Do you want to know the best ways to get cards in Marvel Snap as a free player? Well, I‘ve got you covered. As an avid Marvel fan and card game enthusiast who has climbed to the high competitive ranks in Snap, I‘ll be breaking down everything you need to rapidly expand your collection.
This guide will feature:
- Specific upgrade paths to target
- Exact quests and progression milestones
- Shop bundle priorities
- Featured meta card spotlights
- Roadmap for new players
- Data-drive statistics and tables
- Personal anecdotes from my experience
- Optimization and goal setting tips
Whether you just started Snap or are looking to flesh out your roster with missing meta staples, let‘s dive in!
Starting Collection Level Breakdown
When you first download Marvel Snap, you‘ll receive a preconstructed starter deck after completing a quick tutorial teaching the turn order, lanes, core mechanics, etc.
This beginner deck features 13 cards:
| Card |
|---|
| Iron Man |
| Captain America |
| Captain Marvel |
| Hulk |
| Wolfsbane |
| Shocker |
| Morph |
| Nightcrawler |
| Vulture |
| Rocket Raccoon |
| Squirrel Girl |
| White Tiger |
| SHIELD Medic |
Your collection level begins at 13, equaling the number of unique cards you own. Reaching certain collection thresholds unlocks the ability to receive new mystery card packs – the chief way to expand your Marvel Snap collection over time.
For example, at CL 30 you‘ll gain access to Pool 2 (uncommon) mystery card pack potential rewards. Here‘s a reference of what milestone levels unlock:
| Collection Level | Mystery Pack Reward |
|---|---|
| 10 | Pool 1 Commons |
| 30 | Pool 2 Uncommons |
| 114 | Pool 3 Rares |
| 174 | Featured Epic Card |
| 214 | New Legendary Pool |
As you can see, building your card collection directly tied to increasing your collector level score. So what‘s the most efficient route to get there? Read on!
Upgrade Existing Cards for Fast Progression
The single fastest way for free players to get Marvel Snap cards is by upgrading ones already owned.
What do upgrades actually do then?
Great question! Upgrading cards increases their visual polish and animations. But it does NOT buff their abilities or stats whatsoever.
Instead, each upgrade milestone directly contributes to raising your collection level. This unlocks access to opening mystery card packs and new additions to your roster.
Here‘s a reference of card upgrade paths and requirements:
| Rarity | Copies Needed | Credits Cost | CL Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common to Uncommon | 2 | 200 | +1 |
| Uncommon to Rare | 2 | 400 | +1 |
| Rare to Epic | 3 | 800 | +2 |
| Epic to Legendary | 4 | 1000 | +3 |
As you can see, upgrading duplicate cards rewards significantly more collection XP upon hitting the rare, epic, and legendary thresholds.
But how exactly do you get the necessary card copies and credits?
Optimizing for Upgrade Income
Credits and duplicate cards are the upgrade currency costs. Here are tips for income sources:
- Always reroll 500 credit quests
- Stack 3x 800+ weekly quests
- Buy 500 credit daily deals
- Only upgrade meta staples
- Get 4 wins daily for guaranteed booster
For new players, focus solely on accumulating credits via quest grinding. Reroll 500 credit dailies and stack as many high value weeklies simultaneously as possible.
Supplement with 500 credit shop packs when offered or affordable. Even moderate spenders should find the $1.99 daily deal reasonable long term.
Use early common and uncommon dupes to upgrade top meta cards only. This guide features a new player upgrade priority list later.
Getting 4 wins daily earns a booster containing cards to fuel upgrades. 25 gets an all common+ enhanced version.
Let‘s move onto other progression systems!
Level Up Season Pass for Guaranteed Cards
Marvel Snap features a free 100 level season pass renewed every ~2 months. It‘s stuffed with cosmetics, variants, credits, & cards!
You‘ll earn seasonal XP from:
- Completing quests
- Winning games
- Opening special caches
The pass has guaranteed new card unlocks at key levels:
| Season Level | Reward |
|---|---|
| Level 5 | New Card |
| Level 20 | New Card |
| Level 45 | New Card |
| Level 75 | New Card |
That alone totals 4 new additions over the course of a season!
And wait – there‘s more:
- Level 2/7/15/25/40: Mystery Card Pack
- Level 100: Exclusive Legendary
As you can see, levels 2 through 100 offer a steady drip feed of Marvel Snap rewards. Stay on top of checking reward progress and season quests!
Ranked Multiplayer Rewards
Beyond card upgrades and battle pass progression, Marvel Snap also features competitive ranked pools resetting each season.
Advancing ranks not only means tougher opponents – you‘ll also earn mystery card packs and credit bundles for hitting new tiers!
Here‘s a roadmap:
| Tier | Reward |
|---|---|
| Bronze | Mystery Card Pack |
| Silver | 1000 Credits |
| Gold | Mystery Card Pack |
| Diamond | 2000 Credits |
| Vibranium | Mystery Card + Back |
Your peak rank that season determines the mystery card rarity and credit payouts granted when the season ends. There are no demotions, so climb as high as possible!
I‘ll never forget the first time I hit Diamond and got that sweet 2000 credit season end bundle. I immediately took Odin to Level 5 thanks to that income injection!
Shop Bundles
Now let‘s move onto shortcut options for players happy to spend a bit accelerating their Marvel Snap progression.
There are two main shop avenues offering rare card guaranteed:
Daily Deals
- Shop refreshes discounted gold/credit/card upgrade bundles daily
- Can purchase multiple deals per day if enticing
- 500 credit packs common – good for new player upgrades
The daily deals tab is great for scooping up credit bundles on the cheap. Even as a light spender, the 500 credit packs at $1.99 are solid long term investments into your collection.
500 credits buys 2-3 uncommon card upgrades. 20 of those packs over a month would add ~50 CL levels!
Featured Bundles
- Special limited time card packs granting 2 to 15 new cards
- Also can bundle large credit caches or variant cosmetics
- Cost from $1.99 to $39.99
If your budget allows, these randomized (but guaranteed new card) bundles can rapidly bloat your collection. I treat myself to the 6 card packs when they appear for $4.99.
Just beware the exact card drops are randomized, so no promises on what you‘ll receive rarity wise.
Grind Victories for Steady Income
At its core, Marvel Snap is a tactical card battler. So by playing and winning matches daily, you‘ll:
- Complete quests
- Gain season levels
- Open post-victory boosters
- Upgrade existing cards
Getting your Snap gaming sessions in is critical for long term progression as a free player.
Some key targets:
- 4 wins – Booster pack
- 25 wins – Enhanced booster
- 80g – Enter gauntlet for big rewards
- 10k season XP – Upgrade season caches
Don‘t let your daily token cap out either!
New Player Upgrade Priority List
We‘ve covered a ton so far. Let‘s condense things down to an early game upgrade priority list for maximizing progression speed as a new Marvel Snap player:
| Priority | Card | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odin | Core for many decks |
| 2 | Doctor Strange | Strong AOE threat |
| 3 | Silver Surfer | Great ongoing buff |
| 4 | White Tiger | Early aggro staple |
| 5 | Angela | Underrated powerhouse |
With these S tier cards as upgrade focuses, you‘ll have strong standalone threats for a variety of beginner decks.
Odin and Doctor Strange specifically feature in a wealth of top meta lists, so getting them leveled early is fantastic long term value.
Let‘s recap the key card collecting takeaways:
- Upgrade duplicate cards (especially meta staples)
- Complete daily/weekly quests
- Advance season pass
- Climb ranked ladder
- Check shop deals
- Grind PvP matches
Setting aside time each play session to knock out a few quick quests, score some wins, and make strategic upgrades will build your roster faster than you expect!
Soon you‘ll have the tools to construct creative card combos with tactical mastery – dominating the competition across the multiverse. Excelsior!
What are your favorite Marvel Snap cards so far? And what decks/combos have you enjoyed? Let me know down below!
