Marvel Snap Card Pools [Explained]

Marvel Snap’s card progression system has several levels. These levels are based on your Collection Level. After Collection Level 18, you unlock Marvel Snap card pools.

Marvel Snap has 5 card pools, each getting unlocked at different Collection Levels. Each pool has a different set of cards with more advanced abilities the higher the pool is.

So with all that being said, let’s get into more detail about what card pools are in Marvel Snap.

Key Points From this guide:

• Marvel Snap has 3 card pools.
• Pool 1 unlocks from Collection Levels 18 to 214.
• Pool 2 unlocks from Collection Levels 222 to 474.
• Pool 3 unlocks from Collection Levels 486 and onward.
• You also get 13 Starter Cards, 5 Recruit Season cards, and 8 cards before Collection Level 18.
• You can progress further in the game by upgrading cards via playing matches or Fast Upgrade.
• Series 4 and 5 get unlocked after Collection Level 500 and are rarer than other pools.

Marvel Snap Progression Levels Explained

Much like other games that feature levels and ranks, Marvel Snap also has a sophisticated progression system.

Marvel Snap’s progression is based on a factor called “Collection Level”. This is a fictional measure of how further up you are on the collection ladder. In simpler terms, the higher the Collection Level, the more perks and cards you can unlock.

Based on what Collection Level they get unlocked at, Marvel Snap cards are divided into 5 categories. Additionally, there are the Recruit Season cards that you get when completing the Recruit Season of Marvel Snap.

Here’s a summary of the card levels and when you can get them:

Starter Cards

Starter cards, as the name suggests, are acquired right from the beginning of the game. These are the cards that you will receive without any Collection Level completely free of cost. Each player gets the same starter cards.

These include:

• Hawkeye
• Quicksilver
• Misty Knight
• Sentinel
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Abomination
• The Thing
• Star Lord
• Shocker
• Medusa
• The Punisher
• Cyclops

Collection Levels 1-18

From the beginning of the game, you will start with a Collection Level of 1. After about every even-numbered Collection Level, you will gain a new card. The order of these cards is the same for each player.

These cards can be earned from Collection Levels 1 to 18. The cards you will unlock are, in order:

• Jessica Jones
• Ka-Zar
• Mister Fantastic
• Spectrum
• Nightcrawler
• Wolfsbane
• White Tiger
• Odin

Recruit Season

Aside from Collection Levels, there is also the Recruit Season. It’s a precursor to the Monthly Pass that players will later on acquire. Throughout the Recruit Season, you will get different rewards, including new cards and avatars.

These do not require any Collection Level. Instead, they’re based on your Recruit Season Pass progress. Progress can be increased by completing daily challenges.

The order in which you get the cards is the same for every player. These cards include, in order:

• Ant-Man
• Colossus
• Ironheart
• Gamora
• Blue Marvel

Pool 1

This is the first official Marvel Snap card pool. This pool starts from Collection Level 18 and goes all the way up to Collection Level 214. Unlike the other cards, the cards that you get in this and other pools are acquired randomly. These cards are called Mystery Cards. Hence, each player will not unlock the cards in the same order.

Pool 1 features 46 unique cards, including Elektra, Angel, Scarlet Witch, Rocket Raccoon, and many more. These cards are quite basic but provide you with several advantages. They’re more advanced than the ones you acquire before Collection Level 18.

Best Pool 1 Cards

In my personal experience, these are the best cards you can use while in the first pool:

• Jessica Jones: Jessica Jones is a conditional card that, when played right, will provide great Power at a low Energy cost. If you don’t play a card in the next turn where you played Jessica Jones, then this card gets a +4 buff. It’s best played as the last card in a location.
• Enchantress: Enchantress is considered the best card in pool 1, mainly due to her incapacitating abilities. She removes all the Ongoing abilities from the location she’s played in. This makes her an extremely powerful play, especially against Ongoing cards.
• Spider-Woman: Spider-Woman is another great card for early decks. It features a 5-7 Energy-Power ratio. And that’s not all. This card’s ability inflicts all enemy cards at the location with a -1 Power debuff. Hence, it’s a great incapacitating card.
• Angela: Angela is a card that, given enough time and the right strategy, can exponentially grow in Power. She’s great when played first in a location and has good synergy with Nightcrawler. Her ability gives her a +2 Power buff each time a card is played in the location.

Pool 2

The next pool that you can play once you’ve unlocked all the cards from Pool 1 is Pool 2. This pool starts from Collection Level 222 and continues through Collection Level 474.

This pool features only 25 cards. However, most of these cards are very powerful and are worth the time and effort you’ll put into the game. These cards include Agent 13, Scorpion, Storm, Morbius, and other powerful cards like Rhino.

Much like with Pool 1, the order in which you get the cards is completely random. Hence, players won’t be having the same card choices, which adds more excitement to the game.

Unfortunately, you’re only getting 25 cards for this pool. That’s quite a low number considering that you’ll need to scale 252 levels to get to Pool 3. Hence, it’s one of the slowest Marvel Snap card pools to scale through. But the turnout is perfect as Pool 3 has a lot in store for you.

Best Pool 2 Cards

It’s highly recommended to use these cards when you’re in Pool 2:

• Scorpion: Scorpion is a conditional card that, when played right, will give you a massive upper hand in the game. It grants a -1 Power debuff to the opponent’s hand. Considering that it’s just a 2-Cost card, it puts your opponent under a lot of pressure.
• Killmonger: This card is the best for taking down 1-Cost cards that have become an annoyance in the game. These include cards with powerful abilities, those that have received a lot of Power buffs, and even some of your own cards.
• Storm: Storm is a bit controversial when it comes to Marvel Snap. Her ability locks the location and you can only play cards in it for the next turn. After that, no cards can be added to the location. You should play her with extreme caution.
• Okoye: Okoye is one of the best 2-Cost cards to play. She grants all cards in your deck a +1 Power raise. While this may not seem like a lot, in the long-run, it will certainly lead your way to victory.

Pool 3

Pool 3 is currently the final pool that you can unlock, aside from Series 4 and 5. This pool comes right after Pool 2 and gets unlocked at Collection Level 486. There is no upper limit to this pool. Instead, Marvel will keep adding more cards to Marvel Snap. So you’ll always have something new to look forward to.

This pool features 75 cards, the most out of any other pool. These cards are more advanced than those in other pools and have special abilities. An example is Deadpool. When the card gets destroyed, it returns to your hand with double the Power.

Captain Marvel’s card also has a unique ability. It gives you a chance to win the game if there is any space available on the board. Other cards like Patriot, Doctor Doom, Wasp, and Cerebro are also present in this pool.

Unfortunately, the card acquiring time is even slower than with Pool 2. It’s estimated that you may even need to get to Collection Level 3,250 to get all the cards.

Best Pool 3 Cards

To give you an idea, here are the best Pool 3 cards. This list is not exhaustive and the right cards depend on your deck.

• Patriot: If you have a bunch of cards with no abilities, then you should opt for Patriot. This card grants all of your cards with no abilities a +2 Power buff. Combine it with Onslaught and you practically have a card that compliments other cards.
• Mystique: Mystique’s unique copy-cat powers let it acquire the Ongoing ability of the last card you played if any. When paired with solid cards like Patriot and Onslaught, you can significantly vamp up your chances of winning.
• Doctor Doom: Doctor Doom is a card that exhibits raw power. Although the card itself costs more than its Power, its ability grants +5 Power to each other location. Hence, this is the best for buffing adjacent locations. Additionally, if you use it with cards like Patriot, you get a massive upper hand in the game.
• Brood: Brood is an example of a card that’s best for quickly filling up a location. Together with its ability, it grants any location a maximum of +6 Power, provided you have 3 empty spaces. Paired with Patriot and Mystique, you can boost the Power of any location quickly.

Want to build a deck but don’t know which cards to include? Here’s our official list of the top 15 best Marvel Snap cards.

After Collection Level 500, you no longer get Mystery Cards. Instead, you get Collector’s Cache from Level 500 to 999. And you get Collector’s Reserve at Level 1,000 and onwards. A summary of the two is given below:

Collector’s Cache

Collector’s Cache is unlocked from Collection Levels 500 to 999. This is a mystery box that can be opened to get any of several different rewards. These are the rewards you can get from Collector’s Cache along with the drop rates:

• New Card from Pool 3 – 50%
• 150 Credits – 15%
• 300 Credits – 5%
• 15 Boosters – 15%
• 30 Boosters – 5%
• 150 Gold – 10%
• New Card from Series 4 – 2.5%
• New Card from Series 5 – 0.25%

Interestingly, there is a “bad luck protection” system. Basically, two players at the same Collection Level will always have the same number of cards unlocked.

Additionally, you can open up to 6 Collector’s Caches without getting a new card.

Collector’s Reserve

Collector’s Reserve replaces Collector’s Cache after Collection Level 1,000. It contains better rewards and more credits. Moreover, you get Variants and Avatars from the Reserve as well. Collector’s Reserves are unlocked every 12 Collection Levels.

However, the chance to get a new card from Pool 3 is significantly lower. Consequently, the amount of gold you can get increases. Here are the full contents of Collector’s Reserve and their drop rates:

• New Card from Pool 3 – 25%
• Random Variant – 12.5%
• Random Variant – 12.5%
• 200 Credits – 15%
• 400 Credits – 5%
• 20 Boosters – 15%
• 40 Boosters – 5%
• 200 Gold – 10%
• New Card from Series 4 – 2.5%
• New Card from Series 5 – 0.25%

Just like with the Collector’s Cache, the Collector’s Reserve features “bad luck protection”. Hence, all players on the same Collection Level will have unlocked the same number of cards.

Moreover, you can unlock up to 9 Collector’s Reserves without receiving a new card.

Series 4

Aside from the regular Pool 3 cards, there are also a few Rare and Ultra Rare cards that are available in Marvel Snap. Series 4 and 5 cards are available from Collection Level 500 onwards. They can only be found through the Collector’s Cache and Collector’s Reserve. But you can also buy them from the Token Shop.

Series 4 cards specifically can be found regardless of whether you have all of the Pool 3 cards or not. However, Series 4 cards are much rarer than Pool 3 cards and, as such, are more powerful. There are a total of 10 cards in this Series.

However, eventually, it’s possible that some of the Series 5 cards will get downgraded to Series 4 as more cards are released.

Series 4 cards have a 2.5% chance of appearing when opening the Collector’s Cache or Collector’s Reserve. From the Token Shop, Series 4 cards can be bought for 3,000 Tokens each.

Best Series 4 Cards

Here are some of the best cards in Series 4. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and, depending on how you play it, any card can be taken advantage of.

• Titania: Titania is a powerful card that is capable of switching sides multiple times. Whenever you play a card in the same location as Titania, Titania will swap locations. Hence, you must play her with a strong strategy. Overall, you want her to be on your side at the end of the game, considering her Cost-to-Power ratio.
• Absorbing Man: Absorbing Man has an ability that’s strategic and will totally change the pace of the game if used right. If the card played before this one has an Ongoing ability, Absorbing Man will copy it. It works best with cards like Onslaught and those that have strong abilities.
• Orka: Orka is one of those cards that stands on its own. It grants a location a +5 Power boost if it’s the only card there. It’s perfect for locations that are 1-card locked and difficult to dominate.
• Luke Cage: If you want an anti-debuff deck, then Luke Cage is a must. This card prevents all of your cards from getting their Power reduced. Considering that the enemy will play cards that will debuff you, Luke Cage is perfect for this chore.

Series 5

Series 5 cards are even rarer than Series 4 cards. Much like Series 4 cards, they can be obtained at any time without needing to have collected all of the Pool 3 cards. And these can also only be unlocked after you have reached Collection Level 500.

Series 5 cards can only be found in the Collector’s Cache and Collector’s Reserve. However, if you have a bunch of Collection Tokens lying around, you can buy Series 5 cards from the Token Shop. One Series 5 card will cost you 6,000 tokens.

There are 10 cards in total in this Series. When you unlock either the Collector’s Cache or Collector’s Reserve, you have a 0.25% chance of getting a Series 5 card.

All new cards that are released are released into the Series 5 pool. However, some of the older cards may get demoted to Series 4 to make room for new Series 5 cards.

Additionally, when there are new Season Pass cards that are no longer available, they get added to Series 5. However, this is only temporary.

Best Series 5 Cards

Series 5 cards are considered some of the most powerful in Marvel Snap. Here are some of the best cards from this pool:

• Knull: Knull is by far the most powerful card in Series 5. This card’s special ability grants it the combined power of every other card that is destroyed. Hence, it’s perfect for decks that are based on destroying your or the enemy’s cards.
• Black Panther: Black Panther is an extremely strong card. On reveal, this card’s power gets doubled. This means that you get a card with a Cost of 5 and a Power of 8. With cards like Odin, this effect can be stacked on multiple times.
• Galactus: Galactus is another card that works only with decks that work on destroying your cards. When you reveal this card, if it’s the only one in the location, all other locations get destroyed. It’s perfect when paired with other powerful cards like Knull.
• Super Skrull: If you want a card that is super-overpowered, then Super Skrull has got to be it. This card has a very poor Cost-to-Power ratio. However, the real charm is its ability. It copies the Ongoing abilities of all of the enemy’s cards.

How To Get A Higher Collection Level?

Unlocking Marvel Snap card pools requires you to reach a certain Collection Level. So how do you advance to a higher Collection Level? There are several ways you can do this. But in all cases, you’ll need Boosters and Credits.

Boosters

Boosters are the in-game currencies that you need to upgrade your acquired cards. Each card has a specific tier. And upgrading it from that tier to the next one will require a certain number of Boosters.

You can earn Boosters by completing Daily Missions, Season Pass tasks, and playing matches. Additionally, when you reach a new Collection Level, you may get a certain number of Boosters.

Credits

Besides that, you also need Credits to upgrade your cards. Credits are also in-game currencies but are easier to acquire. They can be acquired through progressing further in the game and winning games.

Credits can also be acquired by completing Daily Missions and Season Pass tasks. You can also get them by playing games or buying them from the Credit Shop for Gold.

Marvel Snap has a Credit limit of 5,000 Credits. But the game allows you to exceed that limit to prevent you from losing the Credits you earned.

As an example, if you had 4,990 Credits and acquired 100 more Credits, you’ll have a total of 5,090 Credits. Those extra 90 Credits won’t be lost. However, you will not be able to acquire any more Credits until you use up the Credits and get back down to at least 4,999 Credits.

Fast Upgrade

A quicker way to upgrade your cards is to use the Fast Upgrade option. This option lets you immediately upgrade 3 cards daily to the next tier. You don’t need any Boosters to upgrade the cards through Fast Upgrade. The only thing you need is the required amount of Credits.

There is one catch though. Fast Upgrade only shows 3 cards to upgrade at a time. And the cards only refresh every 8 hours. So you’ll need to wait a bit before you can upgrade more cards.

Card Tiers Explained

Here are the different tiers and how many Boosters and Credits you’ll need to upgrade them.

• Uncommon: 5 Boosters and 25 Credits.
• Rare: 10 Boosters and 100 Credits.
• Epic: 20 Boosters and 200 Credits.
• Ultra: 40 Boosters and 400 Credits.
• Infinity: 50 Boosters and 500 Credits.

Final Thoughts

Marvel Snap’s card progression system can be quite confusing for many people. Fortunately, you now know all about card progression and how to get more cards.

To summarize, Marvel Snap divides its cards into 5 pools based on your Collection Level. Additionally, you get 8 cards before Collection Level 18 in the same order as other players.

You can gain new cards and progress further by upgrading existing cards. You can use the Fast Upgrade option to do this or play matches to get Boosters and Credits.