In 2022, I, alongside my fellow ComicsXF writers, got into the mobile card game Marvel Snap. I got into it because I wanted to play a card game on my phone and I wanted to bond with the CXF community outside of writing articles and posting in Slack. Although I stopped playing in 2023 after receiving a Nintendo Switch Lite, summer 2024 has brought me back to Marvel Snap.
It was May 2024, and I had been feeling pretty burned out and lonely. On the day of a much-needed vacation, I decided to download Marvel Snap onto my new phone. Part of me wanted to see whether the app would run on it smoothly, but part of me missed the camaraderie I had gotten from the game. Not only did the game work on my phone, but it had some new features that I had mixed feelings about.
One feature that I would come to enjoy is Conquest Mode, a new competitive mode that involves a player entering a series of runs that increase in difficulty. You win against other players and advance through the tiers to earn medals, which you can then spend on prizes. It is a good way to challenge yourself, test out deck builds and quickly complete weekly missions. However, sometimes it takes a little while to be matched with another player as you progress through the ranks. As I write this, I just lost in the Gold rank match against an opponent it took me two and a half minutes to be matched with. Normally, it only takes 30 seconds to be matched.
Another feature that I was considerably less excited about is how the game has become more monetized. While it is still possible to earn cards, credits and gold by playing and upgrading cards, the game is really in your face about spending real money to get ahead. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent some money on season passes featuring characters from Black Panther and the Young Avengers because I like them. However, I dislike that the game pressures players to constantly spend money to gain an advantage over other players. Marvel Snap may be a competitive mobile card game, but that doesn’t mean it’s all about competition.
For me, Marvel Snap is about having fun with my online peers at CXF. Before I played Marvel Snap, I usually played video games by myself because I don’t have many friends. Now, I get to not only share screenshots of wins and losses and discuss deck strategies, but I get to participate in Marvel Snap’s new Alliances feature. It is a social hub for Marvel Snap that lets you participate in a group of other players and reap rewards through Bounties, missions exclusively for your alliance. Armaan Babu, one of the other CXF writers, made a CXF Alliance, and I was allowed to join after looking it up and submitting a request.
Not only has the alliance made me feel closer to my fellow CXF writers, but it has given me a sense of belonging and joy that I haven’t felt in a long time. The last time was in fifth grade, when I bonded with classmates over the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!, which was in its heyday as a trading card game. It has not only made me remember how delighted I am by card games, but brought out my clever, strategic and confident side through deckbuilding.
When it comes to my favorite deck, my go-to lately is something I call “Moon Girl Magic.” It revolves around the characters Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and features cards that add more cards to my hand. This not only powers up Devil Dinosaur, but other cards like The Collector and Mystique, the latter of which can copy Devil Dino’s ability. In case I don’t draw Devil Dino, I also have Red Hulk and Sasquatch as powerhouse backups.
Another deck I like to use is called “Sleight of Hand,” which involves discarding cards and then bringing them back into play later. Hela is a key card, but sometimes I discard her without meaning to. When this happens, I either try to bring her back with Ghost Rider or use another card like Apocalypse.
If there is anything I would like improved about events, it would be the addition of more game modes. In July, there was a Deadpool-themed season that resulted in a temporary game mode called Deadpool’s Diner. It allowed you to wager Bubs in matches and earn bigger rewards the more you wager. Also, the wagers were food themed, so you could go from wagering a small collection of Bubs called cereal to a big collection of tacos.
Even though Marvel Snap isn’t a perfect game, it has given me a lot of much needed joy through new ways to play like Deadpool’s Diner and Alliances. Through this, I finally know the fun of playing video games with friends.
Latonya Pennington is a freelance contributor whose comics criticism can be found at Women Write About Comics, Comic Book Herald, Newsarama and Shelfdust, among others.
