MARVEL SNAP Game Design Lead Reveals “Team Clash” And Teases The Biggest Card Drop Yet

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MARVEL SNAP is preparing for a really big season! It’s going beyond just using the most well-known Marvel characters and stories. In December, a new season will launch, featuring some lesser-known X-Men villains with a focus on the Weapon X program. Plus, players will get to try out some brand new game modes.

The new “Team Clash” mode is a major addition to MARVEL SNAP, designed to encourage more teamwork and strategy, something players have requested. It launches on December 18th and will change how players build decks, prioritizing team combinations. In a recent interview, MARVEL SNAP’s Game Design Leader, Samuel Stoddard, revealed that the update includes 36 new cards and signals a bright future for the game.

MARVEL SNAP’s “Team Clash” Mode, Explained

The newest game mode in MARVEL SNAP, called “Team Clash,” introduces a fresh way to play. Some hero groups, like Spider-Verse and the Guardians of the Galaxy, already work well together in the game. However, popular teams like the Avengers, X-Men, and Thunderbolts haven’t traditionally had that same strong connection. “Team Clash” changes this by temporarily boosting how well certain cards within a team cooperate. In this mode, players choose to play as one of six teams: Avengers, X-Men, Brotherhood of Mutants, Thunderbolts, Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Spider-Verse.

Each team features six updated versions of popular MARVEL SNAP cards, enhancing how well they work together. The Avengers become stronger when played in the same location, while X-Men give you +1 Energy for each location with at least three X-Men cards. If you’re winning locations, the Brotherhood boosts the power of other Brotherhood cards in your hand. Thunderbolts gain +2 Power at locations where you’re losing. Guardians of the Galaxy cards get +1 Power at locations that are glowing, and Spider-Verse cards give you +2 Energy if you moved Spider-Verse cards the previous turn.

Players can battle in “Team Clash” using pre-made decks built around six specific strategies, or they can create their own custom decks to match their preferred playstyle. This update brings 36 brand-new cards to MARVEL SNAP, making it the largest card release since the game launched. The development team recognizes this is a significant expansion and a bold new direction for the game.

Why “Team Clash” Is Such A Big Step For MARVEL SNAP

“Team Clash” isn’t the first limited-time mode in MARVEL SNAP. The game frequently features temporary modes like “Deadpool’s Diner,” “High Voltage,” and “Sanctum Showdown,” each offering a fresh twist on the usual gameplay. According to developer Ben Stoddard, modifying the core rules for these modes is more difficult than it seems. He explained that MARVEL SNAP was specifically designed as a streamlined mobile game, which, while simplifying things, also limits how much they can change. There are fewer elements to adjust, so they have to carefully consider the game’s existing constraints.

Stoddard explained that changes to game modes, like removing the turn limit and adjusting scoring in “Sanctum Showdown,” can significantly improve deckbuilding and gameplay. He emphasized the importance of keeping these modes interesting by introducing new card designs and regularly updating elements like champions and teams, as he did with “Grand Arena” and “Team Clash.” He believes this approach keeps the game fresh and appeals to players who enjoy experimenting with different strategies and team compositions.

The new “Team Clash” update is a significant change for MARVEL SNAP, according to developer Ben Stoddard. It dramatically alters many familiar cards and how players approach the game. Stoddard explains that teams are central to the Marvel Universe, and MARVEL SNAP’s unique design – with smaller decks and frequent updates – makes this a good fit now. When the game first launched, adding teams would have been more challenging due to the limited number of cards available. Now, with a much larger card pool, they can build diverse and balanced teams. A key focus was ensuring teams had roughly the same number of members, addressing the imbalance caused by groups like the X-Men, which naturally have a large roster.

People love building decks around specific themes in card games – like goblins, knights, or heroes. It’s a really engaging part of the experience. With our game, “Team Clash,” we’re encouraging that even more. We can design the game so that themed decks actually work well, either by creating new cards or updating existing ones. This allows players to focus on specific strategies, and we think they’ll really enjoy that. We’re very excited about the possibilities!

Cosmic Invasion & Reflections Before The New Year

As a huge MARVEL SNAP player, I’m so excited for the new “Team Clash” mode coming this winter! But it’s not the only thing coming – apparently December is going to be packed with content. Ben Stoddard mentioned that alongside “Team Clash”, they’re also releasing a revamped “Grand Arena” that’s launching at the same time as the new game, Cosmic Invasion! It sounds like a really cool tie-in.

We’re featuring official pixel art from the game for all the champions, and as a fan of pixel art myself, I think it looks fantastic – like a high-quality arcade game. This mode is also our first time using only pre-constructed decks. Players enjoyed our ‘Grand Arena’ mode, but sometimes got annoyed by the complex strategies made possible with custom decks. This new mode lets us test how players respond to a more streamlined experience with only pre-built options, which will help us improve our game modes in the future.

Reflecting on the current state and future of MARVEL SNAP, Stoddard expressed his admiration for the game’s ongoing design innovation and the sheer variety of cards available. He highlighted how MARVEL SNAP successfully distills the key elements of traditional card games into a fast-paced, enjoyable experience – a five-minute mobile game that many other card games can’t match. However, he also acknowledged that this streamlining came at the cost of some potential design complexity.

It’s amazing how much new content we’ve been able to create for the game over the past three years. We’re still designing exciting new cards and introducing innovative gameplay mechanics, while also exploring a wide range of characters. I was initially worried we’d run out of ideas, but the team has done a fantastic job of carefully planning and releasing new content at a good pace. They’ve balanced popular choices with more obscure ones, and the amount of effort they put into it is really impressive. We have plenty of room to keep expanding and growing in the years to come.

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2025-11-25 20:14