Marvel Snaphas finally unveiled its long-awaitedMarvel Rivalscrossover. Ever since rumors about the event first began to circulate, many have speculated about what such a crossover might look like. The list of upcoming new cards has certainly surpassed expectations, to the point that their impact onMarvel Snapcould quickly become a double-edged sword.
In this particular case, the risk may far outweigh the reward. Of course, everyone wants new characters to play with, and complex strategies to explore. However, onerecently released Season Pass cardhas already begun to polarize competition, andMarvel Snapwas already facing issues with progression and monetization. Now, theMarvel Rivalscrossover could be poised to make each of these problems more difficult to solve.
Marvel Rivals Crossover Could Have Major Implications for Marvel Snap’s Meta
Marvel Snap’s Marvel Rivals Crossover Has Huge Potential
Marvel Snaprevealed the contents of both its December and January Seasons, which will feature theMarvel Rivalsand Dark Avengers Seasons respectively. Many of theDark Avengerscards seem promising, and could have an impact in their own right. However, some of them pale in comparison to what theMarvel RivalsSeason is about to unleash.
Of course, theMarvel Rivalscards aren’t exactly created equally either. Despite this, it’s worth noting that even the least viable among them still pack a punch. More importantly, the best cards in the bunch have the potential to truly flipMarvel Snap’s metaon its head. After all, strong cards aren’t a problem in a vacuum, but the power creep that follows certainly could be.
Marvel Snap’s Season Pass Card for the Marvel Rivals Crossover
First and foremost is the card included with the Season Pass, and theMarvel Rivalscrossover is already off to a good start in this department.Galacta is the mascot ofMarvel Rivals, so it’s only natural that she would receive the spotlight. Not only is she the Season Pass character, she may very well be the most powerful of the new batch.
Galacta’s text currently reads “Each turn, the first card you play at another location reveals with +3 Power.” Of course, this is mostly intended to support Galactus, but it has plenty of other potential combos as well. Any buff this big is likely going to snowball fast, especially in combination withcards like Namora.
Every Upcoming New Marvel Rivals Card in Marvel Snap Explained
Marvel Snap’s Marvel Rivals Cards All Have a Place in the Meta
Galacta is in good company, as many of the other cards in theMarvel Rivalscrossover have a similar level of potential. After Galacta, the other new cards will be released one at a time in theweekly Spotlight Cache. This is where the game’s progression rears its head, as every addition is currently planned to be released as a Series 5 card. Series 5 is already very saturated, so adding even more high-rarity cards on a weekly basis will only continue to bloat this aspect of the game, and potentially discourage free-to-play players.
The new cards are currently listed for release in the following order:Luna Snow, Peni Parker, Doctor Doom 2099, Bruce Banner, Rocket and Groot. Ironically, Bruce Banner is the stand-out for all the wrong reasons. Bruce Banner’s ability is based around RNG, and though succeeding the roll provides a huge swing in power, the likelihood of receiving no effect at all is far too great. Moreover, the other cards in the batch have much more powerful abilities, and plenty of potential across multiple strategies.
Luna Snow helps players gain extra energy while clogging the opponent’s field, both of which are complemented extremely well by a solid stat block. Peni Parker has even more explosive potential for building energy, along with a token that can give any card the ability to move. Rocket and Groot takeMarvel Snap’s Move deck, and add a unique affliction ability. Doctor Doom 2099’s full potential remains yet to be seen, as one vague section of his text could create an incredibly powerful synergy with the original Doctor Doom.
Marvel Snap’s Marvel Rivals Crossover is a Double-Edged Sword
All six of the new cards have strong abilities on their face, and multiple decks they could potentially slot into. In fact, role compression is common among the batch, and is a concept in deck builders that inherently boosts a card’s viability. Luna Snow could simply have been more fodder for Clog decks, but her ability to ramp energy easily places her above her peers.
This is pretty much the definition of power creep, and it’s nothing new forMarvel Snap. It’s certainly nice that players will get access to so many powerful cards at once, each with the potential for fun strategies in their own right. Some of them run the risk of rendering other cards irrelevant, but they may also bring previously irrelevant cards out of the shadows. While only time will tell the full implications of these designs,Marvel Snap’s developersmay have to dish out nerfs much sooner than later.
WHERE TO PLAY
MARVEL SNAP is a fast-paced, award-winning collectible card game with innovative mechanics that has been called “accessible, and utterly brilliant” and “one of the best card games” today.Build your deck of 12 cards. Each Card represents a Marvel Super Hero or Villain, each with a unique power or ability. The goal of the game is to outsmart and outwit your opponent. Learning how to play only takes a few minutes, and matches only takes 3 minutes.The game is designed so that every match feels different. Play your cards at 50+ different locations across the Marvel Universe, each with iconic game-changing abilities. From Asgard to Wakanda, new locations are introduced regularly to put your creative problem-solving skills to the test.Every player begins with a Free Starter Deck that helps you get started. From there, you can earn new cards to add to your collection simply by playing and mastering the game.Unlike other games in the Collectible Card Game Genre, there are no card packs in MARVEL SNAP. You can Play More to Earn More.
