Marvel Champions Buyers Guide - 2024 Edition! (For New Players!)

[@bryantstewart8280]

Have everything, and still watched cause of VT

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! Too kind!

[@beewings98]

How much did everything cost? Just curious

[@Mikexmerchant]

You immediately went into the content when the video started. I love this. You got yourself a subscriber!

[@VillainTheory]

Hey thanks!

[@steventaylor9962]

I agree with this 💯 Video has really good pace, is concise while still being broad enough to be flexible to taste/product availability. Having an informative video respect my time is very appreciated.

[@Zym1l]

WOW. Love your channel! I'm a new MC player. Came to this channel after looking at your insane video of ranking aspects for each hero. Randomly searched if there is someone crazy enough to do it. Wish I saw this a year ago. Subscribed

[@VillainTheory]

Welcome aboard! Glad you've enjoyed the videos so much!

[@Mat23]

Just wanted to say thanks for making this! Made it easier then having to go through all the packs for essential deck building.

[@Alien1Peter2-9-12]

You create very high quality content and presentation, great job man.

[@VillainTheory]

I appreciate that, cheers 😁

[@Maxoratus]

Great content as always. I have full collection already but still interesting to watch to get ideas on what to play out of my top heroes/villains.

[@VillainTheory]

Glad to help!

[@uncouth420]

Working toward getting everything, but will definitely recommend this guide for newer players

[@VillainTheory]

Yeah, I got everything pretty quick when I started. Granted there were 5 less expansions at that point...

[@uncouth420]

@@VillainTheory to be young again

[@venomenoide]

I'm new and i didn't know what to buy after the core set. I used your guide to buy Red skull, Cap, Wasp, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, SP//dr and Next Evolution as the heros there seems fun to play. Thanks a lot !

[@VillainTheory]

Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy it all!!

[@ZiggystardustyVods]

Super helpful video! Just got the core pack with my partner and wanted to watch a helpful video for a bit more on the product and this was it! Also I see someone saying about stock in the US of Cap. We got lots in the UK 😂

[@michaellee6275]

Great guide, especially since I started getting into this game while not trying to break the bank.

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks, hope it helps!

[@R8C2]

Awesome video as always! As someone who started playing only about 2 years ago a couple of observations: 1. Captain America was the hero where the game really clicked for me. Something around the design of his shield and how this combines theming with satisfying interactions. And he’s so well rounded with a bit of everything. So worth buying very early for the hero alone, let alone the cards he adds into your card pool. 2. I was surprised that Next Evolution was so high, mainly for the reasons you suggest - the heroes are much more difficult to navigate. I hear what you’re saying about the player side schemes but I think it’s fun to discover side schemes a little later in the journey. Although I maybe underestimating the value this would’ve provided me early in my journey. 3. This is probably a terrible suggestion but I centred my route to investment primarily through tribal synergies. My first box - rightly or wrongly - after the core was Sinister Motives. I love the Spiderverse so went in on that then focused investing on Web Warrior heroes, enabling me to build a strong set of cards in one area. And as I got to learn the wider card pool, I bought specific hero packs that had the cards I need to round out the decks I wanted to build. And once I was satisfied with that, I focused on another tribal aspect (in my case Guardians 🤪). Not sure if that helped or hindered my progression but maybe tribal archetypes is a potential alternative to aspect archetypes depending on how you like to deck build. 4. Oh and my last tip for newbies… subscribe to Villain Theory because his Marvel Champions content is top notch! Anyway, just thought I’d chuck in my two pence. PS - any news on when that mega hero guide is dropping that you said you were working on? Been keeping my eye out for it ever since you mentioned it a week or so ago! 😁

[@VillainTheory]

Great stuff! Captain America is definitely one of the best heroes for new players. His ability to ready is particularly useful. I also agree with the idea of investing in a tribe. It's part of why all the first heroes I recommend are all Avengers. Regarding my mega guide thing, the prep is now 100% finished and I'll be recording next week. If we don't get a new hero announcement, expect it to release on Thursday. If we do get a new hero, expect it early the following week.

[@R8C2]

@@VillainTheory a new hero or mega guide… both awesome things to look forward to!

[@liquidsn8ke529]

How dare you place Valkyrie in the word of Caution I'm definitely Telling D20 on you haha, don't you know she's the GOAT?! just kidding! Great Video all around :)

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! Let him try and stop me! (To be fair I think she is interesting and fun - but I gotta protect the new players!)

[@Runboy_was_here]

When you said "Welcome to the Avengers...." I just thought, "Or the Champions, or the Gotg, or the Web-Warriors, or the X-men, or the X-Force" 😄 (Yes, I am that much of a nerd XD) In all seriousness, I think after I get a few more heroes, I'm gonna hard focus getting the campaign boxes. Even if GMW is too hard for example, I still get Groot and Rocket, as well as the deckbuilding cards. So it seems like a good deal to me.

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! Regarding the Galaxy's Most Wanted, it really does have some great stuff and I do recommend people get it. It's not something to avoid, just maybe get some other stuff first!

[@mikehall9240]

Thank you so much for this video! I needed to figure out how to move forward as a new player!

[@VillainTheory]

Glad it was helpful! Unfortunately Doctor Strange and Captain America are hard to find now in some places, so I would suggest Rogue as a replacement for Doctor Strange and simply prioritize Mad Titan's Shadow higher for Leadership.

[@WinningHandPodcast]

Great work as always. This is a great guide.

[@VillainTheory]

Much appreciated!

[@GreenRose25]

Got everything!! I recommend some hero packs u buy 2 of. I hate having to search for that one card when they only give u 1.

[@labyrinth727]

Subscribed - I have everything already but wanted to support the creator of my built decks lol

[@VillainTheory]

Not all heroes wear capes! Thank you!

[@charliezhao4429]

Great video! Wondering what your thoughts are now with Red Skull being so hard to find and AoA released? Would that replace your first expansion recommendation to AoA or would it still be next evolution?

[@VillainTheory]

Ugh the scarcity of certain products right now is terrible. My next choice would probably be Sinister Motives but it's also becoming hard to find. These things sell well, my understanding is that FFG have just run out of printers or something for the time being? I hope they come back quickly. AoA would be one of my last choices as a recommendation. I love it but some of the difficulty/complexity trends a little high.

[@rscott222]

I can't wait until they come out with Fantastic Four!

[@VillainTheory]

They will be fun!

[@hyuzu22]

Just found out about this game after visiting Barnes and Noble! What a great video! I’m still a bit on the fence on this game and need to watch some gameplay. I already subscribed, so I’ll see if there are any on your channel. Also, is Deadpool good for beginners and/or solo play? He’s a big reason I wanna play this game haha

[@VillainTheory]

Hey! Thanks for the nice comment! As for gameplay, I am working on a setup for it soon but right now my channel is all talking and analysis. I'd say check out Nelson All Over's gameplay though, he does a bunch of it and co-hosts the Marvel Champions podcast on this channel. Web-Warrior Fanatic and D20 Woodworking also do good gameplay among many other creators! As for Deadpool, he's a strange one as you might expect! Personally I wouldn't recommend him as your first character but he's certainly very strong in solo play. He's crazy.

[@hyuzu22]

@@VillainTheory wow, thanks for the detailed reply! I look forward to future gameplay videos from you. And thanks for the recommendations! That's great to hear that Deadpool is good in solos. I'm gonna get him anyway, but won't use him until I'm comfortable with the game haha. Thanks again for the help!

[@thapananawapramote955]

Great guide. Unfortunately, it came out too late. I'm far too deep in this hole already 😂

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! Me and you both...

[@slycooperscane]

I cant stress enough just how good the rise of red skull box is. I got it as my last box simply because everyone bad mouthed hawkeye and spiderwoman didn't really appeal to me. People also kept saying the villians were bland and boring. But after picking it up it is by far my favorite addition to the game. While all the villains except red skull are very basic they play amazingly well and are by far my favorites. Complexity does not equal quality. As for the heroes spiderwoman still isnt read for me but hawk eye is a suprise hit. While he is kinda weak he is incredibly versatile and thematic. Having simple villains and heroes really make the game flow so much better.

[@VillainTheory]

It's a great box! Excellent description! And that's fun to know that, even as someone's last box, it holds up so well! We still enjoy the villains regularly - in fact we crushed poor Crossbones again last night!

[@moverfichamc]

Nice Guide man

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks!

[@juliek3952]

Awesome video ! Wish I found it before spending my money 😢

[@VillainTheory]

Oh no! But on the flipside, I don't think there are any bad packs to get. Even if the overall cards are less useful, there's not a single pack that doesn't include something I want to have. EDIT: Except Wrecking Crew...

[@118bone]

I think a Con for NeXt evolution are the aspect cards, the Domino justice stuff only works for her right now, with the whole discard from the top synergy (yes, there's sharpshooter, but it's veeery niche, unlike the Shield stuff in Sinister Motives which was an archetype on its own and could fit into any hero) and Cable's stuff is too X force dependent.

[@118bone]

But player side schemes are a huge pro, they are absolutely broken

[@VillainTheory]

Yeah. Domino's most useful cards are also in Spider-Ham's pack which is a little unfortunate but Spider-Ham has Making an Entrance and One Way or Another sooo... Cable has Deadpool who is a great card for most decks, though overall a little limited. Agreed too. But player side schemes 😌

[@benf5287]

This is an amazing open opening video.. I bought the core box and Red Skull per your suggestion. Going to get it to the table this weekend. Do you have a how to play video I could watch? Thank you!

[@VillainTheory]

Awesome! Welcome to the game! I don't yet but I recommend this video from friend-of-the-channel D20 Woodworking - kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHXJe3hoaNB4oqc&ab_channel=D20Woodworking

[@benf5287]

@@VillainTheory Thank you! I appreciate your overview yet detailed points. I put them in excel so I wont forget. LOL..

[@Pokephantom]

Great guide!

[@VillainTheory]

Thank you!

[@guarism0]

Too late!!, I've already bought everything 😅😅

[@DongExcellente]

I started in December and I also have everything already. Don't need a buying guide at that rate.

[@VillainTheory]

Oh no! Quick, sell your collection and start again!

[@guarism0]

@@VillainTheory great idea!! 😂😂

[@beewings98]

How much is everything? Just curious

[@VampguyN85]

I was impulsive for Nerdz day last week and purchased Next Evolution and the Deadpool Hero Pack first. So I guess I have to buy the core set to play now. I didn't want to jump into Marvel Champions yet, because I am following the beginners progression on Arkham Horror the LCG. I was planning to switch to Marvel collecting down the road when Arkham was established, but I can be impulsive too. I do wish there was an X-men core set though. I like the Avengers, but I don't love them. I'm a 90s X-men lover and would rather focus on playing them first. I was going to buy my two favorite Hero Packs from the 90s next, Jubilee and Gambit. And than Iceman and Cyclops are after that. Captain America is out if print now. So the price went up a bit on him.

[@VillainTheory]

Ha! Welcome to Marvel Champions, I guess! You will need the core set but I will say it's fantastic, it far eclipses even the revised core for Arkham in my opinion (with Arkham shining later with a couple expansions). If you were to run a couple of games of Captain Marvel/Spider-Man/Black Panther against the first two scenarios in the core box, I think you'd more or less be ready to leap into NeXT and maybe even Mutant Genesis. Especially with some Arkham experience (very difference games but they share a lot of the DNA and "skills" needed). The Captain America thing is annoying, I am thinking of remaking this guide on the basis him and Doctor Strange seem to be disappearing from the face of the earth.

[@supremephoen1x]

11:30 even the odds is reprinted in Psylocke :)

[@VillainTheory]

Oh great shout, completely slipped my mind when I said that. Though I think it's from Next Evolution. I've edited that line out via YT's tools - should go live in a couple hours. Thanks!

[@YourTamedLion]

How could such a card game stay hidden from me for so long ? I was a passionate yugioh duelist, long time HS player, Legends of Runeterra and even dabbled in MTG Arena. I need this...but also try not to buy everything at once. Are there any complete bundles with a discount? Thanks for the buying advice and overview !

[@VillainTheory]

I was surprised when it first came across my radar, honestly! Super fun cooperative game. As for bundles, no complete ones though I do believe they've bundled together some of the hero packs if you live in the right region (Europe). I've not seen them in the UK yet so can't comment! If you keep an eye out, a lot of places sell some of the older packs for cheap and they do sometimes go on sale too.

[@YourTamedLion]

@@VillainTheory I had friend ( who I met during our ygo days) tell me about this just today in detail and I am mindblown. I will be on the hunt for good deals to get as much of this for as little as possible. So excited to finally hold new cards in my hands instead of just having digital ones. And once I got myself into it I will probably come back here. Always fun to hear what others perspectives/deck ideas.

[@GenX-Man]

Anyone starting now, good luck finding Captain America or Doctor Strange. Nowhere to be found in the US.

[@VillainTheory]

A great point to raise. A few people have now, and I'm in the brink of remaking this video to account for it. I really hoped they would restock/reprint Cap and Strange but it's been a while now. I've heard a rumor of sorts that they will be back within a month or so - but I'm not sure if there's any truth to that. Looking into it.

[@GenX-Man]

@@VillainTheory So after making this comment I checked Facebook Marketplace and found a heck of a deal on a lot of stuff I don't have yet including both Cap and Strange. Best advice is to keep looking and look everywhere you can. I had checked all my local game stores and three Barnes and Nobles in my area before this.

[@Geallach83]

@VillainTheory, I have everything from Core to Phoenix, then I fell off the hobby for various reasons. X-23 onwards are still not available in my location, so between Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke and Angel, who would you recommend in terms of power for solo play AND good X-Men specific cards? Assume I like all of them equally character-wise.

[@VillainTheory]

Oh tough call. In terms of power level, Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke and Angel are all powerhouses in solo play. In terms of X-Men cards, Storm's pack is carrying the entire Leadership archetype on its back. But Wolverine's pack has the two best Aggression allies in the game who happen to be X-Men as well as the Weapon X support. I guess that makes Storm and Wolverine the clear winners. But I genuinely really like all those heroes.

[@Geallach83]

@@VillainTheory Thanks for the response! I see Wolverine and Gambit are on sale at my Friendly Online Game Store, so I'll go with them first and get the others when their prices drop too! 😁

[@XelsGirl]

Any suggestions for a Dr. Strange replacement, or is that the only deck that really works for what it does? Recently bought the core set and had a lot of fun with it, so I'm buying some of your other suggestions. I can't find Captain America at all, and the only Dr. Strange pack I can find is a German copy. I was at least able to grab Ant-Man, but even that deck is getting hard to find. I'm going to a convention at the end of the month and hoping I might find those decks then, but that will require a lot of luck.

[@VillainTheory]

Such a shame about Doctor Strange and Captain America. Rogue's pack offers similar cards for Protection, notably Unflappable and a defensive event. Cap and Ant-Man are harder to replace but also less necessary at least. I'd prioritize the Mad Titan's Shadow expansion higher for Spectrum's Leadership deck and incorporate more basic allies into your decks from the other packs for now.

[@XelsGirl]

@@VillainTheory Well happy coincidences then! I actually just got both The Mad Titan's Shadow and Rogue in the mail yesterday evening! I hadn't had a chance to look at them yet. I got a few other hero packs as well, most noteably Thor and Wolverine. Loki is one of my all time favorites so I had to grab anything with him included!

[@VillainTheory]

@@XelsGirl Wow that's some incredible luck! Awesome. Great packs, enjoy them!

[@Ddwlf27]

GMW is super unfortunate. I agree with recommending it last but there are some super key cards in there that haven't been reprinted >

[@VillainTheory]

Yeah... They're holding Deft Focus hostage especially. Here's hoping something changes in the next wave of heroes.

[@IamJFD]

@@VillainTheory is it the only hostaged card?

[@VillainTheory]

@@IamJFD Unfortunately not. Bug, Hand Cannon, Starhawk and Hard to Ignore are all excellent. And if you play other Guardian heroes, the Rocket and Groot allies are exceptional. Also, if you like changing the modular sets on villains (how you customise them, giving Thanos some Goblin Gliders for example), Galaxy's Most Wanted has some of my favourite modulars of all-time. Lots of great alien and space-themed shenanigans that play really well.

[@IamJFD]

@@VillainTheory oww u mean like space of badoon? i like gamora at least. nebula i will try next week. havent touched any of the guardian content for like monthssss

[@VillainTheory]

@@IamJFD Yeah, I love the Badoon stuff, also Galactic Artifacts, Menagerie Medley and Kree Militants. And even Ship Command is good for new players, adding that into a normal scenario generally makes it a lot easier thanks to the Milano.

[@nathanpeacock5231]

What are the two archetypes for Nova?

[@VillainTheory]

Honed Technique and Fluid Motion, they are named after said cards. Honed Technique is great for boosting attack events, while Fluid Motion is about boosting your ATK stat mostly through playing cheaper events.

[@JCA363]

I only have the Core box, and I want to buy an expansion box. I'm between Sinister Motives because I'm a fan of Spiders and their villains OR Rise of red skull because they say it's worth it, even though I don't like any villain or hero. What would be best for those starting the collection? If I buy Sinister Motives could I have a lot of problems? Do I lose a lot compared to Red Skull?

[@VillainTheory]

I'm just the guy from the video, so you've seen my opinion on Rise of Red Skull. But I think you'll be just fine if you start with Sinister Motives! The only thing I think you'll struggle with significantly is the final villain - and it's worth noting the allies in the box are hard to use on Avenger heroes. But it's great fun, amazing box.

[@cliffhamrickwrites2378]

I notice you didn't mention Black Widow at all. Is she that bad?

[@VillainTheory]

I'm glad you brought her up! She's good in general and a very interesting hero. She's probably 3rd or 4th on the list of Justice packs to get. It's just the Justice/basic cards she comes with are not as important (in my opinion) as Ham's or Scarlet Witch's. I also think she's less new-player friendly than those heroes.

[@jasonkasprick6370]

If only I could find the Doctor Strange pack for a reasonable price!!

[@Champion_Leon]

17:40 I hear Valkyrie is S tier. Why would it be risky?

[@VillainTheory]

Uhhh, maybe she's too powerful for new players then? 😉

[@sernln4931]

Is it worth investing if I only purchase X-men relevant campaign and hero packs aside from core game?

[@VillainTheory]

I'd say so! All the expansions are good, I especially like NeXt Evolution and now Age of Apocalypse. But Mutant Genesis is the first one so, story-wise, probably worth starting there. The heroes can be slightly tricky to start with though (but are excellent), so you might find a couple of hero packs good to get at the same time. Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Psylocke are your best hero packs for deck building with this in mind. With Wolverine being the most new-player friendly of them to play.

[@julianprofas]

so...which is a more fun campaign between these two? Sinister Motives or Mutant Genesis?

[@VillainTheory]

Great question! As a campaign, I'd definitely say Sinister Motives. There is one part I'm not so keen on but otherwise it's fantastic.

[@galanu]

It appears that Dr. Strange is no longer in print. :(

[@VillainTheory]

Oh man, I hope that's just temporary! I know it sells well so it's bizarre to me they would stop selling it! They have started to bundle some of the early packs together, so there's the option to get the Wave 1 heroes together (at least in Europe) but that will obviously cost more. (But it is a great buy, tons of good stuff there including Captain America!)

[@SardonicArtery]

Except now Captain America and Dr Strange are impossible to find now affordably. :/

[@VillainTheory]

Argh! I heard about the Strange shortage recently but was hoping it would be resolved. It's such a popular pack you have to imagine they'll keep printing it. Captain America still seems plentiful here in the UK right now, but that sucks if he's unavailable elsewhere. He'll probably sell out soon here too. Fingers crossed things are back soon or an alternative becomes available. Until then I recommend Rogue instead of Strange. Cap is harder to supplement but, if you end up going for another expansion, Mad Titan's Shadow has great Leadership cards.

[@EvanSnowWolf]

Next video will be Nelson rebutting with his own order of purchase, the result of which will be most of us agree with VT anyway. :P

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! When it comes to hero packs at least, I think the two of us largely agree overall

[@mattiamodena5791]

I skipped the entire cycle 5 because I very much dislike all the heroes in it and I absolutely HATE how much FFG filled those packs to the brim with very important cards for deckbuilding.

[@jeffthompson1530]

I hear that! Can't stand the heroes, but the cards are Must Haves, so I bought them all, stripped the cards, and right back in the package the heroes went.

[@HelloMyNameIsRED]

My girlfriend got me Marvel Champions for my birthday and later bought me the galaxys most wanted for christmas. We abandoned that campaign for now because we cant get past the collector 😂

[@VillainTheory]

Oh no! The first Collector scenario is my least-liked in the whole game, but I love the second one. Maybe give Black Panther a whirl in Justice alongside Leadership Iron Man? But I must warn you, tougher foes await in that box...

[@RoxasHeroes]

If you’re talking about verity why not mention The Hood?

[@VillainTheory]

I don't believe the scenario or several of the mod sets are going to be good for new players, and even then I think Mojo Mania has the better (more fun!) mod sets. But The Hood is a great pack that gives loads of value, and I do like its mod sets a lot.

[@RoxasHeroes]

Plus, most people forget about Standard 2.@@VillainTheory

[@cnspartan]

Should you watch this if you own everything.😂

[@VillainTheory]

Naturally, don't you want to buy some packs for your pal? FFG compels you! BUY. BUY MORE. BUY A SECOND DEADPOOL! Ahem...

[@cnspartan]

I mean a second deadpool would be interesting to play with my wife.

[@VillainTheory]

Honestly, I don't regret mine for a second, it's been fun to double 'Pool! But only worth it if you think you'll play that a fair bit.

[@cnspartan]

@@VillainTheory I think I asked my wife about it once. Maybe we will if it's ever on sell

[@Champion_Leon]

Remember if you don’t have the money, you can proxy card. Don’t be ashamed

[@VillainTheory]

100%!