Honestly, the first time I saw Black Knight in my shop, I passed on him. I thought, "Great, another niche discard card that’ll just get stuck behind a Cosmo or a bad draw." I was wrong. Dead wrong.
Dane Whitman isn’t just some backup dancer for Hela or MODOK. In the current 2026 meta, he is the surgical tool of the discard archetype. If you’ve ever played a game where you dropped a 20-power indestructible sword on turn 4, you know the feeling. It’s disgusting. It feels like cheating.
But most people play him like a slot machine. They pray to draw the 1-drop early, hope Lady Sif hits the right target, and then panic when the Ebony Blade gets clogged in their hand.
The Core Math of the Black Knight Marvel Snap Meta
Let's get the technical stuff out of the way. Black Knight is a 1-cost, 2-power card. His ability is simple: "After you discard a card, add the Ebony Blade to your hand with that card's Power (once per game)."
The key is that "once per game" part. You get one shot at this.
If you accidentally discard a Swarm or a X-23 while Black Knight is on the board, you’ve just bricked your own win condition. You’re now the proud owner of a 4-cost, 3-power paperweight. To make this card work in high Infinite ranks, you have to be obsessed with hand order and card sequencing.
Why the Ebony Blade is Actually Terrifying
The token generated—the Ebony Blade—is a 4-cost card. For a long time, it was just a big stick. Then it got the buff of a lifetime: it cannot be destroyed and its power cannot be reduced.
This means:
- Shang-Chi? Worthless.
- Shadow King? Does nothing.
- High Evolutionary’s debuffs? Bounced right off.
When you drop a 20-power Blade (from discarding The Infinaut), you aren't just winning a lane; you’re effectively deleting your opponent’s tech cards. They’re sitting there with a Shang-Chi in hand, sweating, knowing they literally cannot touch that location.
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Decks That Actually Win (And Not Just High-Roll)
You'll see a lot of people trying to jam Black Knight into a standard Hela deck. Don't do that. Hela is about chaos and wide boards. Black Knight is about tall, targeted power. You want a "Black Knight Package" that functions independently of your other big plays.
The "Big Blade" Shell
This is the most consistent version right now. You aren't looking for a 12-card combo. You’re looking for the triad: Black Knight, a discarder (Blade or Lady Sif), and a "Fatty" (Infinaut, Giganto, or Death).
A typical winning line looks like this:
- Turn 1: Black Knight.
- Turn 2: Zabu (yes, Zabu is still the glue here, making that 4-cost Blade a 3-cost).
- Turn 3: Lady Sif, discarding Infinaut. You now have a 20-power Blade in hand.
- Turn 4: Drop that 20-power Blade.
- Turn 5: Ghost Rider to pull back the Infinaut you just discarded.
Just like that, you have 40 power spread across two lanes by turn 5. It’s hard to beat that math.
The Weapon H Synergy
Lately, people have been experimenting with Weapon H in these lists. Since Weapon H puts itself back in your hand with reduced cost when discarded, it creates a weirdly efficient energy curve. Discarding Weapon H gives you a respectable Ebony Blade while keeping your options open for a big turn 6. It's less "all-in" than the Infinaut line but much more flexible against junk decks.
What Most Players Get Wrong
The biggest mistake? Playing Black Knight on Turn 1 every single time.
I know, I know. He’s a 1-drop. You want him out. But if your hand is Lady Sif, Death, and Hela, and you don’t have a way to guarantee Sif hits Death, you’re playing with fire. Sometimes it’s better to hold Black Knight until turn 3. You can play Black Knight and Blade on the same turn to guaranteed-target the rightmost card.
Control is better than tempo in this archetype.
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Knowing When to Snap (and Retreat)
Black Knight is a "Low Information" win condition for your opponent but a "High Information" one for you. By turn 3, you usually know if you have the Blade. If you’ve successfully discarded a 10+ power card and have the Blade in hand, snap immediately. Opponents usually stay in because they think they can out-power you. They forget that the Ebony Blade is indestructible. On the flip side, if you reach turn 4 and you haven't discarded anything over 6 power, get out. Don't chase the high. This deck lives and dies by its cuberate, not its win rate.
Counters: How to Beat the Knight
If you're facing Dane Whitman, you have to be annoying. Since you can't kill the Blade, you have to stop it from ever being forged.
- Mobius M. Mobius: This is the hard counter. If the Black Knight player is relying on Zabu or Ravonna to cheat out the Blade and Ghost Rider, Mobius shuts the door.
- Red Guardian: If you can hit Black Knight with Red Guardian before they discard, you've neutralized the threat entirely.
- Cosmo: Predict the Lady Sif. It’s easier than it sounds. Most players will telegraph their discard lane by where they place Black Knight.
- Jean Grey: Forcing the Blade into a lane where they already have power is a great way to "waste" those 20 points.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Climb
Stop treating your discard deck like a slot machine. If you want to hit Infinite with Black Knight Marvel Snap builds, start tracking your hand position.
- Check Hand Order: Before you play Blade, look at what is actually on the far right. Is it your 20-power Infinaut or your 0-power Sage?
- Prioritize Protection: If you aren't running Caiera, start. Protecting your 1-cost Knight from Killmonger before he can trigger is the difference between a win and a 4-cube loss.
- Vary Your Targets: Don't get obsessed with the 20-power dream. A 12-power Blade from a Magneto is still enough to win most lanes in the current meta.
Start holding your 1-drop until you have the discard trigger ready in the same turn. It’s a bit slower, sure, but the consistency will jump by 20% overnight. The Ebony Blade is a guaranteed win in one lane; your only job is to figure out how to scrap for the second one.