A beginner’s guide on how to play Marvel Snap

Marvel Snap is about to release to mobile gamers (and PC gamers in beta) around the world, and there are a few questions you might have. The most obvious at first glance might be, “How do you even go about playing this game?” Marvel Snap looks like a simple card battle title in a way, but the team at Second Dinner introduced some unique twists that set it apart from other games in the genre. Shacknews is here to explain how things work.

How to play Marvel Snap

The first thing to note about Marvel Snap is that each game only has six rounds, with both players taking turns simultaneously. The goal isn’t to hit the opponent or destroy cards, although the latter can certainly be a possible strategy. The goal is to outperform your opponent in two out of three places on the board. That leads to the logical next question, which is about explaining what locations are and how they work.

What are locations and how do they work?

There are three locations in each Marvel Snap game, each containing up to four cards. Locations, like individual cards themselves, have their own effects. Here are some examples of what locations can do:

• Some locations may affect map performance. (Jotunheim reduces the power of every card in that location after each turn.)
• Some locations can affect player energy, which is the game’s term for mana. (The Tinker’s Workshop gives players +1 Energy on the turn it is revealed.)
• Some locations can have negative effects on maps. (The Danger Room has a 25% chance to destroy any card played there after it is revealed.)
• Some locations may only contain certain maps. (The Big House doesn’t allow playing 4, 5, and 6 cost cards there after it’s revealed.)
• Some locations make map copies. (The Cloning Vats adds a copy to your hand, while Sinister London adds a copy somewhere else.)
• Some locations only take effect later in the game. (Kyln doesn’t allow players to add 4 cards there after turn.)
• Some locations can affect the length of the game itself. (The TVA shortens the games to four rounds, while Limbo expands the game to seven rounds.)
• Some locations even offer unpredictable wild card effects. (The ego plays all moves itself.)

The leftmost position is shown at the beginning of the game. The middle location is revealed at the start of Round 2. The rightmost location is revealed at the start of Round 3. Cards played at locations before they are revealed are unaffected by that location’s effect, unless it’s an ongoing effect or an effect that triggers later. (For example, Nidavellir gives cards in that location +5 power, and that applies to all cards played there before they are revealed.)

Some cards have special interactions with locations. Uatu the Guardianwhen on hand, allows players to have a look at which locations will be revealed early. Scarlet Witch allows players to completely transform a location.

How does rating work in Marvel Snap?

The numerical values ​​to look out for on each card are in the top left corner. The value at the top left is the energy cost. You start each game with 1 energy and gain one every turn until you get 6 energy on turn 6.

The number at the top right of each card is the power value and this is counted towards the final score. Each card has a base Power stat, but this can be affected by various factors, including different locations and card interactions. The two most important keywords to familiarize yourself with are On Reveal and Constantly.

A On Reveal Effect performs a specific action associated with that card. For example, Jessica Jones will start at 4 Power, but she On Reveal The effect allows her to increase her total strength by +4 if no cards are played at her location in the next turn.

A Constantly The effect lasts throughout the game and can affect cards in more than one location. You have to read the text of a card to see if this is the case. For example, iron man will double your overall power wherever he is. In the meantime, Blue Wonder adds +1 Strength to all friendly cards for the rest of the game, regardless of location.

As you gain more experience, you will learn which ones On Reveal and Constantly Cards work best together. Some cards don’t even have these keywords and only get bonuses as part of their normal abilities, such as angela, which gains +1 power for each new card played at its location. As you expand your collection and learn more about how Marvel Snap works, you might also learn how to disrupt certain effects. For example, sorceress has a On Reveal Effect that disables all Constantly effects at their location.

What does “Snap” mean?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVBTCZf9vFw

The Cosmic Cube at the top of the screen allows players to “snap”. After reaching a certain player level, wins increase this number while losses decrease it. If you’re sure you’re going to win a game, you can use Snap to increase your Cosmic Cube payout, which is tied to your player level. Opponents also have the option to snap, increasing the payout to a maximum of eight Cosmic Cubes. The winner collects the loot, but if you snatch and lose, your level will drop by a larger amount.

Similarly, a player can be confident that he is about to win and snap. At this point, you can examine the board and your hand and find a no-win scenario. If you are cornered and there is no way out, you can click the withdraw now button. If you retreat, you only lose the minimum of 1 die.

The winner of a Marvel Snap game is whoever leads in two out of three places after the final round has been played. In the event of a tie at a location, the player who leads their location with a greater amount wins. If this number is the same for both players, it is a tie.

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This is the basic introduction to playing Marvel Snap. If you have any questions or something simple I may have missed, join the conversation and let us know in the comments. Marvel Snap continues to release on iOS and Android Tuesday October 18th and goes into beta on PC the same day. We’ll be covering more about this game in the coming days, so be sure to check the Marvel Snap Themes page for the latest updates.