Hey, I've never bought any of the game matts, but I just wanted to know how many people actually buy them and how many. Has anyone bought all of them? What's the general consensus?

Also, why should I buy a game matt? What are the benefits? Do those benefits make it worth the cost? How many should I buy?

Also, which ones have you gotten and why? 😁

Sorry for all the questions. 😅

I'm getting all of them (I just need Black Panther and Ms. Marvel to finish out the set; I've got Thor on pre-order, but who knows when that's finally going to appear), mostly because I'm one of those crazy people it would bug not to have one for a hero if I decide to play them. As for why I buy mats, I like playing with a mat mostly because it makes it easier to pick the cards up and makes a nice, defined space for my character. Plus it adds to the theme.

I only bought one.

I don't care that the mat is not the hero I'm using (you can also buy the more generic large mat).

Basically you protect your cards from any dirt on the table (just in case) and the cards slide better on the mat (on tablecloths with a large proportion of plastic in the fabric, the card sleeves remain stuck).

Keep in mind that the hero mats are not very big, in the area of the mat all the cards of your hero will fit but not the cards of the villain at the same time. Apart from that, it is very cool!

Buying more than one is already a matter of collecting, I suppose.

I’ve bought the original big mat and a single character mat which I’ve found is enough space generally for 2 handed / 2 player games. I might pick up another character one at some point, but I’m not buying them for every character.

I use them every time I play - makes it a bit easier to pick up cards and keep them clean, etc.

Part of me wants the Gamegenic sleeves and mats for every hero. But that's another £20 per hero, effectively doubling the price of the game!

I bought Spider-Man, Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Hawkeye. There are 3 players in my household so I settled on 4 incase we ever had am additional visiting player. The first 3 I've had since they were available. Before that we used World of Warcraft playmats. I'm not usually a "vanity" type of gamer- I usually just stick with what comes in the box. I do however believe in protecting my things to get the most life out of them and Marvel Champions has made it to the table more than other game in the past 30 years that I've had interest in- quite possibly combined! Why these characters? She-Hulk cause her mat just looks great! The rest- because of the background colors. We use She-Hulk for our Protection player (green), Spidey for our Aggression player (red), Iron Man (yellow) for Justice, and Hawkeye for Leadership (looks the most blue and looks better than Captain America). Initially, with the exception of She-Hulk, I wasn't impressed by the playmats- until I saw them in person. I think Hulk will be irredeemable, but I think the website does them no justice. They look so good when on the table.

I am one who never used mats and did not understand them. When I started playing destiny the group saw i had one and several people insisted on giving me mats. I used them in the group to go with group norms but in Marvel have never used them. Perfectly I did not find them useful or helpful. As you can see from the above responses I am in the minority but I don't find it makes the game any easier. I also have not found the issues one person mentioned about picking up dirt. My most played game, Raw Deal, which I played for 20 years...I just sold the cards this past week and had at least 2 decks that I had and played (sleeved) with no mat for 20 years and the cards were still pretty pristine and eminently usable.

With that said, for people who like them they seem like they could "pretty up" the game and obviously some people have had very different experiences than I have so there is likely some value. Just wanted to float the rare dissenting option. I have played dozens of games with every hero without using a mat and had no issues. If you like them you should definitely get them but if not you can get along more than fine without them

I got given one as part of an organized event. I use it and like it, it has a nice feel to it and I find it makes the cards a bit easier to pick up and move around.

However, I probably wouldn't bother replacing it got lost or damaged.

For me the mat is now an essential part of the experience. When I unroll one after a hiatus, just the smell brings me joy. 😄

Beyond that, I think it makes a card game more boardgame-like in the sense that I get a clearly defined gaming area with a thematic backdrop.

When I play with a generic, solid-color mat I get less of that but I continue to enjoy the feel of the surface and the ease with manipulating cards on the table.

All that being said, I have never believed Marvel Champions is especially well suited to single-player, hero-specific 14x24 mats. I say that only because of the involved money and the resulting quantity of neoprene you have to find storage for, but I do respect all of you who want to buy everything. I just think Champions decks are too ephemeral for them. For this reason, I prefer the larger 26x26 mats, especially when I play solo. Such size is perfect.

Pretty sure owning another person is illegal.

I think I'm the only crazy person who is admitting to collecting all the mats. 😆 I just really love this game, so I don't mind splurging on them. I haven't done the same for LotR LCG or AH, both games I also really like.

It would be nice if they released some more generic Marvel mats (like the ones that came with the launch promo kits).

Well, thanks for all of the opinions. This has been very insightful. I'm still probably not going to get one though. 😂 Maybe I'll get one for Christmas.

13 hours ago, maniakmedic said:

It would be nice if they released some more generic Marvel mats (like the ones that came with the launch promo kits).

What were those promo mats exactly? I do consider the two large (26x26) mats already released as 'generic'...

21 minutes ago, Ascarel said:

What were those promo mats exactly? I do consider the two large (26x26) mats already released as 'generic'...

The promo mat has all the heroes from the box cover.

As far as the mats go, anybody heard/seen anything about the Thor mat? Seems really strange that they haven't managed to release it yet when they've been able to release all the other mats.

I bought the Hawkeye mat and, despite my preference for his classic masked costume, I love the mat. I will also buy mats for Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Nightcrawler, and Nova (Richard Rider). Again, I prefer and hope for the classic costumed versions of those heroes.