Champions Buying Guide

What You Actually Need to Know Before Buying Champions-Related Stuff

I spent about three years dealing with Champions content across different platforms before I figured out what actually matters when you go to buy something. There are a lot of buying guides out there, but most of them are fluff written by people who've never opened a box of the actual product or sat through a frustrating purchase process. I'm going to skip the preamble and talk about what the Champions Buying Guide should cover if you want it to be useful. First, let's clarify what we're talking about. "Champions" usually refers to one of a few different things when buyers come searching: the Marvel Champions Living Card Game by Fantasy Flight Games, the MMORPG Champions Online by Netdevils, or the tabletop RPG system by Green Ronin. Each has its own purchasing ecosystem, and a proper Champions Buying Guide needs to address the fact that these are completely separate products with completely separate pricing models. Mixing them up is the most common mistake I see people make, and it costs buyers time and money.

Champions Buying Guide: What the Actual Process Looks Like

If you're looking at the Marvel Champions LCG, the entry point is the Core Set, which runs about $39.99 at retail. That gets you everything you need to play two players. After that, the expansion model kicks in at roughly $24.99 per pack, and each pack contains five cards and a double-sided scenario box. Here's the thing most guides won't tell you: the solo scenario cards in the expansions are actually where the real value is. The adventure scenarios are fine, but the solo content scales with your deck power level, which matters more than the official difficulty numbers they print on the box. I learned this the hard way after buying two story packs and sitting on a shelf because my deck wasn't built to handle what the expansions actually threw at you. You build first, then buy expansions that match your hero's archetype. For Champions Online, the situation is different. The game went free-to-play a while back, so the buying guide question really becomes about whether you should bother with premium currency or character slots. The answer depends on how much time you actually have. If you're playing casually two or three times a week, the free experience covers everything except quality-of-life features. If you're serious about min-maxing builds, you'll eventually hit the content cap and start wondering if the cash shop items are worth it. They aren't, really. The only things that matter are character slot unlocks and cosmetic choices. Don't fall for the power-selling mindset. I've seen people spend $200+ on this game over two years chasing things that were mechanically irrelevant. Now for the Green Ronin tabletop RPG. This one's straightforward but easily overlooked. The core rulebooks are $29.95 each for hardcover, and the setting books vary. The key insight here is that you don't need every supplement. The Basic Set gives you everything for a full game. The expanded settings and supplements are nice but entirely optional. I bought the full boxed set thinking I needed it, then realized the Basic Set alone covers 95% of what I actually use. The boxed set is worth it only if you're planning to run campaigns heavily in the supers genre and want the reference material at your fingertips. Otherwise, buy the Basic Set and pick up individual books as your campaign needs them.

Common Pitfalls When Shopping for Champions Products

The biggest issue I encounter is people buying secondary market product without understanding the condition grading. On sites like eBay or Tor.com, used card game products get listed as "near mint" when they're clearly opened and resealed. I once received a Champions expansion that had been opened, maybe two cards were missing, and the seller's description didn't mention it once. The workaround is simple: only buy from sellers with established track records in the hobby gaming space, or buy retail. The extra dollars you pay at a local game store or directly from the publisher save you the headache of disputes and partial shipments. Another thing nobody warns you about is the storage problem. As your Champions collection grows, especially with the LCG, you need proper sleeve and box organization. Card sleeves alone for a full Champions collection will set you back maybe $40 to $60 depending on brand. Toploaders and binders add another $30 or so. This is a hidden cost that almost every buying guide omits. Budget for it before you commit to a purchase, or you'll end up with a nice stack of cards sitting on your desk because you haven't organized them yet. If you're into Champions Online and decide to jump in, be aware that the game has had server stability issues in the past. I ran into a problem last year where a purchase I made through the in-game store didn't reflect in my account for three business days. Support was unresponsive until I filed a formal ticket through their website instead of the in-game help channel. The lesson here is that if you buy anything with real money in Champions Online, document the transaction ID and screenshot the confirmation before you close the window. It saved me during that incident.

Where to Buy and What to Expect Price-Wise

For physical Champions products, your best options are your local game store, Flipsys, MyCollectibles, or directly from Fantasy Flight's website. Prices vary by about 10 to 15 percent depending on where you buy, and availability is the real differentiator. New expansions sell out at local stores within days. If you're not near a store that stocks them, online retailers will have them in stock but shipping costs add up. I usually order from the publisher directly for new releases and fill in gaps from my LGS during store events. For Champions Online purchases, the in-game Cash Shop is the only official route. Third-party marketplaces claiming to sell "Champions Online cash" or account upgrades are unauthorized and carry risk of account suspension. I've seen this happen to multiple people on the forums. It's not worth the gamble for a few dollars saved. The game occasionally runs sales on character slots and cosmetics, so if you're not in a hurry, wait for those. They happen roughly every quarter. The bottom line for anyone starting out with Champions products: figure out which Champions you're actually interested in first, buy the cheapest complete entry point, and don't overspend on extras until you've confirmed you'll keep using the product. I see too many people drop $150 or more in their first month and then abandon the hobby because they bit off more than they could manage. Start small, learn the system, and build from there.