‘Hearthstone’ designer announces new collectible card game ‘Marvel Snap’

It looks like Ben Brode, one of the minds behind “Hearthstone,” is trading Dr. Boom for Dr. Doom on his latest project. The game designer left Activision Blizzard in 2018 to start a new studio called Second Dinner, which has been fairly quiet until now.

Today, the team announced that it’s working with publisher Nuverse and Marvel on a collectible card game called “Marvel Snap.” What makes this project different from others in the genre?

First off, it’s built from the ground up for mobile. The second thing to note is its speed. That’s something one would expect from a card game, but “Marvel Snap” appears to move at a fast clip. Art Director Jomaro Kindred said matches take about 3 minutes, and both players move simultaneously. That sounds insane.

Brode said Second Dinner layered the turns atop each other so there’s no waiting. Players throw down cards when they want.

Another element that adds to the speed is the deck, which is culled to 12 cards. Brode said it provides the same amount of strategic depth but it’s easier to build a deck.

The other mechanic that makes “Marvel Snap” different is the “Snap” part. Almost like in poker, players can raise the stakes and double down on a match by “Snapping.” Ideally, this is used when players feel like they’re going to win. They can snap and up the ante. Of course, a player could be bluffing, but it adds a risk-reward element and a new layer of strategy.

If players win the snap, they obtain more rewards in the form of Cosmic Cubes. Those who are scared off could hit the escape button, which I assume is akin to folding. They lose, but they don’t lose badly.

This human element where players have to read each other in a match could make “Marvel Snap” a streaming favorite. Perhaps, viewers can see moments when two players both think they have an advantage and go at it. It could be like watching a car wreck.

As for the core gameplay part of “Marvel Snap,” players have to use their deck to control two of the three areas at the center of the screen. It appears each has a certain rule to it. With more than 50 locations that shuffle between matches, there’s plenty of variety, so players can’t totally prepare for all scenarios.

The character cards, which make up a deck, feature heroes and villains from the Marvel universe. In addition, each character has a unique ability. Brode said players will have to choose cards that work best together. With more than 150 unique cards at launch, players will have plenty to choose from.

Because it’s a card game, players should expect some variants. In “Hearthstone,” there were gold cards that had a little extra pizzazz to them. In “Marvel Snap,” there are variants, which offer that collectability, but they’re focused on different art styles. Players will see a pixel-style version of Wolverine or one done by artists such as Max Grecke or Dan Hipp.

“Marvel Snap” will be a game as a service so players should expect different seasons and new cards that come along with that. Julia Humphreys, senior director of production, says though players can pour money into the game, it is possible for players to win if they’re free-to-play.

Although it’s a mobile-first game, fans will find a PC version coming, but for now, the game will have a closed beta on Android devices. That’s coming soon so be on the lookout.