Images courtesy of Second Dinner

With the release of Pokémon TCG Pocket and the continued card acquisition woes of Marvel Snap, the game has experienced a steady decline in player numbers, with a lot of long-time players quitting, or just not being able to capture new players due to the reputation of the game after the honeymoon phase.

One of the biggest culprits was the Spotlight Cache system, a consistent way to acquire new cards on a weekly basis, albeit with a semi-random approach. On average, players were able to acquire one Spotlight Key per week, which can be used to acquire a random Spotlight Card — or players could save up four keys to guarantee they grab the one card they really need, plus a few bonus ones, with a chance for duplicates.

This meant on the baseline for non-paying players, they were acquiring cards at a glacial pace compared to the release of five new cards per month.

What Are Snap Packs?

The latest rework of endgame card acquisition in Marvel Snap, Snap Packs have completely replaced the Spotlight Cache system. Every time players would obtain a key from the level track, they will now receive 3000 Collector’s Tokens now.

Roughly, a Key was worth somewhere between 2,500 to 2,800 tokens (calculations by LaurenWhatevs), so just by the pure numbers standpoint, players are now gaining more tokens on a weekly basis. Add to this the bonus 50 tokens per day just from checking out the shop, which adds on another 1,500 free tokens per month.

Now, cards are acquired by buying Snap Packs — differently-priced random packs which contain cards from the chosen series. This way, players get more agency on whether or not they want to chase after the current season’s cards (through the Seasonal Packs), or if they just want to collect older cards, at a discount (Collector’s Packs).

As a note, Snap Packs also provide some bonus goodies — including a chance for a bonus Series 4 or 5 card!

The rotating token shop is also still available at the regular prices: Series 5 for 6,000 tokens, Series 4 for 3,000 tokens, and Series 3 for 1,000 tokens. Nothing has changed here.

Did the Introduction of Snap Packs Solve This Problem?

The previous problem for Marvel Snap was that specific cards were difficult to acquire; players could end up waiting several months for the one card they need to show up in the Spotlight Cache. Sometimes the card would even be accompanied by cards they already own, which means they could potentially use four keys just to get one card.

With the influx of tokens in the Marvel Snap ecosystem, players are now able to deterministically grab whatever cards their decks need. No need to gamble on keys, or waiting for several months just to grab the one card for a deck that may or may not be meta-relevant by then. Now, players can just wait a certain number of days for their desired card to show up in the rotating shop and purchase them for tokens, ad nauseam. This was previously not feasible, as tokens were extremely scarce.

Marvel Snap Will Have More Cards

Second Dinner has also said that with the introduction of Snap Packs, there will also be new four to five Series 4 cards per month. This means while card acquisition can now be more targeted, players should be aware there are more cards entering the game, more than ever.

The Future of Marvel Snap Card Acquisition

It bears repeating: the biggest pain point for Marvel Snap in the past was specific cards were difficult to acquire.

The introduction of more tokens into player accounts means that players now have the agency to pick up the cards they need for their decks at a reasonable time frame. More importantly, the duplicate protection on Snap Packs means there’s less feels-bad moments for players while building up their collections.

Going forward, I can foresee several subsets of players emerging: those who want to speedrun 100% completion by spending fully in Collector’s Packs, and then Seasonal Packs; the economic collector who will only buy the discounted packs at a discount; and the competitive-minded player, who will save all their tokens to buy specific cards at full price.

Having different approaches to the game can be a great way to drive up interest, as players now feel like they have a choice in how they can shape their collection, instead of being subject to the whims of the Spotlight Cache system.

“I’m a New Marvel Snap Player! What Do I Do?”

For new players, my suggestion is to take it slow — build up the Season 3 pool naturally. This should be faster now, as you’re able to acquire four Season 3 cards per week, plus a free Season 3 card every month.

From there, you have to decide: do you want to play meta decks, or do you just want to own all the cards? If you want the former, buy specific cards at full price, otherwise, only buy the Collector’s Packs to flesh out your collection.

And of course, combining these approaches can also be done — you now have player agency! As long as Series Drops continue to be rolled out at a steady pace, the future of the game looks better than ever. However, we may still be at the honeymoon phase, so cautious optimism should be at play.