NetEase Games' popular hero-shooterMarvel Rivalshas been making headlines for its latest features, but not all this attention has been positive. To celebrate the first anniversary ofMarvel Rivals' Closed Alpha, the game introduced an event called Galacta’s Gift. During the event, players can earn rewards like Nameplates, Sprays, and a Costume Coin, along with the return of the Season 0 Battle Pass.
Despite the festivities being underway, one feature in particular has been criticized: the addition of Chrono Shield Cards inMarvel Rivals' latest update. A free reward obtainable in the Galacta’s Gift pass, the item made its debut on May 15. However, even before its release, concerns were growing within the community about Chrono Shield Cards' potential impact on the game’s competitive integrity.
Marvel Rivals' Ranked System Is Walking a Fine Line
How Chrono Shield Cards and Chrono Shields Work in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals' Chrono Shieldshave been integral to the ranked ladder since the game debuted in December 2024. Typically, in most competitive games, consecutive losses lead to rank demotion. Chrono Shields help prevent this by blocking one loss, but they go on cooldown afterward, allowing the next loss to affect rank. ForOverwatch 2players, a similar concept can be seen in the form of Demotion Protection, which triggers when a player’s rank progress falls below 0%.
Notably, whileMarvel Rivals' playerbase was ultimately satisfied with how Chrono Shields functioned, theimplementation of Chrono Shield Cardsin Season 2 offset this balance. The item can be used at will to prevent a player from losing ranked points following defeat in a competitive match. Players are limited to 20 cards per season, and any unused cards expire at season’s end. From the Galacta’s Gift event, players can obtain up to 8 Chrono Shield Cards from the available missions.
The Ongoing Debate Around Chrono Shield Cards
Initially, some players were aghast by the possibility thatChrono Shield Cards could be purchasable, raising concerns about a potential pay-to-win, or pay-to-not-lose, system. Fortunately, the developers addressed these concerns on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), stating: “Both Chrono Shield Tokens from ranked matches and Chrono Shield Cards from events will not be for sale and are only usable for Gold rank and below.” The reasoning cited is “to allow lower-ranked players to enter ranked mode with even less pressure through this mechanism.”
Still, even though Chrono Shield Cards will not be purchasable and are ineffective for anyone Platinum rank or higher, some are worried about the game’s competitive fairness. In the gaming community, some believe it’s alreadytoo easy to climb inMarvel Rivalsand that if one puts enough time into the game, they can climb into higher elos without maintaining a positive win-loss rate. Therefore, some players who want a more competitive environment believe that Chrono Shield Cards are unnecessary. A few of the reasons include not only that the cards offer a get-out-of-jail-free option that defeats the purpose of grinding and the grief that comes from a loss, but also that they may encourage trolls and throwers, who justify not trying by claiming they’ll use a Chrono Shield Card to mitigate the loss.
The cards offer a get-out-of-jail-free option that defeats the purpose of grinding and the grief that comes from a loss.
Alternatively, some players have expressed appreciation for the new item, citing that after a long day of work, it’s nice to have a way to offset a ranked loss. Others in the community have echoed this sentiment, noting that the feature only benefits lower-ranked players and shouldn’t concern others. As NetEase Games pointed out, this feature may help reduce pressure and make it easier for players to earnMarvel Rivals' Gold-ranked rewards.
