Explaining the ins and outs of the mysterious “Snap”
Marvel Snap has plenty of catchy sound effects to keep you informed and invested in the match, but new players may be caught off guard by the booming “Opponent Snapped!” announcement. While not necessary to win or progress in the game, Snapping can help you increase your rank faster and add some higher stakes to the game.
How Snapping Affects the Game
There are several little goals and prizes involved in the game, but they all boil down to the main point: increase your rank. Credits, collection prizes, missions, and the shop are just ways to stack your deck to win matches to increase your rank. To understand what’s at stake when a player Snaps, you need to understand how winning matches contributes to raising your rank.
At the beginning of a normal match, there is 1 Cosmic Cube floating above the game. If no one Snaps or retreats, the prize at the end of the match is +2 Cubes for the winner while the loser has 2 Cubes taken away from their total. To move on to the next level, a total of 10 Cubes is needed.
Snapping doubles the wager. The match will start with 2 and end with 4 Cubes at stake for both players. If you win, those +4 Cubes go a long way in leveling up. But if you lose, that’s 4 Cubes subtracted from your total that may even take you down a level. You can play Marvel Snap without ever Snapping, but there are a couple of reasons why a player may decide to.
When to Snap
The main reason is to increase your rank as fast as possible. You can win with +2 Cubes or +4 Cubes. Easy math tells us the latter will get us to 10 Cubes the fastest. If your opponent Snaps right away, it’s likely they are just trying to level up as quickly as possible. No one is winning yet, and they haven’t seen enough of your hand or even their own to be making a wager.
A Snap later in the match can also be about leveling up by doubling the rewards. The important difference is that the Snapper may be more confident in their chances of winning the match. This is where the second reason for Snapping comes into play.
The Snap may be used as a bluff to persuade the other player to retreat. Remember that there is a cost to losing a match. If your hand is looking bleak, you may be convinced to retreat if your opponent has Snapped and doubled the stakes.
The great news is that if you win, you get the boost, even if you didn’t do the Snapping. Once the metaphorical bell has been rung, there is no going back for either party. So if you’re going to do it, be ready for the consequences.
Fight or Retreat
Once either player Snaps, you both have two options: retreat or continue playing. Technically, you can retreat at any time, but after the challenge is issued the consequences will increase. The Cosmic Cube doubles during the final turn, so retreating before then will save you some loss.
Because Snapping also doubles the stakes, retreating before turn 6 will mean only losing 2 Cubes rather than the 4 you will lose if you play through until the end. There’s no shame in the retreat. If it’s the fifth turn and you have no chance of winning two locations, cut your losses.
How to Snap
All you have to do is tap the Cosmic Cube at the top of the screen. This can be done any time before the sixth turn reveal.
Now you know what puts the “Snap” in Marvel Snap! Knowing how the points work for matches is important, but having a great deck is the next step. If you need some ideas for your deck starting out, we have some suggestions for the best pool 1 decks.
Related: Marvel Snap: Some helpful tips for newcomers
