The Reactor is unstable… and that’s exactly how we like it. Welcome to Overdrive, an electric remix of the mode that cranks up the energy and fun! Packed with unpredictable power surges and explosive game-altering effects, no two games of Overdrive will play the same. Get ready to embrace the chaos and build some wild new decks, because it’s time to overload some Arc Reactors.
What is High Voltage: Overdrive?
The original High Voltage mode condensed the traditional rules of SNAP into three action-packed turns. Each turn gives more energy so you could play more cards and line up massive combos in a short game.
For Overdrive we wanted to build on the fun of High Voltage so we made the Arc unstable… and now it's causing all kinds of havoc. Decks in this mode will have eight randomly charged cards shuffled in, and when a total of five have been played by both players, the Reactor will explode with a GIANT effect such as destroying low power characters, giving charged cards +5 power, or even transforming them into brand new cards.
There are no cubes or points to lose in High Voltage: Overdrive, so you should always feel encouraged to try and win! There’s no downside to trying out new decks or fun new strategies, so you can build a deck, jump in, and play immediately. Win matches or complete missions to earn Volts, which can be used in the new High Voltage: Overdrive shop. Use them to perform a Portal Pull, buy the new Kid Omega card, get credits, or new cosmetics. How do you play?
High Voltage: Overdrive is played over four turns instead of the regular three of High Voltage. At the start of the game, 8 charged cards are shuffled into your deck, each getting -1 cost and +1 power. In place of the Cube where you would normally Snap, you'll have an Arc Reactor. Before the first three turns, the Arc Reactor will generate between 2-4 Max Energy to add to your total which can then be used to play out your master plan. Your opponent will always receive the same amount of Max Energy that you do, so there’s no guessing how much they have.
On turns 1 - 3, the Arc Reactor will randomly increase your Max Energy by 2-4 energy. There is a fourth turn, but no extra energy will be added to the Reactor, which means you’ll have at least 18 energy to spend over those turns.
Beneath the Reactor, you will see the Reactor effect. Each turn, that effect will increase in scale as long as the Reactor is active. Playing a charged card adds one charge to the Reactor. Once the Reactor has five charges, it will explode with the listed effect at the end of that turn. You can decide how much you want to synergize with the effect, so you can play your charged cards early or hold them as long as possible to maximize the effect.
A few of the Reactor effects, such as drawing cards, wouldn’t make sense at the end of the 4th turn, so if you happen to get one of those, a brand new Reactor effect will swap in for it.
At the end of turn 4, whoever controls 2 out of the 3 locations will win!
Designing High Voltage: Overdrive
For the last year, the team at Second Dinner has been hard at work on developing new game modes, and with each one, we are building out a toolset to be able to create new experiences more quickly and reliably build off our successes. To that end, we wanted to take some of technology developments and meta-systems and add them into an existing mode to create some additional gameplay.
The obvious choice was adding a new twist to High Voltage, and so we looked at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the mode to try and improve on both. We love the fast pace and big plays in High Voltage, but wanted to try out a version of the mode that prevents the mode from falling into the same few plays each game. Between the random cards added to your deck, and the powerful Reactor effects, each game will require thinking on your feet to maximize your odds of winning.
High Voltage: Overdrive isn’t replacing High Voltage as a game mode - we are looking at running it more in the future, and taking advantage of those learnings to continue to develop experiences to engage you - the player.
How long will High Voltage: Overdrive be here?
High Voltage: Overdrive is playable now, and will be here until 10:59 AM PST on the 25th of June And don’t forget, playing High Voltage: Overdrive and earning Volts is the only way to earn our newest cards: Cobra in Series 4 and Kid Omega in Series 5. If you miss out, you'll be able to find all of them in the Snap Packs as of the 16th of July.
Extended Shop Hours
One big piece of feedback from the Sanctum Showdown shop was that many people were sad that they forgot to spend all their charms before the event’s end. For High Voltage: Overdrive, and any event with a shop moving forward, we will leave the shop open for a little while after the event to make sure nobody misses out on one of the newest cards or cosmetics. The shop will be open until 10:59 AM PST on the 26th of June.
NEW CHARACTERS!
SERIES 5 Activate: Destroy the next card you play this turn to gain its Power.
SERIES 4
Activate: Destroy an enemy created card here.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is High Voltage: Overdrive coming to Marvel SNAP? It is live now! Keep playing until 10:59 AM PST on June 25th.
How do I play? You’ll find High Voltage: Overdrive in the game modes along with Conquest and Friendly Battles. Winning High Voltage: Overdrive games and completing the mode-specific Missions will earn you Volts you can spend in the High Voltage: Overdrive store.
What if I lose? There’s no penalty for losing High Voltage:Overdrive games, and nothing to lose by staying in the game through the final turn. Hopefully that gives you ample opportunity to experiment with deck ideas and find what works for you!
What should I play? While you’re free to enter High Voltage:Overdrive with your regular decks, the mode’s rules enable you to spend more energy on a single turn unlocking lots of exciting combinations, or just the chance to play two or three of your favorite 6-Cost cards in the same game! Don’t forget that the random cards added to your deck and Reactor effects will create a much wider variety of plays than you are used to. Expect the unexpected!
Are there any cards that are off limits?
The banned card list is a little different than regular High Voltage. While we no longer need to worry about some of the more consistently problematic interactions, forcing people to have additional cards in their deck does add a few challenges, so we adjusted the list to prevent issues with deck size, and a few cards that had technical challenges.
Alioth
Agatha Harkness
QuinJet
Black Widow
Mysterio
Galactus
Loki
Magik
High Evolutionary
Darkhawk
Cassandra Nova
Kang the Conquerer
Thanos
Agamotto
Arishem
Gorgon