Alexander "peter bjorn" Fadin Moonstone is a card that the Ongoing archetype in Marvel Snap that is in dire need of right now, continuing the trend of possible meta-shakers. She can have the ongoing effects of your 1, 2, and 3-cost cards at her lane because she is an ongoing card (4/6).
That copyable pool is already sizable due to the quantity of inexpensive Ongoing cards that are now available in Marvel Snap. What makes it unique, though, is that Moonstone may reach high quickly because she can acquire those effects for free, but most cheap ongoing cards, such as Ant-Man and U.S. Agent, only use their effects to generate power.
Cards That Synergize With Moonstone
Because Moonstone has a strong Ongoing effect, inexpensive cost, and low base power, it's quite easy to determine which cards you need. However, since replicating Mobius M. Mobius's ability won't actually achieve anything, you do need to make sure that the effect improves when piled. Thankfully, the majority of cards that fill this niche are quite easy to play, which gives Moonstone the same quality and allows her to work with a variety of decks.
Ant-Man and Quinjet
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Ant-Man and Quinjet are the best (and possibly the only) 1-cost cards that complement Moonstone. In the current metagame, filling a lane isn't particularly difficult, therefore she already receives a 4/10 for having +4 Power to Moonstone. These attributes alone make her a potent 4-cost card, and since Ant-Man is a Series 1 card, practically anyone can pull off this combo.
Given that Clog and Bounce decks are gradually making a resurgence and that you want a 1-cost card that doesn't require a lot of board space, Ant-Man himself isn't a bad choice these days. His 6.53% Play Rate places him among the most-played Series 1 cards in the game.
Dazzler and U.S. Agent
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Moonstone will excel with these cards if you're dealing with particular archetypes, such as Zoo or Toxic, respectively. As you are aware, when all lanes are occupied, Dazzler can receive up to six more power points. However, you can have a 4/12 on a single body when you convert that Power to Moonstone. Moonstone is a single-body powerhouse that can handle both problems, while Dazzler typically plays in Zoo decks, which either can't go tall enough or get completely destroyed by a Clog deck.
The synergy between Moonstone and U.S. Agent is essentially the same, except it works in the opposite way. Because his ability to inflict negative Power is so game-changing, U.S. Agent is a major player in the meta with a 57.0% win rate. You can then combine Moonstone with Agent's ability if you have a Luke Cage in your deck, which could give at least one or two enemy cards -8 Power. That's usually enough suffering to get you a lane.
Mystique
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Out of all the synergies that have been identified, Mystique and Moonstone have the best synergy because she gets beyond her "low-cost" constraint, which allows for powerful, expensive Ongoing effects. How? Mystique can essentially cheat out another expensive Ongoing effect by copying a high-cost card, like as Iron Man, and then granting Moonstone that Mystique's ability.
When Moonstone comes out, I think this will be the most popular card combination. In addition to Mystique's massive 13.82% meta share, the combo may provide you access to an extra 4/6 Mystique, which is a frightening possibility.
Victoria Hand
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With her incredible numbers, even at High Infinite ranks, and her status as an essential card for Iron Patriot, Victoria Hand has been on a rampage since its introduction. Given how prevalent Iron Patriot decks are right now, pairing her with Moonstone is therefore practically a given.
Victoria is already exceeding expectations; as part of her effect, she frequently gives out six or more powers. As a result, you can immediately see how Moonstone can help you by giving your Demons, Iron Patriot cards, Valentina cards, and more +2 Power.
Onslaught
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Onslaught is virtually always considered for a potential synergy with any mid-cost Ongoing card. Since Onslaught's goal is simply to boost all the cards with her, Moonstone doesn't necessarily need to replicate his effect even though she can't.
Each card synergy that has been mentioned thus far has a stackable effect, meaning that the more of it you have, the stronger it becomes. Onslaught will therefore double the effects of those cards, double what Moonstone was duplicating.
Moonstone Decks To Get You Started
You should focus on the Tribunal and mid-range archetypes while examining Moonstone decks. Naturally, Tribunal is a good fit because you can imitate a Mystique or a Ravonna Renslayer. Conversely, mid-range decks are more comprehensive and contain a few essential, inexpensive ongoing cards that influence the result of the match.
Moonstone + Victoria Hand
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Iron Patriot and Victoria Hand are two meta-defining decks at High-Infinite that strike a nice mix between ramp, numbers, and technology. This deck's inability to get tall, however, makes it vulnerable to giants like Gorr the God Butcher. Moonstone can help you compete and possibly defeat the double-digit titans by giving you an extra Victoria to boost your Demons.
The concept is straightforward: put Moonstone and Victoria in the same lane, use card generators like Iron Patriot and The Hood to produce a ton of cheap cards, and watch as your board accumulates a ton of green Power. Quinjet can be used in conjunction with Moonstone to increase the cost of your better rolls by -1 if you want to focus on card generation as well.
Negative Tribunal
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After Doom 2099 and Iron Patriot gained popularity, tribunal decks enjoyed a slight resurrection, although their 0.65% meta share indicates that they weren't very common. However, the new playlines Moonstone enables could contribute to its resuscitation. You should heavily disregard your Iron Man, Jubilee, and Mystique for later game turns in favor of concentrating on assembling Ravonna and Moonstone together in the early game.
You can then use Moonstone to replicate your Iron Man, Sera, or Onslaught via Mystique, setting up a spectacular late-game play. Overall, there are a number of novel tactics you can use, and even while the deck itself could still be a little picky, it's still worth a shot.
Cheap Ongoing
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Zoo is the best deck when it comes to making the most of inexpensive Ongoing cards. This deck, which is the most widely used variant of the archetype, is now the second most successful in the game with an incredible 59.22% Win Rate. With its potential to reach up to 4/28 in effective Power output, Moonstone is a perfect fit here and pairs nicely with important cards like Ant-Man, Dazzler, and Patriot.
Board management is one thing to be aware of; consider setting up Moonstone's lane exclusively for Ant-Man, Dazzler, and Ultron. However, place Ant-Man or Dazzler in a different lane if you wish to distribute Power equally. Hope Summers provides some good ramp here, but if you want to concentrate on the Ongoing element, you may replace her with someone like Mystique.
Final thoughts
Overall, Moonstone seems like a strange candidate, although it does initially appear to be worth the money. However, there is a minor catch that seems a little dubious; on one of the pre-release adjustments, Second Dinner buffed her from a 4/5 to a 4/6, suggesting that the card was operating as expected during testing. Do take it into account when choosing to buy the card, though, as it does not necessarily indicate that it is overly weak.
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