vanilla cards that the villain himself can unlock:
- Wasp (0-Cost, 1-Power): On Reveal: Afflict a random enemy card with -1 Power.
- Misty Knight (1-Cost, 2-Power): When you end a turn with unspent Energy, give another friendly card +1 Power.
- Shocker (2-Cost, 3-Power): On Reveal: Give the leftmost card in your hand -1 Cost.
- Cyclops (3-Cost, 4-Power): When you end a turn with unspent Energy, afflict two random enemies with -1 Power.
- The Thing (4-Cost, 6-Power): On Reveal: Afflict 3 random enemy cards with -1 Power.
- Abomination (5-Cost, 9-Power): Costs one less for each enemy card in play that’s afflicted with negative Power.
- Hulk (6-Cost, 12-Power): Ongoing: When you end a turn with unspent Energy, +2 Power (if in hand or in play).
The Best High Evolutionary Decks in Marvel Snap
All-Out High Evolutionary
Play with High Evolutionary alongside all of his so-called creations. Screenshot by Dot Esports
The standard way to play High Evolutionary is to include him in a deck with all current vanilla cards. This deck revolves around two main mechanics: conserving energy to play multiple high-powered cards and inflicting negative Power on your opponent’s cards to unlock powerful effects.
Cards like Wasp, Cyclops, The Thing, and Abomination benefit from inflicting negative Power on your opponent’s cards. Additional cards like Scorpion and Luke Cage can be added to provide powerful debuff options and prevent your opponent from doing the same, especially in mirror matches.
To utilize the energy conservation strategy, cards like Misty Knight, Shocker, Abomination, and Hulk are included. These cards take advantage of the mechanic, with Hulk serving as the primary power source for your locations in the late game. She-Hulk is an excellent addition, best utilized when conserving energy in the mid-to-late game. Sunspot can also be a potential power source, gaining power equal to your unspent energy every turn.
Win condition cards for All-Out High Evolutionary:
- Abomination
- Hulk
- She-Hulk
Balanced High Evolutionary
The use of energy conservation and power infliction is balanced in this deck. Screenshot by Dot Esports
This High Evolutionary deck focuses on balancing the infliction of negative Power on your opponent’s cards and conserving energy to bring out your late-game finishers and disrupt your opponent’s cards’ power.
While similar to the previous deck, this version includes Enchantress, who can disrupt and remove all the ongoing abilities of cards already placed in the location where you played her. This can be useful for eliminating your opponent’s Luke Cage.
Spider-Woman is another addition, providing more infliction options and serving as a powerful five-cost, eight-power card to further boost your locations.
Win condition cards for Balanced High Evolutionary:
- Abomination
- She-Hulk
- Hulk
- Cyclops
- Enchantress
- Spider-Woman
Control High Evolutionary
Get ready to play god. Screenshot by Dot Esports.
This deck focuses on disrupting your opponent’s setup through various control effects, which can also serve as an offensive boost for your side. While slightly weaker since Spider-Man’s rework, this strategy is still solid.
In addition to cards like Wasp, Cyclops, and The Thing, which can inflict negative Power on your opponent’s cards, this deck includes units that lock down locations, such as Storm and Professor X, forcing your opponents to think quickly and likely make mistakes.
Cards that can potentially gain Power in the early game, like Nebula and Daredevil, are also helpful in this deck. Nebula can gain Power when locked down in a location, while Daredevil provides crucial vision by turn five to determine if you have the chance to lock down and potentially secure a location. Doctor Doom can be added as a surprise factor, calling a four-Power Doombot to a location locked by Storm.
Win condition cards for Control High Evolutionary:
- Storm
- Professor X
- Daredevil
- Doctor Doom
Lockjaw High Evolutionary
Lockjaw has new friends. Screenshot by Dot Esports.
Lockjaw decks receive a significant upgrade with High Evolutionary, especially with Wasp now having an ability that can be activated before it returns to the deck. Lockjaw’s card-switching effect plays a pivotal role in this deck, with the usual Thor and Jane Foster combo still present. Mjolnir serves as a target for the card switch provided by Lockjaw, boosting Thor’s power by six and potentially calling another card from the deck. Jane Foster helps fetch zero-cost cards, making use of Wasp’s effect and Mjolnir to further boost Thor.
Abomination, Doctor Doom, and Hulk are some of the best cards that Lockjaw can call. Misty Knight, Sunspot, and Cyclops are also great early to mid-game options, providing power boosts for your side.
Win condition cards for Lockjaw High Evolutionary:
- Lockjaw
- Thor
- Jane Foster
Hazmat High Evolutionary
The Hazmat and Luke Cage combo is a force to be reckoned with. Screenshot by Dot Esports
This deck focuses on inflicting negative Power on your opponent’s cards. In addition to the unlockable secret abilities of Wasp, Cyclops, and The Thing, this deck includes Scorpion and the reliable engine of Hazmat. The combo of Luke Cage and Wong increases your chances of dealing negative Power to your opponent’s units.
Hazmat can deal -1 Power to all cards in every location for both players. While this may hurt your side of the board, Luke Cage’s effect can mitigate the negative Power. Wong further intensifies the impact of Hazmat, triggering the “On Reveal” effects of cards twice wherever you play him.
Debrii can be added to create hostile Power units for the opponent, which can be converted into an offensive boost for you.
Cards that benefit from having unspent energy, such as Abomination, She-Hulk, and Hulk, can still be included to bring out multiple power sources.
Win condition cards for Hazmat High Evolutionary:
- Hazmat
- Luke Cage
- Wong
Shenaut High Evolutionary
Shenaut decks got even better with High Evolutionary. Screenshot by Dot Esports
The classic Shenaut deck receives a significant boost with High Evolutionary. This deck revolves around playing multiple high-powered cards in the final turn. With Moon Girl’s ability to duplicate your hand, you have the chance to target She-Hulk and Abomination, reducing their costs. Playing two She-Hulks and Abominations in the final turn can be devastating for your opponent.
Magik is included to extend the game by turning a location into Limbo, granting you a turn seven opportunity. The Infinaut can provide a massive Power boost in turn six or seven, potentially turning the game around at the cost of skipping a turn. Wasp, Sunspot, Hazmat, Luke Cage, Cyclops, and Hulk are the staple cards in this deck.
Win condition cards for Shenaut High Evolutionary:
- She-Hulk
- Abomination
- Moon Girl
- Magik
- The Infinaut
- Hulk
High Evolutionary Deck Staple Cards
Here are the staple cards you should play in a High Evolutionary deck, along with their secret abilities:
- Wasp: On Reveal: Afflict a random enemy card with -1 Power.
- Cyclops: When you end a turn with unspent Energy, afflict two random enemies with -1 Power.
- Hulk: Ongoing: When you end a turn with unspent Energy, +2 Power (if in hand or in play).
High Evolutionary Decks’ Current State in the Meta
High Evolutionary has instantly changed the meta since its arrival. The secret abilities of vanilla cards have disrupted many popular strategies, and the constant changing of these abilities by the developer demonstrates their power. The energy conservation aspect has become impactful, especially with Hulk, a new game-changer in the late game.
The most successful High Evolutionary decks in the current meta are the Control and Lockjaw variants. The Control deck is a proven and tested deck with a toolbox strategy, meaning it can adapt to almost any deck in the meta. The Lockjaw deck is a force to be reckoned with, boasting enormous power over locations. While slightly random due to Lockjaw’s card-switching effect, this deck is worth building and has the potential to bring players to the highest ranks.
