How Does Gwenpool Work in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool is a 4-cost, 6-power card with an ability that reads: “On Reveal: Pick a random card in your hand 3 times. Give +2 Power each time.”

This ability might be a tad confusing. What Gwenpool will do is randomly select a card in your hand and give it +2 power. It will then do so again, where it can hit the same card or a different card before randomly buffing a card one last time. 

Gwenpool can activate when you have a single card in your hand, buffing a single card by +6. Of course, cards like Wong and Odin will activate her effect again.

Best Gwenpool Decks in Marvel Snap

Given her random nature, you don’t want to build a deck around hitting a specific card like Black Panther but rather put together a list that has multiple cards that want Gwenpool’s buffs. There’s one deck in particular that loves hand buffs above all others, and you’re probably already thinking it: yes, Silver Surfer strikes once again. Here’s a Gwenpool list:

• Forge
• Iron Heart
• Brood
• Magik
• Silver Surfer
• Phastos
• Sebastian Shaw
• Wong
• Absorbing Man
• Gwenpool
• Sera
• Odin

Click here to copy the decklist from Untapped. 

Replacements for this specific list are quite difficult as it goes all-in on buffing your hand and deck with Phastos; however, if you do not have Phastos, consider swapping him out for Hope Summers. 

Gweenpool might seem a little awkward at 4-cost in a Surfer deck, but the extra turn provided by Magik and discounts from Phastos and Sera alleviate that issue somewhat. This deck aims to play down a flurry of cards on turn 6 like a normal Surfer deck before retriggering them with Odin. This also allows you to hit Gwenpool twice (or four times with Wong) and possibly buff a Brood or Sebastian Shaw sitting in your hand to incredible heights. Do keep in mind, however, that this deck is incredibly susceptible to Wong. This list, as you can see, is super greedy with Wong, Absorbing Man, and Gwenpool in it, so winning one lane with Brood and another with Sebastian Shaw is necessary.

While Gwenpool has some synergy with Zoo decks, I do think she’ll fit more cleanly into a value list featuring the likes of Kitty Pryde, Thena, and Sage, which is also known as Good Cards Ravonna. Here’s a list:

• Kitty Pryde
• Thena
• Angela
• Ravonna Renslayer
• Mysterio
• Mystique
• Sage
• Hope Summers
• Gwenpool
• Iron Man
• Mockingbird
• Sasquatch

Click here to copy the decklist from Untapped.

While this is one of the best Gweenpool decks in Marvel Snap, it’s full of a lot of expensive cards. However, you can swap out one of Mockingbird or Sasquatch for Darkhawk if you’re still seeing a ton of Arishem decks. In fact, you should probably do so if that’s the case. Swap Sage for Wolfsbane if you do not have the former. Ravonna Renslayer is a must with this deck, however.

While there’s no double activators for Gwenpool here, she has a ton of synergy with most cards in this list. Mysterio’s clones will get the Gwenpool buff (and in turn discount Mockingbird and Sasquatch), and the Iron Man into Mystique combo will receive double benefit from her. Throw in the fact that the disjointed power levels will give Sage a boost as well, and I dare say we have a top-tier meta deck with Gwenpool in it on our hands.

Related: Best Sersi Decks in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool Counters in Marvel Snap

Gwenpool isn’t easily counterable herself. You can snipe her effect with a Cosmo, sure, but you should run Cosmo only if you’re seeing a lot of greedy lists like the Silver Surfer one with Wong. Otherwise, Shang-Chi or Shadow King can chop down the cards she buffs, such as Sebastian Shaw or Black Panther. There isn’t much else you can do to counter hand buff effects.

Who Is Gwenpool?

Gwenpool is one of the oddest characters in comic history. Gwendolyn Poole is actually a young woman from the real world – yes, the one you’re in right now – that somehow got transported to the Marvel Universe alongside her brother. Her adventures saw her learn empathy for the denizens of the Marvel Universe as she believed them merely to be fictional creations, though she did work for arch villain M.O.D.O.K as a henchwoman. In fact, superheroes traveled back in time to stop her from becoming the next major Marvel villain.

Her abilities are quite literally the ability to transcend the comic book medium, manipulating textboxes and the course of a story to better favor her. She also has out-of-universe knowledge, meaning she’s quite informed on the secret identities and lives of superheroes and villains alike.

Is Gwenpool Worth Purchasing the Season Pass For?

As always, the Marvel Snap season pass is the best deal you can get with all the gold and credits that come along with it; however, Gwenpool herself is an amazing card that will likely be a staple for the foreseeable future. She is, if all the cards she buffs are played, essentially a 4-cost, 12-power card with synergistic upside. I do not see her getting nerfed anytime soon either, so you shouldn’t have to worry about Second Dinner devaluing your purchase anytime soon.

And those are the best Gwenpool decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

How Does Hydra Bob Work in Marvel Snap

Hydra Bob is a 1 cost 4 power card with an effect that reads: After each turn, this moves if a player Snapped. 

In the base game modes of Ranked and Conquest, Hydra Bob can move twice, as each player can only snap once. In the upcoming Deadpool’s Diner, it appears he can move multiple times in a match, as you can snap to raise the stakes more often.

Your opponent can snap back to move his power out of a lane, giving your opponent some control of your side of the board. The move happens after the turn as well, so it’s not immediately clear that you’ll know where he’s going.

Best Hydra Bob Decks in Marvel Snap

As you can likely guess, Hydra Bob isn’t an archetype defining card in Marvel Snap. Still, he has his place as a cheap card that can slot into Zoo decks or as an unusual way to trigger move effects. Let’s take a look at the former style of deck first:

• Ant-Man
• Squirrel Girl
• Hydra Bob
• Dazzler
• Shadow King
• Shanna the She-Devil
• Nocturne
• Ka-Zar
• Cull Obsidian
• Blue Marvel
• Gilgamesh
• Mockingbird

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

Gilgamesh and Mockingbird are fairly integral to this deck; however, you can swap out Cull Obsidian for Crossbones. Nocturne can be replaced with another tech card, like Rogue.

You’ve likely seen this deck around, as it has been one of the most consistent performers since Gilgamesh’s buff. If you have a good early curve leading into Ka-Zar or Blue Marvel, Gilgamesh can essentially win a lane on his own. Hydra Bob will help win another lane alongside cards like Mockingbird and Cull Obsidian, and the fact that you’re likely to have your lanes nearly full means the downside of Hydra Bob moving where you don’t want him is mitigated.

The next deck we’ll look at is a revival of the Silky Smooth style of move decks that have fallen off a little in recent metas. Still, Hydra Bob fits into them cleanly and they’re not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Here’s the list:

• Kitty Pryde
• Hydra Bob
• Kraven
• Angela
• Jeff!
• Silk
• Elsa Bloodstone
• Hope Summers
• Nocturne
• Spider-Man
• Vision
• Magneto

The play line with this deck is to get Kitty Pryde, Angela, and Elsa Bloodstone or Hope Summers into the same lane to scale while enjoying the benefits of each. The Silks and Hydra Bobs can bounce around the board to trigger Kraven multiple times, while Magneto can do so as well while interrupting your opponent’s plays. Furthermore, Hydra Bob’s downside of possibly capping a lane is negated with so many flexible move cards. Will Hydra Bob allow this deck to rise to the top of the meta? Not likely, but with future move cards added, it’s one to keep in mind and not a bad choice if you manage to pull the bazooka-wielding henchman.

Hydra Bob Counters in Marvel Snap

You likely won’t need to counter Hydra Bob but he has two direct solutions to his effect: Killmonger will destroy him and Kingpin will negate his power. After that, consider snapping to move Hydra Bob into an unideal location for your opponent.

Who is Hydra Bob?

Like many cards released this month in Marvel Snap, Bob Dobalina is associated with Deadpool, as he eventually becomes his sidekick. Bob joined the Hydra organization in order to hold a steady job at the behest of his wife, but since he’s a coward, he eventually betrays the evil organization when confronted by Deadpool. He’s had many misadventures with Deadpool, though he often screws up and has to be rescued. As for powers, he doesn’t have any.

Is Hydra Bob Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

No, Hydra Bob is not. There currently isn’t a deck in Marvel Snap that can make good use of his unique meta-effect to move when a player snaps, and in the decks he can slot into, he’s outclassed by the likes of Titania and even Martyr, arguably one of the worst cards in the game. Thus, you should definitely skip Hydra Bob unless you’re sitting on a horde of Spotlight Keys, as there is a good chance he’ll get buffed in the future like other bad cards before him.

Marvel Snap is available to play now.

Note that The Legend of Zelda II: Adventure of Link doesn’t make this list, as it’s 2D rather than top-down; however, I’d put it at the very top if I had to due to its punishing difficulty and emphasis on platforming. Furthermore, while we love the co-op Zelda games such as Four Swords, I’ve left them off this list in favor of the single-player mainline games. 

#9 – Phantom Hourglass

While Phantom Hourglass gets some points for being a fun direct sequel to The Wind Waker, it loses them for a handful of reasons that place it at the bottom of this list. No, it’s not the touch screen controls – those were rather intuitive at the time and I recently found them to hold up incredibly well. Rather, returning to the Temple of the Ocean King dungeon at least five times made the whole adventure feel like a slog, as you’d have to clear several floors over and over again on a time limit. It’s one of the reasons I return to Phantom Hourglass less than every other Hyrule adventure – top down perspective or otherwise.

The other dungeons were almost all short and forgettable as well. That said, I truly enjoyed Link’s companions Linebeck and Ciela as they bantered back and forth, both of them having fun little character arcs that made the story quite a bit more interesting than if they weren’t in it.

#8 – Spirit Tracks

I know what you’re thinking: how could you rank a Zelda game with trains in the second lowest spot? Well, the trains are part of the problem: chugga-chuggaing around Hyrule takes a little bit too long and feels too on rails. It also returns to the central dungeon formula of Phantom Hourglass with the Tower of Spirits, though it’s less of a chore to navigate this time around.

Spirit Tracks also improved upon its immediate predecessor with boss designs, like that of the Forest Temple’s Stagnox. Furthermore, the Spirit Flute makes for one of Link’s more interactive instruments, and I can’t help but love the overworld theme despite how tedious I found those sections. Koji Kondo and pals don’t miss.

#7 – The Legend of Zelda

I know, I know – without The Legend of Zelda, none of the other titles on this list would be here. It set the groundwork for the entire series by providing an unparalleled sense of discovery back in 1987; that said, it also holds up worse than every other title on this list. I think every single Zelda fan – including myself – has the utmost respect for Link’s first quest through Hyrule, but at the same time it’s likely the one we’d want to replay the least.

It did, however, have a post-game Second Quest, which was far ahead of its time. I think more Zelda games need a remixed second adventure to experience after the first.

#6 – The Minish Cap

The Minish Cap is perhaps the most underrated Zelda game, which might sound like an oxymoron given its placement in the top half of this list. Most Zelda games have a central mechanic, and Minish Cap’s shrinking in size is one of its best; furthermore, it has a fun little plot filled with the tiny Picori race that both helps Link and is helped by him in return, though Vaati is a rather forgettable side-villain standing in for Ganon.

Much like Spirit Tracks, the dungeons are rather short, easy, and forgettable, and I’m a firm believer that dungeon strength makes or breaks a top down Zelda game. Still, I hope one day the Picori return in one of Link’s quests along with the ability to shrink in size, as it’s one of the more clever mechanics.

#5 – Oracle of Seasons

I played Oracle of Seasons before its sister game Oracle of Ages, thus it holds a special place in my heart, yet even I recognize it’s the lesser of the two. Oracle of Seasons features an amazing weather-based mechanic that turns the overworld into a massive labyrinth that you can shift with the Rod of Seasons; at the same time, it’s a far more action-oriented adventure than Oracle of Ages, and I don’t know about you, but I prefer puzzles over sword swinging in my Hyrule adventures.

Regardless, Oracle of Seasons featured quite a lot of clever designs in its 8 (admittedly short) dungeons along with some fun animal companions to brighten up the adventure. Throw in the fact that you can link up with Oracle of Ages for the true ending made the pair one of the most robust titles on the Game Boy Color, and I’d argue in Zelda history.

#4 – Oracle of Ages

Yes, I do believe Oracle of Ages edges out Oracle of Seasons as the more memorable game, making it the fourth best top-down Zelda. Much like in Oracle of Seasons, fun animal companions, 8 dungeons to explore, a bevy of items to solve puzzles with, and a true ending to discover if linked together make Oracle of Ages one of the most content-heavy Zelda experiences that no fan could be unhappy with. To say I was excited for these two to make it onto Nintendo Switch Online is an understatement.

Oracle of Ages shines with the Harp of Ages item, allowing Link to travel back in time 400 years, and the changes seen in the land of Labrynna between the past and present are a joy to experience. What’s more, the puzzles related to such a mechanic make for some of the most clever in series history.

#3 – A Link Between Worlds

The most recent top-down Zelda game, A Link Between Worlds, does not get enough love for how incredibly creative and non-linear it was. The wall-merge mechanic, which saw Link becoming a painting in order to traverse gaps, avoid enemies, and pop out to knock down obstacles, made for some truly memorable puzzles. Furthermore, the fact that you could rent key items at any point from Ravio and complete the dungeons in any order came as a breath of fresh Hyrulian air in a series otherwise known for linearity to this point.

It also channeled a lot of nostalgia by basing its world design off of A Link to the Past with the addition of Lorule, a second area to explore like the Dark World. It’s truly one of the best Zelda experiences out there.

#2 – Link’s Awakening

Link’s Awakening and its 2019 remake are the strangest and most whimsical top down Zelda games. Set on the mysterious Koholint Island, it has clever memorable dungeons, a great little item-trading sidequest, fun characters to meet like Marin, and some of the best music in the series. It also laid down framework for later games in the series, including the addition of custom item mapping and introduced an ocarina for the first time.

The quest to wake the Windfish by collecting 8 instruments is one of the most memorable, climaxing with a great nightmare-themed boss fight against a shadowy monster that mimics the form of Ganon. The ending, which sees Link floating on driftwood, also tugs at the heartstrings as it gives a final glimpse of Marin (if you beat the game without dying, that is).

#1 – A Link to the Past

There’s two simple reasons I believe A Link to the Past is the best top-down Zelda game. Foremost, it inspired later titles in the series even more than the original The Legend of Zelda with how the overworld and dungeons worked while successfully bringing the series into the 16-bit era. And second – while you can argue games above have improved level design – it features some of the most memorable and difficult dungeons in the series’ history.

Pulling the Master Sword after exploring the Lost Woods with its iconic, mysterious tune was a formative experience for my Zelda fans. Throw in some of the best music, Link transforming into a helpless rabbit for a period of time, and the Dark World to explore (along with that unbelievably good tune), and you can’t convince me otherwise that A Link to the Past doesn’t fit on this list.

And there you have it – The Escapist’s official list of the best top-down Zelda games ahead of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Where do you think it will place on this list? One of the great things about the Zelda series is you likely disagree with me and hold this game or that in much higher regard. As a result, you definitely should let me know how wrong I am in the comments.

Best Arishem Decks in Marvel Snap

Arishem is a 7-cost, 7-power card with an ability that reads: “At the start of the game, +1 Max Energy. Shuffle 12 random cards into your deck.”

As you’ve likely noticed, Arishem is Marvel Snap’s first 7-power card, making him playable on the final turn of the game with the +1 energy he provides.

As Marvel Snap decks begin with 12 cards, Arishem effectively doubles your deck size, so you’ll likely only draw, on average, 4 of your own cards and 4 random Arishem cards. It’s a less than 20% chance you’ll find a specific card you put into your deck in your opening hand.

Arishem clearly has synergy with Quinjet, which will further discount the random cards provided. Other key synergies include how Loki will wipe out cards you do not want while having max energy to play with, and last week’s Phastos will buff the random cards with cost discounts or added powers. Wave is also a great option as she can be played on turn 2, allowing you to drop a powerful 6-cost card on turn 3.

Best Arishem Decks in Marvel Snap

Deck building with Arishem will take some time to sort out, as I believe the best decks with him will include 12 flexible cards with little synergy, but the following two decks are all but guaranteed to work with him shortly after he releases. First and foremost, we have Arishem/Loki, as the trickster god can replace a bad hand with your opponent’s cards. Here’s a list:

• Quinjet
• Snowguard
• Quake
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Red Guardian
• Agent Coulson
• Loki
• Nick Fury
• Sersi
• Mockingbird
• Blob
• Arishem

Click here to copy the deck code over at Untapped.

Quake is a personal preference and can be replaced with Jeff! if you have the little shark. Otherwise, Blob can be switched out for another powerful 6-cost card like Doctor Doom. Mockingbird works great in this deck, as so many cards will discount her; that said, you can swap her out for an impactful 5-cost card or a tech card like Shang-Chi. The same can be said for Red Guardian if you do not have him.

To play this deck, you’re likely going to want to Snap if you have a decent curve early on with Quinjet in hand. Agent Coulson and Nick Fury can add to the random power of this deck while also providing fuel for Loki. Without impactful cards in hand, you’ll want to Loki them away, depending on your opponent’s deck. Blob will eat away half your deck a turn early, giving you a major high roll that he’ll eat powerful random cards and help counter decks playing Darkhawk. Finally, Sersi can upgrade bad cards that you’ve dumped onto the board. Expect to see a lot of Loki and Arishem together.

After that, Arishem will work well in a control list that counters your opponent while trying to win with the random cards he generates. This is the list I personally brewed, though I expect many professional players and content creators will come up with something similar, if not better:

• Shadow King
• Quake
• Killmonger
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Red Guardian
• Ghost
• Gladiator
• Shang-Chi
• Enchantress
• Blob
• Alioth
• Arishem

Click here to copy the deck code over at Untapped.

It’s difficult to replace specific cards in this deck if you do not have them. Red Guardian or Gladiator can be replaced with something like Nocturne. However, you’re going to want the raw power of Blob to win a lane and counter Darkhawk

Otherwise, this deck is fairly straightforward to play if you have a good idea of the meta decks out there and a great pick for Conquest mode. The route you take playing this deck will depend heavily on what cards you draw from Arishem and your opponent’s deck, but by and large, you should do your best not to have priority going into the final turn. In fact, that’s why the rarely placed Ghost is in this deck. With a lucky draw of Blob on turn 5, you can play a tech card or two on turn 6 to steal away the game.

Related: Best Sasquatch Decks in Marvel Snap

How to Counter Arishem in Marvel Snap

Arishem is definitely a card you’re going to want to counter, and there’s one card that does it: Darkhawk. Not only will Darkhawk gain 24 power from the 12 cards added to the deck, but cards such as Korg, Rockslide, and Black Widow will make it even more difficult for an Arishem player to draw into good cards. The best Darkhawk deck features Sersi, like this one, though there’s another list that runs Pixie. Other than that, you can make sure to run Mobius M. Mobius as the little mustachioed man will counter Arishem players running Loki.

Who Is Arishem?

Arishem the Judge is one of many Celestials, which are basically a race of giant gods made of energy that wear futuristic-looking armor. Arishem judges whether or not races are worthy of existing, and he and his cosmic pals are directly responsible for creating three races through DNA experimentation: the Eternals, protectors of humanity like Gilgamesh, Thena, and Makkari, humans themselves, and the Deviants, physically mutated but powerful foes to the former two. Arishem was responsible for flooding the Deviant population, killing most of them, and ordering around his fellow Celestials in the cultivation of humanity.

Is Arishem Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

Yup, Arishem is a pretty good pickup. While I don’t think he will be top-tier competitive due to the sheer randomness of his effect, he brings something incredibly new and variable to Marvel Snap that will undoubtedly make him a lot of fun to play. I do expect him to get better and more consistent as more cards are released, though the next month or so of releases won’t impact him much. Regardless, he forms his own archetype that everyone should have in their collection, and I’d go as far as to call him the most fun and impactful card released since High Evolutionary over a year ago.

And those are the best Arishem decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

I did this recently with Pokemon Violet, intent to enjoy the game for its strengths – great music, Pokemon designs, and a fairly decent story – rather than its considerable number of weaknesses. While I could get over the choppy framerate and slow UI this time around, I soon realized I wouldn’t be able to get over the horrid art direction that leaves the region of Paldea incredibly bland to explore once, let alone twice.

From the opening Spanish-themed shores of Cabo Poco to the tiered, Japanese-inspired rice fields of the DLC’s Kitakami region, Paldea is easily the least artistically impressive Pokemon game to date. I am fully aware that most Pokemon games render their worlds in pixels, yet at the same time, those pixels lead to some creative artistic decisions that make the shores and beaches of Hoenn feel distinct from the icy mountains of Sinnoh. Even the games rendered in crude 3D on the 3DS – X and Y and Sun and Moon – brought their worlds to life far better than Scarlet and Violet.

Skipping over Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which has a similar drab art direction, and looking back at Pokemon Sword and Shield provides some answers as to what might’ve gone wrong. Sword and Shield begins in Postwick, which introduces rolling hills and charming gardens that immediately give the Galar region a distinctly English aesthetic. This continues throughout the adventure with the castle-themed Hammerlocke, the whimsical Ballonea with a mysterious fairy-filled forest surrounding it, and the Slumbering Weald that harkens back to ancient English legends of knights and kings.

However, this personality doesn’t extend to Sword and Shield’s biggest feature: the pseudo-open world Wild Area. This free-to-explore zone in the center of the map is by far the least visually appealing part of the game, with low-res textures and a free moving camera with no visually stimulating sights to see no matter which way you look. In fact, the closest you might get is a bridge in the center of a map or a lone, ghost-plagued tower tucked away in a corner. It is, in essence, the progenitor of Scarlet and Violet’s lack of visual personality and a clear sign that Game Freak cannot develop an appealing open-ended area.

It’s not like it’s impossible to do on the Nintendo Switch, either. One only has to take a glance at something like Breath of the Wild or Xenoblade Chronicles 3—or even the Definitive Edition of the original—to see gorgeous environments aren’t a limitation of hardware but a failure of visual design.

Scarlet and Violet suffers far more than Sword and Shield simply because the entire game is set in an open world with few indoor buildings. Sure, the central city of Mesagoza has some color that contrast the white and beige architecture, and Levincia features some futuristic lights, but having them all set outside leaves them looking like open wounds on the landscape rather than interesting places to visit, especially from a distance. The final area of the base game, Area Zero, almost gets there with its hazy bright lights and waterfalls bespeckled with rainbows, but even then it feels largely empty and forgettable.

As a result, the Pokemon adventures set in Paldea will go down as the first that I cannot find it in myself to replay. This is a shame because I think Game Freak Pokemon games will, from this point forward, be fully open world, unless it’s a remake or a spinoff. I do have some hope for the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as I enjoyed Arceus’ fresh game mechanics immensely, and it’s set all within one city. For whatever games come after that, a foolish part of me still holds out hope that Game Freak will have learned from Scarlet and Violet’s mistakes and we’ll actually get an open world with an interesting place or three to visit.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is available now.

How Phastos Works in Marvel Snap

Phastos is a 3-cost, 3-power card with an ability that reads: “On Reveal: Give each card in your deck -1 Cost or +2 Power.”

Phastos’ effect works fairly similarly to Nakia, who is a 2-cost, 2-power card that gives all cards remaining in your deck +1. Like Nakia, the likes of Sebastian Shaw and Brood will benefit most from having their power buffed. And as you can imagine, he sucks being played on the final turn of the game.

Whether Phastos will assign +2 power or -1 cost is random. You can have all +2 power or all -1 cost, making it difficult to predict future plays depending on what cards you top deck.

Pixie and Phastos have the ability to discount cards further, though what happens when you also play Mobius M. Mobius remains to be seen. Frankly, it might break my brain a little bit, but I’m excited to test it out.

Best Phastos Decks in Marvel Snap

While I’m itching to try Phastos and Pixie together, I do believe two styles of decks will be way more consistent right off the back with him. These are Silver Surfer and Thanos decks, both of which are currently B-tier but may see a nice boost in the meta, thanks to him. Let’s take a look at Silver Surfer first:

• Nova
• Forge
• Ravonna Renslayer
• Sage
• Wolfsbane
• Brood
• SIlver Surfer
• Killmonger
• Phastos
• Sebastian Shaw
• Wong
• Sera

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

If you do not have expensive cards like Ravonna Renslayer and Sage, you can swap them out for Hope Summers and Absorbing Man for a more traditional list. 

This is currently the best Silver Surfer deck on the block, except with Phastos slotted in instead of Red Guardian. You may think Ravonna Renslayer is weird here; however, with her, you can further discount both Wolfsbane and Sage alongside Sera for an incredibly explosive final turn. Phastos furthers this deck’s explosive potential by possibly adding power to the likes of Brood and Sebastian Shaw, while any discounts in this deck are welcome – especially if you hit Sera. Expect to see Phastos in some variation of this list a lot during his first week.

I have to give credit where it’s due: Cozy Snap and Alex Coccia posited this idea on their SnapChat podcast on YouTube. One of Phastos’ weaknesses is being drawn and played late in the game; however, Thanos can draw multiple cards on later turns if Phastos is played prior with Infinity Stones. Furthermore, he can discount powerful 6-cost cards and reduce them in cost, allowing you to play them earlier or discount the stones completely. This list will do well right out of the gate with Phastos:

• Psylocke
• Jeff!
• Mobius M. Mobius
• Phastos
• Hope Summers
• Shang-Chi
• Vision
• Mockingbird
• Blob
• Thanos
• Skaar
• Magneto

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

There isn’t any easy substitutions in this list, though if you do not have Mobius M. Mobius or Hope Summers, you can replace them with Caiera or Red Guardian.

I believe having Phastos in hand for turn 3 is a Snap condition for a deck like this, as there’s so much potential for strong synergies. A buffed Vision and Mockingbird will discount Skaar. Free or buffed stones are simply overpowered, while a turn 5 Magneto can definitely win games. Playing Phastos and following up with the Mind Stone can win games. I truly think this will become a force in the meta and one of the best Phastos decks in Marvel Snap.

Other than these two decks, it’s difficult to say if Phastos will find a home where he adds to the deck rather than adding some unnecessary variance.

Related: Best Sasquatch Decks in Marvel Snap

Phastos Counters in Marvel Snap

Unfortunately for Phastos, he has a direct counter: Mobius M. Mobius will stop the more powerful of his ability in its tracks. This is especially true for Silver Surfer, as that deck looks to discount cards further with Sera, and Thanos lists will lose out on Mockingbird. You could run Shadow King to remove the +2 power from cards; however, this is likely a waste of a deck slot if you’re specifically trying to counter Phastos. For the first week, Mobius M. Mobius is going to be your best friend.

Who Is Phastos?

Phastos, like the other cards released this season, is a super-powered human known as an Eternal. He has all your superhero trappings: superpower and speed, near invulnerability, flight, and so on. Phastos differs from his fellow Eternals by having a genius-level intellect that makes him a great engineer, which is where the Marvel Snap team pulled his ability from. Like many of his peers, he was mistaken as a mythological figure in Ancient Greece: Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths.

Is Phastos Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

Unless you’re hoarding keys for next week’s Arishem (and you should be if you value fun more than competitiveness), then yes – Phastos is worth rolling for this week or spending Collector’s Tokens on. He may not be a meta-breaking force, but I believe his ability is flexible enough to find its way into at least two powerful decks immediately and to be a consideration in deck building in the future.

And those are the best Phastos decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

It’s one of the strengths of Baldur’s Gate 3—one of the best RPGs in recent memory—as every single character, including Wyll and Minthara, has great backstories and motivations to uncover. The previous three Dragon Age games had their memorable allies, too. Alistair and Morrigan stood out in Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age 2 introduced us to the ubiquitous Varric and Dragon Age: Inquisition gave us Solas, who would later become the antagonist of the DLC, and seemingly Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

I came away skeptical of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in many respects after both the character and gameplay reveals last week, despite the gameplay looking better than I expected. As a massive Dragon Age fan, it still wasn’t enough to get over the misgivings I have. Foremost, I haven’t forgotten how great both Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem looked in early gameplay reveals before they became two of the most disappointing major releases, somewhere behind Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077. Throw in how The Veilguard apparently had but later axed live service features, and my concerns here aren’t going anywhere until reviews drop.

Then there’s how action heavy or simplified the combat appears, though this could just have been from the gameplay reveal taking place at the beginning of the game, where the player character only had a couple skills. Still, companions are no longer directly controllable, and it appears like you’ll only be able to have a handful of active skills active at any given time, greatly reducing the 8 available in Dragon Age: Inquisition and possibly limiting builds.

However, none of that matters if the companions are great. I could sit through a mediocre game if I cared about its characters—Dragon Age II being proof of that—and look forward to speaking to them about their histories and motivations between missions and taking them out on companion-related quests.

This time around, Lace Harding returns from Inquisition with a glow-up as a full-fledged companion, assuaging the disappointment that you couldn’t romance her previously. As she was previously a personal favorite side character of mine (and if the internet is anything to go by, many others) I’m already sold on playing The Veilguard.

The only other party member we saw in actual gameplay was Neve Gallus, an ice-focused mage and private detective. Magic and detective work seem like a fun combination, and the fact that Neve is also a member of a group fighting against the Tevinter Imperium from within means she’s likely to have an intriguing background with the racist slaving nation that has lingered on the periphery of the games until now.

After these two, I’m most keen on getting to know Bellara as I like her happy-go-lucky design and have a soft spot for both Elves and mages in the Dragon Age universe (see: my romancing of Merrill in Dragon Age II) and I’m quite interested in what the Veil Jumpers faction she’s part of is all about. She also wields a pretty sick magical-looking bow.

The rest of the cast looks fittingly diverse, with two warriors, two rogues, and three mages total, each of a different race and faction. In fact, I’d go as far to say it looks like the best lineup since the original Dragon Age: Origins, as none of the new heroes stand out as characters I wouldn’t like to get to know better, like when I first saw Aveline and Vivienne before completely forgetting about them after finishing their respective adventures.

Even if the gameplay is a pale shadow of the complexity of Dragon Age: Origins, or BioWare falls victim once again to its post-EA acquisition woes, great writing surrounding these seven companions can save the fourth Dragon Age from the fate of recent BioWare releases. I’m typically someone who refuses to buy into hype outside of first-party Nintendo games, but what we’ve seen of them looks promising enough to allow myself a little bit of cautious excitement for when The Veilguard launches this fall.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will release in 2024.

A tactical RPG starring wizards and warlocks that plays a lot like Into the Breach, Tactical Breach Wizards is a near-perfect alien invasion tactics game developed by the same guys who did the stellar FTL: Faster Than Light. 

Due to a love of Fire Emblem from a young age, I’m a sucker for anything turn-based and tactical, so I wasn’t surprised that Tactical Breach Wizards hooked me pretty much immediately. The demo — and the entire game — opens with two wizards, decked out in army gear, assaulting a boat full of druids because of course wizards and druids don’t get along. One of the wizards, Zan, can see into the future, and the other, Liv, has the powerful ability to transcend time. As they banter back and forth, they eventually decide to breach the door with a magical glyph, beginning the tutorial. 

While Liv isn’t a playable character — and appears to be the primary antagonist — the genius of Tactical Breach Wizards comes from Zan’s ability to predict what’s going to happen, letting you try out different scenarios and rewind time if the round doesn’t go your way. A round leaves an enemy alive that blasts you out of the window? Rewind time and shoot them out of the window first. This reminded me immediately of the puzzle-like design of Into the Breach.

The tutorial concludes with Liv’s capture before jumping forward in time, introducing a second protagonist named Jen. Much in the same way Zan is a soldier and a wizard, Jen works as a private investigating witch who recently failed to stop a murder. The police station she’s in is attacked by some pyromancers, triggering her escape and team-up with Zan. As it turns out, those pyromancers work with Zan’s former teammate, Liv, and this is where Tactical Breach Wizards hints at the depth of gameplay you’d expect from the genre.

You see, Zan can prepare to fire a shot by predicting the future, and Jen is all about pushing enemies around the map. To take out more powerful foes, such as police officers with riot shields, you’ll need to push them into Zan’s predictive shot — or blast them out of a window. There’s a lot of defenestration in this game and, much like how Into the Breach has you interrupt spawning monsters, magically sealing off doors to stop the influx of enemies. It’s all very clever, with each short stage offering small twists or challenges to overcome. 

After a handful of cleverly designed levels that made the most of Zan and Jen’s abilities, along with a healthy amount of tongue-in-cheek humor, I grew genuinely interested in Zan and Jen’s quest to stop the time-hopping Liv, mostly because the characters are endearingly and hilariously written. Their mission led to the demo’s final battle which saw the duo taking on Steve, a traffic warlock. Yes, a warlock that summons ghosts while directing traffic as a day job. And wouldn’t you know it, the ghosts he summons are in the form of massive trucks.

According to Jen, Steve’s a bit of a dick, and I agree with her after avoiding his massive, room-clearing attacks while magically sealing off reinforcements from giving him a hand. Defeating him gave me a glimpse at some promising difficulty, as up until that point, I made quick work of each challenge but couldn’t take down Steve without rewinding time a half dozen times to get through unscathed.

I came away keen on playing more when it releases later this summer, noting that each stage incites replays with specific goals for either character (defenestrate five enemies, take no damage, etc.) that I know I’d want to achieve. It wasn’t until the demo concluded that I learned there are five wizards that eventually join your little magical squad. Here I was happy with two wizards with different kits — but the strategic possibilities that come with five? That fact alone makes Tactical Breach Wizards one of my most anticipated titles of this already-packed summer and one of the more promising titles I’ve played during a Steam Next Fest event.

Tactical Breach Wizards is set to release on PC on August 22, 2024. You can play a demo now on Steam.

How Makkari Works in Marvel Snap

Makkari is a 3-energy, 4-power card with an ability that reads: “After the turn, runs from your hand to a random location. (if possible)”.

In short, this means that whenever you draw Makkari, whether on the first turn or the sixth, she’ll jump from your hand to a random location. She is essentially a free 4-power on the board at the cost of a deck slot.

Yes, she can land in Bar With No Name and lose you the game. But at the same time, she can leap into a lane flooded by Storm. Do note that Professor X has been heavily nerfed, but Makkari can’t jump from your hand into his lane.

Her text says ‘runs’ from your hand, which is a notable distinction to ‘played.’ This means Makkari won’t trigger certain card effects, such as Hope Summers’ or Angela’s, or trigger locations like Orchis Forge.

Makkari is most comparable to Angel or M’Baku, which should tell you a little bit about whether or not you should rush out to get her.

Related: Best Namora Decks in Marvel Snap

The Best Makkari Decks in Marvel Snap

Honestly, Makkari doesn’t fit into any particular deck because her ability isn’t controllable. If you could choose where to play Makkari or if she landed in a lane you were losing, like Proxima Midnight, she might have a place in a lockdown-style deck. As it stands, she pretty much only fits into Silver Surfer, and her usefulness there is debatable with so many other strong 3-energy cards. Regardless, here’s a list:

• Nova
• Forge
• Brood
• Silver Surfer
• Killmonger
• Hope Summers
• Makkari
• Sebastian Shaw
• Gladiator
• Absorbing Man
• Sera
• Mockingbird

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

No cards are really replaceable in this deck. But if you don’t have Mockingbird, another solid 3 drop like Red Guardian will work instead.

I believe Makkari will fit into a standard Nova and Killmonger Surfer list rather than the Hazmat hybrid simply because the latter version is too crammed full of necessary cards, making it difficult to create room for her.

If you’re hellbent on playing Makkari, this list is rather straightforward. Snap against your opponent if you have a Brood into Sebastian Shaw line, but don’t discount having excess energy to Silver Surfer and Absorbing Man on the final turns. In the current meta, this deck is quite good because Zoo-style and Thanos lists currently reign supreme.

Speaking of Zoo, Makkari can fit into a Zoo-style deck, though whether or not she’ll make an already strong deck better is debatable. I’ve been a champion of Zoo over the last few weeks and she’ll do fine in a list like this:

• Ant-Man
• Nico Minoru
• Squirrel Girl
• Dazzler
• Makkari
• Shanna the She-Devil
• Nocturne
• Ka-Zar
• Cull Obsidian
• Blue Marvel
• Gilgamesh
• Mockingbird

Click here to copy the deck list from Untapped.

Mockingbird and Gilgamesh are necessary for this deck to function properly. But you can swap out Cull Obsidian for Crossbones if you don’t have him. Otherwise, Morph can substitute for Nocturne.

The difficulty with this deck is knowing when to fill up your locations and when to keep a space or two open, given the prevalence of cards like White Widow. Makkari can have a negative impact by taking up the fourth space of a location late in a match, but at the same time, she can drop earlier and make it easier for you to know when to play. It really depends on which turn you draw Makkari.

Related: Best Sersi Decks in Marvel Snap

How to Counter Makkari in Marvel Snap

There is no direct way to counter Makkari, though decks that clog up the board with cards like White Widow, Debrii, and Annihilus will do so better than others. If, for some reason, you’re running into a ton of Makkari—or she gets a significant buff—consider throwing a Green Goblin into your deck to make your opponent regret slotting Makkari in over a different card.

Is Makkari Worth Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

In her current form, Makkari is definitely not worth any of your resources. The above decks will function with her in them, but quite often in Marvel Snap you do not want a card being played randomly, and as a result, those decks have plenty of better options than Makkari. If she were to get a buff that considered her a ‘played’ card, or if you could somehow predict where she’ll land, she may see a lot more utility. But until that buff arrives, definitely save your Spotlight Cache Keys unless you’re aiming to pick up Gladiator or X-23 which are also in caches this week.

Marvel Snap is available now.

Most recently, I’ve written about how Paldea lacks art direction, making it visually the least interesting region in Pokemon history, but I’ve also covered the need for Game Freak to take a break after Scarlet and Violet, which I’m glad they’ve done. Despite all this, my recent playthrough of Pokemon Violet showed me that the flawed adventure nailed three things that I hope carry over to the next generation.

First and foremost, Scarlet and Violet continue the trend of absolutely amazing music. From the iconically creepy Lavender Town tune to Galar’s raucous gym theme, every Pokemon game features standout tracks; likewise, Game Freak packed Paldea full of memorable songs. From rival Nemona’s catchy, happy-go-lucky battle music to the mysterious Area Zero theme, the music does the heavy lifting when it comes to making Paldea feel unique. Throw in some standout tracks like the Tera Raid battle music composed by Undertale’s Toby Fox, and you’ve got yourself one of the better videogame OSTs in recent memory.

Second—and I can’t believe I’m saying this after Pokemon Sword and Shield’s atrocious narrative—two of the three stories presented in Scarlet and Violet tell better tales than most Pokemon games. Say what you will about the gameplay associated with them, but Starfall Street and Path of Legends tugged on the ol’ heartstrings a little. The former sees a band of seemingly villainous delinquents come to terms with the bullying they faced, while the latter follows Arven in his quest to cure his Mastiff of a seemingly deadly disease. Victory Road, the final of the three central narratives, falls rather flat, but at least it has that classic Pokemon gym badge experience.

Finally, and this is an incredibly subjective take, but I found the new Pokemon designs to be the best since Pokemon Black and White. Quaquaval and Flamigo designs aside (I mean seriously, the second one is just a regular flamingo. It’s almost as bad as Komala), I fell in love with the likes of Fidough and Tinkaton immediately. The Pawmi line are the best electric rodents since the original Pikachu, and how could you not appreciate Scovillain, a bell pepper-themed grass and fire type?

And that’s without getting into the Paradox Pokemon, which took the idea of regional variants, punted a few Pokemon into the distant past or far future, and created awesome designs like Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon. I predict a lot of these ‘mons will remain iconic for years or even decades to come, much the same way the likes of Dragapult and Urshifu from Sword and Shield have.

It’s clear to me that the designers at Game Freak still have the ability to make an amazing Pokemon game. Regardless of technical and visual quality, I’ll be first in line to pick up Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the generation that comes after (likely on the more powerful Switch successor) simply because I have no doubt in my mind we’ll get some great tunes, memorable new Pokemon designs, and if we’re lucky, a half decent story to experience.

That said, if there was any other game that didn’t have the pedigree of Pokemon released in the state Scarlet and Violet did and is still in, I would’ve never bothered to play it. One of the highest grossing and most renowned videogame series in history has to do better, no matter how well Game Freak nails the music, narrative, and creature designs.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now.

How Sersi Works in Marvel Snap

Sersi is a 5-energy, 7-power card with an ability that reads: “On Reveal: Transform your other cards here into random cards that cost 1 more. (if able).”

Her effect isn’t complicated. If you play Sersi on top of a 1-cost card, it will become 2-cost, and so on. However, 6-cost cards at the moment will not transform into anything else until later in the season when the 7-cost Arishem releases. And when he does, he’ll always transform into the 8-cost Death.

These cards will trigger their On Reveal abilities and Ongoing effects, so you do run the risk of Sersi transforming a card into an effect you don’t want, such as a 4 drop turning into Doctor Octopus and pulling your opponent’s hand.

Sersi is best seen as a less reliable Blink with a much higher ceiling.

Best Sersi Decks in Marvel Snap

I think Sersi will find a great home in a typical On Reveal deck, where she can transform low-power cards that have already served their purpose, such as Iron Heart and White Tiger. Whether Sersi will make it an A or S-tier deck remains to be seen, but at least she’s a positive addition to the classic archetype. Here’s a list:

• Nebula
• White Widow
• Jeff!
• Electro
• Jubilee
• White Tiger
• Blink
• Sersi
• Doctor Doom
• Odin
• Red Hulk
• Magneto

Copy the deck from Untapped here.

You can replace Red Hulk if you don’t have him with a regular Hulk, and you can swap out Blink for Vision.

Sersi has a handful of targets here you’ll want to hit by playing Electro, Jubilee, and White Tiger in the same location. Blink also isn’t a bad hit, either, as you can easily upgrade her 7-power into something more. In fact, pretty much every card in this deck is Sersi-worthy aside from Nebula; at the moment, the 6-cost cards cannot upgrade into anything else, so you won’t ruin an early Magneto. When Arishem releases, however, this won’t be the case – so keep that in mind if you’re picking up this deck later in the season.

That said, Sersi is more used here to squeeze a little bit more power out of the likes of Electro and Jubilee and not much more, so don’t overly rely on her to win you games with this deck. Prioritize playing your big threats.

Next, Sersi fits fairly well into a Zoo-style deck that looks to flood the board, as she can quickly turn token cards like Squirrels and Mysterio clones into more substantial or beneficial cards. Furthermore, she’ll discount Mockingbird even more readily, making for a great addition to this underrated list:

• Ant-Man
• Nico Minoru
• Squirrel Girl
• Dazzler
• White Widow
• Mysterio
• Debrii
• Baron Zemo
• Cull Obsidian
• Blue Marvel
• Sersi
• Mockingbird

Copy the deck from Untapped here.

Mockingbird is integral to this deck, but you can swap out Baron Zemo for something that can fill up a lane like Brood. Furthermore, a 1-cost card such as Spider-Ham or Iceman can replace Nico Minoru if you don’t have her.

The challenge with Sersi in this deck will be not playing her into the likes of Ant-Man, Dazzler, Cull Obsidian, and Blue Marvel, aiming instead to transform a lane filled with tokens or cheap cards pulled from your opponent with Baron Zemo. In this way, you can get a little bit more power out of them before dropping Blue Marvel on the final turn alongside a free Mockingbird. White Widow and Debrii provide a light junk package that can catch your opponent off guard, allowing you to stack another lane if you have one locked down.

Related: Best Gilgamesh Decks in Marvel Snap

Sersi Counters in Marvel Snap

Sersi is readily countered by the likes of Cosmo; however, other than the space dog, you’re not likely to have a direct counter that will stop her from transforming a lane into higher-cost cards other than praying the RNG goes your way. It’s better to analyze which kind of decks Sersi is in and counter them as a whole; destroy, for example, wrecks the second of the best Sersi Marvel Snap decks I recommended above, and Hela outclasses the Electro ramp list.

Who Is Sersi?

Sersi, like the other cards released so far this season, is an Eternal, a type of superpowered human tasked with protecting the human race. Like the others, she has popped up throughout history, visiting Rome during Nero’s reign and helping out Merlin in Camelot, and became a famous socialite in New York while often aiding the Avengers in modern times. She also has superhuman strength and telepathic skills like the other Eternals, specializing in transmuting items or creatures into whatever she wants, which is where she gets her in-game card effect.

Is Sersi Worth Your Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens?

Sersi is worth your spotlight cache keys if you like RNG cards like her and Pixie. She has an incredibly high ceiling to turn 3 Broods into Cull Obsidians; however, at the same time, she can turn them into Mister Negatives. As to whether I think she will be competitive, I do not think she will be initially; her ability is too random to build a deck around, making her a replaceable piece in the decks she will often find herself in. If I was limited on Spotlight Cache Keys, I would save them for Phastos and Arishem later in the season.

And those are the best Sersi decks in Marvel Snap.

Marvel Snap is available now.

All FromSoftware Soulsborne DLCs, Ranked

7) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Ivory King

As Dark Souls 2 is the ugly child of FromSoftware’s dark fantasy brood – though we love that ugly child all the same – it’s no surprise that the first of its three DLCs lands fairly low on this list. Crown of the Ivory King certainly has its things going for it; Frozen Eleum Loyce is a unique and memorable area to explore, and two of the bosses, especially Aava, the King’s Pet, provide quite the exciting bouts.

However, the final boss, the Burnt Ivory King, is a letdown. While the other bosses in the three DLCs truly stood out, and I remember them all these years later, this pinnacle fight is rather forgettable if you play your cards right and head into the battle with multiple allies at your side. Furthermore, the regular mobs found throughout this short quest leave a lot to be desired.

6) Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel

I love everything about the third Dark Souls, particularly when it comes to atmosphere and level design, but the first DLC pack disappointed me. Heading back to the original Dark Souls’ Painted World of Ariamas, Ashes of Ariandel certainly has a lot for lore aficionados to uncover. It features some stunning vistas right from the get-go, with imposing towers and rickety bridges leading to daunting castles. Great regular enemies to contend with make exploring all this a difficult delight, but at the same time, it concludes far too quickly and leaves you wanting much more, especially with only one main boss and an optional boss that doesn’t stand out when compared to those of the base game – though Blackflame Friede will forever live on in my nightmares.

5) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Old Iron King

The second DLC for Dark Souls 2 takes place primarily in the intricately designed yet infuriating Brume Tower, filled to the brim with difficult enemies and devious traps. Like much of the second Dark Souls’ DLCs, it takes the base game’s level design to heart by ramping up difficulty from enemy placement and maze-like design. Frustrations aside, Crown of the Old Iron King does a great job at letting you tackle it how you want by providing lots of optional challenges tucked away for intrepid explorers like myself. 

That said, of all the Dark Souls 2 DLCs, I find this fiery brimstone quite visually inspired, especially outside of the tower, but at the same time, the bosses, particularly the final encounter with Sir Alonne, frustrate far more than in the other DLC packs. Your enjoyment of this DLC will wholly depend on how good you are at dodging katana strikes.

Related: All Pre-Order Bonuses & Editions for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

4) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King

Crown of the Sunken King takes place largely in the labyrinthine Shulva that takes a lot of the criticisms of the base game’s straightforward level design to heart, making for an incredibly complex area to explore with simple The Legend of Zelda-esque puzzles spread throughout. The three bosses do not disappoint, two of which borrow from encounters in the base game in unique and challenging ways. 

All together, Crown of the Sunken King plays like a wholly different game than what came before it, setting the bar high for the two DLC packs that would follow and providing one of the most unique Soulsborne experiences.

3) Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss

The first-ever DLC in a Soulsborne game places highly on this list simply because it’s the perfect accompaniment to a near-perfect and genre-defining adventure. Warping your character back in time a couple hundred years, you get to uncover quite a lot of lore and finally get to meet Sir Artorias, one of the four great knights and partner to the Great Grey Wolf Sif. It ranks as one of the saddest boss fights in video game history, as the beast is only protecting his friend’s grave. 

You also get to face off against Manus, a figure central to the lore surrounding the entire series. It’s all a Dark Souls fan could ever want in a DLC.

2) Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City

Speaking of all a fan could ever want in a Dark Souls DLC, The Ringed City nearly tops this list for much the same reasons as Artorias of the Abyss. It, of course, features stunning vistas around every bend, which is the hallmark of Dark Souls 3, and a handful of great boss fights culminating in one of the best in the series with Slave Knight Gael. 

The best part of the DLC, in my opinion, is how it reveals links to previous games the more as you continue to delve down into the titular Ringed City. You might need to watch a video essay or three on YouTube to understand it all, and you could argue that DLCs higher up on this list have better level designs. That said, none match The Ringed City in terms of impact.

1) Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

Try and act surprised that Bloodborne’s DLC tops this – and most likely every other – list of best Soulsborne DLCs. It is in every way, shape, and form the perfect DLC package: it adds significantly to the lore while providing a couple of intriguing zones to explore in The Hunter’s Nightmare and Fishing Hamlet. With the way Bloodborne is designed, it also adds significant new ways to play with weapons like Simon’s Bowblade, the Holy Moonlight Sword, and the Whirligig Saw. 

Finally, it includes five unique bosses, culminating with two of the most difficult in any Soulsborne game: Lady Maria, who definitely inspired the infamous Malenia from Elden Ring, and the grotesque Orphan of Kos.

And that’s where I think each Soulsborne DLC ranks. Now it’s time to wait and see where Shadow of the Erdtree will end up on this list. It seems like FromSoftware has put more into the Elden Ring DLC than any that have come before it, including a new leveling system, tons of new weapons, and a massive area to explore; no doubt it will be much larger than any of the above. That said, will it top the impact that The Ringed City had or the perfection of The Old Hunters? I can’t wait to find out.

Elden Rings: Shadows of the Erdtree releases on June 21, 2024.