How to Play Dice Masters: A Beginner's Guide to Team Building

Quick Answer

To play Dice Masters, build a team of eight character cards, each with its own dice, then use dice as either energy to buy more dice or as characters to attack your opponent. The first player to reduce their opponent's life to zero wins. For your first games, keep the team simple: pick characters with low purchase costs and clear abilities so you can focus on learning the turn flow.

Dice Masters is a two-player dice-building game where you assemble a team of characters, roll dice to generate energy, and spend that energy to recruit better dice. Unlike a traditional board game, your team is built before the game starts, so the choices you make at the table begin with the eight character cards you select. If you have played a deck-building game, the rhythm will feel familiar, but the dice add a layer of push-your-luck decision-making.

This guide walks you through the actual sequence of play, then shows you how to build a beginner-friendly team that can compete without a huge collection. You can follow along with any starter set, including the Marvel HeroClix: Marvel Studios Disney Plus What If...? Miniatures Game if you already own it, though Dice Masters uses its own dice and cards. The goal is to get you playing real games quickly, not to memorize every rule.

Step 1: Assemble Your Team of Eight Characters

Each player brings exactly eight character cards to a standard game. Every card has a purchase cost, a set of dice faces, and an ability that triggers under certain conditions. For your first team, choose characters that cost between two and five energy to buy. Expensive characters can be powerful, but if you cannot afford them early, you will fall behind before your engine gets going.

A common beginner mistake is picking eight characters that all do the same thing. You want a mix: one or two cheap attackers, one or two defensive or utility characters, and one or two bigger threats. Check that each character has at least one die available. If a card has no matching die, it cannot be purchased during the game.

• Start with a starter set, which gives you a balanced team and the dice you need.
• Write down each character's purchase cost and ability so you can reference them quickly.
• Avoid teams where every character costs four or more energy.

Step 2: Set Up the Play Area and Starting Dice

Place your eight character cards in front of you, then put the matching dice on top of each card. Each player starts with eight basic dice, usually called sidekick dice, which are not tied to a character card. Shuffle your basic dice into a bag or cup. Draw the top four dice and roll them into your starting reserve pool. This is the energy you will use on your first turn.

Set your life total to 20. Keep a clear area for your used pile and your bag, because dice will move between them constantly. The most common setup error is mixing your basic dice with your character dice. Keep them separate until you learn which dice belong to which pile.

• Use a playmat or a clean table with space for your bag, your reserve pool, and your used pile.
• Confirm both players start at 20 life unless you agree on a different number.
• Do not roll your character dice during setup; they stay on their cards until purchased.

Step 3: Learn the Turn Sequence

A turn has four phases: clear and draw, roll and reroll, main step, and attack step. In the clear and draw phase, move your dice from the previous turn to the used pile and draw four new dice from your bag. If your bag runs out, refill it by shuffling your used pile back in. Then roll those four dice into your reserve pool.

In the main step, you may spend energy to purchase character dice or action dice. Purchased dice go to your used pile, not directly into play, so they will return when your bag is refilled. You may also use global abilities printed on cards, which any player can pay for. When you are done buying, move to the attack step. This is the part new players rush, and it is where most mistakes happen.

• You may reroll any or all of your reserve pool dice once during the roll and reroll phase.
• Energy spent on purchases is gone for the turn; unspent energy does not carry over.
• Announce when you are moving to the attack step so your opponent knows you are done buying.

Step 4: Attack and Block Correctly

In the attack step, you choose which of your character dice in the field will attack. Character dice enter the field when you roll a character face on a die you already own. To attack, declare your attackers and tap them. Your opponent then declares blockers. A blocker must be a character die that is not tapped. If an attacker is unblocked, it deals damage equal to its attack value to your opponent's life total.

If a blocker is assigned, compare the attacker's attack value to the blocker's defense value. If attack is equal to or higher than defense, the blocker is knocked out and goes to the used pile. The attacker also goes to the used pile after attacking, whether it was blocked or not. A frequent beginner error is attacking with every character every turn. Sometimes it is better to keep a defender untapped so you are not wide open on your opponent's turn.

• Only untapped character dice can block.
• Damage to a player reduces life; damage to a character is compared against its defense.
• Keep at least one character untapped if your opponent has a strong attacker.

Step 5: Build a Simple, Focused Team

Once you understand the turn flow, you can start making deliberate team choices. A good beginner team has a clear plan: buy cheap characters early, use them to attack or block, and save energy for a mid-cost character that can take over the game. Look for abilities that trigger when a character attacks or blocks, because those are easy to remember and use.

Avoid characters with complicated abilities that require you to track multiple conditions. You can add those later. A focused team of eight characters with two or three synergies will outperform a random collection of powerful cards every time. If you are playing with a limited card pool, trade with friends or buy single cards to fill gaps rather than chasing every new release.

• Aim for a curve: two or three characters costing two to three energy, three or four costing three to four, and one or two costing five or more.
• Test your team against a friend before taking it to a tournament.
• If a card's ability confuses you during a game, swap it out for something simpler.

Step 6: Practice Energy Management and Timing

The biggest skill gap between new and experienced Dice Masters players is energy management. Every turn you choose between buying a new die, using a global ability, or holding energy for a reactive effect. Early in the game, prioritize buying dice so your bag gets stronger. In the mid game, look for turns where you can buy two cheap dice instead of one expensive one.

Timing matters on defense as well. If you know your opponent is saving energy for a global ability that damages attackers, you might attack with only one character to bait it out. These decisions come from playing real games, not from reading rules. Expect to lose your first few games; that is normal and part of learning the rhythm.

• Count your bag and used pile occasionally to know what you might draw.
• Do not spend all your energy every turn if you need to block a big attack next turn.
• After each game, note one decision that worked and one that did not.

Your First Game Checklist

1. Build a legal team of eight: Select eight character cards and make sure you have at least one matching die for each. Check that your team has a mix of cheap and mid-cost characters. Checkpoint: if you cannot explain what each character does in one sentence, simplify the team.
2. Set up dice and life totals: Separate basic dice from character dice, shuffle basic dice into your bag, roll four, and set both players to 20 life. Checkpoint: confirm your bag has only basic dice before the first draw.
3. Play through the four phases in order: Clear and draw, roll and reroll, main step, then attack step. Do not skip the reroll if you need energy. Checkpoint: announce each phase out loud for your first game so you do not miss a step.
4. Attack with a purpose: Declare attackers, let your opponent block, and compare attack versus defense. Keep at least one character untapped for defense if you are ahead on life. Checkpoint: if you attacked with every character and lost the game next turn, you learned why defense matters.
5. Review and adjust your team: After the game, replace any character you never purchased or never used. Add one card that answers a problem you saw. Next step: play three games with the same team before making major changes so you can see patterns.

Products That Support Your First Games

• Marvel HeroClix: Marvel Studios Disney Plus What If...? Miniatures Game: This miniatures game is a standalone experience that reimagines the MCU with characters like Captain Carter, T'Challa Star-Lord, and Party Thor. If you enjoy Marvel themes and want a self-contained game to play while you learn Dice Masters, this gives you a second tabletop option with recognizable characters and no expansion required.
• Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure System Board Game - Standard Edition: This is an expansion to any of the previous Adventure System games and requires one of those games to play. It is a cooperative campaign game rather than a competitive dice builder, so it is a good change of pace if your group wants to work together instead of against each other.

Dice Masters rewards players who understand the turn flow and build a focused team. Start with a starter set, keep your first team simple, and play a few games before chasing advanced combos. The more you play, the more the energy and timing decisions become second nature.