For some time, Marvel Snap was the only digital card game I could stomach. It was, and in many ways still is, a prime example of what the genre should be.
This game could not be physical. Each match relies too heavily on randomly selected locations and card effects, which (at times) would be impossible to track with cardboard and dice.
But it's also simply an exhilarating experience at its core.
The bombastic gameplay is constructed with precise deck building, in-the-moment strategizing, and a healthy dose of luck (a key tenant of any good card game) that I frankly couldn't get enough of.
As is so often true of gaming in the modern era, I've felt my desire to play Snap wane in recent weeks (just like many others) because of monetization. For the first time in well over a year, I have yet to purchase this month's season pass (and currently have no plans to), nor grinded my way to the top player tier (Infinite).
I don’t mind some monetization, and generally, Marvel Snap has handled things well. There have been plenty of free-to-play ways to earn its premium currency (Gold) so you can purchase cosmetics (such as alternate artwork for your cards), and the only card locked behind a paywall each month was the Season Pass card – and it would become free to earn the following month.
However, subtle frustrations have been growing. There have become steadily fewer ways to earn Gold simply by playing the game and its events, there have been leaked datamined plans for the upgraded Super Premium Season Pass to include its own exclusive game piece (meaning two cards will be stuck behind a paywall each month), and during the recent High Voltage Overdrive event, the top prize was practically impossible to win without using Gold.
Some Reddit users did manage to play enough to earn this card (Kid Omega) simply by playing a lot, but to get a sense of how difficult this feat is, this player apparently played 42 hours and 38 minutes of Marvel Snap during the event and still had to dish out 100 Gold to afford the card.
For further context: previous events had, at worst, allowed you to unlock a greater range of rewards with paid currency. You could always unlock the top prize (or even a few of the top prizes) simply by playing a reasonable amount and spending your winnings wisely – and some events would reward players with every prize if they played enough, no purchase necessary.
Before you go to the comments below, I’m well aware that spending money on game pieces isn’t an unheard-of concept in card games. For many TCGs, it's a core principle.
With Marvel Snap, however, my and others’ frustration comes from how the situation has changed so drastically from where the game began. At launch, there were literally ads about how this game was special because you couldn’t just buy all the cards right away, but now that’s basically untrue.
So, unlike the frog unaware it’s being boiled alive, I’m hopping out of Marvel Snap for now and into the digital card game which has recaptured my focus: Magic: The Gathering: Arena.
Enter the arena
I know, I know, I can hear the collective sound of necks straining under the whiplash – I moan about overzealous monetization then say I’m jumping ship to Hasbro’s TCG.
As a regular paper Magic: The Gathering player, I've been exposed to the anti-consumer burn of manufactured scarcity (*cough* limited run Secret Lairs *cough*) and steadily raising prices as licensed Universes Beyond products become more essential to my favorite formats.
At the same time, the most recent Universes Beyond Final Fantasy set has been a phenomenal addition to Magic: The Gathering. The art, mechanics, and general player excitement have created a contagious hype I'm delightedly riding the wave of; that’s why I’m back on Arena.
In paper Magic, I've built Commander decks for FF VI's Terra, Magical Adept, and the icon that is FF VII's Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, while also adding cards for Lightning, Cloud, and the Hero of Light.
Digitally, I've been convinced to return to Standard, after abandoning it a few years ago, thanks to the frustration caused by my first experience of rotation (where older cards become illegal in the format).
Even if it's not the most meta-reliable, my Orzhov (Black and White) aristocrats deck – facilitated by Sephiroth, a reprinted Dark Confidant, and several cards from Foundations (a set designed to outlive usual rotation limits) – is filling me with so much joy. I literally cackle whenever my Raise the Past resolves, giving me a board of undead critters, causing my opponent to promptly concede – an experience only amplified if a turn earlier I was on death's door.
Cori Steel Cutter, Monstrous Rage, and Vivi Ornitier aside, the metagame feels healthy too. I've seen so many different and inventive decks on my climb up the best-of-one ranked ladder, and I've thoroughly enjoyed developing strategies and tweaking my composition to overcome each challenge.
Just like how I used to feel about Marvel Snap, I can’t put Arena down.
So, do I think every Marvel Snap player should follow me to Arena? No, Magic is a very different card game and isn't for everyone.
But I’m writing this as both some catharsis as I navigate a long-term gaming divorce, and to serve as a reminder to myself and others that the beauty of gaming – especially free-to-play gaming – is that if your fun is being ruined, you can just jump ship and try one of the dozens of alternatives until you find something which sparks joy.
I won’t pretend it’s easy. Losing all your progress and leaving your collection behind sucks.
But know that I’m having so much more fun playing a game I actually feel invigorated by, rather than slogging away in a loveless marriage, which for me was well past its prime.
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