What is Marvel Snap Battle Mode and when does it release?

Marvel Snap is one of the best competitive card-battler games to come out in quite some time, but its options in gameplay have been limited thus far.

Thankfully, an all-new mode called Battle Mode is coming to the game very soon, and it should change the way that it’s played forever—including adding the potential for esports matches and tournaments.

In the first few months of Marvel Snap’s existence, there’s been just one mode for players to dive into, which is the default ladder mode where players bet their Cubes in one-on-one battles. Battle Mode is similar, but also quite different, and it has the fan base of the game excited for its future.

Here are all the details you need to know about Marvel Snap’s Battle Mode.

What is Marvel Snap Battle Mode?

Battle Mode is a casual version of the original Marvel Snap competitive mode that’s meant for friends to group up and play against each other without risking Cube ranks.

In Battle Mode, it’s a one-vs-one showdown that takes place over multiple rounds. Each player starts with 10 health, and health is subtracted by the number of Cubes that are won at the end of each game. The risk and reward of snapping your opponent is bigger than ever, and the first player to have their health reduced to zero loses the game.

“In a normal match, there’s a lot of wiggle room for just how many Cubes you win or lose by, and we wanted a definitive winner,” Second Dinner said. “There are no ties in Battle Mode! Aside from proving who is best among your friends, this will unlock the ability for the community to run MARVEL SNAP tournaments.”

In every game of Battle Mode, a code will be generated for players to send to their friends so they can face off. Each player’s deck will be locked for the duration of the battle, so no one can switch out decks if they’re losing.

“Battle Mode takes about 20 minutes, but in early playtests between two players who retreat back and forth for a series of one Health games, it took much longer,” Second Dinner said. “To keep Battles around 20 minutes, we added “High Stakes Rounds,” which kick in starting on Round 5. High Stakes Rounds start with the stakes at two Damage, so it’s much more deadly.”

When does Marvel Snap Battle Mode release?

Version 1.0 of Marvel Snap’s Battle Mode is officially releasing on Jan. 31. The news was announced just one day in advance on Jan. 30 after initially being teased earlier in the month.