Why Marvel Snap's Deadpool League Event Is a Massive Letdown
August 9, 2024
Marvel Snap has earned itself a lot of goodwill since its release. It's just hard to feel too pessimistic about the game when you know that the developers are more than receptive to the feelings of the fans. The team at Second Dinner has been fairly good at handling toxic cards and metas, given enough time.
This situation, however, is very different. The problem here isn't a single card — though, Marvel Boy probably needs a little bit of balancing while we're on that topic. No, the problem is the entire concept and execution of Marvel Snap's newest event, Deadpool League. So much needs to change if this is going to be a recurring event.
Who Is The Deadpool League For?
Do you play Marvel Snap because you feel a desperate need to grind out the season pass? Chances are, probably not. Then, do you play to try and win an Infinite Conquest every week? Also, most likely a no there. Okay, what about the ranked ladder? Now, there's something that you might be fond of doing, but that still doesn't represent the majority of the playerbase. So, what am I getting at?
The reality of Marvel Snap and almost every single game that exists out there is that most players play the game casually. They just want to have fun. And, even if they are "hardcore" gamers, committing themselves entirely to a single game for days on end is not something that every one of them is going to want to do. So why then is there an event where the rewards received are based solely on grinding the game for ungodly amounts of time? Where exactly does skill come into this league system? What exactly is supposed to be enjoyable about any of this when you're guaranteed nothing but boosters?
Marvel Snap has no good answers to any of these questions. There is no skill involved. There is no fun to be had. What you need to succeed with this event is a lot of time on your hands and an unwavering committment to Marvel Snap. That's terrible design. It's almost antithetical to everything that the game has stood for. Every other mode that has existed within the game has allowed you to play whenever you want to play. Now, you don't have an option if you want the best rewards. You need to play.
Just Ignore It? Sorry, That's Not Possible
It's a very valid thing to say, "Hey, this event isn't made for you. Don't bother with it." That said, people are naturally going to want the best rewards possible. We live in the age of FOMO. Of course, we all want the Deadpool emote. Of course, we're going to all want whatever the Jeff League will provide. It's just silly to think that this event is something that can be totally ignored.
It's not like you can just forget that it exists. The game reminds you after every single match you play. Doesn't matter if you're on Ranked or Conquest — you can't escape it. You're going to see how many points you've won or lost and you're going to see if your rank has changed.
That's another major qualm I have with this league event. Why are Conquest games included? Ignoring the fact that the mode has already been used to exploit the event, it's just dumb to forcefully add stakes to every single match that you play. How is someone to supposed to test a new deck during this event? You're just supposed to take those losses? I can't agree with how this event has been implemented; it screams a lack of foresight.
Honestly, I could easily continue ranting. There's that many problems. The top rewards shouldn't be limited to such few league positions — as is, it encourages heavy grinding too much. Joining a league based on when you start the event makes sense, but this simply incentivizes playing the game later rather than sooner. Alliance bounties all of the sudden make absolutely no sense to do because playing it safe with an actually good deck is the way smarter decision while the league event is up...
I could keep going on and on, but I think I've made my point. The Deadpool League is very flawed. It's so bad that I genuinely don't know if it's fundamentally fixable. It simply clashes way too much with the game's design. It's not just a massive letdown. Let's be real...it's a failure of an event. I really don't know how they plan to put out more of these. For everyone's sake, it would be much better if they simply scrapped the idea in its entirety.
Before I leave, I do want to commend the developers for admitting some of the problems with this league event already. If you're worried about getting that Deadpool emote, you don't have to be anymore as all players will be getting it for free as compensation along with one neon blue border. It puts us in a weird position where I suppose we ought to thank all the exploiters out there...What a weird week for Marvel Snap.
