Marvel Snap is live globally: what’s this new CCG about, plus 5 starting tips

Today, Marvel Snap launched globally, trying to capture CCG players and Multiverse fans alike. Marvel Snap is the first game produced by Second Dinner, Ben Brode's game studio, and promises to be "the fastest card battler in the Multiverse". Let's go over the game details and some Marvel Snap starting tips in this Esports.gg coverage.

To deliver a fast-paced game experience, Marvel Snap games last only six turns. Moreover, players take their turns at the same time, cutting dead times to almost zero. An average game shouldn't go over 3 minutes!

The objective of the game is to control more Locations than your opponent. You do that by playing up to 4 characters in each of them with different power levels and effects. Watch out, Locations play a huge role in the game and can turn against you if you don't plan your turns well.

Locations can take you anywhere in the Multiverse but aren’t revealed all at once. Players get to know them one each turn. So there is an RNG factor there. You might play a card before the location is revealed, but it could turn into a liability. At the same time, that is part of the magic of Marvel Snap. Every game will feel different and present new challenges.

Marvel Snap is a mobile-first game, but it's already available for early PC access via Steam. The game supports Android, iOs and PC gameplay, and if you connect the accounts properly, your progress will be saved regardless of where you choose to play it.

You can download the appropriate version in the following links:

Considering that the game has been out in beta for almost 5 months, many players and content creators have already put up some interesting insights. If you plan to play Marvel Snap, keep on reading to start on the right foot!

While we won't get deep into Marvel Snap's economy yet, this is the first tip you need to know. Every day the game gives out 50 Credits for free in the shop.

These Marvel Snap Credits will allow you to upgrade cards and, by that, progress in your Collection Track.

The fastest way to advance in your Collection Track and get more cards is to upgrade your Common cards. Upgrading from Common to Uncommon costs 25 Credits and gives you 1 Collection Level. After that initial upgrade, getting more Collection Levels will cost you 50 Credits per level.

Bare in mind that these upgrades are just cosmetics. However, this is the most efficient way to progress your collection in Marvel Snap.

Despite how shiny it looks in the shop, you shouldn't spend Credits to get Boosters. Boosters are another game currency, but much more abundant than Credits.

You can get Boosters easily by just playing the game. On the other hand, Credits are much more limited. You can get them for free, but those are scarce resources.

In Marvel Snap, the order in which cards reveal is paramount. Upon reveal, effects might be the difference between winning or losing. But which player goes first?

The player who is currently winning the game, determined by who controls more Locations, will reveal cards first. You can check that at any moment by watching whose name glows on the top of the screen. If it's a tie, then it will be determined randomly.

Your goal in Marvel Snap is to accumulate Cosmic Cubes. The stakes are not the same in each game in Marvel Snap. If you Snap, you will double the Cosmic Cubes in play. You can win up to 8 Cubes in a game. This also means you can also lose up to 8!

It will be hard at first to identify when you should Snap because that means estimating correctly how far ahead you are in the game. Ideally, you should Snap to double the stakes before your power spike turn. That way your opponent will be more likely to accept.

Make sure you assess the situation correctly, if your opponent has a counterplay they might Snap you back, and then your risk increases. If you have played Poker, you should understand this concept pretty easily.

Last but not least, retreating before the game ends has an upside in Marvel Snap. If you choose to retreat in a game without any Snaps, you will only lose one Cube. That loss will be double if you choose to stay and watch the final reveal.

The game was initially presented as free-to-play. However, during the beta phase, its monetization indicated otherwise. The Nexus events brought a huge backlash and Ben Brode himself promised they would do better.

Upon this global release, Stephen Jarrett, product lead at Second Dinner, said that they don't plan to add any other large monetization systems. The way they will try to make money is to increase revenue via cosmetics and the battle pass.

Many Hearthstone content creators and community members have jumped into the Marvel Snap train. Make sure you follow them to be up to date with all that you need to know in Marvel Snap. In that sense, I can recommend Raven's video for some more elaboration on the above-mentioned tips.

Let's see how this new CCG lands and if it delivers as promised. Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more gaming news and updates. See you in the Multiverse.