Cerebro Deck Guide (Tips, Cards, & Strategies)

Found in the Pool 3 collection of cards in Marvel Snap, Cerebro encourages players to make a deck with characters of similar Power values, as its strategic ability boosts the strength of many at once. A 3 Energy Cost 0 Power card on its own, this staple of technology used by Professor X gives a +2 Power increase to every card the player has of the highest Power currently placed on any Location. Should there be multiple cards of the same value fitting this description, they all gain this bonus, making Cerebro an excellent card in a deck designed to host iconic Marvel characters that match each other in value.

Similar to Zoo decks used in earlier Pools, a Cerebro deck in Marvel Snap has universal cards such as Mystique that make the central gameplan even more potent. In addition, some aspect of Control through cards like Professor X, Armor, or Cosmo prevent strong counters to Cerebro from negatively impacting the players choices when trying to set up their Locations in Marvel Snap for Cerebro’s eventual appearance. Cerebro decks are defined by what Power value they are trying to equalize among cards, including a two Power, three Power, and even a much tricker to implement four Power deck.

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Double Cerebro’s Ability with Mystique

By far the most important card to pair with Cerebro is Mystique, another 3 Energy 0 Power card that duplicates the ability of an Ongoing card if it was played the previous turn. Players that activate this effect in response to Cerebro essentially cause its +2 Power boost to transform into a +4 instead, changing a variety of cards instantly should players have enough matching Power characters in play. Although there may be assumptions that Cerebro works best in an Onslaught deck in Marvel Snap that would also duplicate its effect, the expensive nature of that anchor’s Energy cost makes Mystique a more consistent approach.

There are exploitable counters to Cerebro that players must consider before formulating an entire deck, particularly around cards that either destroy high Power characters like Shang-Chi, or nullify Ongoing abilities such as Enchantress. Support cards that offer a bit of control prevent Cerebro from being shut down, a specific example being Armor, a 2 Energy 3 Power card that prevents any cards from being destroyed at its Location. Similarly, the 5 Energy 3 Power Professor X prevents any more cards from being played at a Location, while Cosmo‘s 3 Energy 3 Power also prevents On Reveal effects from happening that would otherwise dismantle a Cerebro strategy.

Fill Locations with a Two Power Cerebro Deck

Once players have acquired Cerebro in Marvel Snap, the next step to building a deck around the card involves choosing which Power value cards need to match in order for the staple card to distribute its effect evenly. Typically, cards with low Energy costs also sport 2 Power, making this Cerebro deck build focus more on occupying every available space in each of the three Locations. Slight disruption cards like Iceman or Scorpion impact the opponent’s hand at the same time by increasing cost or decreasing Power respectfully, while also fulfilling the 2 Power prerequisite to fit best in this deck.

Other options the player can explore in a 2 Power Cerebro deck are Mister Sinister and Brood. A common card from Pool 1 of Marvel Snap, Mr. Sinister has 2 Energy and 2 Power that clones itself into an identical card On Reveal. Players looking to fill their Location in preparation for Cerebro can use this effect to easily add numbers to their side of the field. In the same vein, the 3 Energy 2 Power Brood adds two Broodlings of the same Power as itself to its Location, in essence, a stronger version of the strategy Mister Sinister implements that players have a chance to gain through Pool 3 Collection Caches.

Use Various Archetypes Through a Three Power Cerebro Deck

A Cerebro deck that focuses on cards with 3 Power has much more flexibility, taking different patterns seen in other collections and using them to cover a wider set of interactions. For example, players that want to use tools from a Destruction deck in Marvel Snap can add either Wolverine or Killmonger, each of whom has 3 Power. Cards such as Hawkeye transform from a 1 Energy 1 Power card to 3 Power due to its ability, giving players an easy, low-cost opportunity to set up their Locations with the same Power cards before Cerebro gets placed.

A Zoo strategy related to the 2 Power Cerebro deck may also work well here, as cards like Sentinel take a 2 Energy 3 Power and add a copy of Sentinel into the player’s hand to readily use again the following turn(s). A unique card that perhaps anchors a 3 Power Cerebro deck is Valkyrie, a 5 Energy 3 Power card that changes the Power of all cards at its Location to 3, synergizing with Cerebro while also having a chance to dismantle high-value cards such as Marvel Snap‘s Black Panther on the opponent’s side in the process.

Get Creative with a Four Power Cerebro Deck

The hardest Cerebro deck to manage, but perhaps the most difficult for opponents to deal with, the cards within a four Power Cerebro deck should emphasize misdirection over raw value. Ordinarily, cards of 4 Power are more expensive to play, with the 5 Energy Klaw or Sera being prime examples. These cards give the right-most Location +6 Power or reduce the Energy cost of cards in the player’s hand, giving players new options to win areas.

Other cards take inspiration from Movement decks, such as the 2 Energy 4 Power Cloak, which allows either player to move cards to their Location the next turn. Fellow Ongoing effect character Ant-Man gets boosted to the necessary 4 Power when a Location fills, encouraging the same strategies that have earned players credits in Marvel Snap from earlier Pools. The tricky Mysterio rounds out the best cards for a Cerebro deck strategy with 4 Power, as their ability hides the position of the true 4 Power card behind two identical illusions at Marvel Snap‘s other Locations, reinforcing the idea to trick opponents before playing Cerebro.

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Source: YouTube/MarvelSnap Channel