Skip to main content

Marvel Snap is a perfectly balanced trading card game

I’ve been playing what I’d categorize as an unhealthy amount of Marvel’s new digital trading card game, Marvel Snap, since its beta began this week. What I quickly found out is that the game does everything it promised almost flawlessly. It’s a perfect card game for anyone who loves Marvel comics, like myself, because there’s no way I could ignore any game that includes both Nova and Magik.

MARVEL SNAP | GAMEPLAY WALKTHROUGH

After years of not playing card games — since Yu-Gi-Oh! back in elementary school — I’ve been wanting to find a deck builder to jump into and find that strategic fun I’ve missed since then. But I’ve always been intimidated by current series like Magic the Gathering or current digital Yu-Gi-Oh! games due to extensive metas and complicated sets of rules. Thankfully, Marvel Snap is the perfect game for newcomers to the genre who want a less complicated introduction.

A simple challenge

Marvel Snap playing field and cards placed on it.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Marvel Snap is a trading card game from former developers who worked on Hearthstone that sets out to be a simple and fast entry in the genre and retains strategy from other titles. I instantly fell in love with that approach, one that means a single game won’t eat up my entire lunch break.

The premise of the game is to capture three fields by placing cards that add up to a higher power than your opponent’s. You do this with some basic addition and subtraction depending on the ability of your cards and the fields themselves, which will sometimes present extra challenges and setting changes. The fields reveal themselves within three of the five turns and each can quickly turn the tide of battle, adding even more to the strategy of the game.

Players take their turns at the same time in Marvel Snap, so there’s no waiting around for an opponent (I don’t wait in the Marvel universe unless it’s for a post-credits scene). That simple change makes the game even more fast-paced and strategic.

Perfectly balanced

Deck of cards in Marvel Snap.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As with all deck builders, many cards have different effects that can add to its player’s power or take away from their opponent’s. Of course, these cards can be avoided or outright countered, making the gambit of playing cards at the same time intense. For example, there are cards that will add to their power if the player predicts and places it where the opponent is going to play as well. Little battles like this are common in Snap and make every turn as brain-teasing as the last.

Depending on your cards, these strategies will constantly change. Cards like Nightcrawler can be placed and moved later, allowing him to hop to different buffs or even to fields where cards can’t normally be played. There are also cards, like Scarlet Witch, that straight-up move fields around, adding a random variable to the match.

Of course, cards can’t be played for free and cost a set amount of energy points per use. The energy points start at one and add up to six, and sometimes seven by the end of the match. This means that depending on your card draw, sometimes you’re completely stuck playing certain cards or may not be able to play any at all.

I’ve found Marvel Snap to be an easy to learn card game so far, one that I’ve been craving for a long time. Not only is it super easy to pick up and play, but it still brings a fair level of challenge. I can’t wait to see what the developers bring to the table with the full release.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some more grinding to do so I can finally get that Magik card I need.

Editors' Recommendations

DeAngelo Epps
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
I can’t stop pranking my opponents in Marvel Snap
Venom affects a Marvel Snap playng field.

A lot of video games have made me laugh this year. Trombone Champ had me rolling on the floor from the moment I first heard its nasty toots on my Twitter timeline. I got some good chuckles from hearing Rabbid Mario rattle off Italian gibberish in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe slayed me with its sharp meta humor, only to crush my soul with its damning satire on the current “content era.”

MARVEL SNAP GAMEPLAY TRAILER | AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE NOW

Read more
Marvel Snap’s Black Panther season brings new cards and locations
marvel snap black panther season card in

Marvel Snap, the hit mobile card game that recently got an official release, just started its next season. To coincide with the release of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the digital card game just got an influx of Black Panther content, including new cards and locations..

Warriors of Wakanda Season | Developer Update | November 2022

Read more
Marvel Snap gets some big quality of life changes in new update
Galactus from Marvel Snap in the city.

Nuverse released a sizable Marvel Snap update on November 3 that brings numerous quality of life improvements across the board. Most notably, a new Titles feature has been added, along with improvements to the Wolfsbane and Dagger cards, among many other visual and audio changes.

Titles are new items added to the reward pool that are similar to avatars and card backs. These will appear on the Matchmaking screen as you load into a game, offering a bit more customization.

Read more