Marvel Snap is as palatable as it is because of its simplicity. Once its lengthy tutorial is complete and card upgrades have awarded them enough credits, players can immediately begin amassing new cards for whichever deck builds they’d like. It might take a long while before certain cards are earned in the collection level tree, but until then it is fun to play around with customization options and tailor each deck to locations fans see frequently. In terms of customization that is purely ornamental in Marvel Snap, each deck can now have its own personalization.
This personalization includes a deck title, card back, tagline, and avatar profile icon. These items are earned through progression as well and are more of a way for players to distinguish their individual decks rather than having any impact on the matches they partake in. That said, avatar icons play a subliminal role in Marvel Snap’s mind games since they can oftentimes reveal what cards or build the player’s deck may be oriented around. This way, one avatar can come in handy by subverting opponents’ expectations.
Marvel Snap’s Avatars Can Be a Hint at Playstyle or Preference
This is not always a guaranteed way to tell what some players may have up their sleeves, but more often than not it seems like fans enjoy pairing an icon with a character who’s in that deck. If Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, or Star-Lord appear as an icon, for example, it is usually safe to say that one or all of Marvel Snap’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be in that player’s deck.
Now, this could also be done as a blatant misdirect, where a character might be chosen as an avatar to make opponents believe they have that card on-hand, especially someone as lethal as Marvel Snap’s Shang-Chi. Players may obviously choose an avatar based solely on characters from the Marvel universe they prefer, too, but since a different avatar can be selected for each deck, it can help to differentiate them with associable character icons.
This is where the default, anonymous SHIELD agent’s avatar icon can be a massive boon. This default icon is the profile avatar every player starts Marvel Snap with before earning more, and can therefore be a clear sign that an opponent is new to the game. However, the default avatar may be intentionally selected in order to trick opponents into thinking that they are new, before revealing overpowered cards that no new players could possibly have their hands on without also having earned other avatars.
Moreover, the default avatar masks any potential card inclusion the deck has, making their build entirely anonymous and hidden from opponents until at least a couple turns into a match. It’s obviously not as visually appealing as a fan’s favorite Marvel character may be to look at, but truly competitive players might be able to give themselves an early-match advantage by resorting back to the default avatar for particular decks.
Card backs have much less of an effect on such an advantage because they are more oriented toward specific seasons when they were earned, and avatar icons are not a reliable way to tell what an opponent plans to accomplish with their deck, but there are surely more mind games involved with a faceless icon than there might be with a character who is much more niche or important to meta strategies in Marvel Snap.
Marvel Snap is available for PC and mobile devices.