Marvel Champions: The Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

OVERVIEW
USING THIS BOOK
A LIVING CARD GAME
COMPONENTS
SETUP
KEY CONCEPTS
GAME OVERVIEW
THE CARDS
STARTER DECKS
DECK CUSTOMIZATION
CORE SCENARIOS
QUICK REFERENCE

OVERVIEW

Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a cooperative card game for one to four players. Each player takes the role of one Marvel hero, playing the game as that character and their alter-ego.

In the game, the players work together to defeat a villain (controlled by the game) who is trying to complete an evil scheme.

USING THIS BOOK

This Learn to Play book is written as an introduction to Marvel Champions: The Card Game for new players. It should be used as a guide while learning the game. We recommend that new players learn the basics of the game by reading through this book and playing a game using the introductory scenario and the preconstructed decks listed during setup.

More advanced topics and additional rules regarding terminology, interpretation of card text, timing conflicts, and card anatomies are included in the Rules Reference. We recommend that new players become familiar with the game using the Learn to Play book, and only look up details in the Rules Reference as they are needed during play.

A LIVING CARD GAME

In addition to the five heroes and three scenarios that can be played out of this core set, Marvel Champions: The Card Game is a Living Card Game® (LCG®). Players can customize and enhance this game by purchasing its regularly released expansions.

Each hero pack expansion introduces a new hero starter deck that can be played directly out of the pack, while also providing additional customization options for player decks.

New villains and adventures are introduced in standalone scenario packs and in deluxe story boxes.

Unlike collectible card games, all LCG expansions contain fixed, non-randomized contents.

COMPONENTS

This section gives examples of the components in the game so you can identify them. Card anatomies can be found in the Rules Reference.

343 Cards (199 Player Cards, 137 Encounter Cards, 7 ReferenCe Cards)
30 Status Cards
62 Damage Tokens
16 All-Purpose Counters
33 Threat Tokens
5 Acceleration Tokens
1 First Player Token
4 Player Hit Point Dials
1 Villain Hit Point Dial

SETUP

To set up the first game, perform the following steps in order.

For the first game, we recommend playing with only one or two players and using the heroes Spider-Man and Captain Marvel against the villain Rhino. Instructions for setting up this specific scenario are provided with each step.

The Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Rhino decks have been pre-sorted in the core set for convenience. Only the cards in these three decks are used in the tutorial game.

Select Heroes. Each player selects one identity card, and places its alter-ego side face up in front of them.
Set Hit Points. Each player sets their hit point dial equal to the starting hit points of their character, found at the bottom of their identity card.
Select First Player. As a group, the players select a first player and place the first player token in front of that player.
Set Aside Obligations. For each hero being played, set aside their obligation card. These cards are used later in setup.
Set Aside Nemesis Sets. For each hero being played, set aside their nemesis and the encounter cards for that nemesis. (The nemesis cards do not start the game in play, but may be brought into play by other card abilities during the game.)
Shuffle Player Decks. Each player shuffles their player deck and places it near their identity card.
Collect Tokens and Status Cards. Create a pool of damage tokens, threat tokens, and all-purpose counters within reach of each player. Place stacks of stunned, confused, and tough status cards near this pool.

Nemesis and obligation cards are set aside, out of play.
Select Villain. Select a villain and put their villain deck and main scheme deck into play near the center of the play area.
Set the Villain’s Hit Points. Set the villain’s hit point dial to the number near the bottom of the villain card multiplied by the number of players, as shown by the “per player” symbol on the card.
Resolve Scheme Setup. Resolve any “Setup” instructions on the main scheme card.
Create and Shuffle Encounter Deck. Shuffle the obligation cards that were set aside during step four into the villain’s encounter deck.
Draw Cards. Each player draws a number of cards from their player deck equal to their hand size, which is listed near the bottom left corner of their identity card.
Resolve Mulligans. Each player may discard any number of cards from their hand, then draw up to their starting hand size. (Do not shuffle these discarded cards back into their decks at this time.)

A mulligan is an opportunity for players to improve their starting hand. If a player likes the cards in their hand, they should keep those cards. If there are any cards a player does not like in their hand, mulligan those specific cards.
Resolve Character Setup Abilities. Resolve any “Setup” instructions listed on identity cards in play.

The game is now ready to begin...

KEY CONCEPTS

This section introduces a number of foundational concepts important to learning and playing the game.

THE GOLDEN RULE

If the text of a card directly contradicts the rules of this document, the text of the card takes precedence.

PER PLAYER

The per player symbol next to a value multiplies that value by the number of players who started the scenario.

WINNING AND LOSING

The villain is represented by multiple villain cards, and each card has a stage number in its upper-right corner.

The players defeat a villain stage by reducing its hit points to zero, which advances the game to the next villain stage. If the players defeat the final villain stage, they win the game.

The villain wins the game if they complete their scheme or if all of the players are eliminated. The scheme is completed if the villain accumulates the amount of threat specified by the final card of their scheme deck. A player is eliminated if their hit points are reduced to zero.

READY AND EXHAUSTED

Cards enter play in a ready position (upright). In order to use some card powers and abilities, the card must exhaust, which is indicated by rotating the card sideways. A card in the exhausted position is not able to exhaust again until it is ready (upright).

“IN PLAYER ORDER”

The phrase "in player order" is sometimes used to dictate the order in which players resolve a game step. If players are instructed to do something "in player order,” the first player does so first, followed by each other player, one player at a time, in clockwise order around the table.

GAME OVERVIEW

Marvel Champions: The Card Game is played over a series of rounds. Each round consists of a player phase and a villain phase.

During the player phase, the players take their turns in player order.

During their turn, a player can play cards from their hand, attack enemies, thwart the villain's schemes, and use the ally, support, and upgrade cards they have in play.

After all players have taken a turn, the player phase ends and play proceeds to the villain phase.

At the start of the villain phase, threat is placed on the main scheme. Then, the villain activates once per player and either attacks the player or further advances their scheme. Next, the game reveals cards from the encounter deck, which adds minions, treacheries, side schemes, and attachments that develop the villain's forces and beleaguer the heroes.

After the villain phase is complete, the first player token passes to the next clockwise player, and the next round begins.

The game advances in this manner until either the players win as a team or the villain wins.

ROUND SEQUENCE

This section describes the events of a game round, broken down by phase. The phases, in order, are:

Player phase
Villain phase

The rules for each phase are detailed in the following sections.

PLAYER PHASE

During the player phase, each player takes their turn in player order until each player has taken a turn.

After the players have each taken a turn, the players draw up to their hand sizes and ready their cards. Then, the game advances to the villain phase.

PLAYER TURN

During their turn, a player may perform any of the following options, in any order. Each option (aside from changing form) may be performed as many times as the player desires, so long as they have the necessary cards and resources to pay the costs.

Each of the options listed below is described in greater detail on the following pages.

Change form from hero to alter-ego, or from alter-ego to hero. This option may only be performed once each turn.
Play an ally, upgrade, or support card from their hand.
Use their alter-ego’s basic recovery (if in alter-ego form) or their hero’s basic attack or basic thwart power (if in hero form).
Use an ally card they control to attack an enemy or thwart a scheme.
Trigger an “Action” card ability on a card in play they control, on an encounter card in play, or by playing an event card with such a timing trigger from their hand. If the action ability is preceded by “Hero” or “Alter-Ego,” the player must be in the specified form in order to trigger the ability.
Ask another player to trigger an “Action” ability on a card in play they control or on an event card they might have in hand. The other player then decides whether or not to trigger the ability. (Another player may offer to use an action during the active player’s turn, as well.)

CHANGING FORM

To change from hero to alter-ego, or from alter-ego to hero, the player announces their intent and flips their identity card to its other side. Each player may change form once each round, only during their own turn.

When a player changes form, their character remains in the same state (ready or exhausted). Any upgrades, attachments, tokens, damage, and status cards on the character remain.

PLAYING A CARD

To play a card from their hand, a player performs the following steps:

Place the card they want to play on the table.
Pay the card’s cost. (See the “Resource Costs”)
If the card is an ally, upgrade, or support, it enters play ready in that player’s play area. If the card is an event, resolve its effects and place it in its owner’s discard pile.

ALLY LIMIT

Each player may have up to three allies in play under their control at any given time.

A player who controls three allies may play a different ally, immediately discarding one of their previous allies.

RESOURCE COSTS

Resource costs are paid by generating resources. Resources can be generated in two ways. The first is to discard a card from hand, which generates a number of resources equal to the number of resource icons on the card. The second is to use a card with a “Resource” ability, which generates the resource specified by the ability. Any resources that are generated beyond the cost are lost after paying the cost.

The resource type a card provides is in its bottom-left corner. The icons shown indicate the number and type of resources generated by discarding the card. The resource types in the game are:

Mental
Physical
Energy
Wild

A wild resource may be used as any other resource type (mental, physical, or energy).

Generally, when playing cards from hand, any type (or combination of types) of resources may be used to pay the card’s cost. However, many abilities and encounter card effects require a specific type (or combination of types) of resources to be paid.

USING A BASIC POWER

Basic powers can be found on the player’s identity card. The hero side has the character’s basic attack power, basic thwart power, and basic defense power. The alter-ego side has the character’s basic recovery power. To use a basic power, the character must be in the form that has that power.

To use a basic power, a player performs the following steps:

Declare the power they want to use.
Pay the power’s cost. This is done by exhausting the hero or alter-ego.
Resolve the effect of the power, as described on the next page.

Basic Recovery: The player exhausts their alter-ego and heals a number of hit points equal to their REC value. Healing increases the player’s hit point dial by the indicated amount. A player cannot heal above their maximum hit points.

Basic Thwart: The player exhausts their hero and removes an amount of threat (described later) equal to their THW value from one scheme of their choice. Any scheme can be thwarted unless a card ability (such as the crisis symbol) prevents it.

Basic Attack: The player exhausts their hero and deals an amount of damage (see “Dealing Damage” sidebar) equal to their ATK value to one eligible enemy. Any enemy—villain or minion—in play is eligible unless a card ability (such as the guard keyword) prevents it.

Basic Defense: This power may only be used when any hero is being attacked by an enemy. When this occurs, a player may exhaust their hero to prevent an amount of damage equal to their DEF value. A hero may defend themself or any other hero. The hero that is defending takes damage (tracked on their hit point dial) from the attack that exceeds their DEF value.

DEALING DAMAGE

Many card abilities and attacks deal damage.

Damage dealt to a minion or ally is immediately placed on the card using damage tokens. Each damage on a card reduces the card’s hit points by one. If a card has zero (or fewer) hit points remaining, the card is defeated and placed in its owner's discard pile.

Damage dealt to a player or villain immediately decreases the character’s hit point dial. If a villain’s dial reaches zero, the current stage of the villain is defeated, and the villain advances to the next stage. When the villain advances, set the villain’s hit point dial to the amount indicated by the newly revealed stage. If the final stage of the villain is defeated, the players win the game. If a player’s hit point dial reaches zero, that player is eliminated from the game.

USING AN ALLY

During their turn, a player may use any number of allies they control to attack an enemy or to thwart a scheme. To use an ally, a player performs the following steps:

Exhaust the ally. (If the ally was already exhausted, it cannot be used in this way.)
Declare whether they are using the ally to attack an enemy or thwart a scheme.
Declare which enemy they are attacking or which scheme they are thwarting. Any enemy can be attacked unless a card ability says otherwise. Any scheme can be thwarted unless a card ability says otherwise.
Resolve the attack by dealing the specified amount of damage to the enemy. Resolve the thwart by removing the specified amount of threat from the scheme.
Deal consequential damage. If the ally that attacked has any damage icons under their ATK, deal the specified amount of damage to the ally. If they thwarted and have any damage icons under their THW, do the same.

TRIGGERING AN ACTION ABILITY

Action abilities are indicated by the word “Action” in bold. A player can trigger abilities from cards they control in play, from event cards they play from their hand, or from encounter cards that have such an ability.

To trigger an action ability, a player performs the following steps:

Declare which action ability they want to trigger.
Pay the ability’s cost, which precedes its effect, and is separated from the effect by an arrow icon (→). This is done by generating resources, as detailed in the “Resource Costs” sidebar. The generated resources must match the resources shown in the ability’s cost. Not all abilities have a cost, and some abilities have additional costs, such as “exhaust this card," which must also be paid.
Resolve the effect of the action ability.

A given action ability may be triggered any number of times per turn, so long as its costs can be paid and its effect can change the game.

For other ability types, see the sidebar to the right.

HERO AND ALTER-EGO ABILITIES

If an ability is preceded by the word "Hero" or "Alter-Ego," or if an ability's text references a specific form, the player must be in the specified form in order to use or interact with the ability.

If an ability does not specify a form, that ability may be used while the player is in either form.

ACTION ABILITIES ON ENCOUNTER CARDS

Some encounter cards have action abilities that players may use while the card is in play. During their turn, a player may pay the specified cost on an encounter card with such an ability to resolve it. There is no limit to the number of times this may be done during a turn, so long as that player pays each cost.

OTHER TRIGGERED ABILITIES

In addition to action abilities, which a player can trigger during their turn (or by request during another player’s turn), there are a few other types of triggered abilities in the game: Interrupts, Responses, and Resource abilities.

Using these types of triggered abilities is optional, unless the bold ability trigger is preceded by the word “Forced.” Each copy of a triggered ability may be used once each time the situation described by its text occurs.

“Resource” abilities may be used anytime the player who controls the ability is generating resources to pay a cost. Unless otherwise noted, the player who controls the resource card must be the player who is paying the cost.

“Interrupt” abilities may be used any time their specified condition (as described by the text of the ability) would occur, immediately before that condition occurs. These abilities prevent or preempt an occurrence, sometimes stopping it outright, and sometimes changing the occurrence to something else.

“Response” abilities may be used any time their specified condition (as described by the text of the ability) is met, immediately after that specified condition resolves or occurs.

END OF A PLAYER’S TURN

When a player has completed everything they can or wish to do on their turn, that player announces that their turn is complete. The next player (in clockwise order) begins their turn. After all players have completed a turn, proceed to the “End of Player Phase” sequence below.

END OF PLAYER PHASE

To end the player phase, perform the following steps:

In player order, each player may discard any number of cards from their hand, and must discard down to their hand size (located at the bottom of their identity card) if they have more cards than their hand size.
Each player simultaneously draws cards from their deck until the number of cards in their hand equals their hand size.
Each player simultaneously readies all of their cards.

After completing the above steps, the player phase is complete. Proceed to the villain phase.

VILLAIN PHASE

During the villain phase, the enemies strike back! The villain activates, minions attack, and new encounter cards come into play, challenging the heroes with additional enemies and threats.

To play the villain phase, the players resolve the following steps, which are explained in detail on the following pages:

Place threat on the main scheme.
The villain activates once per player, along with any eligible minions.
Deal one encounter card to each player.
Reveal encounter cards.
Pass the first player token and end the round.

THE SCHEME DECK

The scheme deck represents the villain’s primary objective. If a villain completes the final stage of the scheme deck, the villain wins the game. For some villains, the main scheme deck is just one stage. Some main schemes start with threat on them. The amount of threat placed on the scheme when it enters play (or begins the game in play) is indicated at the bottom of the card.

When a card or game rule instructs an enemy or villain to scheme, a number of threat equal to the SCH value of that enemy is placed on the main scheme.

Each main scheme has a target threat value (top-left corner) that indicates the amount of threat needed on it before the scheme deck advances. Threat is checked continuously; anytime the amount of threat on a main scheme card is equal to or greater than the card’s target threat, the scheme deck advances to the next stage. (The threat from the previous stage is removed and returned to the token pool.)

If the final stage of the scheme deck advances, the players immediately lose the game.

STEP ONE — PLACE THREAT

Place the amount of threat indicated in the main scheme's acceleration field onto that scheme. If any side schemes with an acceleration icon (see Side Scheme Icons) are in play, they modify the amount of threat placed at this time.

STEP TWO — VILLAIN AND MINION ACTIVATIONS

The villain activates once against each player, in player order. After the villain activates against a player, each minion engaged with that player also activates.

These activations resolve differently based on the player’s character form. If the player is in their alter-ego form, the villain or minion schemes. If the player is in their hero form, the villain or minion attacks.

After the villain completes its activation for a player, it activates for the next player (in player order), continuing until it has activated for all players.

Strategy Tip: Your character's form (hero or alter-ego) greatly influences the villain’s behavior each round. If you need to prevent the villain from scheming, make sure you are in hero form to confront them. If you are so worn down that you think an attack could be dangerous, it might be better to stay in alter-ego form to recover hit points and build up your forces. Just remember, in alter-ego form you won’t be around to stop the villain from advancing their evil plans! Finding the right balance between your hero and your alter-ego is one of the key skills to master as a Marvel champion.

ALTER-EGO FORM: ENEMIES SCHEME

If the player is in alter-ego form, the villain (and each minion engaged with that player) schemes. To resolve this activation, perform the following steps:

Give the villain a facedown card from the encounter deck. This is the villain’s boost card for this activation.
Flip the boost card face up. For each boost icon at the bottom-right of the card, the villain gets +1 SCH for this activation.

If there is a star icon in the boost field, the star itself does not provide +1 SCH. This icon indicates that the card's text box has an associated ability, also marked with a star, that resolves after the card is flipped face up.

Discard the boost card at the end of this step.
Place threat on the main scheme equal to the villain’s modified SCH value. (Threat is placed on a scheme using threat tokens.)
If any minions are engaged with the player resolving this activation, those minions now scheme, one minion at a time. For each minion that schemes, place threat on the main scheme equal to that minion’s SCH value. (No boost cards are dealt to scheming minions.)

HERO FORM: ENEMIES ATTACK

If the player is in hero form, the villain (and each minion engaged with that player) attacks. To resolve this activation, perform the following steps:

Give the villain a facedown card from the encounter deck. This is the villain’s boost card for this activation.
The attacked player chooses if they want to defend against the attack. To defend, the player must either exhaust their hero or exhaust an ally they control.

If the attacked player does not defend, any other player may defend against the attack by exhausting their hero or an ally they control.
Turn the boost card face up. For each boost icon at the bottom-right of the card, the villain gets +1 ATK for this activation.

If there is a star icon in the boost field, the star itself does not provide +1 ATK. This icon indicates that the card's text box has an associated ability, also marked with a star, that resolves after the card is flipped face up.

Discard the boost card at the end of this step.
Deal damage equal to the villain's modified ATK value, as follows:
- If a hero is defending against the attack, the amount of damage dealt is reduced by that hero’s DEF value, and the remaining damage from the attack is dealt to that hero.
- If an ally is defending against the attack, all damage from the attack is dealt to that ally.
- If no character is defending against the attack, all damage from the attack is dealt to the hero that is resolving this activation.
If any minions are engaged with the player resolving this activation, those minions attack that player, one minion at a time. Resolve each minion’s attack as in steps two and four, but use only the minion’s ATK value to determine how much damage is dealt. (No boost cards are dealt to attacking minions.)

STEP THREE — DEAL ENCOUNTER CARDS

Deal one card from the encounter deck facedown to each player in player order.

STEP FOUR — REVEAL ENCOUNTER CARDS

All of the encounter cards dealt in the previous step are revealed and resolved, one at a time, in player order.

When an encounter card is revealed, it is resolved based on its card type, as follows:

Minion — When a minion is revealed, it enters play engaged with the player who revealed the card. Place the minion near that player to show that it is engaged.

Treachery — When a treachery is revealed, resolve its effect and then place it in the encounter discard pile.

Attachment — When an attachment is revealed, it enters play attached to the villain.

Side Scheme — When a side scheme is revealed from the encounter deck, it enters play near the main scheme.

Side schemes enter play with an amount of threat already on them. Threat may be removed from a side scheme when heroes or allies use their basic thwart power, or via card abilities. If a side scheme has zero threat on it, it is discarded to the encounter discard pile.

SIDE SCHEME ICONS

If a side scheme has the crisis icon, it must be defeated before threat can be removed from the main scheme.

For each side scheme in play with the acceleration icon, one additional threat is placed on the main scheme during step one of the villain phase.

For each side scheme in play with the hazard icon, an additional encounter card is dealt during step three of the villain phase. Additional cards are dealt in player order (first additional card to the first player, the second to the second player, etc.).

WHEN REVEALED ABILITIES

If a revealed encounter card has any “When Revealed” abilities, those abilities resolve immediately after the card enters play. (In the case of treachery cards, which do not enter play, the “When Revealed” ability resolves and the card is then placed in the encounter discard pile.)

WHEN DEFEATED ABILITIES

Some minions and side schemes have “When Defeated” abilities. These abilities trigger when the players defeat the minion, villain stage, or scheme card that has the ability.

ALTER-EGO FORM AND HERO FORM

Often, the way an encounter card resolves depends on whether the player revealing the card is in hero or alter-ego form. If a revealed encounter card has an ability that specifies "Alter-Ego" or "Hero," resolve the ability only if the player revealing the card is in the specified form.

NEMESIS SIDE SCHEMES

If a card instructs a player to put a nemesis side scheme into play, the nemesis side scheme associated with the player that drew the card is placed in the play area, and their nemesis minion is put into play engaged with that player. The other encounter cards associated with that nemesis are placed in the encounter discard pile.

Each hero’s nemesis, side scheme, and associated cards are as follows:

Spider-Man: Vulture, Highway Robbery, The Vulture’s Plans, Sweeping Swoop (x2)

Captain Marvel: Yon-Rogg, The Psyche-Magnitron, Kree Manipulator (x2), Yon-Rogg’s Treason

Iron Man: Whiplash, Imminent Overload, Electric Whip Attack (x2), Electromagnetic Backlash

She-Hulk: Titania, Personal Challenge, Genetically Enhanced, Titania’s Fury (x2)

Black Panther: Killmonger, Usurp the Throne, Heart-Shaped Herb, Ritual Combat (x2)

OBLIGATIONS

During setup, each player shuffles their character's obligation card into the encounter deck.

If an obligation is revealed from the encounter deck, immediately give it to the player controlling the character indicated by the obligation. That player follows the instructions on the obligation to resolve it.

STEP FIVE — PASS THE FIRST PLAYER TOKEN AND END THE ROUND

Pass the first player token clockwise to the next player. End the round, and begin the next player phase.

The game continues in this manner, alternating between the player phase and the villain phase, until the players win or the villain wins the game.

WHAT’S NEXT?

You now know the basics of playing Marvel Champions: The Card Game.

After playing the introductory game, try playing the Rhino scenario with different preconstructed starter decks that feature other heroes. To find those decklists, see Starter Decks. After getting a feel for the preconstructed decks, you can delve into the world of deck customization with the rules at Player Deck Customization Rules.

After you beat up Rhino a few times, test your abilities first against Klaw and later against Ultron, who are progressively more challenging adversaries. The encounter decklists for these scenarios are at Core Scenarios.

As you move further into the world of Marvel Champions: The Card Game, questions will inevitably arise. Remember to use the Rules Reference to look up information as you need it.

THE CARDS

This section provides a brief overview of the many different types of cards in the core set.

Identity Cards

There are five identity cards in the core set, with the hero on one side and the alter-ego on the other.

Identity-Specific Cards

Each identity comes with a set of identity-specific cards that are used in a player's deck whenever that player is playing that identity.

Obligation Cards

Each identity also comes with an obligation card that is shuffled into the encounter deck whenever a player is playing that identity.

Nemesis Sets

Each identity also comes with a nemesis set, which is set aside during setup whenever a player is playing that identity. During play, some effects may cause a hero's nemesis to show up and make trouble.

Aspect Cards

There are four aspects in the game: Aggression, Justice, Leadership, and Protection. A player may choose to include cards from one of these four aspects in their deck each time they play.

Basic Cards

In addition to the identity-specific cards and the cards from the player's chosen aspect, basic cards may be included in any player deck.

Villain Cards

There are three scenarios in the core set, each featuring a different villain. Each villain is represented by a sequential deck of one or more stages.

Main Scheme Cards

Each villain comes with one or more main scheme cards, which represent what the villain is trying to accomplish in that scenario.

Fixed Encounter Sets

Each villain also comes with a fixed encounter set, which is used as the foundation of the encounter deck whenever that scenario is played.

Standard Encounter Set and Expert Encounter Set

The standard encounter set is used in each scenario. Add the expert encounter set to a scenario (in addition to the standard set) to increase its difficulty level.

Modular Encounter Sets

The core set has five modular encounter sets, which can be interchanged among different scenarios to vary the experience from one game to the next.

STARTER DECKS

These preconstructed starter decks and character introductions are intended for the player who wants to immediately play the game without customizing their own deck.

The She-Hulk and Iron Man starter decks cannot be played at the same time from a single core set, because they share the Aggression aspect cards. If two players want to play both of these heroes together, we recommend replacing the Aggression cards in the SheHulk list with the Justice cards from the Spider-Man list.

The Captain Marvel deck listed here is different than the deck used in the tutorial game.

BLACK PANTHER / PROTECTION

Black Panther's power comes from highly advanced Wakandan technology. With his Black Panther upgrades, Black Panther can shred enemies and schemes alike, though assembling the necessary pieces can be tricky. Before T'Challa takes his first turn, he can use his Foresight ability to get one of his Black Panther upgrades into play quickly, with The Golden City and Shuri helping to find other upgrades later. Once a few Black Panther upgrades are in play, use Wakanda Forever! to activate the "Special:" abilities on the Black Panther upgrades in any order, with the last upgrade activated in the sequence gaining a powerful kicker ability.

With the Protection aspect, Black Panther’s retaliate ability shines, allowing him to defend against enemy attacks and deal damage back in the process. Vibranium can be used to alleviate the high cost of two powerful allies, Luke Cage and Black Widow, and Med Team works well with Vibranium Suit to keep Black Panther in the fight.

Black Panther cards: Ancestral Knowledge, Energy Daggers, Panther Claws, Shuri, Tactical Genius, The Golden City, Vibranium (x3), Vibranium Suit, Wakanda Forever! (x5)

Protection cards: Armored Vest (x2), Black Widow, Counter-Punch (x2), Get Behind Me! (x2), Indomitable (x2), Luke Cage, Med Team (x2), The Power of Protection (x2)

Basic cards: Avengers Mansion, Emergency, Energy, First Aid, Haymaker, Genius, Mockingbird, Nick Fury, Helicarrier, Strength, Tenacity

Nemesis set: Killmonger, Usurp the Throne, Heart-Shaped Herb, Ritual Combat (x2)

Obligation: Affairs of State

IRON MAN / AGGRESSION

While Tony Stark has no superpowers of his own, he utilizes his super-intelligence to build the Mark V suit, represented by various Tech upgrades. Spend a few turns as Tony Stark to draw cards and build the Mark V suit, then flip back to Iron Man once his hand size is higher. While in Iron Man form, go Aerial using Rocket Boots, increasing Iron Man's capabilities to land a massive Supersonic Punch, survey the area with the Mark V Helmet, or blast enemies out of the skies with Powered Gauntlets.

With the Aggression aspect, pump Iron Man’s attack power with Combat Training, then throw out a series of attacks with Arc Reactor. And if Iron Man gets overwhelmed, mow through minions big and small using Relentless Assault, Tigra, and War Machine.

Iron Man cards: Arc Reactor, Mark V Armor, Mark V Helmet, Pepper Potts, Powered Gauntlets (x2), Repulsor Blast (x3), Rocket Boots (x2), Stark Tower, Supersonic Punch (x2), War Machine

Aggression cards: Chase Them Down (x2), Combat Training (x2), Hulk, Relentless Assault (x2), Tac Team (x2), The Power of Aggression (x2), Tigra, Uppercut (x2)

Basic cards: Avengers Mansion, Emergency, Energy, First Aid, Haymaker, Genius, Mockingbird, Nick Fury, Helicarrier, Strength, Tenacity

Nemesis set: Whiplash, Imminent Overload, Electric Whip Attack (x2), Electromagnetic Backlash

Obligation: Business Problems

CAPTAIN MARVEL / LEADERSHIP

Captain Marvel focuses on going airborne and utilizing energy resources. Cosmic Flight provides Captain Marvel with the Aerial trait, allowing her to boost the defense power bonus from Captain Marvel's Helmet and the flexibility of Crisis Interdiction. Use energy resources to draw cards with Photonic Blast and her Rechannel ability, or store tokens on Energy Channel for a massive burst of damage.

With the Leadership aspect, call Hawkeye, Maria Hill, and Vision to assist Captain Marvel and SpiderWoman, then boost the attack and thwart power of those under her command with Inspired and Lead from the Front.

Captain Marvel cards: Alpha Flight Station, Captain Marvel’s Helmet, Cosmic Flight (x2), Crisis Interdiction (x3), Energy Absorption (x2), Energy Channel (x2), Photonic Blast (x3), Spider-Woman

Leadership cards: Get Ready (x2), Hawkeye, Inspired (x2), Lead from the Front (x2), Make the Call (x2), Maria Hill, The Power of Leadership (x2), The Triskelion, Vision

Basic cards: Avengers Mansion, Emergency, Energy, First Aid, Haymaker, Genius, Mockingbird, Nick Fury, Helicarrier, Strength, Tenacity

Nemesis set: Yon-Rogg, The Psyche-Magnitron, Kree Manipulator (x2), Yon-Rogg’s Treason

Obligation: Family Emergency

SPIDER-MAN / JUSTICE

Spider-Man's power set makes him a versatile hero, able to respond to almost anything the villain can dish out. His high defense power, Backflip, and Enhanced Spider-Sense make him hard to hit. If the villain does land a surprise attack, change back to Peter Parker and use Aunt May to nurse him back to health. For a grand finale, save up for a Swinging Web Kick to deal loads of damage to the villain!

With the Justice aspect, Spider-Man is able to even further control the villain’s actions. For Justice! and Surveillance Team counteract impending threat, while Interrogation Room combos perfectly with SpiderTracer. And when the situation gets dire, utilize Great Responsibility to buy some time.

Spider-Man cards: Aunt May, Backfip (x2), Black Cat, Enhanced Spider-Sense (x2), Spider-Tracer (x2), Swinging Web Kick (x3), Web-Shooter (x2), Webbed Up (x2)

Justice cards: Daredevil, For Justice! (x2), Great Responsibility (x2), Heroic Intuition (x2), Interrogation Room (x2), Jessica Jones, Surveillance Team (x2), The Power of Justice (x2)

Basic cards: Avengers Mansion, Emergency, Energy, First Aid, Haymaker, Genius, Mockingbird, Nick Fury, Helicarrier, Strength, Tenacity

Nemesis set: Vulture, Highway Robbery, The Vulture’s Plans, Sweeping Swoop (x2)

Obligation: Eviction Notice

SHE-HULK / AGGRESSION

She-Hulk is all about sharing the limelight with her other persona, Jennifer Walters. Crush almost any foe with SheHulk’s high attack power, using One-Two Punch and Superhuman Strength to deliver even more devastating blows. Focused Rage adds fuel to the fire, drawing her cards and magnifying the destructive force of Gamma Slam. When the enemies aren't a threat, flip to Jennifer Walters to work late nights at the Superhuman Law Division, or lock up criminals the traditional way with Legal Practice.

With the Aggression aspect, use Combat Training to enhance She-Hulk's fighting capabilities even further, or hulk out with her cousin, Hulk, to ruin the villain's day. As She-Hulk overpowers her enemies, Chase Them Down provides flexibility to stop the villain's dastardly deeds, while Tac Team allows her to concentrate her rage where it's most needed.

She-Hulk cards: Focused Rage (x2), Gamma Slam, Ground Stomp (x2), Legal Practice (x2), One-Two Punch (x3), Split Personality, Superhuman Law Division, Superhuman Strength (x2), Hellcat

Aggression cards: Chase Them Down (x2), Combat Training (x2), Hulk, Relentless Assault (x2), Tac Team (x2), The Power of Aggression (x2), Tigra, Uppercut (x2)

Basic cards: Avengers Mansion, Emergency, Energy, First Aid, Haymaker, Genius, Mockingbird, Nick Fury, Helicarrier, Strength, Tenacity

Nemesis set: Titania, Personal Challenge, Genetically Enhanced, Titania’s Fury (x2)

Obligation: Legal Work

DECK CUSTOMIZATION

The Marvel Champions: The Card Game core set is designed to offer significant replayability. After playing a few games with the preconstructed starter decks, players may want to explore their own strategies by creating their own original decks.

WHY BUILD A CUSTOM DECK?

Deckbuilding is a process by which a player may customize their deck with original strategies and ideas. This allows a player to experience the game in new ways; instead of adapting to the strategy of a starter deck, each player may construct decks that play how they want to play. When players construct original decks, they don’t just participate in the game: they actively change how it is played.

GETTING STARTED

For many players who don’t have much experience with customizable card games, deckbuilding can be an intimidating prospect. Instead of jumping in the deep end, start by modifying the starter decks listed on the previous two pages. Try playing different heroes with different aspects to see how the various combinations change the feel of the deck.

After experimenting with some of the different hero and aspect combinations, you might find a pairing you particularly enjoy. As you continue to play with this deck, you may be inspired to further customize it to suit your play style. At this point, you are ready for the full customization rules, which follow in the next section.

PLAYER DECK CUSTOMIZATION RULES

The following are the deck customization rules for player decks in Marvel Champions: The Card Game.

A player must choose exactly one identity (hero/ alter-ego) card.
A player’s deck consists of a minimum of 40 cards and a maximum of 50 cards. The identity card is not counted as part of the deck.
A player’s deck must include each of the hero cards associated with their chosen identity card. The exact quantity of each card included in that hero set must be included in the deck.
A player may choose exactly one aspect (Justice, Aggression, Protection, or Leadership) to use for customization. The remainder of their deck is then customized with cards that belong to that aspect and/or basic cards. No more than three copies (by title) of each non-unique card may be included in the deck. No more than one copy (by title) of each unique card may be included in the deck.
Any “deckbuilding requirements” on the player’s identity card must be followed.

BEYOND THE CORE SET

After exploring the customization options of the core set, hero pack expansions open a world of additional possibilities. New heroes such as Captain America, Ms. Marvel, and Thor are on the way, and many of the aspect and basic cards in each of these packs can be used to customize any player deck. Collect them all and build the ultimate deck for all of your favorite heroes!

CORE SCENARIOS

This section lists the decks for the scenarios in the core set, and presents guidelines for further customizing those scenarios.

RHINO

Villain deck: Rhino (I), Rhino (II)

Remove Rhino (I) and add Rhino (III) for expert mode.

Main scheme deck: The Break-In!

Rhino encounter set: Armored Rhino Suit, Breakin’ & Takin’, Charge (x2), Crowd Control, Enhanced Ivory Horn, Hard to Keep Down (x2), Hydra Mercenary (x2), “I’m Tough!” (x2), Sandman, Shocker, Stampede (x3)

Standard encounter set: Advance (x2), Assault (x2), Caught Off Guard, Gang-Up, Shadow of the Past

Bomb Scare encounter set (modular, difficulty 1): Bomb Scare, Hydra Bomber (x2), Explosion, False Alarm (x2)

The Bomb Scare encounter set can be removed from this scenario and/or added to other scenarios when using the scenario customization rules.

KLAW

Villain deck: Klaw (I), Klaw (II)

Remove Klaw (I) and add Klaw (III) for expert mode.

Main scheme deck: Underground Distribution, Secret Rendezvous

Klaw encounter set: Armored Guard (x3), Defense Network, Illegal Arms Factory, Sonic Converter, Klaw’s Vengeance (x2), Solid-Sound Body, Sonic Boom (x2), Sound Manipulation (x2), The “Immortal” Klaw, Weapons Runner (x2)

Standard encounter set: Advance (x2), Assault (x2), Caught Off Guard, Gang-Up, Shadow of the Past

Masters of Evil encounter set (modular, difficulty 2): Masters of Mayhem (x2), Melter, Radioactive Man, The Masters of Evil, Tiger Shark, Whirlwind

The Masters of Evil encounter set can be removed from this scenario and/or added to other scenarios when using the scenario customization rules.

ULTRON

Villain deck: Ultron (I), Ultron (II)

Remove Ultron (I) and add Ultron (III) for expert mode.

Main scheme deck: The Crimson Cowl, Assault on NORAD, Countdown to Oblivion

Ultron encounter set: Advanced Ultron Drone (x3), Android Efficiency (x3), Drone Factory, Invasive AI, Program Transmitter, Rage of Ultron (x2), Repair Sequence (x2), Swarm Attack (x2), Ultron Drones, Ultron’s Imperative, Upgraded Drones (x2)

Standard encounter set: Advance (x2), Assault (x2), Caught Off Guard, Gang-Up, Shadow of the Past

Under Attack encounter set (modular, difficulty 3): Concussion Blasters, Concussive Blast (x2), Under Attack, Vibranium Chassis

The Under Attack encounter set can be removed from this scenario and/or added to other scenarios when using the scenario customization rules.

SCENARIO CUSTOMIZATION RULES

When playing a scenario for the first few times, use the recommended decklist.

To add variety and unpredictability to future replays, a number of modular encounter sets have been designed. These sets can be added to (and/or removed from) a scenario.

Each modular set has been assigned a difficulty level, to provide a guide as to how it might impact a scenario. A set with a higher difficulty level will generally add more difficulty to a scenario.

For best results when customizing an encounter set, remove the modular encounter set from the list above, and replace it with one of the other modular encounter sets. (For an even wilder and more unpredictable experience, players may experiment with more than one modular set, but this will dilute the encounter deck.)

When adding a modular set, players may either choose the set they would like to play against, or (to increase unpredictability) they can select one at random from all available modular sets and shuffle the set into the encounter deck without looking at it.

In addition to the modular sets in each of the lists above (Bomb Scare in the Rhino scenario, Masters of Evil in the Klaw scenario, and Under Attack in the Ultron scenario), there are two additional modular encounter sets in this product, listed below.

Legions of Hydra encounter set (modular, difficulty 4): Hydra Soldier (x3), Legions of Hydra (x2), Madame Hydra

The Doomsday Chair encounter set (modular, difficulty 5): Biomechanical Upgrades (x3), MODOK, The Doomsday Chair (x2)

EXPERT MODE

"Expert Mode" is for advanced players who are seeking a greater challenge. To play in this mode, use the expert mode villain stages listed for the chosen scenario and add the expert encounter set to the scenario.

Expert encounter set: Exhaustion, Masterplan, Under Fire

QUICK REFERENCE

ABBREVIATIONS

ATK – Attack
DEF – Defense
REC – Recover
SCH – Scheme
THW – Thwart

SURGE

If a player reveals an encounter card with the surge keyword during step four of the villain phase, that player draws and reveals an additional card from the encounter deck immediately after resolving the original card.

STATUS CARDS

Confused – If a confused hero or ally attempts to thwart or use a thwart ability, discard the confused card instead. If the thwart attempt would cause the character to exhaust, it must still exhaust to remove the card.

If a confused villain would scheme, discard the confused card instead.

Stunned – If a stunned hero or ally attempts to attack or use an attack ability, discard the stunned card instead. If the attack attempt would cause the character to exhaust, it must still exhaust to remove the card.

If a stunned villain would attack, discard the stunned card instead.

Tough – If a character with a tough card would take any amount of damage, prevent all of that damage and discard the tough card instead.