MARVEL SNAP’s full Draft Augment guide explains how to build game-breaking cards

Second Dinner has released a complete guide to the Augment system at the centre of MARVEL SNAP Draft. Presented by ItsGuestGaming, the new video examines every currently available Augment individually, explaining what each effect does and how it can reshape a Draft run.

Augments are considerably more influential than conventional statistical upgrades. Instead of merely reducing a card’s Cost or increasing its Power, they attach an additional ability to that card. An ordinary character can gain another On Reveal effect, repeat an existing ability, move between Locations, regenerate after being destroyed or begin every match in the opening hand.

More importantly, a card can carry as many as two Augments, including two copies of the same one. That rule creates combinations that would never be legal in standard MARVEL SNAP, allowing a relatively unremarkable draft pick to become the central win condition of an entire run.

Draft combines limited deck-building with roguelike progression

MARVEL SNAP Draft begins without a constructed deck or any dependence on the player’s personal card collection. Each run starts by offering three different core stacks, with each stack containing three cards connected to a particular archetype or strategy.

After selecting one stack, players repeatedly choose between groups of three cards until they have constructed an initial ten-card deck. The resulting list is then used across a sequence of matches, but deck-building does not stop after the first game.

Following each match, players receive opportunities to add another card, improve an existing one through a Stat Boost or attach an Augment. The deck therefore develops throughout the run, and a strategy that initially looked incomplete can become far more coherent after several successful upgrades.

The objective is to reach five victories before suffering two defeats. A Respawn Token can extend a run after the second loss, but only one can be used per run. This structure makes every mid-run upgrade meaningful: choosing the wrong Augment does not affect a single match, but every subsequent game played with that deck.

Augments and Stat Boosts solve different problems

The distinction between Augments and Stat Boosts is fundamental. A Stat Boost changes a card’s numerical profile, normally by reducing its Cost or increasing its Power. A four-Cost Vision or an eleven-Power Vision still performs the same basic function as the original card, but it does so more efficiently.

An Augment changes what the card can actually accomplish. Black Panther can gain an additional Power-doubling effect, while a character that normally has no connection to Destroy may acquire an ability that sacrifices another card at its Location.

Stat Boosts generally improve consistency and tempo. Augments create new interactions, introduce alternative play patterns and occasionally rewrite the role of the card completely. A support card can become a major source of Power, a high-Cost finisher can become a guaranteed opening draw, and a Destroy target can gain an additional ability that activates whenever it regenerates.

The strongest Draft decks will normally use both systems together. Reducing the Cost of an Augmented card makes its new ability easier to activate, while increasing its base Power can magnify effects that copy, transfer or double that Power.

Repetition Augments offer some of the highest possible ceilings

Several Augments revolve around repeating or multiplying existing effects. These are among the easiest to understand, but their interactions can become extremely powerful when attached to the correct card.

Wakandan Tech adds an On Reveal ability that doubles the attached card’s Power. This is already valuable on any reasonably large character, but its ceiling rises considerably when the card can reveal several times. Odin, location effects or another compatible Augment can potentially repeat the doubling rather than applying one fixed increase.

Encore causes the card’s original On Reveal ability to activate an additional time. Its value is entirely dependent on the selected character: repeating a minor effect may produce only a modest advantage, while doubling a major Power increase, card-generation ability or enemy disruption effect can decide the game.

Amplify performs a similar function for Ongoing characters, causing the attached card’s Ongoing ability to apply an additional time. The result resembles attaching an Onslaught-style multiplier directly to one card. However, it is only valuable when the original Ongoing text benefits from repetition; placing it on a character whose ability cannot scale wastes much of the Augment.

Overtime repeats an End of Turn ability. Cards such as Doctor Doom 2099, Isca the Unbeaten and The Thing First Steps can gain enormous value because their abilities are intended to trigger across several rounds. Repeating them every turn transforms gradual scaling into a much faster win condition.

Mentor takes a different approach. When the attached card reveals, it adds that card’s Power to the top character of the player’s deck. A low-Cost card with high Power can therefore transfer a substantial bonus to the next draw while still contributing to the board itself.

These Augments illustrate why their placement matters more than their standalone reputation. Encore is not automatically powerful on every On Reveal card, and Amplify can be nearly irrelevant on the wrong Ongoing effect. Draft rewards the interaction between card and Augment, not the name of the Augment in isolation.

Rally, Reinforce and Overload reward sustained advantages

Other Augments generate incremental value rather than one explosive activation. Rally grants the attached card an Ongoing effect that provides one additional Power for every other friendly card at its Location.

Rally is strongest on inexpensive cards that can be played before the Location fills. It can also support strategies that create tokens or repeatedly add characters to the board. Its total output is limited by Location capacity, but even a small increase can break a tie or force the opponent to overcommit resources.

Reinforce improves cards whenever they are Empowered, granting one additional point of Power beyond the normal increase. The effect appears modest when triggered once, but it can accumulate rapidly in decks built around repeated buffs. It is less convincing when the drafted list contains only one or two ways to Empower the selected character.

Overload generates one additional Energy at the start of each turn if the player is currently winning the attached card’s Location. The potential reward is substantial because early Energy advantages can enable larger cards ahead of schedule or create more flexible final turns.

Its weakness is conditionality. A card carrying Overload must be played early enough to generate repeated value, and the player must continue leading its Location. If the opponent immediately contests or overturns that lane, the Augment can spend the remainder of the match doing nothing.

This makes Overload a good example of an effect whose maximum output should not be confused with its expected output. The possibility of several extra Energy points is exceptional, but only a deck capable of establishing early priority can access that ceiling consistently.

Quickdraw Augments convert draw timing into tempo

Quickdraw was introduced as part of the Fractured Frontier season. A Quickdraw effect is active during the first turn in which the card is drawn, or on the following turn if cards have already begun revealing.

Draft includes two Augments based on this keyword. Quickdraw: Discount reduces the attached card’s Cost by two when played during its active window. Quickdraw: Power instead grants three additional Power.

The Cost reduction has the greater potential to change a turn. Drawing an expensive card at the correct moment can allow it to be played substantially earlier, or leave enough Energy available for a second card. The drawback is that the effect loses value when the player cannot immediately fit the card into the curve.

Quickdraw: Power is easier to use because the card retains its normal Cost and receives a straightforward increase. Three Power is useful, but it rarely transforms a strategy as dramatically as a meaningful discount.

Both Augments become less reliable in an expanding Draft deck. Every added card changes draw probabilities and makes it harder to plan an exact curve. Players should therefore consider not only whether a Quickdraw effect is strong, but how often the selected card can realistically be played on the turn it becomes active.

Superstar and Clone manipulate consistency in opposite ways

Superstar guarantees that its card begins in the player’s opening hand. This can be invaluable when the deck depends on one early enabler, scaling character or build-around effect.

The Augment does carry an opportunity cost. Placing Superstar on an expensive card occupies one of the limited opening-hand positions with a character that may remain unplayable for several turns. It can also reduce the probability of drawing other early cards naturally.

Clone adds an unmodified copy of the attached character to the deck at the beginning of the game. This provides redundancy when a strategy cannot function without a specific card and creates the possibility of playing the same effect twice.

However, an additional copy also enlarges the deck. If the character is not essential, Clone can make the overall draw less consistent by reducing the chance of finding more valuable cards. The generated copy is also described as unmodified, meaning players should not assume that every Stat Boost or attached Augment is reproduced.

Superstar guarantees access at the cost of opening-hand flexibility, while Clone increases access by adding another draw target. Neither is automatically correct. Their value depends on whether the selected card is sufficiently important to justify altering the deck’s normal draw structure.

Move decks receive three specialised Augments

Afterimage creates an unmodified copy of the attached card at its previous Location whenever it moves. It effectively turns one successful movement into additional board presence, resembling the positional value normally associated with Multiple Man.

The copy can provide efficient Power across multiple Locations, but it also consumes board space. Repeated movement may fill a lane earlier than intended, potentially preventing the player from deploying a more important card during the final turns.

Hot Pursuit reduces its card’s Cost by three if another card moved during the previous turn. In a dedicated Move deck, that condition can be established deliberately and used to produce a major tempo swing. Outside that archetype, the discount becomes unreliable because the deck may not contain enough movement effects.

Maneuverable allows its attached card to move once. This is less explosive but more flexible. The player can correct an early commitment, escape an unfavourable Location or redistribute Power during the final turn.

The three effects fulfil different functions. Afterimage rewards repeated movement, Hot Pursuit rewards sequencing, and Maneuverable supplies independent repositioning. Drafting the correct one depends on whether the deck needs an additional payoff, a cheaper play or another movement enabler.

Destroy strategies gain regeneration, sacrifice and automatic deployment

Regeneration gives a card Wolverine-style behaviour. When the character is discarded or destroyed, it returns at a random Location with two additional Power.

The interaction becomes particularly strong when the regenerated card carries an On Reveal ability. Returning to the board can reactivate that effect, allowing Regeneration to operate as both protection and a repeatable trigger.

Its random destination remains a genuine limitation. A regenerated card can enter a Location the player intended to leave open, occupy the final slot in an important lane or distribute Power somewhere that no longer matters. Destroy decks are best equipped to exploit the effect because they can trigger it deliberately and may have ways to sacrifice the card again.

Salvage adds an On Reveal effect that destroys the player’s lowest-Power other card at the same Location and grants the Augmented character four Power. In a proper Destroy deck, that sacrifice can activate Wolverine, X-23, Deadpool or another target that wants to be removed.

In an ordinary deck, Salvage may become a liability. The effect is compulsory when its conditions are met, and the lowest-Power card is not necessarily expendable. Destroying an important support character for a four-Power increase can weaken the board rather than improve it.

Tag In allows the attached card to enter from the hand or deck when another friendly card is destroyed, replacing it at the same Location. This can produce free tempo and effectively thin the deck, but its automation is dangerous. The card may enter before the player wants its effect to resolve, or occupy a Location where another sacrifice was planned.

These Augments demonstrate why Destroy synergy must be evaluated as a complete sequence. An effect that mentions destruction is not automatically beneficial to every Destroy deck, and an uncontrolled trigger can disrupt carefully ordered combinations.

Reality Warp, Regroup and Sidekick can create as many problems as solutions

Reality Warp replaces its Location with a new one when the attached card reveals. It offers an answer to hostile Locations without requiring Scarlet Witch, Rhino or another dedicated form of Location control.

The effect is still unpredictable. Replacing a harmful Location may produce a favourable result, a neutral one or something even worse. It can also erase a Location already helping the player, so the attached card must be positioned with care.

Regroup returns the lowest-Cost friendly card at its Location to the hand and gives that card three additional Power. Bounce strategies can reuse an On Reveal effect or recover an inexpensive scaling card, but decks without those synergies may simply remove their own board presence and spend Energy replaying it.

Sidekick adds a random character to the hand and reduces its Cost by two. A discounted generated card can provide an unexpected solution, but the effect introduces another layer of randomness into a format already defined by uncertain card offers. It is most useful when the deck benefits from card generation or desperately needs additional playable options.

These Augments are not necessarily weak, but their value is much more situational than a direct multiplier. They ask the player to accept variance or restructure normal sequencing in exchange for flexibility.

Silence and Deadlink are tied to rarer opportunities

Some Augments do not appear as frequently as the standard pool. Silence removes the attached card’s original text, allowing players to neutralise a drawback or eliminate an ability that no longer fits the developing deck.

Removing text is not inherently positive. Applying Silence to an important engine card would destroy the reason for drafting that character. Its ideal targets are cards with strong base statistics and restrictive effects, or cards whose original ability has become irrelevant while the run has developed in another direction.

Deadlink is associated with Zombie Horde strategies and adds an On Reveal effect that grants the Horde four additional Power. Its narrow availability is part of its strength: it is generally offered in the archetype capable of using it rather than appearing as a generic option in unrelated decks.

The existence of archetype-specific and rare-event Augments means players will not necessarily encounter all 23 effects in a single run. The complete guide is useful because it explains options that may appear only after drafting a particular core or reaching an unusual upgrade event.

Stacking Augments is where Draft becomes genuinely unpredictable

Each card can hold up to two Augments, potentially including two identical effects. The second Augment should therefore be evaluated as an interaction rather than another independent bonus.

Encore can repeat both a card’s original On Reveal and other compatible On Reveal text attached through an Augment. Wakandan Tech becomes more dangerous when another effect allows it to activate again. Superstar can guarantee access to a card carrying Mentor, ensuring that its Power transfer becomes part of the deck’s regular opening sequence.

Some combinations are less constructive. Tag In may pull a card into play before its second Augment can be used optimally. Reality Warp attached to an otherwise essential combo piece can force the player to choose between activating the card and preserving a beneficial Location.

Concentrating both Augments and several Stat Boosts on one character can create an exceptional win condition, but it also produces a single point of failure. If that card is not drawn, disabled, destroyed at the wrong time or countered by a Location, much of the run’s accumulated power disappears.

A successful Draft deck needs enough synergy to exploit its best Augmented card without becoming completely dependent on it.

The strongest choice is not always the strongest generic Augment

Early tier lists place effects such as Wakandan Tech, Encore, Mentor, Regeneration and Overtime among the most broadly powerful options. Those rankings are useful as an initial reference, but they are editorial assessments rather than official balance categories.

Draft context can reverse the apparent order. Amplify may be stronger than Wakandan Tech when applied to a decisive Ongoing effect. Hot Pursuit may be effectively free Energy in a consistent Move deck but useless in a list that cannot trigger it. Regroup can actively damage a conventional board while becoming an efficient recycling tool in Bounce.

Players should first identify what their deck is already capable of doing. The next question is whether the offered Augment strengthens that plan, fixes a weakness or creates a sufficiently powerful alternative strategy.

Taking the most impressive effect without considering the target card can produce a weaker deck than selecting a modest Augment with guaranteed synergy. The guide’s real value is therefore not simply identifying which effects are powerful, but showing why the same Augment can move from essential to harmful depending on where it is attached.

A collection-independent mode still creates a substantial knowledge gap

Draft does not require players to own the cards being offered, making it more accessible than modes built around constructed collections. A new player can theoretically draft the same characters as someone with several years of progression.

That does not make the mode completely level. Experienced players still understand card interactions, Location risks, archetype requirements and turn sequencing more deeply. Augments introduce another layer of knowledge because every card can behave differently from its standard version.

An effect-by-effect guide helps reduce that gap. Knowing that Afterimage creates an unmodified copy, that Clone changes deck size or that Tag In activates automatically can prevent mistakes that are not obvious from a broad description of the mechanic.

This learning requirement is also part of Draft’s appeal. Players are not only assembling a familiar archetype from incomplete pieces; they are evaluating temporary cards that may never exist in the same form again.

The limited run makes rapid Augment knowledge especially valuable

The inaugural version of MARVEL SNAP Draft will remain available through September 8 at server reset. Its Event Shop will stay open for another 48 hours, giving players additional time to spend their accumulated currency after matchmaking closes.

Each player begins with ten Draft Tickets and can obtain one free ticket every 24 hours, provided they remain below the cap. More tickets are available through login rewards, mini-events, free and premium reward tracks or direct purchases.

Reaching five wins before the second loss provides the best run rewards, including Draft XP, Event Currency, Boosters, Credits and another entry ticket. A Premium Mystery Variant is also available as a five-win daily bonus.

The ticket system gives the Augment guide practical importance. Every poor interaction consumes part of a limited run, while understanding the full pool makes it easier to identify high-value offers before committing them to a card.

Augments provide the identity Draft needed

A conventional draft mode built only around selecting cards would already create variety, but Augments give MARVEL SNAP Draft a more distinctive roguelike identity. The deck does not simply become larger after every battle; its existing cards evolve into versions that could never appear in normal play.

That freedom also introduces balance volatility. One player may construct a card with two perfectly aligned Augments and several Stat Boosts, while another receives upgrades that only partially support the chosen archetype. Some matches will inevitably be decided by the quality of the accumulated run rather than equal starting resources.

The mode appears to embrace that high variance deliberately. Its objective is not to reproduce Ranked with temporary decks, but to create short-lived combinations powerful enough to become memorable.

ItsGuestGaming’s complete Augment breakdown arrives at the correct point in that learning process. Players now understand Draft’s basic structure; the next challenge is recognising which upgrades merely improve a card and which ones can reorganise the entire deck around themselves.