A new Rules Reference Guide (RRG) is out for Champions and quite a bit has changed. Or changed back, depending on your view.
Let’s dig into the major alterations.
RRG 1.4 Resources
If you want to dive into RRG 1.4 for yourself, here are a few places you can go.
This is the raw RRG 1.4 file. Hall of Heroes collects and stores each RRG entry on-site, as FFG has overwritten old rulebooks in the past, and it’s helpful to have them all to compare/contrast.
You can find all of the RRG 1.4 changes here, on this helpful changelog page. Hall of Heroes manually takes out the fluff and old stuff so you can just read the new rulings.
Finally, all of the new FAQ rulings and the errata are all listed here on this page in their appropriate sections.
Now, to 1.4.
You
The confusion of “You” is one of the most contentious elements of Marvel Champions, and naturally, it has the biggest section of the FAQ.
Nearly every facet of “You” is now explained. For the most part, it deals with how cards interact with your identity by and large. This is codifying the “allies don’t count for cards like Hall of Heroes” ruling that has been floating around development circles and communities for nearly a year now.
Here’s what you need to remember: events, resources, and upgrades are part of the identity. Allies and supports are not an extension of your identity.
We have isolated the You page here.
Defend/Defense
So there’s a lot to unpack, but the big takeaway is that defense events now count as a defense. So if you use Wiggle Room, you can trigger abilities like Unflappable, which require a defense. RRG 1.2 controversially claimed that using cards like Wiggle Room was not a defense.
The new RRG also clarifies that only one player at a time can defend against an enemy attack, preventing players from stacking defenses upon defenses and breaking certain interactions.
What’s the takeaway? Protection got a huge buff. The original change did not make a lot of sense, and Protection can now use a lot more cards in their pool in both solo and multiplayer.
This aspect is still being debated by various members of the community because of the sheer number of card interactions, but a lot of prior (defense) cards are now back on the menu and more viable for play. It’s a very good change (on a change on a change).
We have isolated the Defend/Defense page here.
Timing
Since the core set, people have been wanting a “timing chart” for the game, which previously shipped with both other co-op LCGs at launch. A year and a half removed, we’re getting something similar.
Although it’s not a “chart” per se, under the triggered abilities section of RRG 1.4, we have some more clarity on how abilities work.
In short, it goes
- Constant abilities
- Forced Interrupts
- Forced Responses
- Responses
This lines up with prior rulings in the past, but it’s good to have clarity, as usual. Some timing bits are also peppered into the RRG throughout, like the “ability” section, which goes into more detail of each of the above bullet points.
We have isolated the Triggered Abilities page here.
Campaign play and difficulties are actually defined now
Previously, Rookie and Heroic modes were added in haste at the behest of the community in early 2020, and weren’t fully defined. Now they are.
An entire modes of play section was added to the RRG, which explains that Rookie mode is now “Skirmish mode.” As a refresher, Rookie mode allowed players to deal with one phase of the villain only.
Now, you can merge Skirmish mode (again, formerly Rookie) with other modes of play. So you can fight any version of Ronan (like Ronan Stage III) with expert, heroic, or campaign play.
Likewise, campaign rules were overhauled, and follow the same “mix and match” philosophy. You can find more information on campaigns here, where we list all of the new FAQs.
We have isolated the Modes of Play page here.
Further official FAQ clarification of rules listed on Hall of Heroes
Hall of Heroes spends a ton of time compiling rule answers for the community to reference, but a lot of players rely on the official materials for their games.
Thankfully, the developers have added a ton of questions to the official FAQ, including a number of them asked by this very site directly!
Every FAQ has been painstakingly added to our ruling section, and we will be cleaning up old rulings in the future.
A few more cards got official errata
Hall of Heroes provides community errata for cards that are printed incorrectly, and now the official RRG is getting with the times.
For reference, Honorary Avenger (max 1 per character), Wrecking Crew’s I’ve Been Waiting For This (gains changed to heals), Iron Fist (response to interrupt), Warning (removed defense trait), Inner Demons (removed “then”), Avengers Tower (Red Skull’s version was misprinted and should have had the Avengers trait), Marked for Death (stage to scheme), Hail Hydra (shuffle only occurs if the deck was searched, which is now the primary way to resolve all three versions of Hail Hydra), and Attack on Mount Athena (Hydra Assault is correct) were all errataed.
You can find every errataed card (new and old) here.
The bulk of the massive 45 page RRG is shoring up rules that existed, but weren’t defined
Don’t get too hung up on reading the entire RRG.
A lot, and we mean, a lot of the clarifications were merely existing rules from individual packs and inserts; that were simply inserted into RRG 1.4.
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