In this episode of the "SNAP Material" podcast, hosts Jesse and Evan dive deep into the evolving meta of the August 2024 season. They kick off with a discussion on their unlocks and reflect on the shift in gameplay brought about by new additions like alliances, leagues, and the much-anticipated Activate mechanic. Jesse laments his lack of card unlocks this season, compared to Evan’s impressive haul, while they both agree that the addition of alliances and leagues has injected new strategies and playability into the game. They discuss how alliances encourage experimenting with deck builds, leading to fun but often mismatched card pairings, with Jesse using the autofill option as a way to explore new strategies.

The conversation then shifts to the current meta, with both hosts sharing frustrations over the prevalence of destroy decks. Jesse shares a humorous story about experimenting with different cards and how the meta seemed to shift every time he made a slight change to his deck. The duo also discusses the “Loki and Arishem” combo, which initially seemed broken but didn’t quite work out as expected. Despite some frustrations, they both express their enjoyment of the added depth brought by the bounty system and leagues, with Evan achieving infinite rank using a Living Ironslaught deck.

The episode wraps up with a review of their card unlocks for the season, including some standout variants like Jesse's Pixel Juggernaut and Baby Mr. Sinister, and Evan's Luchador Sentry. Both hosts reflect on their favorite card art, as well as the fun moments they experienced unlocking new variants and building out their collections.