Marvel Champions LCG: Core Set

Fantastic game from my few plays so far. Really like all of the FFG LCGs that I have so far and this one is probably the easiest to get into. Compared to Arkham horror and LOTR it is less daunting to get to the table.

FFG's latest LCG is their easiest to pick up and play. Each hero has its own deck, that can be modified, but doesn't necessarily have to be in order to play. This set contains 5 heroes and 3 scenarios, with tons more heroes and scenarios that can be added with the other sets. Very thematic and great to play solo or with multiple players.

I hovered between 3 and 4 and finally gave it the benefit of the doubt. I primarily play Marvel Legendary, but I wanted to branch out a bit and try something different, and since I typically play solo VS (also by upper deck) didn't appeal to me so I decided to give Champions a shot. I'm still trying to figure out if I like it, and EVERYTHING about my rating is as a solo player as I haven't had a chance to play group (and haven't had the initiative to try playing 2 handed). Pros: Setup is WAY faster than legendary. Like most more complicated games, there's a learning curve (I feel like my first game took hours to set up and play through) but now I can set up in a couple minutes. Setup time is WAY faster than Legendary. Deck customization is much better - legendary you can't really customize the deck (only what you choose to buy), so there's some replay value in tweaking combinations, adapting for scenarios, etc. Turn speed is FAST. Game is MUCH simpler than legendary, so it's a bit easier introduction. Cons: The Rhino tutorial module is hard and ridiculously swingy. Initially it's tough to get a bead on what the good strategy(s) is . While I've been trying to change things up, I feel like I largely do roughly the same things and I alternately complete decimate and am completely decimated by Rhino. Some heroes seem to be functionally impossible to play Solo - I was having a tough time with Iron Man and the general consensus online is he's icky solo, play him in a group (although there were a few suggestions that might make him play better). Shame cuz I was really looking forward to him. A LOT less selection in terms of heroes. A big box usually only comes with a couple heroes, and individual hero packs cost as much as a full expansion (5 heroes, plus villains, plus scenarios) in legendary. A typical launch seems to have a box set with a few heroes then 4-ish related heroes in a hero pack wave.. so altogether you're paying about $100 to add 6ish heroes to your collection where in legendary it's closer to $15. Replay value is inhibited by the fact that the villain/scheme combos are tied together, which makes more story sense but creates less options (I have at least 200 schemes and 50ish masterminds in legendary, which is 10,000 combos of that alone NOT COUNTING hero and villain permutations... functionally infinite as in I will die of old age long before I've tried a fraction of the possibilities). Main box comes with 5 heroes and 3 villains/schemes, that's only 15 permutations. Legendary the starting box is 6 schemes with 4 masterminds, plus 8ish heroes, for about the same price. Overall: Champions is kinda fun. I have some disposable income right now so I'll probably pick up a couple expansions here and there (I bought Sinister Motives with it, but am trying to get through the main box content before I crack that open), but I don't feel like I'll get to the must preorder everything level I am with Legendary.

Champions is a super fun game. The Core Set gives you a lot to play with so it has a good amount of replay value.

This game is very fun to play. It is pretty easy to learn and beginning scenario is fun.

The biggest shortfall of Marvel Champions (MC) is that it's not Arkham Horror: The Card Game. That said, MC is far better at picking up and playing. The pre-build decks are better than FFG's other co-op LCGs, and deck construction has a lower accessibility threshold as 15 of 40 cards are automatically set for each hero. With modular encounter sets, the scenarios feel more repayable than FFG'S other co-op LCGs too. That said, the MC base box has no campaign support at all.

A very fun deck builder that fixes my main issue with FFGs other LCG core sets you having complete play sets out of the box rather than requiring two core sets for a handful of cards.

One of the best pickups for solo gamers. The Core box has lots to offer and is a surprisingly full experience. Great for shorter play sessions.

Great game! Lots of strategy to think through and combos to roll out - super fun!

Very fun game for all ages. If anyone likes Marvel and or deck buildings. This is a game you should definitely pick up! The difficulty scale is great. Only wish there was a little more variety in the character specialty cards.