Summary
When Kingpin was first introduced toMarvel Snap, he rarely saw any play, mostly due to his ability being too restrictive. You had to have a whole deck based around his ability, and even when you drew him, your opponent had an easy time filling the location and negating his power completely.
After the complete overhaul of his kit, Kingpin finally feels like a card worth playing since he now works on every turn and affects enemy cards with -2 power; the fact that he only targets your enemy is key here. Now, you can use Spider-Man to send things over to Kingpin without having to suffer the consequences yourself.
Updated on July 27, 2025 by Alfredo Robelo: Kingpin has had a massive rework, overhauling his kit and making him much more worthy of play now. We’ve overhauled our original article as well, adding new cards that will synergize well with him and his playstyle.
10Jeff
Finds His Way Into Every Deck
Jeff didn’t have much of a place in the previous incarnation of Kingpin since his movement was highly limited on the final turn of the game. Now, the baby land shark can do what he does best, moving around freely and giving you an advantage over tricky locations.
Besides that, Kingpin is also a counter to your opponent’s Jeff, something key to keep in mind with the crime lord. Cards like Nightcrawler and Jeff tend to show up on the first few turns of the game, so consider that when planning where to play Kingpin; even if he costs two energy now, turn three might still be his time to shine.
9Kraven
Using Your Own Movement Effectively
Now that your cards don’t suffer the consequences of moving towards Kingpin, you can add Kraven to the board as well, since he gets buffed from any cards moving towards him. You can have both crimelords in the same location or spread them out to control two different places at once, since you still need to win two out of three of them to win the game.
Whatever you do, you need to be ever mindful of board space when playing these cards, both on your side and on theirs. Be sure that whatever you’re moving doesn’t also benefit them, and look at what each location does; forcing them to play into problematic areas can be as helpful as buffing Kraven.
8Storm
Limiting Their Playing Space
Kingpin is not the only one that can benefit from moving your opponent’s cards since Storm also benefits highly from it. She works like a backward Kingpin, so you’d use your move cards to remove things from her lane instead of adding to it.
She’s incredibly popular for a reason since she’s a very reliable card that can make you win a lane with no problem. Do keep in mind that the popularity and availability ofLegion, Quake, and even Magik can make Storm a risky play. It’s best to place her early on since you have so many cards to move things around in your deck that by turn four, you’re nearly guaranteed to have drawn one.
7Juggernaut
Shoving Them Out Of The Way
Juggernaut is not on this list solely because of Storm, although they do make a great pairing. He alone can win locations at turn six, especially if you have priority, particularly since he’s one of the few forced movement cards that works on unrevealed cards.
As far as how he pairs with Kingpin, it really depends on how the match has developed by the time you want to play Juggernaut. With a mostly empty board, where the mutant will send things flying, it is fifty-fifty, but if you have Kraven in one location and Kingpin in the other, you’re guaranteed to benefit from the movement no matter what.
6Stegron
Slapping The Already Played Cards
Stegron is very similar in function to Juggernaut, yet clearly with some differences. The main one is that he moves only one card, but there’s no other requirement beyond having space to move it toward but the biggest difference is that he can’t move unrevealed cards.
He shares the same benefits from Juggernaut as well, making him a great follow-up to Storm or any closing location. Remember to consider your surroundings before moving things around randomly; you might be helping your opponent if you toss something in the Inner Sanctum, but beyond that, there are a lot of combos you can deny, making Stegron a solid play even if you don’t draw Kingpin.
5Miles Morales: Spider-Man
A Strong Body For A Low Cost
As cards like Ghost-Spiderand Phoenix Forceare released, cards that benefit from movement keep staying in the spotlight. Miles Morales is a great card because its ability triggers from either side of the board. That’s why, even when your own cards don’t move too much, you always play Miles for one energy.
5 power for only one energy is a massive play, especially considering how low cost most of the cards in the deck are. A lot of people are tempted to cut Miles in favor of cards that have more impactful abilities, but the consistency of Miles is what makes him an important card in the deck.
4Polaris
Your Biggest Weapon With Kingpin
Polaris is by far the best follow-up to Kingpin, especially considering the costs; clearly, she’s meant to be played right after him. Whatever you manage to move with Polaris is not only suffering negative power but also taking a spot on the board, something hard for any opponent to come back from.
Of course, you won’t draw Kingpin every game, but Polaris can still be a powerful tool on her own. Her 5 power is highly impactful, particularly at the early stages of the game, and her movement disruptions can make protective cards like Goose lose all their impact.
3Aero
Expert Control Of The Board
Aero went through some significant changes over her time in Marvel Snap. She still moves the last card played, but she won’t affect unrevealed cards, meaning that if she’s played on turn five with priority, she’ll move whatever your opponent played last on turn four.
Knowing this, she’s actually very helpful when you’re keeping track of the game since you may be certain of what you’re moving and how that can alter your opponent’s game plan. It does require more attention than normal, though, since with all the movement you’re doing (adding to that the chaos some locations bring), keeping track of what was played last can be a bit tricky.
2Magneto
Expected But Still Impactful
Playing Magneto in the Kingpin location is the most predictable play you may make, but only so because of how powerful it is. No Kingpin deck is complete without the metal-bending mutant, especially considering how many cards he can move.
Magneto will always have a valuable target to move since four and three drops define so many powerful decks. Even if you don’t manage to pull cards into Kingpin, the disruption alone is worth it since even if the cards he moves beat him in power, you are, in fact, removing all that power from elsewhere, so as long as you have room, you have a chance to win.
1Spider-Man
Enemies In The Comics, Greatest Allies In The Game
While you’re able to’t quite control where or what Spider-Man will move, his inclusion is still mandatory for a Kingpin deck. As mentioned with Polaris, 5 power on turn three swings the game heavily in your favor, and his movement can hurt the opponent if going towards Kingpin, or aid you greatly if going towards Kraven.
He can also remove some problematic cards too, or even free up space for a follow-up play into Kingpin. Finally, he can even move into closed-off locations like Sanctum Santorium or Morag, but be wary: he’ll also move one of your opponent’s cards (although not unrevealed ones).
