Marvel Champions, my absolute favorite game for both solo and cooperative play, continues to impress with its expansion, “The Mad Titan’s Shadow.” As someone who plays this game constantly, I eagerly anticipate new content that introduces exciting villains to challenge and heroes to build decks around. In this review, I’ll guide you through the various scenarios and heroes in this expansion and compare them to other available options for the game. Let’s dive in and see how “The Mad Titan’s Shadow” stacks up!
An Overview of What You Get
Marvel Champions is an ever-expanding game that offers a variety of expansions to enhance your gaming experience. One of the best value options is the campaign boxes, which provide two new heroes and five brand-new campaign scenarios. These boxes are a great way to expand your collection and delve deeper into the Marvel universe.
“The Mad Titan’s Shadow” is an exciting expansion as it introduces iconic villains and mighty heroes from Marvel, including the Black Order, Asgard, and the formidable Thanos himself. It also includes a campaign that will have you chasing the Infinity Stones across the cosmos, with quite a few twists that you won’t expect. This expansion promises to captivate comic book enthusiasts and card game aficionados alike, adding new dimensions to the game and keeping the thrill of the chase alive.
With stunning artwork and thematic components, “The Mad Titan’s Shadow” immerses players in the Marvel universe, giving them the chance to save the universe from destruction. In this expansion, you will see a brand new cinematic campaign, modular encounter sets, new gameplay phases, and interconnected games, where each outcome affects the next. It includes new heroes, Adam Warlock and Spectrum, along with challenging villain scenarios, cosmic artifacts, and encounter sets. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure and experience the excitement of the Marvel universe like never before!
A Note on the Theme and Story Elements
The thematic integrity of The Mad Titan’s Shadow is truly the standout feature of this massive expansion, however. It beautifully captures the essence of iconic villains and weaves an intriguing story throughout the campaign. Notably, Hela’s scenario shines as a bright spot, introducing much-needed story elements and progression that were previously lacking in other boxes. By doing justice to these beloved characters and delivering an engaging narrative, this expansion truly excels.
The Heroes of the Campaign
Spotlight: Spectrum
Didn’t really know much about Spectrum or her alter-ego Monica Rambeau before this box came out, but when she finally appeared in the MCU I felt pretty smug already knowing a bit about her. Her deck is built around switching between her three various forms to enhance her stats and focus on different aspects like attack, defense, and thwarting. However, while this concept seems intriguing and synergistic with cards that revolve around character transformation, it has never really clicked for me. Instead, it just feels like Spectrum lacks a clear specialization, making her less compelling to build strategies around. Personally, I find more interest in characters who have specific weaknesses and unique attributes that I can build around, but for Spectrum, I have yet to discover something truly captivating and ready-to-play decks to get excited about.
Spotlight: Adam Warlock
Introducing Adam Warlock, the cosmic-powered hero from “The Mad Titan’s Shadow” expansion in the Marvel Universe. With the ability to utilize cards from every aspect, he presents a unique deck-building challenge. However, there’s a catch – he can only include one copy of each card and must have an equal distribution of cards from each aspect.
Initially, this restriction sparked great interest among players, leading to the creation of popular and powerful community-built decks on Marvel CBD. Many players discovered that incorporating Wild Energy resources into Adam Warlock’s deck played to his strengths – and the ‘Wild Tutor’ deck from Marvel CBD is still one of the most popular ever on the site.
However, as time went on, the limitation of including only one of each card became apparent. Decks built around Adam Warlock lacked consistency and honestly, he’s lost his appeal for me.
That said, his kit is powerful and there are some interesting opportunities that he presents, because of his unique mechanics, but his general lack of consistency has caused him to not see much playing time after his initial release.
The Villains of the Expansion
Ebony Maw
Ebony Maw, one of Thanos’ trusted lieutenants, is a tough opponent in “The Mad Titan’s Shadow” expansion. He uses spells with delayed effects, allowing for planning and preparation. However, his abilities often speed up these spells, disrupting your plans. While you can anticipate some of his moves (reminiscent of handling Rhino’s Charge) he frequently surprises you. Instead of focusing on managing his spells, it’s often better to ignore the spells and try and rush him down, but as those spells stack up, you can get into pretty big trouble quickly. Ebony Maw brings some new and interesting ideas to the Marvel Champions game and is still a villain I play against.
Tower Defense Scenario: Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive
The Tower Defense scenario introduces a unique challenge by pitting players against two different villains simultaneously, a departure from the usual one-villain encounters. This concept was previously attempted with the Wrecking Crew Scenario, which received mixed reviews, but it’s much better here. Planning becomes crucial as players must anticipate which villain will activate next, although unforeseen circumstances can disrupt even the best-laid plans.
Another noteworthy feature is the need to protect Avengers Tower from damage. Players often face difficult decisions, balancing the choice between taking on threats or sustaining damage to prevent the tower from being harmed. The tower’s condition is also tied to the game and the larger campaign‘s outcome, as an additional loss condition, so you have to protect the tower. Furthermore, the amount of damage impacts the progression of the campaign, emphasizing the importance of minimizing any harm to the tower.
Definitely a unique scenario. The only real knock on it is that it can be a bit easy, but it is certainly fun.
Thanos
Thanos, surprisingly, is not the final antagonist in this expansion, but he is the most challenging in the box. With the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, he unleashes devastating effects every other turn. While you can somewhat prepare for these effects in solo play, in multiplayer, it becomes a brutal and unpredictable ordeal. Thanos hits hard and starts with a side scheme that must be cleared before you can even damage him. He presents a formidable challenge, but unlike Ronan from the previous box, he is fair. A well-built deck can secure victory, but it will be hard-fought. This is scaled-up difficulty done right. It’s tough, but not impossible.
I must also mention that his mechanic, where he snaps his fingers and you lose half your deck if he completes his first scheme, is the most thematically integrated and coolest aspect of the entire game. To this day. Obviously, you don’t want that to happen, but it is thematically perfect.
Hela: Goddess of Death
In “The Mad Titan’s Shadow” expansion, Hela, the powerful Asgardian Goddess of Death, takes the spotlight. Players embark on a daring mission to rescue Odin, who is trapped in Hel. Navigating the treacherous dungeon, fighting minions, and ensuring Odin’s safety are the challenges. This scenario offers thematic depth not commonly seen in the game, making it a welcome change. Hela’s relentless pursuit of power poses an ever-increasing threat, adding tension and excitement. To overcome her, players need tactical prowess and an understanding of the choices and consequences in this unique scenario.
“The Mad Titan’s Shadow” expansion delivers a much more compelling, story-driven experience than previous expansions and Hela’s scenario is a prime example, providing a thematic and challenging adventure that will leave players craving more story-rich content in the game.
Loki
Loki, the God of Mischief, and notorious troublemaker, boasts ever-changing forms and unpredictable tactics. He will keep you on your toes throughout the game. He uses the Infinity Gauntlet and is also paired with the Enchantress modular set, which is still probably the most challenging in the game, constantly stunning and confusing you. And if that wasn’t enough, the ice giants add another layer of difficulty, frequently leaving you frozen and unable to recover.
While Loki’s trickster nature adds thematic flair to the game, the difficulty scaling may not be ideal. Instead of providing a genuine challenge, it often results in prolonged battles or frustratingly unlucky card draws. However, there are enjoyable moments when facing Loki, as his slippery and unpredictable nature shines through and feels thematically interesting. Prepare for a test of patience and adaptability, because this one is more frustrating and/or time-consuming than it is difficult and fair. For that reason, I definitely prefer Thanos for difficulty and Hela for theme, from all the other three villains in this box.
Pros of The Mad Titan’s Shadow Expansion
Enhanced Replay Value
I’m not a big fan of the heroes in this box, but if you’re really into this game, you definitely need this set of villains. They are fantastic and provide an amazing gameplay experience. There are plenty of innovative ideas and intriguing mechanics to enjoy. However, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this box, even if you’re a die-hard Avengers fan. Instead, I suggest picking up Red Skull as a better starting point before moving on to this one.
The Campaign and Story Elements
This is the first time I got excited about the campaign and the story elements in this game. This one definitely tells a story and the campagin feels like a complete narrative. Notably Hela’s scenario is a big leap forward in incorporating narrative elements within a scenario.
Cons of The Mad Titan’s Shadow Expansion
Potential Balance Issues
With an expansion that introduces so many new elements, there’s always a risk of growing pains. Some heroes and villains might feel more potent or more challenging than others, potentially skewing the experience for those who wish for perfectly balanced encounters. Players might have to tweak scenarios or decks to ensure a consistent level of enjoyment and challenge.
Complexity for New Players
The nature of the expansion, with its new roles, keywords, and brand-new campaign featuring the strongest narrative elements thus far, means it could be a daunting addition for newcomers to the Marvel Champions series. They might find the learning curve steeper than expected, which could lead to a less enjoyable first experience with the expansion.
Final Thoughts on The Mad Titan’s Shadow Expansion
The Mad Titan’s Shadow expansion in Marvel Champions is not just a collection of cards, but an exciting cosmic journey. It brings new gameplay and storytelling possibilities for both experienced players and newcomers. This expansion showcases the ongoing creativity of Fantasy Flight Games and the enduring appeal of the Marvel Universe.
This box may not be perfect – the hero designs are a bit weak, in my opinion, and the villains have some unevenness – but it’s inventive and adds significant strategic depth to the game. It presents a lot of interesting choices as you play through it. While flawed, it remains an interesting product that is definitely worth picking up as your second or even third campaign expansion box.
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For more Marvel Champions content check out our comprehensive list of expansions with links to all of our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Marvel Champions Mad Titan’s Shadow Expansion:
What are the new mechanics introduced in The Mad Titan’s Shadow expansion?
The expansion introduces exciting new mechanics like wildcard enhancements and role cards, adding strategic depth to the gameplay.
Is The Mad Titan’s Shadow suitable for new players?
While the expansion does have some complex mechanics, it remains accessible to newcomers. However, new players may experience a slight learning curve.
Are there any balance issues in the new expansion?
As with any new elements, there is a possibility of balance issues. Some heroes and villains may feel more powerful or challenging than others. Players may need to adjust scenarios or decks for a balanced gameplay experience.
How does The Mad Titan’s Shadow compare to previous expansions?
The Mad Titan’s Shadow stands out among its predecessors by offering cohesive and thematic additions to the core game. It introduces fresh elements while staying true to the original gaming experience.
Does this campaign expansion enhance the replay value of Marvel Champions?
Absolutely! The interlinked scenarios and campaign mechanics of The Mad Titan’s Shadow provide a narrative and gameplay breadth that encourages repeated play. Each play-through may uncover new challenges and a deeper appreciation for the expansion’s design.