Gladiator Guide and Best Decks: Everything You Need to Know - Marvel Snap Zone (2024)

Welcome to our new series of Marvel Snap guides, where we feature a Series 4 or 5 card and analyze how to use it. The goal is to give you a tutorial on how to use the card most effectively in an everchanging meta, as well as help you decide if the card is worth the tokens or if you should pick it up during a Spotlight Cache week!

We will aim to revise this guide each time it becomes featured in a Spotlight Cache. If the card becomes rebalanced or the meta has changed a lot, please let us know in the comments and we will look to update it based on demand!

Please note: Gladiator on June 4th has been swapped with MODOK on June 18th. The database will be updated after the June 4th patch.

Series 5 cards can be purchased for 6,000 Collector’s Tokens from the Token Shop initially as a Weekly Spotlight card, or opened as one of the featured cards in the Spotlight Caches that are found every 120 Levels on the Collection Level Track after Collection Level 500 (until the next new card releases the following week).

Who is Gladiator?

Gladiator is the leader of the imperial guard for the Shi’ar empire. He is basically Superman, but with a twist. He can only use his powers when he is totally dedicated to a purpose. If his confidence shifts, so do his powers. While not only part of the imperial guard, he is a ally to the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Currently Gladiator has no part in the MCU. He does, however, play a role in the X-Men Animated Series, as well as the ’97 reboot.

How to Use Gladiator

Gladiator is both a disruption card and a early stat stick. His ability can interfere with a wide range of decks to frequently disturb your opponent’s gameplan. He does have to be used wisely though, as he could also accidentally summon a large threat, thin your opponent’s deck in their favor, or trigger an opponent’s effect that benefits them.

The trick for Gladiator is to know when to use him and where to use him. If your opponent has a Wong on the board, don’t play Gladiator on that location as it gives your opponent a chance at a double trigger. If your opponent is a destroy deck, use Gladiator to pull a destroy card late game on top of Knull or Venom to interfere with their endgame.

Best Synergies

Cards that buff Gladiator in hand give him the option of destroying bigger cards. This includes Forge, Nakia, Okoye, and even America Chavez (if Gladiator is your top card in your deck).

As a 3-Cost, Gladiator naturally finds synergy with Silver Surfer. Though he won’t get the boosted in Power until after he triggers his ability, this combo makes him a [3/10] with only 1 trigger from Surfer. Not too bad!

If you ever play Gladiator and pull a high Power card he can’t destroy, Shang-Chi can curve perfectly going into turn 4 to clear out the problem. You can also pretend to abandon the location to make your opponent think your failed Gladiator won it for them. Shang can then surprise them on the final turn to flip it back in your favor.

While you often want to use Gladiator for his ability, he can be silenced for a simple [3/8] body to threaten a location. Cosmo and Zero both effectively neutralize his ability, giving you that nice stat stick with no risk.

Best Deck

Sera Control frequently looks for a fine balance of disruption and Power dumps. This version uses Gladiator for both reasons. With Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel, you can surprise swing a location with +8 Power plus destroying your opponent’s big threat.

Fun Off-Meta Deck

While your opponent may not find this deck very fun, constantly thwarting their gameplan can be a very fun mix-up deck for you. The deck is very matchup dependent, but can still compete in the meta. If you haven’t seen this deck style before, it’s goal is to remove your opponent’s cards and mess with their hand so they have virtually nothing to play. Gladiator fits the role of removing cards from their deck and destroying them (hopefully).

Weaknesses and Things to Avoid

Gladiator doesn’t have many counters, as he main drawback is the risk of pulling a card that helps your opponent. Armor is the closest counter since he guarantees your Gladiator will simply give your opponent a free card. Cosmo can also prevent Gladiator‘s ability from triggering, but this could potentially be a positive depending if you are trying to interact with their deck or simply add Power.

Outside of these cards, the main point to keep in mind with Gladiator is when it is appropriate to play him. In a matchup against Hela, he may not be worth the risk because you are likely to summon a high Power card or a free discard for your opponent.

On the other hand, a matchup against bounce is often very beneficial. Gladiator should he able to destroy any target he summons, meaning he should be a safe card to play and yield a high value. Simply put, mind your matchups when playing Gladiator to effectively know when to play him versus when to keep him in hand.

Closing Thoughts

Gladiator is a solid card who’s strength can be meta dependent. If you can read the meta to know when to add him to your deck, he can be extremely valuable. Not to mention extremely fun to play. With his upcoming Series Drop to Series 4, I think he is a solid pick for 3,000 Collector’s Tokens. I wouldn’t say he is required by any means though.

Is Gladiator worth using 3K Collector’s Tokens?