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Marvel Snap is Hearthstone for superheroes

Just when you thought the multiverse couldn’t get any larger, Marvel is extending into the world of digital card games. The company announced its new mobile game venture, Marvel Snap, a collectible card game coming to mobile and PC by former Hearthstone developers.

MARVEL SNAP | Official Announcement & Gameplay First Look

As shown in its reveal trailer, Marvel Snap takes the many universes of Marvel and brings them together for Yu-Gi-Oh-style card battles. The game’s chief production officer, Yong Woo, describes the game as, “a card game that strips away everything that gets in the way of fun and gets everybody straight into the strategic action.”

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Marvel Snap trailer shot of Miles Morales, America Chaves, Iron Heart, Venom, and Black Panther in a mech.

It’s clear that the game is chasing the mainstream audience that Marvel Studios captured with the Marvel Cinematic Universe by making Marvel Snap as open as possible while retaining the hallmarks of the card battler genre. This is partly accomplished by making the game faster than other collectible card games on the market.

Both players take their turns at the same time, removing all waiting from the experience. This allows both players to make their decisions simultaneously and results in a game where matches take half the time of a standard card game.

The card game also supports online play with standard ranked and player-matched modes. The game will feature voice acting, as well as tons of art from decades of Marvel Comics. For Marvel fans, it’s looking like a fun celebration of the comic company’s long superhero history.

Marvel Snap has no set release date just yet, but fans can sign up for its beta on the official website.

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Fighting games took a breather this year, but 2023 is the genre’s moment
Chun-li classic outfit in Street Fighter 6.

Depending on who you ask, we're either living in the golden age of fighting games right now or in a dry spell. From late 2020 to now, fans had no shortage of games to keep them occupied, but many of the genre's big developments have been supplemental. In recent years, we've seen a stream of final updates for Street Fighter 5, two betas for Street Fighter 6, and the release of King of Fighters XV, Guilty Gear Strive, Melty Blood Type Lumina, and more.

Street Fighter 6 - Pre-Order Trailer | PS5 Games

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Celebrate the holidays like a true gamer with these 6 yule log videos
best video game yule logs hades log

Sometimes you just want to create a cute holiday vibe in your home, letting you curl up next to a roaring fire. That mission can be tough if you don't have a fireplace, though. That's where yule log videos come in. You can head over to YouTube and load up any number of cozy yule log videos simulating that experience.
There are plenty of traditional yule log options for you to choose from, but what if you're a gamer? Perhaps you won't settle for anything less than a neat gaming-themed fire that will make your younger cousins think you’re very cool and have the rest of your family concerned about your life choices. If that applies to you, here are six great gaming yule logs you can fire up this holiday weekend.
Minecraft Holiday Yule Log
Minecraft Holiday Yule Log (Official)
Let's start with an old standby. If you want a good-natured, uncomplicated gaming fire, look to the blocky world of Minecraft. Released in 2016, this two-hour YouTube video lets you watch a fire burn in a holiday-decorated Minecraft cabin. While it lacks the realistic graphics of The Last of Us Part II and it plays the same fire sound effect every couple of seconds, this will do if you’re looking for a gaming-themed yule log that almost anyone can recognize. It's official, too -- it says so in the title. 
Happy Holidays featuring Charlie the Yule Dog from Marvel's Midnight Suns
Happy Holidays featuring Charlie the Yule Dog | Marvel's Midnight Suns
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Marvel, but it’s this neat comic book universe that has spawned some movies and video games. The latest Marvel game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, even got a Yule Log of its own almost an entire year before it was released. The official video is titled Charlie the Yule Dog, so I don’t really think I have to put in that much comedic effort here after that pun. I just want to highlight that it’s nice for a game to give such a fledgling universe of characters some time in the spotlight.
AVGN's Yule Log of Video Games
AVGN's Yule Log of Video Games
Are you celebrating Christmas with people who really don’t like video games? Then you can try to convince them that you, a gamer, are actually on their side with this yule log from the Angry Video Game Nerd. This timeless classic is over an hour long and shows video games burning over chiptune music. Warm your family's weary bones by the flames of Bonk's Adventure and Beavis and Butthead's Sega Genesis game.
Little Inferno: Ho Ho Holiday
Little Inferno Ho Ho Holiday Expansion - Official Trailer
“Wait, that’s a trailer, not a yule log video you madman!” is what you’re probably thinking. Well, I'm just trying to keep you on your toes. We have gamified everything from language learning to literal geese, so of course, we’ve found a way to gamify yule logs. If your least favorite part of these videos is the fact that you can't interact with them, then Little Inferno’s Ho Ho Holiday expansion is for you. Little Inferno is a funny, satirical indie game that's all about burning things, and this expansion that just released in November adds over 20 new toys for you to burn. I think this technically counts as a yule log, because it makes you feel like one. 
House of Hades Yule Log
House of Hades Yule Log [4k]
This isn’t a comedic yule log entry. I’m just here to tell you that Hades is a good game and has a great yule log video. Put on this calming 12-hour yule log and just play Hades. Watch the Hades II trailer while you’re at it, and then play Hades again. Why are you still here? You should be playing Hades -- it’s one of the best games of all time.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Yule Log
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) - "Yule Log" - Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures released a Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Yule Log ahead of the film's release earlier this year, and it's actually a pretty great one. I'm extending this one to Sonic fans as a holiday olive branch after my very critical review of Sonic Frontiers earlier this year. I hope this gift brings you peace this holiday season. Regardless, this is actually a nice yule log, especially if the people around you know who Sonic is. Roast some chili dogs over an open flame while you watch this one.
Hopefully, one of these very niche yule logs can fill your weekend with some gaming cheer. Happy holidays from the Digital Trends gaming team!

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Marvel Snap’s Winterverse event introduces new cards, variants, and more
Marvel Snap art highlights Winterverse variants for Rogue, Ebony Maw, Patriot, and Rockslide.

The latest Marvel Snap update kicks off the Winterverse event, bringing many holiday-themed variants and brand-new cards to the mobile card game.
The two new cards coming to Marvel Snap this week are Darkhawk and Sentry. Darkhawk is a superhero who first emerged in the 1990s and has a techno-organic body with glider wings. In Marvel Snap, he's a 4-Cost, 1-Power Ongoing card that gives +2 Power for each card in the deck of your opponent.
Meanwhile, Sentry is a hero that was introduced in 2000 that has Superman-like abilities, but is connected to an evil entity called the Void that's just as powerful. In-game, that translates to Sentry being a 4-Cost On Reveal card with 8-Power that can't be played at the right location, as playing Sentry will cast a -8 power Void card there.
https://twitter.com/MARVELSNAP/status/1605269381176758272
We don't know if Sentry and Darkhawk are Series 3, Series 4, or Series 5 cards yet. It will take some time for Marvel Snap's meta to evolve and really prove whether or not Darkhawk and Sentry are all that useful, but they do both have interesting abilities. Regardless, keep an eye out for them in Collector's Reserves and in the Token Shop.
They're not the only part of the Winterverse event, though. From December 20 until January 2, Second Dinner is giving away in-game awards for logging in each day. These range from 100 credits to a special Nick Fury card variant featuring Samuel L. Jackson's signature. Five new winter-themed card variants will also start to show up in the shop and Collector's Reserves. You can now find Winterverse cards for Abomination, Ebony Maw, Patriot, Rockslide, and Rogue.
A Winterverse bundle that includes a Sunspot Winterverse Variant, Avatar, 2000 Collector's Tokens, 8000 credits, 100 Sunspot Boosters, and a "Tacos After This?" title will be added to the shop in the coming days as well. 
Marvel Snap is available now for iOS, Android, and PC, and it even made Digital Trends' best games of 2022 list.

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