Want to win at Marvel Snap? There aren’t any cheat codes for this multiplayer card battler but we’ve got some tips that should improve your chances of victory.
Marvel Snap (available on PC, Android and iOS) has you building and using Marvel-themed cards to crush your opponents. Yes, you can pay to unlock card variants but this battler isn’t thankfully, hard to win. So just how do you go about winning? We’ve got some Marvel Snap tips that should help.
1. Read the card text carefully
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to how the card’s special abilities work. Take Ebony Maw’s card, which reads, “You can’t play this after turn 3. Ongoing: You can’t play cards here.” ‘You’ means you, the person playing it, won’t be able to play additional cards. Your opponent on the other hand, can. Yes, we fell foul of that misunderstanding.
2. Make the most of Shang Chi
There aren’t any cards that are full-on game winners but it’s surprising how few people use Shang Chi. This card will destroy any opposing cards, in the same location, that have a power of 9 or above.
Just watched your opponent pull out a powered-up Apocalypse? Play Shang Chi. It doesn’t matter what the base level of the card is, it’s the level the card is at now. So you can destroy any card that’s showing as 9 or above.
3. Know the difference between ‘on reveal’ and ‘ongoing’
This is something that tripped us up when we first started playing Marvel Snap. On reveal effects take place when the card and is played and happen once. They can’t easily be undone.
Ongoing effects are continuous and can be stopped. For example, if one card at a location is buffing the other cards with an ongoing effect, when that card is destroyed or moved, those other cards will go back to their previous power level.
4. Work out which locations you can win
To win at Marvel Snap, you only have to win two of the three locations. After round three you should be considering which locations will be easiest to win and/or hold. If you try winning all three you’ll just spread yourself too thinly.
5. You don’t have to play a card
It’s tempting to think that you should be playing a card every round, if you can. You don’t have to, especially early on in the game. You could play a card at a location and regret it later. Superflow could be unveiled but, because you have a card there, you’re not getting extra energy.
There are also times when it’s useful to have several 1 point cards. If you’re trying to bust out a card from The Raft, you’ll get there quicker by putting down two 1 point cards.
6. Snap when you’re sure of victory
If you think you’re in a winning position, snap late on in the game. This will double and potentially quadruple your winnings. You can even snap a few seconds after playing your final card. The downside is that if you lose you’ll lose 4 or even 8 cubes.
7. Create a balanced deck
It’s tempting to just see cards like “The Hulk” and go overboard on high-powered cards. But, ideally, you should be creating a mixture of 1, 2, 3 and 4 cards, with a few 5s and maybe one 6. You don’t have to play a card every turn but if you’ve got no 4s, for example, that’s going to be a problem.
8. Consider how you can use your cards together
When you’re building a deck, think about cards that compliment each other. So if you’ve got Apocalypse, don’t rely on there being a location that will destroy him. Include maybe two cards with destroy abilities. But, going back to balance, don’t make a whole destroy deck. We’ve tried it and it didn’t end well.
9. If you’re dealing with unfriendly locations, look for exceptions or use the Scarlet Witch
You’ll encounter locations that you just don’t want to play as, such as Jotunheim which reduces card power by 1, every single turn. Yes, Jotunheim is just the worst. And if we run into it, we tend to use the Scarlet Witch to turn it into another location. That’s a good way to deal with a lot of unfriendly locations, in fact.
Some locations, however, have loopholes, particularly where move is involved. Take the Sanctum Sanctorum, which tells you can’t play any cards there. What you can do is move cards from another location using, for example, Nightcrawler’s ability.
10. Check Your and Your Opponent’s Cards
The more you play Marvel Snap, the more familiar you’ll get with the cards and their effects. But you can, at any time, click on your or your opponents revealed cards to see what their abilities are.
This is particularly handy since when you start out. As a new player you’ll be seeing cards that aren’t in your card collection so make sure you double check if you’re not sure what a card does.
So, those tips should help you become a better Marvel Snap player. There’s always an element of chance but experience is a great teacher.
