Marvel Snap is a super popular digital card game developed by Second Dinner Studios and published by Nuverse. The game takes place in the Marvel Universe and allows players to collect and battle with various Marvel superheroes and villains. One of the unique gameplay features in Marvel Snap is the Conquerors system.
What are Conquerors in Marvel Snap?
Conquerors are essentially Marvel Snap’s ranked competitive play mode. Just like in other competitive games, Conquerors allows players to earn special ranks and titles as they win matches and move up the ladder. The ranks in Conquerors are based on various powerful Marvel characters and go in the following order:
| Bronze Squirrel Girl | Silver America Chavez |
| Gold rescue | Diamond Black Panther |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider | Infinity Thanos |
At the start of each new season, all players begin at Bronze Squirrel Girl rank. As you win matches and gain Cubes (Marvel Snap’s progression currency), you’ll level up your rank and progress to the higher tiers. The highest possible rank is Infinity Thanos.
How does ranking up work in Conquerors?
Marvel Snap uses a hidden ELO rating system to determine your skill level and rank you against opponents of similar skill. Here’s a quick overview of how it works:
- When you start playing Conquerors, the game assigns you a default rating of 1200 ELO.
- As you play matches, your rating will increase or decrease based on the outcome. Winning against higher rated opponents provides big boosts.
- The size of rating changes decreases as your skill uncertainty goes down over more games played.
- To rank up, you need to improve your rating until you reach the threshold for the next rank.
- During a season reset, your rating is softened back towards the default 1200, usually about halfway.
So in summary, play a lot of games, win more than you lose, defeat tough opponents, and your ELO rating will steadily climb. This will unlock new ranks and tiers over time. There are no limits to how high you can climb before a season ends.
What are the rank thresholds in Marvel Snap Conquerors?
While your exact ELO rating is hidden, Marvel Snap does show the rating thresholds required to reach each new tier. Here are the ranks and the rating levels needed to unlock them:
| Bronze Squirrel Girl | 0-1399 |
| Silver America Chavez | 1400-1549 |
| Gold Rescue | 1550-1699 |
| Diamond Black Panther | 1700-1849 |
| Cosmic Ghost Rider | 1850-1999 |
| Infinity Thanos | 2000+ |
Reaching higher tiers requires maintaining very high win rates against tough competition, so climbing to Cosmic Ghost Rider or Infinity Thanos is quite an accomplishment!
Do you lose rank if you play poorly?
Yes, it is possible to lose your Conquerors rank if you start losing a lot of games. Just like you gain rating and ranks by winning, defeats will tank your rating and cause demotions if you drop below the rating threshold. A few losing streaks can quickly undo the progress from many wins.
That said, Marvel Snap tries to soften demotions a bit. For example, there is a “rank protection” period after promoting, where you can’t immediately demote. And you usually have to fall a bit below a threshold before actually demoting. But in general, PvP ranks are always a measure of current skill and performance – lose enough games and you will slide backwards.
How long do Conquerors seasons last?
Conquerors seasons last about one month or so. The exact dates for the current season can be found in the Battle Pass section of the game. At the end of the season, ranks reset based on a soft rating reset, and everyone begins working towards the next set of rewards.
This cyclical nature means you never get “stuck” at a tier permanently. You’ll always have the chance to climb ranks again in the next season. And the reset ensures players actually have to keep playing well to maintain high ranks.
What kinds of rewards are earned from Conquerors?
Advancing up the Conquerors ladder earns you three types of rewards:
- Unique card variants – Each new rank you reach permanently unlocks special prismatic variants for certain cards. For example, America Chavez unlocks a Ms. America variant card.
- Conqueror profile badges and titles – Reaching new ranks earns profile bling so you can show off your accomplishments.
- Season end rewards – At the conclusion of a season, you get seasonal rewards based on your peak rank like credits, gold, and cubes.
These rewards are limited time exclusives and provide great motivation to climb as high as possible each season!
Does your cube total impact matchmaking?
No, cube count does not affect Conquerors matchmaking or ranking. The ELO system is based solely on wins, losses, and relative opponent skill. This ensures a fair matchmaking experience – your card collection doesn’t impact who you play against.
Cubes are Marvel Snap’s free to earn currency that allow you to unlock more cards. Since cube count doesn’t impact matchmaking, paying players don’t have an advantage over free players in Conquerors. Skill and skill alone determines your rank.
Can you lose cubes or cards when losing matches?
No, cubes and cards can never be lost or removed in Marvel Snap under any circumstance. The only currency impacted by match results in Conquerors is your hidden ELO rating. So feel free to play and experiment without fear of losing your hard-earned collection!
Is there skill-based matchmaking in casual play?
Marvel Snap uses different matchmaking rules for casual matches versus rated Conquerors matches. In casual, there is very loose skill-based matchmaking – you will face opponents close to your skill level when possible.
But the matchmaking is primarily focused on speed rather than close rating matching in casual queues. This means you may face opponents much better or worse than you depending on who is currently searching. Consider casual a place to complete daily/weekly missions rather than a balanced competition.
How long do matches take in Conquerors?
Marvel Snap games are designed to be played quickly, with the average match length only 3-4 minutes. This allows players to complete multiple games in a short session.
Each player has only 12 energy per match, and you gain 1 energy per turn. With 6 locations in a match, games wrap up quickly after just 12 total turns. The sped-up pace really sets Marvel Snap apart from similar digital card games.
Can you chat with opponents during matches?
No, Marvel Snap does not have any social features or chat functionality built-in currently. You cannot communicate with random opponents you get matched with.
The fast paced nature of matches makes in-game chatting difficult anyway. For now you’ll have to settle for the match emotes if you want to banter with your rival!
How often does new content release for Conquerors?
Here is a rough overview of Marvel Snap’s content cadence so far:
- New card sets – 1 full new pool every ~2 months
- New variants – Special variants added periodically between sets
- Ranked seasons – New Conquerors seasons every ~1 month
- Balance changes – Regular tuning to keep the meta fresh
The development team has stated they plan to keep this aggressive release pace up. Frequent new cards and balance changes will ensure the competitive Conquerors meta doesn’t get stale.
Can you play Conquerors matches against friends?
As of October 2022, Marvel Snap does not have social features that allow playing against friends. The main modes are currently limited to matchmaking against random opponents.
However, the developers have mentioned plans to add friend battles and other social functionality down the road. But for now, the only way to compete is through the standard ranked and casual queues.
Is there a spectator mode or replay viewing?
Unfortunately Marvel Snap does not currently allow spectating matches or viewing past game replays. The matches are designed to be quick unrecorded skirmishes.
However, many top players do stream and record their matches on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. So you can watch high-level play that way. Just no native tools to view past games yet.
What happens if you disconnect during a Conquerors game?
If you disconnect or leave during a ranked Conquerors match, the game will automatically forfeit for you after a short period. To avoid frequent disconnects ruining the competitiveness, this counts as a loss on your rating.
Disconnecting does NOT cause you to lose any cubes or other progression. Only your ELO rating is impacted. So don’t worry about random app crashes or leaving an unwinnable game.
Can you play Conquerors in an internet cafe or shared device?
Marvel Snap does not have any restrictions on playing from public internet cafes or shared devices. As long as you can login to your personal account, you can play Conquerors matches.
However, because your progression is tied to your account, you should avoid logging into unknown devices or computers. Use your own phone or tablet if possible for security.
Are there benefits for playing every day?
Marvel Snap encourages frequent play by providing small rewards for logging in and completing missions daily. Here are some of the daily play incentives:
- Daily login cube – Get bonus cubes just for launching the game each day
- First win of the day cube – Earn bonus cubes for your first PvP win daily
- Daily missions – Rotate through missions to earn more cubes
Completing all of these will help you expand your card collection. While not required, checking Marvel Snap daily provides steady progress over time.
What options are there for F2P players?
Despite offering microtransactions, Marvel Snap is very friendly for free to play gamers. Here are some of the key free progression methods:
- Daily logins – Bonus resources each day you login
- Missions – Rotate through free missions to complete
- Conquerors ladder – Earn exclusive resources by ranking up
- Duplicate rewards – Convert duplicate cards into Credits to craft new cards
You can build extensive card collections and reach top ranks without spending money. Paying just helps accelerate progression if you desire.
Are bots used for matchmaking?
According to the developers, Marvel Snap does NOT use bots to fill out matches currently. All PvP ranked and casual games are between real human players.
The healthy player population means real matchmaking can occur quickly across all skill levels and regions. There is no need to use AI bots as stand-ins.
Of course the PvE encounters do use AI opponents. But rest assured knowing your Conqueror rank is earned against real thinking adversaries!
Conclusion
Marvel Snap’s competitive Conquerors mode offers a fresh ranked ladder experience. Smart matchmaking, frequent progression, and quick games make climbing to the top enjoyable for all players. While simple to learn, the strategic depth of contesting locations creates engaging PvP gameplay.
Fans of superhero card battlers or digital CCGs like Hearthstone should give Marvel Snap a try. You may find yourself addicted to chasing the next elusive rank milestone and testing your skills against other top players!