Sure, here goes:
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So, Marvel Rivals. Yeah, NetEase Games is behind this whole superhero shoot-’em-up thing. Celebrating their first birthday, kinda, and they tossed in this event called Galacta’s Gift. Rewards galore—Nameplates, Sprays, Costume Coins. And that Season 0 Battle Pass is back in the mix. People were stoked. Mostly.
But not everything’s all sunshine and rainbows. Enter: Chrono Shield Cards. Dropped these in on May 15 as a freebie in the Galacta’s Gift pass. A lot of folks are not thrilled. Even before they launched, there was chatter—maybe not the best for competition vibes, you know?
Let’s back up. Ranked play in Marvel Rivals has had these things, Chrono Shields, around since December 2024. They’ve got a role—stop you from tanking your rank after a tough loss. But then, they vanish for a bit. Overwatch 2 has something similar, keeping you from the basement, more or less.
People liked the original shields. But now? Chrono Shield Cards in Season 2 muddle things. You get yourself 20 per season, use at your leisure to dodge rank loss. Kinda like, “Oops, I lost? Nah, doesn’t count.” Players are scooping up 8 of these cards just from Galacta’s Gift. It’s a whole scene.
Drama bomb: Some thought they’d be buyable. Pay-to-win accusations started flying. Thankfully, devs hopped on Twitter or whatever we’re calling it now and said nope. Only Gold rank and below get to use ‘em. Keeps it chill for newer players.
Still, not everyone’s convinced. Some say, why bother? If you just put in time, even if you’re losing, you climb anyway. Kinda defeats the competitive point for some die-hards. And trolls? Might just slack off, figuring they’ll just use a card.
Yet there’s another camp. They’re pretty happy, saying, “Hey, after a rough day, I don’t need more stress in a game, thanks.” Helps with those Gold-tier goodies too. NetEase says relax; it’s just to ease pressure a bit.
Really, it’s a mixed bag. Some dig it, some don’t. But that’s the Marvel Rivals world for ya.
