Tabletop Together
When we previously put the spotlight on Marvel Champions: The Card Game, the response from the community was fantastic. We also received questions from players who were interested in the game but wanted to understand how it actually worked before jumping in.
So, it is time to suit up.
This beginner-friendly guide explains how to play Marvel Champions, from choosing a hero and setting up the villain to surviving attacks and stopping the main scheme. You do not need to memorize every keyword before your first game. Once you understand the flow of a round, the rest becomes much easier.
What Is Marvel Champions?
Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game from Fantasy Flight Games for one to four players. Each player controls a Marvel hero and works with the rest of the team to defeat a villain before that villain completes their scheme.
The Core Set includes Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Black Panther, and She-Hulk as playable heroes. It also includes Rhino, Klaw, and Ultron as villains. Additional hero packs, scenario packs, and campaign expansions add new characters and challenges, but the Core Set contains everything needed to begin playing.
Unlike a collectible card game, packs have fixed contents. You know which cards and heroes you are purchasing rather than opening randomized booster packs.
Check out the Core Box Set: https://amzn.to/4qPfJD2
The Goal of the Game
The heroes win by reducing the villain’s final stage to zero hit points.
The heroes lose if:
The villain completes the final stage of the main scheme.
Every hero is defeated.
A scenario introduces another specific loss condition.
That creates the central tension of Marvel Champions: you must damage the villain while also controlling threat, defeating minions, and dealing with encounter cards.
Understanding Your Hero and Alter-Ego
Every character has a double-sided identity card:
Hero form allows you to attack, thwart, defend, and use heroic abilities.
Alter-ego form normally allows you to recover health and use abilities connected to the hero’s life outside the costume.
For example, Peter Parker can generate a resource in alter-ego form, while Spider-Man is better prepared to confront the villain directly.
Your form also determines what the villain does against you:
If you are in hero form, the villain attacks you.
If you are in alter-ego form, the villain schemes and adds threat to the main scheme.
You may change form once during your turn. Knowing when to remain a hero and when to recover as your alter ego is one of the game’s most important decisions.
Understanding a Hero Deck
A standard player deck contains 40–50 cards and combines:
The hero’s 15 required identity-specific cards
Cards from one aspect
Basic cards available to any hero
The four primary aspects are:
Aggression: Focuses on dealing damage and defeating minions.
Justice: Specializes in removing threat from schemes.
Leadership: Uses allies and teamwork to create flexible turns.
Protection: Prevents damage, defends the team, and retaliates against attacks.
The Core Set includes starter deck lists, so new players do not need to build a deck before their first game.
Marvel Champions Setup
For your first game, use a preconstructed hero deck and face Rhino in Standard mode. Rhino is not harmless, but his straightforward objective makes him the best Core Set villain for learning the game.
Player setup
Choose a hero and place the identity card with its alter-ego side faceup.
Set your hit-point dial to the starting value shown on the identity card.
Take that hero’s deck and set aside the obligation and nemesis cards.
Shuffle the player deck.
Draw cards equal to the hand size shown on the alter-ego side.
You may take one mulligan by discarding any number of cards and drawing replacements. Place the discarded cards back into the deck before shuffling it.
Villain setup
Prepare the villain and use the stages required by the chosen difficulty.
Set the villain’s hit points according to the number of players.
Prepare the main scheme and resolve any setup instructions.
Build the encounter deck using the villain cards, required encounter sets, Standard set, selected modular set, and each participating hero’s obligation.
Keep each hero’s nemesis set aside. It normally enters play only when a card effect instructs you to add it.
Choose a first player and give that person the first-player token.
Always follow the scenario’s setup text because individual villains can modify these steps.
How a Round Works
Every round has two major phases:
Player phase
Villain phase
During the player phase, the heroes take turns fighting back. During the villain phase, threat increases, the villain activates against every player, and encounter cards create new problems.
Phase One: The Player Phase
Beginning with the first player, each player takes a complete turn. Players may discuss their plans and take allowed actions in any useful order.
During your turn, you can:
Play allies, supports, and upgrades from your hand.
Play event cards.
Use an Action ability.
Use your identity’s basic attack, thwart, or recovery power.
Use an ally to attack or thwart.
Change between hero and alter-ego form once.
Ask another player to use an eligible Action ability.
You can perform multiple actions as long as you can pay their costs and meet their requirements.
Paying for cards
The number in the upper-left corner of a player card is its resource cost. Most cards in your hand also display one or more resource symbols:
Physical
Energy
Mental
Wild
To play a card, discard other cards from your hand to generate the required number of resources. A wild resource can count as any resource type.
This creates one of the game’s best decisions: every card can potentially be played for its effect or discarded to pay for something else.
Basic powers and exhausting
Your hero may use the basic values printed on the identity card:
ATK damages an enemy.
THW removes threat from a scheme.
DEF reduces damage from an attack.
REC, used in alter-ego form, restores hit points.
Using a basic power normally requires exhausting the identity by turning the card sideways. An exhausted card cannot exhaust again until it becomes ready.
Allies
Allies enter play under your control and can attack or thwart. After using one of those basic powers, the ally takes the consequential damage indicated beneath that statistic.
Allies can also defend attacks, which can protect a hero from serious damage. When an ally reaches zero remaining hit points, discard it.
Events, upgrades, and supports
Events produce an immediate effect and are then discarded.
Upgrades remain in play and are usually attached to a hero, ally, or other eligible card.
Supports remain in your play area and provide continuing benefits or repeatable abilities.
Ending the player phase
After every player finishes:
Players may discard any number of cards from their hands.
Each player draws up to the hand size shown on their current identity form.
All player cards are readied.
Drawing back to your hand size means you are generally encouraged to use your cards rather than saving everything indefinitely.
Phase Two: The Villain Phase
Once all heroes finish their turns, the villain responds.
Step 1: Place threat
Place the amount of threat indicated on the main scheme. Most main schemes add threat based on the number of players.
If threat reaches the scheme’s threshold, follow the card's instructions. The scheme may advance to its next stage. If the villain completes the final main-scheme stage, the players lose.
Step 2: The villain activates
The villain activates once against each player.
Against a player in hero form, the villain attacks.
Against a player in alter-ego form, the villain schemes.
Deal the villain a facedown boost card from the encounter deck for each activation. Reveal it during the activation and add its boost icons to the villain’s ATK or SCH value. Resolve any boost ability shown on the revealed card.
After resolving the activation, discard the boost card unless an effect says otherwise.
Defending an attack
When the villain attacks, the targeted player can choose to defend with a ready hero or eligible ally. Another player may also defend when the rules and card state allow it.
If a hero makes a basic defense, exhaust that hero and subtract its DEF value from the attack’s damage. Any remaining damage is dealt to the attacked character.
If nobody defends, the hero normally takes the full damage.
Villain scheming
If you are in alter-ego form, the villain adds threat equal to its SCH value plus the boost icons revealed for that activation.
Alter-ego form protects you from the villain’s direct attack and allows recovery, but it gives the villain an opportunity to advance the main scheme.
Step 3: Deal encounter cards
Deal one facedown encounter card to each player. Scenario effects, acceleration, or hazard icons may change the number of cards dealt.
Step 4: Reveal encounter cards
Beginning with the first player, reveal and resolve every dealt encounter card. These can include:
Minions: Enemies that engage individual players.
Treachery cards: Immediate harmful effects.
Side schemes: Additional problems that accumulate threat.
Attachments: Cards that strengthen the villain or create continuing effects.
Obligations: Personal problems connected to a hero’s alter ego.
After all encounter cards resolve, pass the first-player token clockwise and begin a new round.
Minions and Side Schemes
Minions engage individual players and normally activate after the villain during that player’s villain activation. They can quickly overwhelm the team if ignored.
Side schemes enter play with their own threat. Many display icons that create additional consequences, such as dealing extra encounter cards or accelerating threat. Heroes may use thwarting abilities to remove threat from either the main scheme or an eligible side scheme.
You do not always need to attack the villain. Sometimes defeating a dangerous minion or clearing a side scheme is the best move available.
How You Win
Villains normally have multiple stages. When you reduce the current stage to zero hit points, remove it and reveal the next required stage.
The heroes win immediately after defeating the villain’s final required stage, unless the scenario states otherwise.
How You Lose
The group loses if the final main scheme reaches its completion threshold or another scenario-specific loss condition occurs.
A hero is defeated when their hit points reach zero. In a multiplayer game, the remaining heroes may continue unless every player has been eliminated or the scenario says otherwise.
Your First Game: A Simple Approach
For the smoothest introduction:
Use a preconstructed Core Set hero deck.
Fight Rhino in Standard mode.
Use the recommended Bomb Scare modular encounter set.
Begin on the hero’s alter-ego side.
Read each card fully as it enters play.
Focus on learning the round structure rather than playing perfectly.
During each player phase, ask the group three questions:
Is the main scheme close to advancing?
Are any minions or side schemes creating an immediate danger?
How much damage can we safely deal to the villain?
Those questions will help the team prioritize its actions.
Beginner Tips for Marvel Champions
Use most of your hand
Because you refill your hand after the player phase, playing or spending most of your cards is often more productive than holding several cards for later.
Build your board early
Upgrades and supports can improve every later turn. Unless the villain presents an immediate emergency, investing in your hero’s equipment and support network early can pay off.
Do not ignore threat
Damage feels exciting, but losing to the main scheme still counts as losing. Watch the remaining space before the threat threshold.
Coordinate identity changes
If every player changes to alter-ego form at the same time, the villain may add enormous amounts of threat. Coordinate recovery turns so another hero can remain active when possible.
Allies are extremely flexible
An ally can attack, remove threat, provide an ability, and later defend an attack. Don't underestimate an ally just because its printed statistics look small.
Learn the villain before increasing difficulty
Each villain presents a different puzzle. Play Standard difficulty first, then try Expert mode, different modular sets, or campaign rules when your group is ready.
Remember the grim rule
If the players cannot find an answer during a game, resolve the uncertainty in the way that is worst for the players and continue playing. Check the official Rules Reference afterward rather than allowing one question to stop the entire session.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Forgetting to place threat at the start of the villain phase
Forgetting the villain’s boost card
Forgetting that minions activate after the villain
Treating an exhausted hero as unable to play cards or use abilities that do not require exhausting
Forgetting consequential damage on allies
Changing identity form more than once per turn
Drawing encounter cards but forgetting to reveal all of them
Including a hero’s nemesis set in the encounter deck during setup
Ignoring side-scheme icons
Forgetting to ready cards and refill hands at the end of the player phase
Do You Need to Build Your Own Deck?
No. The Core Set and hero packs provide decks that can be played immediately.
Once you are comfortable, deck construction lets you combine a hero’s required cards with one aspect and basic cards. This gives the same hero very different roles. For example, a hero might concentrate on damage with Aggression in one deck and focus on threat control with Justice in another.
Deck building is a major part of the game’s long-term appeal, but it does not need to be part of your first session.
Is Marvel Champions Good Solo?
Yes. You can control one hero, often called true solo, or control multiple heroes yourself.
True solo is faster and requires less table space, but a single hero must handle damage, threat, and survivability. Two-handed solo creates more teamwork and flexibility but requires managing additional cards and effects.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can play Marvel Champions?
The game supports one to four players. Each player controls one hero.
How long does a game take?
Fantasy Flight Games lists approximately 60 minutes, although early games and higher player counts may take longer.
Can I play Marvel Champions with only the Core Set?
Yes. The Core Set includes five heroes, three villains, multiple modular encounter sets, tokens, status cards, dials, and the cards needed to create playable decks.
Do I need to buy random booster packs?
No. Marvel Champions uses fixed-content expansions rather than randomized boosters.
Can players use the same hero?
No. Each player must use a different identity by title. Different characters who share a heroic mantle may still be distinct identities when their card titles permit it.
Can I attack while exhausted?
You cannot use a basic power that requires exhausting an already exhausted identity. You may still play cards and trigger abilities that do not require the identity to exhaust.
Can I defend another player?
Yes, another player can sometimes defend with a ready hero or ally. Follow the defense and timing rules carefully because defending changes which character is considered to have defended the attack.
When should I change to alter-ego form?
Change when you need recovery or access to alter-ego abilities, but first check the main scheme. The villain schemes instead of attacking when you are in alter-ego form.
What should I buy after the Core Set?
Start with a hero you genuinely want to play or a scenario that gives your group a new villain to fight. A campaign expansion provides the largest increase in connected content, while a hero pack is an affordable way to add a new play style. When you're comfortable enough with the core mechanics, we suggest checking out some of our favorite beginner-friendly decks:
Falcon: https://amzn.to/3SOy7iW
Black Panther:https://amzn.to/4x6Xb2H
Luke Cage: https://amzn.to/4iaUOYR
Jessica Jones : https://amzn.to/4i69vfT
One of my personal Favorite Nightcrawler: https://amzn.to/46Bsub1
A Scenario Pack: https://amzn.to/4ydvtlH
Expansions:
The Civil War expansion: https://amzn.to/468X23N
The new Defenders Campaign: https://amzn.to/4zUKEBU
Final Thoughts
Marvel Champions can look intimidating because every hero and villain introduces new cards and abilities. Underneath all that variety, however, the foundation is straightforward: the heroes take their turns, the villain retaliates, and the team balances damage, threat, and survival until one side wins.
Start with a preconstructed hero, battle Rhino, and allow your first game to be a learning experience. Before long, you will be combining aspects, building decks, tackling campaigns, and arguing with your friends about which hero is truly the strongest Avenger.
Have you played Marvel Champions? Tell us which hero you would recommend to a new player—and which villain has given your group the most trouble.
Until next time, get a game off the shelf, invite someone to the table, and make some memories.
🎲 Find Your Table. Build Your Community.
— The Tabletop Together Team
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