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Description
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game is set in the Marvel Comics universe. To set up the game, players choose a mastermind villain (Magneto, Loki, Dr. Doom, Red Skull in the base game), stack that particular villain's attack cards underneath it, then modify the villain deck as needed based on that villain's particular scheme. Players then choose a number of hero decks – Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, etc. – and shuffle them together; since players use only a handful of hero decks out of the fifteen included, the hero deck can vary widely in terms of what's available.
Over the course of the game, players will recruit powerful hero cards to add to their deck in order to build a stronger and more resourceful deck. Players need to build both their recruitment powers (to enlist more heroes) and their fighting ability (to combat the villains who keep popping up to cause trouble). Players recruit heroes from an array of five cards, with empty slots refilled as needed. At the start of a player's turn, he reveals a villain and adds it to the row of villains. This row has a limited number of spaces, and if it fills up, the earliest villain to arrive escapes, possibly punishing the heroes in some way. Some villains also take an action when showing up for the first time, such as kidnapping an innocent bystander. The villain deck also contains "master strike" cards, and whenever one of these shows up, the mastermind villain (controlled by the game) takes a bonus action.
As players fight and defeat villains, they collect those cards, which will be worth points at game's end. Players can also fight the mastermind; if a player has enough fighting power, he claims one of the attack cards beneath the mastermind, which has a particular effect on the game. If all of these cards are claimed, the game ends and players tally their points to see who wins. If the mastermind completes his scheme, however – having a certain number of villains escape, for example, or imposing a certain number of wounds on the heroes – then the players all lose.
Hero decks in the base game: Gambit, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Emma Frost, Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Storm, Captain America, Nick Fury, Rogue, Cyclops, Hulk, Wolverine, Deadpool
Year Published
2012
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video YymPSJrVy9o
Brothers Murph top_10_list at 12:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10148 · mention_pk 29868
Click to watch at 12:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Infinite game variety through modular combinations
- Randomization keeps every game fresh
- Encourages experimentation with different hero combinations
- Marvel theme is engaging
- Supports very high play frequency
- Great for challenge-based play
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Deck building with Marvel heroes fighting villains
- Marvel Universe
- Thematic superhero action
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — Build your deck of Marvel characters with unique abilities
- Modular Setup — Customize game with different hero combinations, masterminds, schemes, and villain groups
- Random mastermind battles — Face off against randomized villain schemes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- You play games less than you think. That is true.
- I play this game a ton. It's like I probably only play the game like three times. It just feels like more because the gameplay is so robust.
- This is what makes it so kind of infinitely playable
- I think that's one of the reasons why Pandemic was such a successful gateway game
- You didn't know board games could be this
- if you've only ever played Monopoly and sorry these kind of mass market games you got to show them something that's just different to that
- I've just I didn't know any of this could exist
- it was nuts. We were throwing down like six games a week probably easily. It was insane
- Better arches is unreasonably fun
- And then we finally dove farther and farther in and here we go
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ehy370iVcn0
Three Minute Board Games game_review at 0:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9823 · mention_pk 28955
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Excellent for cooperative game enthusiasts
- Deep Marvel theme with many characters and expansions
- Solid co-op deck builder with good customization
- Low rules overhead, accessible to diverse groups
- Template for modern co-op deck building games
- Extensive replayability with variable setup
Cons
- Game can be pretty swingy with villain deck randomness
- Bad draws from villain deck can heavily impact difficulty
- Weak player identity - difficult to distinguish individual character roles
Thematic elements
- Cooperative superhero defense against villains and masterminds
- Marvel Universe, city under attack
- Nefarious mastermind scheme vs heroes protecting the city
Comparison games
- Dominion
- Marvel Champions
- Sentinels of the Multiverse
- Legendary: Aliens
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- AI Villain System — Villains act based on drawn villain cards with randomized activation
- card management — Cards have sets and teams that can be combined for powerful effects
- cooperative play — Players work together to defeat the mastermind by hitting them four times
- Deck building — Players start with basic cards and add more powerful ones during gameplay
- Resource management — Resource cards spent to buy new cards, attack cards used to defeat villains
- set collection — Heroes are combined for synergistic effects based on symbols and teams
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- if you like cooperative games, marvel and deck building this game is 100% made with you in mind
- and like dominion sometimes the first game to do something gets a lot right
- a solid co-op deck builder with good customization and low rules overhead suitable for just about any group that likes co-op play
- the best thing about this game is if you like the core gameplay you can add so many variables to it
- however the game can be pretty swingy and bad draws from the villain deck can really make the difference between an easy and hard go of it
- legendary marvel i really hope you like shuffling cards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2YOEVwKri_o
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 11:44 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9850 · mention_pk 29020
Click to watch at 11:44 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- high replayability through many heroes and masterminds
- fun IP integration with adjustable difficulty via scenarios
- easy entry for new players who know Marvel
Cons
- expansions can explode component count
- some combos may feel overpowering without balance checks
Thematic elements
- deck-building combat against masterminds and villains
- Marvel Universe with iconic heroes and villains
- cinematic, modular
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck_building — Construct a deck from a pool of hero cards to defeat masterminds and villains.
- hand_management — Manage your hand to optimize combat and abilities.
- thematic_synergy — Characters' abilities interact with the narrative of each scenario.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this game puts you under a bit of pressure by forcing you sometimes to bite off more than you can chew
- this game was very much at the Forefront of these kind of lightweight eurocentric games and it did introduce me to the worker placement mechanism
- it's a timeless evergreen of a design is a simple auction style game as you're bidding for these properties having a very fixed amount of cash
- I love the master builder mechanism here
- the idea of working with my friends to overcome these scenarios was a really cool novel concept to me
- mindblown... the feeling that the initial plays of the resistance Avalon had on me
- this one opened the floodgates in terms of me wanting to explore more intricate game design
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video f9x0DLrug4Y
Board Game Coffee general_discussion at 2:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8029 · mention_pk 23629
Click to watch at 2:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Accessible gateway to deck-building with a beloved IP
- Solid two-player and multiplayer experiences
- Broad expansion ecosystem adds variety
Cons
- Expansion synergy can be tricky and messy
- Over-saturation can dilute balance if not curated
Thematic elements
- Cooperative deck-building against villains
- Marvel Universe with iconic heroes and villains
- Episodic encounters with evolving villain schemes
Comparison games
- DC Deck-Building Game
- Marvel Legendary: X-Files (thematic offshoots)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative play framing with villains — Team up to meet villain schemes and thwart the plan
- deck-building — Acquire cards to build a stronger hero deck and defeat villains
- Looter-ish expansion interoperability — Mix and match expansions with care to avoid power imbalances
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's the best game ever
- this game is a nut job
- the art is amazing the storytelling is amazing
- Nemesis is fan Fantastic so it's it's semi-cooperative I guess it depends
- it's the best alien game I've ever played that's not the alien license
- Photosynthesis is a beautiful game
- the core box is amazing
- it's so heavy but it's worth it
- awaken Realms sponsor this they’re so awesome
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video gpjhduhuZZQ
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 12:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6143 · mention_pk 18195
Click to watch at 12:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- huge variety and theme integration with characters
- excellent card synergies between heroes
Cons
- can require lots of expansions to reach full potential
- can be table-tight with a large group
Thematic elements
- superhero team-building, cooperative play against villains
- Marvel Universe
- comics-inspired, cinematic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building — acquire hero cards to form an effective team and attack masterminds
- semi-cooperative play — play cooperatively against a villain/scenario while competing for optimal deck synergy
- variable hero/villain combos — expansions provide hundreds of variants for engines and challenges
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a game that really impressed me
- the strategy in this one is a lot deeper than your standard deck building game
- this is an amazing fun game probably one of the big hits of last year for me
- you can really strategize and focus on what you want all through the use of building your different decks
- the engine building in this game is fantastic
- Concordia is one of the best games out there in my opinion
- Legends is legendary, Marvel deck-building game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video y4SQZLABHIg
Board Game Coffee top_5_list at 18:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5276 · mention_pk 15682
Click to watch at 18:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High replayability via expansions
- Strong table presence and thematic flavor
- Deep yet approachable deck-building mechanics
Cons
- Can be heavy for newcomers without guidance
- Expansions are often needed for full depth
Thematic elements
- superhero teamwork to defeat masterminds
- Marvel Universe; heroes assemble against villains
- deck-building engine with randomized villains and schemes
Comparison games
- Marvel Champions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — players work together to tackle threats and schemes
- deck-building — build a deck of heroes to defeat villains and complete schemes
- randomized villains/schemes — villains, schemes, and heroes are randomized for each game
- table presence and expansions — board and cards create strong presence; expansions add depth
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we finally boiled it down
- this is board games for couples
- spirited away is a great movie and Spirit Island is what I'm trying to get ready to play
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6