Marvel Snap Weekly Balance Update and Patch Notes
by Abinaya | Updated Jun 03, 2023
What is Marvel Snap?
Brace yourself for an exhilarating, free-to-play, collectible card game (CCG) developed by the talented minds at Second Dinner and published by Nuverse. Immerse yourself in a universe brimming with an eclectic collection of characters from the Marvel Universe. Prepare to embark on thrilling head-to-head battles as you construct your deck of 12 cards, each with its own energy cost ranging from 1 to 6.
These cards possess a unique power level, but intriguingly, they don't engage in direct combat with each other. Your energy pool grows with each passing turn, starting from 1 on turn one and gradually escalating to a maximum of 6 on turn six. The objective? Secure victory by triumphing in two out of three captivating locations.
Locations unfold simultaneously, where the player with the highest power on a location emerges victorious. Should both players possess an equal amount of power, a thrilling tie ensues, adding an extra layer of suspense to the game. Marvel Snap awaits your arrival, eager to test your strategic prowess and immerse you in an action-packed journey through the Marvel Universe.
Gather your cards, summon your inner hero, and prepare to be captivated by the dynamic battles that lie ahead. The time has come to unleash your power and conquer the realms of Marvel Snap!
Marvel Snap Weekly Balance Update
This is a light week relative to the excitement of recent patches. The metagame as April ended featured a diverse metagame with healthy win rates and cube gain rates and only a couple of small popularity outliers. We’ll have more news for you soon on the future of our OTA balance patches, but today is mostly just a couple of card reworks.
CARD UPDATES
Kitty Pryde – Released with new design!
[Old] 1/0 – You can return this to your hand to gain +2 Power.
[New] 1/0 – When this returns to your hand, +2 Power. Returns at the start of each turn.
As we previously announced, Kitty Pryde will be returning to the game this week with her new ability. She’ll be Series 5 and awarded to all active accounts today.
Crystal
[Old] 4/4 – On Reveal: If this is at the middle location, shuffle your hand into your deck and draw 3 cards.
[New] 4/4 – On Reveal: Each player draws a card.
Crystal has been one of a handful of cards seeing incredibly low play and win rates for quite some time now, and an obvious buff candidate. We debated maintaining the direction of the current effect by removing the middle restriction, increasing the cards drawn, etc. But the tricky thing is that we don’t want an effect like Crystal’s to be strong. SNAP decks are only 12 cards and we don’t want those cards to play out the same every time, so we’re very careful about letting players draw cards. This rework aimed to make a simple, appropriate Crystal that could be fun alongside a variety of cards.
Wave
[Old] 3/3 – On Reveal: Next turn, cards in both players’ hands cost 4.
[New] 3/3 – On Reveal: All cards cost 4 until the end of next turn.
Wave’s cost reduction occurs after other effects that reduce card costs. In addition to a text update that clarifies when Wave’s effect begins, we’ve also made a rather large adjustment “under the hood.” Wave will now begin to apply after effects that reduce card costs, rather than before. That means She-Hulk, Death, etc. will always cost 4 while Wave is in effect. We don’t take lightly that this change kills a few decks, but Wave has been far too constraining on our ability to use cost reduction as a synergy reward in future designs. Leaning on Wave is just always better than dedicating your deck to the actual synergy–we’ve seen that with Death since both cards went live, and we’ll continue seeing it without this action.
Death
[Old] 9/12 – Costs 1 less for each card destroyed this game.
[New] 8/12 – Costs 1 less for each card destroyed this game.
As Death’s current performance is essentially dependent on Wave and Galactus, we wanted to improve her playability in other decks now that the interaction with Wave has changed. This may not be enough, and if we see Death take a huge dive we’ll come back and look at how these values can be adjusted further to ensure Death remains a meaningful card for dedicated Destroy decks.
White Queen (Text-only change)
[Old text] 4/6 – On Reveal: Draw a copy of the highest-Cost card in your opponent’s hand.
[New text] 4/6 – On Reveal: Copy the highest-Cost card in your opponent’s hand into your hand.
This is just a text revision to resolve some ongoing confusion about what White Queen exactly does and how it interacts with cards like Widow’s Bite. In the future, we may pursue establishing some kind of shorthand for copying a card into your hand, but for now we’re just going with the clearest expression of the card’s function.
Marvel Snap Patch Notes
Kitty Pryde Returns
Kitty Pryde returns to MARVEL SNAP with a brand new ability. We will grant Kitty Pryde base card to ALL players. For new accounts created after today’s patch, Kitty Pryde will be available in Series 5.
New Feature: Deck Cosmetics Customization
Cosmetic customizations by deck (card back, title, avatar): Avatars and Titles can now be applied to each deck separately!
Please Note: The first time you login this patch, your active deck will be changed to the first deck in your list. We apologize for this inconvenience!
Seasonal Series Drop: Some cards have dropped down to a lower series!
Cards dropping from Series 5 to Series 4:
Master Mold
Negasonic
Nimrod
Series 4 to 3:
Sentry
Silver Surfer
Dazzler
Shadow King
Sauron
Ghost
Cards staying in Series 4:
Darkhawk
Knull
GENERAL UPDATES
Ranked Mode
The number of Cubes required to Rank Up have decreased from 10 Cubes to 7 Cubes.
The number of Bonus Ranks gained when Tiering up has been reduced from 5 Ranks to 3 Ranks. (Example: When ranking up from rank 29, a player will go to Rank 33 instead of Rank 35.)
Developer Note: We’re continuing to make adjustments to Ranked Mode that will improve the overall experience for players. The changes coming with this patch feature some adjustments to the matchmaking algorithm and updates to the number of Cubes/Ranks while progressing through the season. There are more changes planned for future patches!
When purchasing an item from the shop, you must now Press and Hold the button to confirm your purchase. This should help reduce/remove any accidental purchases!
Added Series 1 and Series 2 labels to cards from those series
AUDIO
Voice Over Updates
Indonesian VO mixed & mastered
Thanos VO added for Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese & Korean
General Updates
Fixed bug which would over trigger card flare SFX in collection screen and in-game
Marvel Snap Gameplay
Get ready to unleash the power of your favorite Marvel characters in Marvel Snap, the epic collectible card game that's taking the gaming world by storm! Each player gets to wield a deck of 12 awesome cards, each depicting a Marvel character with their own unique cost, power level, and even special abilities. It's time to assemble your dream team!
As the battle begins, both players secretly choose a card or cards from their hand and place them face down on one of three dynamic locations. The locations are randomly assigned for each match, and trust us, each one packs a punch with its own special effect. It's a race against time to strategize and outwit your opponent!
Once the round is over, the cards are revealed, and the special abilities of these marvelous characters come into play. Brace yourself for epic moments as you witness the powers of your cards triggering in spectacular fashion. But remember, victory awaits the player with the highest power at each location. Will you be the one to conquer and claim the coveted spots?
The ultimate goal of Marvel Snap is to dominate two out of the three locations. It's a fierce battle that unfolds over six rounds, and with each passing round, you gain more "energy" to unleash even more powerful cards. It's all about timing, strategy, and seizing those crucial moments to secure your triumph!
As you climb the ranks in Marvel Snap, you'll earn valuable "cubes" that showcase your skill and determination. The higher you go, the more intense the stakes become. But here's where things get really interesting: you can double the stakes at any time by daringly "snapping." It's a move that gives your opponent a choice – retreat or rise to the challenge.
It's like a game within a game, adding an extra layer of excitement inspired by the classic Backgammon's doubling cube! Marvel Snap is designed to deliver fast-paced gameplay that's easy to pick up, yet incredibly addictive. Individual games typically last just a few minutes, making it perfect for quick battles on the go. So whether you're a seasoned card game enthusiast or new to the genre, Marvel Snap offers an accessible and thrilling experience for everyone.
Marvel Snap Weekly Balance Update - FAQs
Marvel Snap is an exhilarating, free-to-play collectible card game (CCG) where players wield a deck of 12 Marvel character cards, each with unique abilities, to engage in epic battles and conquer three dynamic locations.
In Marvel Snap, players strategically choose and place their cards face down on one of the three locations. After the round, the cards are revealed, triggering special abilities. The player with the highest power at each location emerges victorious, with the goal of winning two out of the three locations.
Games in Marvel Snap are fast-paced and typically last just a few minutes, providing quick and thrilling battles on the go.
"Cubes" are valuable rewards earned as players climb the ranked ladder in Marvel Snap. They showcase a player's skill and determination, and higher ranks offer more intense stakes.
The "snapping" mechanic in Marvel Snap allows players to double the stakes of a game at any time, adding an extra layer of excitement. It gives the opponent a choice to either retreat or rise to the challenge, similar to the doubling cube in Backgammon.