Legendary - A Marvel Deck Building Game (Second Edition)
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone recruits Spider-Man, someone blocks Magneto, someone screams because Red Skull is about to win. And then it immediately starts over with a new Mastermind.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
Stopping Marvel's Most Dangerous Villains, one deck at a time
Designed by Devin Low and published by Upper Deck Entertainment in 2012, Legendary defined the genre of cooperative superhero deck-builders. This Second Edition, slated for 2026, celebrates over 10 years of success with 550 completely redesigned cards for balance, flavor, and total compatibility with all expansions released to date.
Every game is different: choose a Mastermind (Red Skull, Doctor Doom, Loki), an evil Scheme, a deck of Villains. Then build your deck by recruiting Marvel Heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine. You use Attack to stop villains, Recruitment to improve your deck. If you don't defeat the Mastermind before they complete their Scheme, the entire team loses.
What they say abroad
Legendary Marvel presents itself as the mature evolution of a system that has already convinced thousands of players worldwide.
— FroGames
Every game tells a different story, with heroes and villains combining in ever new ways.
— FroGames
Legendary - A Marvel Deck Building Game (Second Edition)
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsThe elements in play
Cards, Heroes, Villains and the game board
The Heroes
15 Marvel Heroes in the core set, each with 14 different cards. Build your deck by recruiting them from Headquarters. Each Hero has a focus: direct attack, recruitment, deck manipulation.
The Masterminds
The main villains: Red Skull, Doctor Doom, Loki, Magneto. Each has special abilities, unique Tactics, and a different difficulty level. Defeating them is the ultimate goal.
The Schemes
Each game the Mastermind pursues a different Scheme: invading the city, kidnapping civilians, activating a weapon. If they complete the Scheme, everyone loses. The pressure is constant.
The playmat
Rubber board that organizes the field: Headquarters with 5 Hero slots, the city to defend, the Escape Pile where Villains try to escape. Everything clear, everything functional.
In the end, someone will have saved the world. Or perhaps the world will have fallen. But it starts again immediately, because there is always another Mastermind to stop.
📜 REGOLAMENTO
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Setup: choose your threat
Open the box, choose a Mastermind. Red Skull for the first game? Doctor Doom if you want to suffer? Then a Scheme, a set of Villains, a set of Heroes. Every combination changes everything: difficulty, pace, tactics. Shuffle, set up the board. Right here, you start discussing who will specialize in what.
First turns: build the foundations
The first 3-4 turns are slow. You recruit common Heroes, play weak basic cards, stop a few Henchmen. But every Hero you add to your deck opens a new path: combos, synergies, specializations. Some focus on attack, some on fast recruitment. Meanwhile, the city fills with Villains.
Mid-game: pressure mounts
Now your deck starts to flow. You draw 3-4 strong cards per turn, generate 6-8 Attack, defeat dangerous Villains. But they also get nastier: Master Strikes that sabotage plans, Villains who capture hostages. Every turn is a calculation: attack now or recruit more? Time is running out.
The perfect turn (or disaster)
That turn comes when you draw the perfect combo: 4 cards of the same Hero, chain-reacting abilities, 15 Attack generated out of nowhere. Or the turn comes when the Mastermind completes the Scheme and you all lose together. In Legendary, legendary moments always happen.
Endgame: the final confrontation
The Mastermind is still in play. You've stopped the Scheme, eliminated the Villains, but he persists. You need 4-5 defeats of the Mastermind to truly win. Each successful attack removes a Tactic, but each Master Strike slows you down. When the last card falls, count victory points (optional) or simply cheer. Then immediately prepare the next game with a different setup.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each turn follows a simple and fast structure. In 2-3 minutes you play, recruit, fight.
Flip the top card of the Villain deck. It could be a villain invading the city, an event complicating the Scheme, or a Master Strike that sabotages everyone. Resolve the effect immediately.
Draw 6 cards (5 + 1 from your personal deck). Play them all: they generate Attack (to fight) and Recruit (to acquire new Heroes). Some cards have special abilities that trigger in combos.
Use your Recruit to take Heroes from the Headquarters and add them to your discard pile. Use your Attack to defeat Villains in the city or attack the Mastermind. Each victory gives you points and bonuses.
Put all played and acquired cards into your discard pile. When your deck runs out, reshuffle your discards: your deck is now stronger. Draw 6 cards for the next turn.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Infinitely variable setup
4 Masterminds, 7 Schemes, 15 Heroes, different Villain sets. Every combination changes difficulty, pace, strategy. No two games are ever the same. And with expansions (all compatible), the variety explodes.
Heroes with mechanical identity
Spider-Man manipulates the Villain deck. Iron Man generates technology. Wolverine gets stronger when wounded. Every Hero has a precise identity, not just a set of different numbers. Recruiting isn't just adding Attack: it's building a thematic engine.
Master Strike: the punch to the gut
Some Villain cards are Master Strikes: the Mastermind hits all players simultaneously with devastating effects. Discarded cards, blocked Heroes, ruined plans. When a Master Strike appears, the table groans in unison.
Class synergies
Each Hero belongs to a class (Tech, Strength, Covert, etc.). Some cards power up if you play other cards of the same class. Specializing pays off, but not too much: flexibility is needed to face different threats.
The city as a visual timer
Villains move through 5 spaces: from the deck to the city, from the city to the escape route. If they escape, you lose (or pay a high price). Seeing the villains advance creates urgency: you can't afford to delay.
Second Edition: all lessons learned
550 redesigned cards for balance and clarity. Overpowered Heroes nerfed, weak Heroes buffed, text rewritten to eliminate ambiguity. 100% compatible with old expansions, but better in every detail.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
In Legendary Marvel, victory is collective. Defeat is too.
Victory
- Defeat the Mastermind the required number of times (usually 4-5 successful attacks, depending on the number of players)
- Complete the specific victory conditions of the Scheme (some Schemes have alternative objectives)
- Count victory points (optional): whoever defeated the strongest Villains wins as the team's MVP
Collective defeat
- The Mastermind completes their Scheme (e.g., 12 hostages captured, 8 Villains escaped, etc.)
- The Villain deck runs out before you defeat the Mastermind
- Too many Villains escape the city without being stopped (the number depends on the Scheme)
Legendary Marvel promises hundreds of different games in one box. It's a system, not a single game. And this Second Edition is the perfect starting point.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game (Second Edition) - English Edition
How many different games can I play with just the core set?
With 4 Masterminds, 7 Schemes, and 15 Heroes, there are thousands of combinations. Even playing with the same friends, you'll hardly repeat the same setup before 20-30 games. And each setup radically changes difficulty and strategy.
Is it really compatible with all old expansions?
Yes. Upper Deck has confirmed full compatibility: you can mix Heroes, Villains, and Masterminds from the Second Edition with those from the First and with all expansions released from 2012 to today. The redesigned cards improve balance but do not break the system.
Does it work well solo, or do I need to play in a group?
It works perfectly well solo. You manage a single deck, face the same number of Villains (but with adapted difficulty). Many players prefer it this way: quick games, total control, a pure challenge against the Mastermind. With 2 to 5 players, tactical discussion grows, but not depth.
How long does a typical game last?
From 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of players and the chosen difficulty. With easy Masterminds (basic Red Skull) and 2 players, it's about 30-40 minutes. With difficult Masterminds and 4-5 players, it reaches 60-75 minutes. The duration is predictable: after 2-3 games, you know how much time it takes.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this Second Edition is in English. The cards have essential text, and an intermediate-high level of English is sufficient. There is a reference card to translate recurring abilities, but the game is designed for an English-speaking audience.
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game (Second Edition) is a cooperative deckbuilder for 1-5 players, ages 14+, lasting 30-60 minutes. Designed by Devin Low and published by Upper Deck Entertainment, it offers 550 redesigned cards, 15 Marvel Heroes, 4 Masterminds, and 7 evil Schemes. Each game changes thanks to the variable setup: combine different Heroes, Villains, and objectives to create ever-new challenges. Compatible with all previous expansions, this Second Edition corrects balance and improves card clarity. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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