Table of Contents
Introduction
Marvel Snap has unleashed the December 2022 Developer Update and there is a lot of information to unpack and dissect! From brand new cards, a big change in the card acquisition system, a new season, and more, the next patch and season is bound to be an exciting one for all players. If you’ve missed the news, check out the article below:
In this guide, we will breakdown step by step what’s happening and when, collecting the scatter of information that is out there and help you decide what to do before the patch and the new season drops. In summary:
- Try to reach 1000 and 3000 Collection Level as soon as possible
- Save up 5000 Credits
- 16 new hard to obtain cards in Series (Pool) 4 and 5
- Potential card nerfs and buffs
- New season starts December 5, 2022 featuring new card Silver Surfer
Release Date of the Next Marvel Snap Patch Update
Firstly, in the context of this preparation guide, it is important to find out when the next Marvel Snap patch is happening! As far as we know, the developers have been non-committal about the exact release date of the next patch, but Ben Brode has stated that it will likely drop before the next season – The Power Cosmic that starts on December 5, 2022:
Marvel Snap patches have frequently been on Tuesdays, with the last update happening on a Thursday on November 3, 2022. While it’s unlikely we’ll see a patch as soon as November 24, we could potentially see one on Tuesday November 29 or Thursday December 1.
Collector’s Tokens and the Token Shop
Players are finally given a bit of urgency when it comes to collecting new cards, rather than having to wait for that elusive Pool 3 (now officially called Series) card that could take months to obtain due to the sheer randomness of the progression system.
The Collector’s Token is a new currency that will allow players to purchase cards that they do not yet own from the Token Shop that rotates one card every 8 hours. A more detailed breakdown is explained in our dedicated guide:
There are two facets to this upcoming update that players should prepare for.
Free Collector’s Tokens
To celebrate this card acquisition system change, Second Dinner will be granting players free Collector’s Tokens in different tiers according to a player’s Collection Level:
| Collection Level | Collector’s Tokens |
|---|---|
| 0-499 CL | 3,000 Tokens (after reaching 500 CL) |
| 500-999 CL | 3,000 Tokens |
| 1000-2999 CL | 6,000 Tokens |
| 3000+ CL | 12,000 Tokens |
Considering the value of a card in the Token Shop is the following:
| Series | Collector’s Tokens |
|---|---|
| Series 3 Card | 1,000 Tokens |
| Series 4 Card | 3,000 Tokens |
| Ultimate Variants (See below) | 5,000 Tokens |
| Series 5 Card | 6,000 Tokens |
By minimum, all players can unlock up to three cards from Series 3 (Pool 3) cards for free, but players should try and reach the next threshold for additional Collector’s Tokens if reasonable to do so.
Players are capped in the amount of Credits they can earn and purchase each day, so should plan accordingly. The absolute maximum you should be able to climb, depending on the amount of Credits you currently have saved up (maximum of 5,000) and the Missions you want to complete, should be approximately between 100 to 400.
For those that want a more precise calculation, please refer to the work done by Trey on Twitter:
Is it worth pushing for the next tier by spending money for Credits? Possibly, as Collector’s Tokens can be hard to come by. Collector’s Caches and Reserves will have a 25% chance to drop 100 Tokens each (once players have all of the Series 3 cards, they’ll have an additional ~22% chance to get 400 Tokens).
Having said all that, you do not have to update the app to the latest version straight away! Marvel Snap does not force upgrading to the new version until 2 to 7 days after patch release so you will have some agency about when to get your free token reward.
Ultimate Variants
These are the two Ultimate Variants that have a roughly 6.25% of the time in the Token Shop:
Saving Credits
This comes to the next point, if you’ve climbed as much Collection Level as possible in the time provided to reach the next tier of free Collector’s Tokens. You can bank up to 5,000 Credits, which can be used to upgrade your cards, increase your Collection Level, and open the Collector’s Caches and Reserves for Collector’s Tokens instead of Boosters (which are mostly worthless in the grand scheme of Marvel Snap).
The loot tables for the Caches are determined at the time they are earned, and the reward is selected from that predetermined loot table when they are opened. That means you can open up the Caches that you earn now, but you should save up Credits to open the new Caches with new loot when the patch drops.
New Cards, New Meta
The next patch will introduce 16 brand new cards to Marvel Snap that had been previously datamined for a while now. 10 of them are in Series 4 (Rare), and 6 of them are in Series 5 (Ultra Rare). Currently, there are three Series of cards that players open according to their Collection Level – more commonly known as Pools by players. Speaking of which, it looks like the official terminology is Series – so we’ll use them interchangeably to begin with, and transition to Series when players are more familiar with it.
The major difference between these Series and the first three, is that you can still collect them via Caches and the Token Shop even if you haven’t completed the Series 3 card collection.
| Reward | Series 4 % | Series 5 % |
|---|---|---|
| Collector’s Cache | 2.5% | 0.25% |
| Collector’s Reserve | 2.5% | 0.25% |
Like Series 3 cards, these new cards will offer unique deck building opportunities and are bound to shake up the current meta! We will offer a guide on how best you can spend your Collector’s Tokens soon, taking into the current Pool 3 and the new Pool 4 and 5 cards. Keep an eye out for our reviews, theorycraft, and decklists soon!
Series 4 Cards
For the full list and details of Series 4 cards, check out our guide:
Series 5 Cards
For the full list and details of Series 5 cards, check out our guide:
Card Rebalancing
It’s been over a month since the last round of card buffs and nerfs which happened well before the global release. New players have since experienced the Pool 1 and 2 experience, fine-tuned during the closed beta (did you know that Devil Dinosaur was nerfed twice already?) and many are now dipping into their Pool 3 (ahem, Series 3) collection. We have published a series of decks for each Pool 3 card to help out:
Now, the meta has somewhat stabilized on the upper end of the Collection Level for a few weeks now. You can find our latest meta analysis here:
In light of this information, there may also be a card rebalancing update in the patch that you should be ready for (or, it could be referring to “other stuff”):
The Power Cosmic: December 2022 Season
Marvel Snap’s next season is scheduled to start on December 5, 2022 and along with it the new Premium Season Pass card: Silver Surfer! Remember that you will drop 3 ranks from your current rank (e.g. if you end the season on 79, you will be dropped down to 40).
Decks with Silver Surfer
From Black Panther onwards, Season Pass cards will be added to Series 5 once the season ends – and may be harder to get, so purchase it before the season ends if you wish to. Miles Morales will be the last Season Pass card to be added to Series 3!
Details on the new season, once known, will be posted in this guide:
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this breakdown that ended up being longer than anticipated! As always, make sure to check out our YouTube channel for the latest video updates, and our Discord community to discuss further. We’ll see you again very soon!
