Marvel Snap Was Fixed For Testers With Just One Card
"Marvel Snap" is the mobile deck builder filled to the brim with comic book heroes. With fast-paced gameplay, cards for nearly every Marvel hero, and incredible art, there are plenty of things to enjoy in the game. However, it also faces unique challenges because of its attempts to be different. Ben Brode, the Chief Development Officer of Second Dinner Studios and former Game Director of "Hearthstone," has talked about the lack of a mulligan system in "Marvel Snap" and how one card solved the problem.
Because card games can be unpredictable depending on what cards you draw, most card games will have a mulligan rule that allows players to redraw their first hand. This usually comes with some sort of consequence, such as having fewer cards in your opening hand. However, it's seen across nearly all major TCG games, like "Magic: The Gathering," "Pokemon TCG," and "Hearthstone." "Yu-Gi-Oh" is one of the only TCG that doesn't have a mulligan rule, and "Marvel Snap" decided to exclude the feature as well.
On Twitter, Brode wrote that "Marvel Snap" testers hated not being able to mulligan. It made the deck a bit more unpredictable, which is exactly what developers wanted for the game – players just weren't on board, since it meant that turn one might be a flop with no cards to play. So, Quicksilver received a new ability.
A turn one guarantee solved everything
Ben Brode shared that devs gave Quicksilver the ability to constantly be part of the starting hand to avoid needing a mulligan rule. Quicksilver is guaranteed to be part of the opening hand if it's in a player's deck, and since it costs one energy, it's always able to be used on turn one. This solved the unpredictability that some players didn't like while letting other players experiment with different, more risky, mechanics.
Apparently, this caused testers to stop criticizing the lack of a mulligan. While Quicksilver took up a precious spot in a 12-card deck, his new ability made it so that having no move on turn one was a risk players could choose to take. Brode also pointed out that the team hasn't heard a single thing about players wanting a mulligan, so the single change made a huge difference in terms of player satisfaction.
"Marvel Snap" has received a ton of praise from critics, with Kotaku calling it the "best digital card game out there." The game was slated to be a superhero game that would blow fans away, and it's doing just that with developers that listen to player feedback.