When we get to this stage, I have to shuffle the obligation cards that were set aside earlier into the villain’s encounter deck. For Rhino, that means putting in all of his cards, along with the standard encounter cards and the bomb scare cards.

If you’re playing as Spider-Man, you’ll need to add the eviction notice to the encounter deck. And if you’re playing as Captain Marvel, make sure to shuffle the family emergency obligation into the encounter deck. The Nemesis cards will stay separate until you draw an encounter card that requires them.

Let’s Draw Some Cards! When we start the game, we both get to draw cards from our decks. The number of cards we draw is the same as our hand size, which you can find on the bottom left corner of your identity card. For example, Peter Parker draws 6 cards, and Carol Danvers also draws 6 cards.

Let’s talk about resolve mulligans. So, here’s how it works: I can choose to get rid of some cards from my hand and then draw new ones, up to the number of cards I’m supposed to start with. It’s kind of a way to refresh my hand, but I don’t shuffle the discarded cards back into my deck just yet. They stay out of play for now.

A mulligan is like a second chance to get a better starting hand in a card game. If you’re happy with the cards you have, you can keep them. But if there are any cards you don’t like, you can choose to get rid of them and draw new ones.

Before the game starts, we need to follow any special instructions on the identity cards. Spider-Man and Captain Marvel don’t have any special setup instructions, so we can skip that step for them.

Now, let’s talk about some important concepts that will help you understand and enjoy the game.

First, we have the Golden Rule. It’s simple: if a card’s text contradicts the rules in this document, the card’s text is the boss.

We also have something called “Per Player.” This means that certain things in the game apply to each player individually, like the number of cards you can have in your hand.

Have you ever wondered how to interpret the symbols next to the values in your tabletop game? I can help you with that! Let’s dive in and figure it out together.

In the game, the symbols next to a value actually multiply that value by the number of players who started the scenario. It’s a way to adjust the difficulty and balance of the game based on the number of people playing. So, if you see a symbol next to a value, just remember that it’s going to be multiplied by the number of players.

Speaking of balance, let’s talk about winning and losing in the game.

Here’s how it works: the villain in the game is represented by multiple villain cards. These cards have a stage number in the upper-right corner. The stage number indicates the difficulty or level of the villain. A lower stage number means an easier villain, while a higher stage number means a more challenging villain.

When you play the game, your goal is to defeat the villain and complete the scenario. To win, you’ll need to strategize, cooperate with other players, and make smart decisions. But be careful, because if you fail to defeat the villain and complete the scenario, you’ll lose the game.

So, keep an eye out for those symbols next to the values, and remember that they’re there to make the game more balanced and challenging. And remember, the ultimate goal is to defeat the villain and emerge victorious!

When I play a game, my goal is to defeat the bad guy and win. But how do I do that? Well, it’s simple – I need to reduce the bad guy’s hit points to zero. Once I do that, I move on to the next stage of the game. If I manage to defeat the final stage of the bad guy, I win the game!

But defeating the bad guy isn’t the only way to win. The bad guy can also win if they complete their evil scheme or if they eliminate all of the players. So what’s their evil scheme? It’s a plan that they have, and they complete it by accumulating a certain amount of threat. The final card in their scheme deck tells us how much threat they need. And if a player’s hit points are reduced to zero, they’re out of the game.

To finish this plan, I have to gather 7 threats per player on it. This is the last card in the Rhino scheme deck, so if it gets completed, Rhino wins the game.

Ready and Exhausted

Cards start off in a ready position, standing upright. To use certain card abilities, I need to exhaust the card by turning it sideways. Once a card is exhausted, I can’t exhaust it again until it’s back in the ready position.

In Player Order

Have you ever heard the term “in player order”? It’s a phrase that tells us the sequence in which players take their turns in a game. When something is done “in player order”, the first player goes first, followed by each other player, one at a time, in a clockwise direction around the table.

Game Play

Welcome to Marvel Champions: The Card Game. Let’s talk about how the game is played. It’s divided into rounds, and each round has a player phase and a villain phase.

During the player phase, it’s your turn to take action, but remember, we go in player order. You can do various things during your turn, like playing cards from your hand, attacking enemies, stopping the villain’s plans, and using your ally, support, and upgrade cards.

Once every player has taken their turn, the player phase ends, and it’s time for the villain phase. Be ready!

When the villain phase starts, the main scheme gathers more threat. Then, the villain takes action once per player, either attacking or advancing their scheme.

Next, the encounter deck reveals cards that introduce minions, treacheries, side schemes, and attachments. These cards strengthen the villain’s forces and create obstacles for the heroes.

After the villain phase ends, the first player token is passed to the next player in a clockwise direction, and a new round begins. This cycle continues until either the players win together or the villain emerges victorious.

I. Player Phase

During the player phase, each player takes their turn one after another.

Once all players have taken their turns, they draw cards to replenish their hand and ready their cards. Then, it’s time for the villain phase to begin.

My Turn

When it’s my turn, I can choose from a variety of actions that I can take in any order. These actions allow me to make strategic decisions and maximize my chances of success. Let’s take a look at the different options:

I have the freedom to change my form from hero to alter-ego, or from alter-ego to hero. This change can only be made once per turn, so I need to consider the perfect timing.

I can also play ally cards, upgrade cards, or support cards from my hand. This allows me to bring additional characters and resources into play, increasing my capabilities.

If I’m in alter-ego form, I can choose to use my basic recovery power to regain health. If I’m in hero form, I can use my basic attack or basic thwart power to directly affect the game board.

I can also utilize my ally cards to attack enemies or thwart schemes. These powerful allies are essential to my strategy and can make a big difference in the outcome of the game.

With all these options at my disposal, I have the flexibility to adapt my gameplay and make the most of each turn. By strategically considering my choices and managing my resources, I can overcome challenges and achieve victory!

• I can trigger an “Action” card ability on a card I control that is in play, on an encounter card that is in play, or by playing an event card from my hand with such a timing trigger. If the action ability is preceded by “Hero” or “Alter-Ego”, I must be in the specified form in order to trigger the ability.
• I can ask another player to trigger an “Action” ability on a card they control that is in play 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 my turn as well).

Changing Form

To change from hero to alter-ego, or from alter-ego to hero, I just need to announce my intent and flip my identity card to its other side. I can change form once each round, but only during my own turn.

When I change form, my character stays the same. It doesn’t matter if I’m ready or exhausted. All my upgrades, attachments, tokens, damage, and status cards stay put.

Playing a Card

If I want to play a card from my hand, I follow these steps:

1. First, you place the card you want to play on the table.
2. Next, you pay the cost of the card. Take a look at the “Resource Costs” sidebar to see how much it costs.
3. If the card is an ally, upgrade, or support, it goes into play and is ready in your play area. If it’s an event, you resolve its effects and put it in your discard pile.

Ally Limit

You can have up to three allies in play under your control at the same time.

If you already control three allies, you can play a new ally by discarding one of your current allies.

Resource Costs

You need to pay resource costs to play cards. You can generate resources in two ways. The first way is to discard a card from your hand. The number of resource icons on the card determines how many resources you generate.

There are two ways to generate resources in the game. The first way is by discarding cards that have a “Resource” ability. When you discard these cards, you generate the specified resource. However, any extra resources generated beyond the cost of the card are lost.

The type of resource a card provides is indicated by the icons in the bottom-left corner. These icons show the number and type of resources you can generate by discarding the card. In the game, there are different types of resources:

Using a wild resource can help me in various ways. These resources can be mental, physical, or even energy-related. When I play cards from my hand, I can use any type of resource to pay the card’s cost. It doesn’t matter if it’s mental, physical, or energy-related – I have the flexibility to choose. But sometimes, certain abilities or encounter card effects ask for a specific type of resource. In those cases, I need to make sure I have the right kind of resource available to pay.

Using a Basic Power

When you’re playing as a superhero, you have access to some pretty cool abilities called basic powers. On your hero side, you’ll find your basic attack power, basic thwart power, and basic defense power. And on your alter-ego side, you’ll discover your basic recovery power. It’s important to remember that you can only use a basic power when you’re in the corresponding form.

So, how do you actually use a basic power? Well, it’s pretty simple! Just follow these steps:

1. Decide which power you want to use.
2. Pay the power’s cost by exhausting your hero or alter-ego. Think of it like spending energy to activate the power.
3. See what happens! Resolve the effect of the power and watch the magic unfold.

Basic Recovery: This power is all about healing. When you’re in your alter-ego form, you can use the basic recovery power. To activate it, exhaust your alter-ego and regain hit points equal to your REC value. This healing increases your hit point dial by the specified amount. But be aware that you can’t heal beyond your maximum hit points.

Thwarting: When I need to stop a scheme, I use my hero’s Thwart ability. This means I exhaust my hero and remove an amount of threat, or danger, from the scheme. I can choose which scheme to thwart, as long as there isn’t anything stopping me, like a special card ability.

Attacking: When I want to fight an enemy, I use my hero’s Attack ability. I exhaust my hero and deal damage, or harm, to the enemy. I can choose any enemy that’s in play, like a villain or minion, as long as there isn’t anything preventing me, like a special card ability.

Simple Defense: I can only use this power when someone is attacking me. When that happens, I can make myself tired to stop some of the damage, as much as my DEF value. I can also defend any other hero who is being attacked. But I need to be careful – if the attack is too strong and exceeds my DEF value, I’ll still get hurt and lose hit points from my hit point dial.

Dealing Damage:

When I play certain cards or use attacks, I can deal damage. This means I’m causing harm or reducing the health of my opponents. To keep track of the damage, we use special tokens that we place on the cards. Each token represents one point of damage. Whenever a card receives damage, its hit points decrease by one. If a card’s hit points reach zero or less, it’s defeated and placed in the discard pile of its owner.

If I attack a player or a villain directly, I can decrease their hit point dial. This means I’m hurting them personally. When a villain’s hit point dial reaches zero, it means I’ve successfully defeated the current stage of the villain, and they move on to the next stage of their evil plan.

Whenever the villain advances to the next stage, their hit point dial is set to the amount indicated by the new stage. This means they receive a fresh batch of hit points for me to work on. If I manage to defeat the villain’s final stage, it means I’ve won the game! On the other hand, if my hit point dial reaches zero, I’m eliminated from the game. It’s important for me to protect myself and make sure I don’t get knocked out.

Using an Ally:

When it’s my turn, I can choose to attack an enemy or stop a scheme by using my allies.

To use an ally, I need to follow these steps:

1. First, use up your ally. (If the ally is already exhausted, you can’t use it this way).
2. Decide if you’re using the ally to attack an enemy or to stop a scheme.
3. Choose the enemy you’re attacking or the scheme you’re stopping. Unless a card ability says otherwise, you can attack any enemy or stop any scheme.
4. 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.
5. Deal additional 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.

Activating an Action Ability

Ah, the sweet allure of action abilities! These bad boys are indicated by the word “Action” in bold. You can trigger them from your cards in play, event cards from your hand, or encounter cards that have such an ability. To make the magic happen, follow these steps:

1. Declare the action ability you want to trigger. Make your choice, my friend!

2. Now it’s time to pay up. Look for the ability’s cost, which comes before the effect and is separated by a snazzy arrow icon. You gotta cough up the resources shown in the cost. Keep in mind, some abilities don’t have a cost, while others have sneaky little additional costs like “exhaust this card” that you’ll need to pay too.

3. Get ready for the fireworks! Resolve the effect of the action ability and watch the game change before your very eyes.

Oh, and here’s the icing on the cake: you can trigger a particular action ability as many times as you want in a single turn, as long as you can foot the bill and the effect keeps things spicy. So go ahead and make things happen!

Hey there! If you’re curious about other types of abilities, you can find more info in the sidebar on the right.

Abilities of Heroes and Alter-egos

If an ability has the word “Hero” or “Alter-ego” before it, or if the ability refers to a specific form, you have to be in that form to use or interact with the ability.

If an ability doesn’t mention a form, you can use it whether you’re in hero form or alter-ego form.

Action Abilities on Encounter Cards

Some encounter cards have action abilities that you can use while the card is in play. On your turn, you can pay the cost shown on the encounter card to activate the ability. You can do this as many times as you want during your turn, as long as you pay each cost.

Other Types of Abilities You Should Know

Did you know that besides action abilities, there are a few other types of abilities in the game? They’re called triggered abilities, and they come in different forms: Interrupts, Responses, and Resource abilities.

Using these abilities is optional, unless the ability trigger is bolded and comes after the word “Forced.” Each triggered ability can be used once whenever the situation described in its text happens.

Now, let me tell you about “Resource” abilities. These abilities can be used anytime the player who controls them is generating resources to pay a cost. The player who controls the resource card usually has to be the one paying the cost, unless it says otherwise.

“Interrupt” abilities are special powers that you can activate whenever a specific condition, as mentioned in the ability’s description, is about to happen. These abilities let you stop or change what was going to happen, giving you an advantage.

“Response” abilities are different. You can use them as soon as their required condition is met. This happens right after the condition takes place or is resolved.

What Happens at the End of Your Turn?

Once you’ve done everything you wanted or could do on your turn, simply announce that your turn is over. Then, it’s the next player’s turn, starting with the person sitting to your right.

After each player has completed their turn, follow the “End of Player Phase” steps below.

The End of the Player Phase

Here’s what you need to do to end your turn as a player:

1. First, in the order that players take turns, you have the option to get rid of as many cards as you want from your hand. If you have more cards than your hand size, you must discard down to your hand size.
2. Next, at the same time, every player draws cards from their deck until they have the same number of cards in their hand as their hand size.
3. Finally, also at the same time, all players ready any cards that were exhausted before.

Once you’ve finished all these steps, your turn as a player is over. Now it’s time for the villain to take their turn.

The Villain Phase: Brace Yourself!

Prepare yourselves, heroes, for the villain phase, where danger looms! Brace yourselves as the villains strike back with a vengeance, bringing forth their minions and unleashing new threats that test your mettle.

Get ready to face off against the villains by following these steps, explained in detail below:

1. Place threat on the main scheme.
2. The villain and their minions take their turn.
3. Each player receives an encounter card.
4. Reveal the encounter cards and face the challenges they present.
5. Pass the first player token and conclude the round.

The Plot Thickens with the Scheme Deck

The scheme deck holds the key to the villain’s master plan. If the villain successfully completes the final stage of their scheme, they emerge victorious. Beware, for some villains possess a single-stage scheme deck that spells doom with each passing moment.

Let’s talk about main schemes and how they work. Main schemes are an important part of the game, and they start with a threat value on them. You can find the amount of threat on a main scheme at the bottom of the card.

When an enemy or a villain is instructed to scheme by a card or a game rule, a number of threat equal to the SCH value of that enemy is placed on the main scheme. This means that the more dangerous the enemy, the higher the threat they add to the scheme.

Each main scheme has a target threat value in the top-left corner. This value represents the amount of threat that needs to be on the scheme before it advances to the next stage. It’s important to keep an eye on this threat level because when the threat on a main scheme reaches or exceeds the target threat, the scheme deck moves to the next stage.

When a scheme deck advances, the threat from the previous stage is removed and goes back to the token pool. If the final stage of the scheme deck advances, it’s game over for the players.

Step One – Introducing the Threat

I want you to put the threat amount mentioned in the main scheme’s acceleration field onto that particular scheme. But wait! If there are any side schemes with an acceleration icon already in play, they will change the amount of threat you need to place right now.

Step Two – Villain and Minion Activations

Now it’s time for the villain to make their move. The villain will take a turn against each player, one at a time, following the order of play. And guess what? After the villain finishes their turn, any minions that are causing trouble for that player will also take their turn!

How the villain and minions act depends on the form you’re in. If you’re in your regular form, known as alter-ego, the villain or minion will try to come up with a scheme to outsmart you. But if you’ve transformed into your hero form, they will go on the offensive and attack you directly!

Once the villain has finished their turn against one player, it’s time for them to move on to the next player in line. This continues until every player has had their encounter with the villain.

Strategy Tip

Here’s a little tip for you: the form you’re in, hero or alter-ego, really matters! It determines how the villain will act each round. If you want to stop them from scheming, make sure you’re in hero form to confront them head-on.

If you’re feeling really tired and think you might get hurt, it’s probably a good idea to stay in your alter-ego form. This way, you can heal and get stronger. But remember, if you’re in alter-ego form, you won’t be able to stop the villain from carrying out their evil plans!

As a Marvel champion, finding the right balance between your hero and alter-ego is a crucial skill to master.

Alter-ego Form: Villain’s Scheme

When you’re in alter-ego form, the villain and any minions that are fighting you make plans to advance their evil goals. To handle this situation, follow these steps:

1. So here’s what you do: I’m gonna give the bad guy a card from the deck. And guess what? That card is gonna boost the bad guy. Yeah, I know, it’s like giving them an extra advantage. But hey, we gotta make it interesting, right?
2. Now, let’s flip that boost card face up. See those little icons at the bottom-right? They actually mean something. Each icon adds +1 to the villain’s SCH. Yeah, I know, it sucks for us. But hey, it’s a game, and games are supposed to be challenging, right?

If you see a star icon in the boost field, it doesn’t mean the card gives you +1 SCH. It means the card has an ability that activates after it’s flipped face-up. You discard the boost card at the end of this step.

Hero Form: Enemy Attacks

If you are in hero form, the villain (and each minion engaging you) will attack. To handle this activation, follow these steps:

1. When it’s time for the villain to attack, they receive a card from the encounter deck, which they keep face down. This card is called the villain’s boost card for this turn.
2. If you are the player being attacked, you have a choice to make. You can decide whether to defend against the attack or not. To defend, you need to exhaust your hero or an ally that you control. If you choose not to defend, any other player can step in and defend by exhausting their hero or an ally they control.
3. Now it’s time to flip the boost card face up. Each boost icon at the bottom-right corner of the card adds +1 ATK to the villain’s attack for this turn. Keep in mind that a star icon in the boost field does not provide extra attack power. Instead, it indicates that the card has a special ability marked with a star, which will be resolved after the card is flipped face up. The boost card is discarded at the end of this step.

I’m gonna break down the rules for you. Ready? Here we go:

First off, we need to deal some damage. So, I’ll deal damage to the villain. How much damage? Well, it’s gonna be equal to the villain’s ATK value. Simple, right?

But wait, there’s more. If a hero is defending against the attack, the damage dealt is gonna be reduced by that hero’s DEF value. The rest of the damage is gonna be dealt to the hero. If it’s an ally defending, they’re gonna take all the damage. And if no one’s defending, then the hero resolving the activation takes it all.

Now, on to minions. If there are any minions hanging around, they get to have some fun too. One at a time, they’ll attack the player resolving the activation. The damage they deal is determined by their ATK value, and they don’t get any boost cards. Sorry, minions. Tough luck.

Okay, that’s step one. Now onto step three. It’s time to deal some encounter cards. Hang on tight!

Let’s get started. I’ll deal one card from the encounter deck to each player, going in order.

Step Four – Time to Reveal the Encounter Cards

Now we’ll reveal and deal with all the encounter cards that were dealt in the previous step. We’ll do this one card at a time, going in player order.

When we reveal an encounter card, we have to deal with it based on what type of card it is:

Minion – If we reveal a minion, it joins the game and engages with the player who revealed the card. We put the minion near that player to show that it’s engaged.

Treachery – If we reveal a treachery, we have to resolve its effect first and then put it in the encounter discard pile.

Attachment – If we reveal an attachment, it goes into play and gets attached to the villain.

Side Schemes – When we reveal a side scheme from the encounter deck, it shows up next to the main scheme. Side schemes start with some threat on them already.

You can get rid of threat from a side scheme when we heroes or our allies use our basic thwart power, or through special card abilities. If a side scheme doesn’t have any threat on it, we throw it away in the encounter discard pile.

Side Scheme Icons

Icons play an integral role in how we communicate and interpret information. They have become a universal language, transcending cultural and language barriers. When I see an icon, it immediately conveys a message or an action without the need for language. Icons have grown to become an essential element in our digital and physical environments, making our lives more intuitive and efficient.

But have you ever stopped to consider the thought and intention behind the icons we see on a daily basis? Each icon has its own unique design and purpose. The shape, color, and symbolism of an icon all play a part in guiding us, helping us navigate through interfaces, and interact with the world around us.

Icons have the power to speak to us on a subconscious level, evoking certain emotions and responses. They have the ability to express complex ideas or concepts in a simple, visually appealing form. When I see a heart icon, I immediately think of love or affection. The power of these icons lies in their ability to convey meaning with just a glance.

Choosing the right icons for a project is crucial. Each icon communicates a specific meaning, so it’s important to choose icons that align with the message or purpose of the project. A well-designed icon not only enhances the visual appeal of a project but also aids in clarity and understanding.

When thinking about icons, it’s important to consider their context. Icons can have different interpretations based on cultural or regional variations. For example, a thumbs-up icon may be universally recognized as a positive gesture, but in some cultures, it may carry a different meaning or be interpreted differently.

Moreover, icons should be designed with accessibility in mind. They should be easily recognizable and understandable to all users, regardless of their age or background. Clear and straightforward symbolism is key here.

In conclusion, icons are a vital tool in our visual communication landscape. Their ability to convey meaning and guide us is unparalleled. By carefully choosing and designing icons, we can create intuitive and inclusive experiences for all users. So next time you see an icon, take a moment to appreciate the thought and intention that went into its creation.

If a side scheme has the crisis icon, you have to defeat it first before you can remove threat from the main scheme. It’s like dealing with a problem within a problem!

When there is a side scheme in play with the acceleration icon, things get more intense during the villain phase. One additional threat is placed on the main scheme, making it harder to keep it under control.

Watch out for side schemes with the hazard icon! During step three of the villain phase, an extra encounter card is dealt for each of these schemes. That means more challenges are coming your way!

Abilities that Trigger When Revealed

When an encounter card is revealed and it has any “When Revealed” abilities, those abilities take effect right away, as soon as the card enters play. It’s like a surprise attack that you have to deal with immediately! If it’s a treachery card, it still triggers its “When Revealed” ability, but it goes straight to the encounter discard pile after.

Abilities that Trigger When Defeated

Some of those sneaky minions and wicked side schemes have special abilities that activate when we manage to defeat them. It’s like a little surprise they have in store for us!

My Secret Identity

Whether we’re in our hero form or our alter-ego form can make a big difference when it comes to how encounter cards affect us. If we’re in our hero form and an encounter card says something about heroes, we’ll need to pay attention and follow the instructions. But if we’re in our alter-ego form, we can just ignore it.

Watch Out for Nemesis

If we come across a card that tells us to bring a nemesis side scheme into play, things are about to get tough. The nemesis side scheme for the player who drew the card will be set up in the play area, and that player’s nemesis minion will also join in the fun by engaging with them. The other cards connected to that nemesis will end up in the discard pile, out of sight.

Hey there! Let me fill you in on the nemeses, side schemes, and associated cards for each hero.

Spider-Man: You’ve got Vulture, Highway Robbery, The Vulture’s Plans, and two Sweeping Swoop cards.

Captain Marvel: Yon-Rogg is her nemesis, and she’s also dealing with The Psyche-Magnitron, two Kree Manipulator cards, and Yon-Rogg’s Treason.

Iron Man: For Iron Man, it’s Whiplash, Imminent Overload, two Electric Whip Attack cards, and Electromagnetic Backlash.

She-Hulk: She-Hulk’s got Titania to handle, along with Personal Challenge, Genetically Enhanced, and two Titania’s Fury cards.

Black Panther: Finally, Black Panther has to face off against Killmonger, deal with Usurp the Throne, Heart-Shaped Herb, and two Ritual Combat cards.

Obligations

When we’re setting up, we each shuffle our character’s obligation card into the encounter deck.

If you draw an obligation card from the encounter deck, you must give it to the player who controls the character indicated on the card. That player will then follow the instructions on the obligation card to resolve it.

End of the Round

Pass the first player token to the player on your right. The round ends, and the next player phase begins.

The Cards and Decks

End of the Game

Once the Player and Villain phases are completed, the next round starts. The game continues until either the players win as a team or the Villain wins.

What Comes Next?

Now that you’ve learned the basics of playing MARVEL Champions: The Card Game, what’s next?.

After playing the introductory game, try exploring different preconstructed starter decks that feature other heroes by playing the Rhino scenario.