MARVEL SNAP Explained: Who Is Master Mold?

Find out his comic origins and best strategies for playing in the hit game MARVEL SNAP!

There are a lot of strategies and deck builds in MARVEL SNAP that emphasize a player trying to load their hand up with as many cards as possible. However, there’s one card that’s aiming to turn that strategy entirely on its head: Master Mold. A classic X-Men villain, Master Mold has arrived in MARVEL SNAP as part of March’s Nimrod-centric battle pass, and the comics-inspired card has brought with him a tricky way to win.

Playing Master Mold in MARVEL SNAP

SECRET AVENGERS (2010) #25 Master Mold by Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman — SECRET AVENGERS (2010) #25 by Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman

A 2-Cost, 2-Power card, Master Mold’s On Reveal ability adds two Sentinels to an opponent’s hand. Master Mold’s Sentinels are the regular 2-Cost, 3-Power cards with an On Reveal ability that adds a new Sentinel to the player’s hand when put down. As such, the strategy with Master Mold is to flood an opponent’s hand with cards so that they can’t draw properly, disrupting their plans in the process.

There are several great cards with which to synergize Master Mold. For example, Absorbing Man is a 4-Cost, 3-Power card that, if applicable, copies the On Reveal ability of his player’s previous card. In the case of Master Mold, an opponent would then end up with four Sentinels in their hand, which is more than half the seven-card hand limit.

POWER PACK (1984) #36 Master Mold by Jon Bogdanove and Hilary Barta — POWER PACK (1984) #36 by Jon Bogdanove and Hilary Barta

Additionally, Master Mold has strong synergy with such cards as Korg and Rockslide, which add Rocks to an opponent’s deck, and Black Widow, who gives an opponent a Widow’s Bite card, which prevents them from drawing until it’s played. Iceman and Baron Mordo also have strong synergy with this strategy, as they increase the Cost of cards in an opponent’s hand.

All of those cards are great at making Master Mold’s On Reveal ability more effective. In terms of getting Power out on the board, though, players should consider pairing Master Mold with Darkhawk, who has an Ongoing ability that gives him 2 Power for every card in an opponent’s deck. Mystique can then use her On Reveal ability to copy Darkhawk’s Ongoing ability, resulting in two massively powerful cards.

There are a few potentially great locations at which to player Master Mold. Kamar-Taj will double his On Reveal ability in and of itself, while Bar Sinister will copy him four times. In both scenarios, opponents will end up with a ton of Sentinels that they can’t easily get rid of. Additionally, Onslaught’s Citadel doubles the effects of Ongoing abilities, making it a great location at which to play Darkhawk in the above strategy.

X-FACTOR (1986) #14 Master Mold by Walter Simonson — X-FACTOR (1986) #14 by Walter Simonson

In terms of problem cards and locations, Master Mold is vulnerable to anything, or anyone, that can stop his On Reveal effect. Cosmo is an effective counter, as his Ongoing ability prevents On Reveal abilities from happening at the location he was played. Destroy and discard effects-based decks are also a bit more immune to Master Mold’s ability, as they have ways of getting rid of Sentinels that don’t involve playing them. As for locations, Knowhere and Deep Space don’t allow On Reveal effects. Lamentis-1 may also be a problem, as that location forces players to draw three cards and destroy their deck. That means in a game where Lamentis-1 comes up, Master Mold might end up helping opponents by giving them more cards.

Master Mold in the Comics

UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #15 Master Mold by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #15 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Master Mold debuted in X-MEN (1963) #15. In the comics, Bolivar Trask created the machine to build Sentinels to keep Earth’s mutant population in check. The relationship between the card’s ability in MARVEL SNAP and the comics is thus pretty clear: Master Mold builds Sentinels, and he uses them to cause problems for his enemies.

NEW X-MEN (2001) #114 Master Mold by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely — NEW X-MEN (2001) #114 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

Over the years, there have been a lot of different designs for, and versions of, Master Mold. The general design of Master Mold as he appears in the MARVEL SNAP card started appearing in the comics around the ‘90s. Due to Master Mold’s colorings, the MARVEL SNAP card most closely resembles the version that started appearing in the era around and after NEW X-MEN (2001), specifically the “E Is For Extinction” arc that lasted from issues #114-#116.

There’s also something of an additional nod to that comics history in Master Mold’s ability, as Sentinels frequently turn on their creators. In this case, the player being flooded with Sentinels finds that they are, in fact, not on their side.

Master Mold’s inclusion as part of a Nimrod-centered pack also fits with the comics, as that villain is an advanced Sentinel. The two also have a close history in the comics. In UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #246 and #247, for example, Nimrod and Master Mold merged to fight that series’ titular team.