Smash Up: Marvel

At the start, each player chooses two factions from the eight available – including the Avengers, HYDRA, the Kree, the Masters of Evil, and the Sinister Six – and shuffles those two twenty-card decks together to form one playing deck. There are as many bases on the table as there are players, plus one. On your turn, you play one character card onto a base, which represents power, and one action card with a special effect. As soon as the total power on a base reaches the breakpoint, players compare their power, and victory points are distributed, also for second and third place. The first player to reach fifteen victory points wins.

The eight factions - from the swarming HYDRA agents to the powerful but limited Avengers - each have a recognizable playstyle, and it is precisely the combinations that ensure high replayability. The charm lies in the interplay of two decks: certain pairings break bases faster than your opponents anticipate, leading to tactical surprises and a lot of commentary at the table. Critics note that this release adds little new to the familiar formula, but most see that as a reassurance rather than a drawback: the system works, and the Marvel skin suits it perfectly. The comic book art and card quality are widely praised. The game is best enjoyed with four players, precisely because the chaos then unfolds in all directions.