Get ready to stuff your face at Deadpool's Diner!
Between the recent IGN Live panel, the official Marvel Snap discord, and our own rummaging around in the data files, we now have a pretty complete picture of the new Deadpool's Diner game mode. This article will explain everything we know about this new mode, and I'll share how I feel about what we know so far.
In short, Deadpool's Diner is a Limited Time Mode coming to Marvel Snap to coincide with the Deadpool & Wolverine Season. Instead of Cubes, players will play for Bubs. There will be a progression of tables with increasing stakes to play at, and each table will allow you to unlock rewards along a track.
Facts
1) There will be 15 tables.
There will be 15 different tables, or “plates,” to work through. Most are named after a different dish from Deadpool's Diner, starting with “Cereal” and moving on to dishes like “Chimichangas.” The top table is called “Maximum Effort” and features the final rewards. By moving along the reward track, you'll unlock these higher-stakes plates.
2) The stakes can be doubled up to 5 times.
The game plays out similarly to a normal game of Marvel Snap, except that the stakes will auto-double on turns 4, 5, and 6. This means that, with the addition of the two player-controlled Snaps, stakes can double up to 5 times. At the lowest table (Cereal), games start at 10 Bubs on turn 1 and reach a maximum of 320 Bubs by turn 6. At the final table, the starting Bub count is 6.4 million and can reach 204.8 Million (6.4 million x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2, to be extra clear).
3) Some amount of Bubs will regenerate
You won't be stuck with zero Bubs. Bubs will regenerate each hour until you reach your Bub regen cap. At the beginning, you will have a Bub regeneration cap of 240. Each hour, you will get 1/8th of your Bub cap regenerated. This means to start, you'll have 30 Bubs regenerate each hour until you reach 240. You'll unlock higher Bub regen caps as you progress through the rewards track. At the final table, your regen cap will be 30 million.
4) The reward track counts total Bubs per event.
In other words, you won't be in a situation where you're at 499 million Bubs and drop back to zero. The track is cumulative, not net. The higher table stakes and regen caps mean you can still immediately continue earning toward your rewards even after a loss. Losing does not drop you down the rewards track. You can only move up. The advantage of being at the higher tables is that you'll be able to climb much faster. When making your final push for 500 million Bubs, you'll be at one of the higher tables and have a 30 Million regeneration cap.
5) We don't know how long the first Deadpool's Diner mode will last.
Deadpool's Diner is not currently being planned as a permanent mode that will be a part of each season. However, this also means it won't necessarily align with seasons. If you look at the screenshots we have, they have a time of 8 weeks and 1 day listed. We don't know when the first Diner will open or how long it will be open. Also, if the mode returns in the future, it will still be Deadpool's Diner. The event won't be entirely revamped to fit future seasons or themes. The current stated plan is to bring back Deadpool's Diner every two to three months.
6) It will be possible to unlock Cassandra Nova
The highest reward we see on the track is the variant initially labeled as the Cassandra Nova Spotlight variant in the game files. It is now labeled differently, and we have finally found out why. If you earn 500 Million Bubs, you will unlock that variant and will be able to start playing with Cassandra Nova immediately. What we aren't sure about is how her base art will be unlocked. We have some indications that she may be lower along the rewards track. This quote from the roadmap press release does make it sound like she only unlocks at the highest level, though: “Make your way all the way up to the biggest plate, and you’ll unlock a brand new card, Cassandra Nova!!!” I suspect she'll also be available for tokens and as a random hit in Spotlight Caches, but probably after the event.
Feelings
1) This mode looks deep and fun.
Any new mode needs to appeal to committed, competitive gamers, casual gamers, and those new to gaming. The additional doubling will change the dynamics of snapping in a way that will appeal to competitive players. In contrast, the rewards, cumulative progress, and separation from the ladder will appeal to everyone else. They have already said that in the initial season, there will be an extra carrot for the die-hards: there will be an event leaderboard with the top 100 earning an exclusive “Best Bubs” title. I think a mode where each player could Snap each turn without the auto-doubling would have been another interesting way to go with this, but that would probably turn off new and casual players. We won't know how compelling this mode feels until we have it in our hands, but it is certainly promising.
2) I think most people will be able to get the rewards they want.
Looking at how the tables and Bub caps progress, I don't think it will be particularly challenging to get the new card by reaching 500 million Bubs for the average player. This would be especially true if the base card is available lower on the rewards path and if the event lasts longer than four weeks. Top players will fly through this track. The vision is for top players to enjoy competing against each other at the “Maximum Effort” level. We'll see if this comes to fruition in a way that it did not in Conquest.
3) Rewards need to remain strong.
One of the biggest issues Marvel Snap has had is starting out new systems with strong rewards, slowly chipping away at those, and scaling them back over time. They absolutely cannot do that this time. If the first iteration of Deadpool distributes a sought-after new card, later ones cannot top out at a variant or some consumable cosmetic. Interestingly, they have decided not to make this mode permanent, which has raised some eyebrows. However, I think this might be a clever approach. A mode like this might start to feel grindy after a while, and keeping it limited might help it maintain a special feeling. Consider how limited time availability affects demand for the McRib or Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Head to the comments and let us know which aspects of the Diner you like and which ones you think need some tweaking.
Update
