Spotlight Cache Planner Guide and Explanation

As you may have noticed, a new feature has been introduced on the Marvel Snap Zone website: the Spotlight Cache Planner! The core idea of this tool is to enable players to use their resources more strategically. After all, Spotlight Keys and Collector’s Tokens are finite. Thus, accurate planning becomes essential for building the most comprehensive collection. So let’s dive into how the planner functions and explore its features.

Check out our new Spotlight Cache Tracker and Planner!

Getting Started

To ensure the planner functions correctly, you must log in and synchronize your collection with our Marvel Snap Tracker.

Alternatively, you can update your collection manually.

Once that’s done, the planner will display the upcoming (datamined) Spotlight Caches relevant to you.

Planning Spotlight Weeks

To select the cards you’re interested in, click the toggle next to each card. There are two options for acquiring cards: using Tokens or Spotlight Keys. For variants, the only option available is purchase with Spotlight Keys, as this is currently the only way to get them.

The choices you make directly influence the four main metrics displayed at the top.

• ‘Weeks Planned‘ – indicates the number of weeks you’ve scheduled acquisitions for.
• ‘Number of Cards and Variants‘ – cards and variants you intend to obtain using Spotlight Keys and Collector’s Tokens.
• ‘Number of Tokens Needed‘ shows the total number of Tokens required to purchase your cards. It also displays the number of cards planned to be purchased with tokens.
• ‘Number of Keys Needed‘ shows the total number of Keys necessary for your planned acquisitions, including an average value (displayed below) as well as minimum and maximum values (shown above).

Calculations Behind the Planner

In addition to tracking costs, you can also see the estimated number of Keys and Tokens you’ll need to earn over the course of the known Spotlight weeks. We have tried to take all factors into account to make the figures as accurate as possible, but without making the calculation process incredibly complicated.

The calculations are grounded in the extensive research conducted by Lauren and myself, details of which are thoroughly outlined in the Ultimate Guide to Spotlight Caches:

But in general, the numbers and their reasoning can be summarized as follows:

By participating in all in-game activities, including Conquest, daily missions, challenges, and earning rewards on the Collection Level Track, you’ll accumulate enough Credits for 46 Caches and 5 Keys. From these 46 Caches, you can expect to receive approximately 690 Tokens. Additionally, weekend challenges offer the potential to earn 200 Tokens weekly, provided you acquire new cards – a likely scenario with resource management and Cache planning.

Moreover, when opening Caches with the goal of obtaining a single card, you’ll average about 500 Tokens per week. If you’re targeting two cards, the average increases to 667 Tokens, and for three cards, it rises to 750 Tokens. This incremental gain in Tokens is attributed to the fact that not every Cache yields a card or variant and the fourth draw is always 1,000 Tokens, making this a substantial long-term Token source when using Spotlight Keys.

Regarding the opening of Caches: aiming for one specific card or variant typically requires an average of 2.5 Keys. For two goals, the average is 3.33 Keys, and for three goals, it’s 3.75 Keys.

All of this affects the number of Tokens and Credits to receive during Spotlight weeks.

Gold also plays a crucial role in these calculations, and you have three options for accounting for it.

1. Don’t Spend Gold means exclude Gold from the calculations, which is useful if you want to see the figures without Gold’s influence or if you plan to spend Gold on variants.
2. Spend Gold on Credits. In this case, you spend Gold quite inefficiently, but it’s a reliable way to convert Gold into Credits and subsequently into Keys.
3. Spend Gold on Tokens. This assumes all your Gold will be spent on acquiring Tokens via Token Tuesdays.

We use the Token Tuesdays Bundles as the standard for our calculations because it offers a consistent and reliable method to acquire Collector’s Tokens at a set price each week. Additionally, without extra financial investment, you’ll encounter more Token Tuesday Bundles than you can purchase.

Keep in mind that although you’ll still want to take advantage of the most profitable bundles, their fluctuating prices, contents, and availability make them challenging to incorporate into our calculations. Nevertheless, purchasing the best value bundles is a strategic choice that you should consider to significantly  enhance your collection in the long run.

You can also include planned Season Pass purchases in the calculations and it will affect all the numbers. Typically, over a four-week season without a Season Pass, you can earn about 2,000 Gold for free. By investing in a Season Pass at the season’s start, you could increase your earnings to approximately 3,500 Gold. This total factors in the 900 Gold from the Season Pass and an extra 150 Gold weekly from weekend challenges.

Star Ratings

Also, the planner automatically rates Spotlight weeks based on the potential for acquiring new cards:

• Cards not marked as ‘desired’ are assigned 0.5 stars, while those identified as ‘desired’ receive 1 star.
• Series 5 cards are given a 1.5x multiplier.
• Desired variants are also rated at 1 star.

Note that the star ratings are subject to change over time and are somewhat subjective. It’s important to prioritize your card preferences and resource management when considering these ratings.

Conclusion

As previously noted, you have the option to select various combinations of targets from the upcoming Spotlight Caches. You also choose how you plan to spend the Gold that will accumulate over all this time. Additionally, you can choose whether you plan to buy a Season Pass every season!

All this affects the final figures and is calculated based on all the factors mentioned earlier, in accordance with the number of known weeks, your picks and planner settings.

Therefore, our planning system is designed to adapt to your needs, displaying the amount of resources required and the quantity you’ll accumulate over the known span of Spotlight Cache weeks. So sync your collection now using our comprehensive tracker or the collection manager, and start planning for the upcoming Spotlight Weeks today!