MARVEL SNAP Explained: Who Is Mirage?

Deck archetypes centered around low-Cost cards have been dominant in much of MARVEL SNAP’s current metagame. Now, the Rise of the Phoenix season pass is adding an effective new card to those decks: Mirage. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about playing Mirage in MARVEL SNAP and how the card reflects her history in the comics.

Playing Mirage in MARVEL SNAP

A 2-Cost, 2-Power card, Mirage has an On Reveal ability that creates a copy of the lowest-Cost card in an opponent’s hand and gives it to her player with an additional 2 Power. While Mirage’s Cost-to-Power ratio is a bit low, her ability, when used in the right deck, is a formidable one.

The best Mirage decks take advantage of her On Reveal ability. That means she works well in decks focused on powering up Devil Dinosaur, whose Ongoing ability gives him additional Power for each card in his player’s hands. Agent 13, Cable, and White Queen, who all have effects similar to those of Mirage, are generally part of those decks. Mirage, though, has something of an edge over those cards thanks to her ability adding 2 Power to the character she copies.

Outside of Devil Dinosaur decks, Mirage works extremely well in bounce decks. That archetype focuses on playing and unplaying cards to empower such characters as Angela and The Collector with help from Beast and Falcon. Mirage is particularly potent in this type of deck, as she has a good chance of pulling a 1- or 2-Cost with a higher-than-normal Power. Those types of cards are essential to winning with a bounce deck.

Due to how Mirage’s effect works, there aren’t many locations with which she has explicit synergy. However, places that add Power to a player’s cards are a good fit. The Wakandan Embassy, for example, gives 2 Power to every card in a player’s hand, which can lead to that Mirage-enhanced character becoming even more powerful. The Vibranium Mines also work well with Mirage, as the Vibranium card that location generates has 1-Cost and 4-Power, with an Ongoing that keeps it from being destroyed. A Mirage-enhanced Vibranium is extremely effective in a bounce deck.

Since Mirage is a 2-Cost card, standard counters for On Reveal effects, such as Cosmo, aren’t as much of a threat to her. The best ways to counter Mirage instead lay in destroying the card that she enhances. In many cases, Mirage will copy a card with 1-Cost, which are vulnerable to Elektra and Killmonger. Mirage’s effectiveness also depends a lot on what an opponent has in their deck, and it’s possible she’ll pull a card that’s of no real use for her player and the situation.

As Mirage’s effect targets the lowest-Cost card in a player’s hands, there are a few locations that can work against her. Subterranea, for example, adds Rocks to the decks of both players, increasing the chances they’ll have one in their hand and that Mirage will target them. Mirage also doesn’t work on any locations that disable On Reveal abilities, such as Deep Space or Knowhere.

Mirage in the Comics

Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, Dani Moonstar, AKA Mirage, debuted in THE NEW MUTANTS MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL (1982). One of the Marvel Universe’s mutants, Moonstar has telepathic abilities, which allow her to create realistic illusions, often based on someone’s negative thoughts and emotions. Her powers fit her in well with other cards released as part of Rise of the Phoenix, as both Jean Grey and Legion are mutants with psychic powers.

Due to the nature of Mirage’s power, her ability in MARVEL SNAP makes a lot of sense. Moonstar’s power in the comics essentially turns an opponent’s feelings and emotions against themselves. Copying and empowering an opponent is, in much the same way, a turning of them against themselves.

Most of Mirage’s looks in MARVEL SNAP reflect her standard appearance in the comics, including, among other things, the bow and arrow that she often uses. The Peach Momoko variant for Mirage, though, also reflects that she’s a Valkyrie. In NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL EDITION (1985) #1, Moonstar encountered a winged horse named Brightwind, who made her a Valkyrie after they bonded.

Want to find out more? Explore over 30,000+ comics on Marvel Unlimited today!

MARVEL SNAP is available now on Android, iOS and Early Access Windows PC!