Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 45-60 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5 minutes

Smash Up: Marvel is a stand-alone expansion that adds heroes and villain from the Marvel Universe to Smash Up. It contains eight new factions.

Smash Up Marvel Description:

If you have not played Smash Up, read my review of it. I go over the basic rules of the game there. This post will be about the new elements introduced in the Marvel expansion.

Here are the new factions that have been added in this expansion and a summary of how they play:
Hydra – They have lots of lower power agents that can swarm bases quickly and when destroyed let you deploy of them.

Kree – This alien race is about action. They can play and draw extra cards and get action cards out of your discard pile.

Masters of Evil – These villains have different ways to gain VPs and their characters are more powerful the more VP they have.

Sinister Six – They destroy bases easier by decreasing the base’s power and they have lots of base effects.

Ultimates – These heroes have a lot of maneuverability. When they move it can increase their power.

Shield – This faction is like Hydra. They have lots of agents but playing them in a certain order is advantageous.

Spider-verse – These characters arrive at just the right time. They can be added to bases right before or after they score.

Avengers – There are only six characters in this deck, but they are powerful. They have ways to cycle their deck and get the cards they want.

There are a couple changes in the Smash Up terminology, but they are very intuitive. Characters is used in place of (and is synonymous with) minions. The term move is used for both move and transfer. Also, there is more direct nomenclature for base vs character modifiers.

Quick Review of Smash Up Marvel:

Smash Up has added a ton of new expansions and factions over the years and I was happy to see Marvel added. It is always cool when two things you like meet up.

The components in this game are good quality and match those from the rest of the series. The rulebook is well written and organized too.

This expansion is a great for both new Smash Up players and veterans. Each faction has a complexity rating, and the included factions span the ratings. There are even divider cards with the complexity rating and brief summary of the faction on them.

I do not have all the expansions for Smash Up but a few of the new Marvel ones feel unique. Specifically Masters of Evil and the Sinister Six. You can add these factions to any others released.

If you have played Smash Up and enjoy it and are a Marvel fan, pick this up. This expansion is also a great place for those new to Smash Up too.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6