A Major Change To Marvel Rivals Ranked Has Divided The Community, Even After Clarification

The introduction of Chrono Shield Cards to anniversary of Marvel Rivals' early access period, the game is currently holding a special event called Galacta's Gift. In a specially structured rewards program, beginning today, May 15, players can earn a variety of different rewards, including nameplates, costume coins, sprays, and two controversial items designed to simplify the Competitive experience, which some players say could have a disastrous effect on the community.

Marvel Rivals is no stranger to ranked controversy, but the latest issues stem from an item newly introduced to the game as part of Galacta's Gift: Chrono Shield Cards. While these unique items are ostensibly intended to help lower-rank players remain competitive, they could be abused in certain scenarios. Marvel Rivals addressed the initial controversy in a social media statement, but some players have pointed out that there are still inherent issues with the way Chrono Shields are doled out. Here's everything to know about both sides of the Marvel Rivals controversy.

Chrono Shield Tokens & Chrono Shield Cards, Explained

How Chrono Shield Works

Chrono Shield Cards as they appear on Marvel Rivals' rewards screen.

Chrono Shield Cards are a new item exclusively available (for now) during Galacta's Gift that allow players to prevent point loss after losing ranked matches. They work almost exactly like Chrono Shield Tokens, with a few key differences. For one, they can be earned simply by playing any type of matches - Quick Match, Competitive, and Practice games will all contribute to the Galacta's Gift reward track, whereas you must play Competitive to earn Chrono Shield Tokens. In addition, Chrono Shield Tokens have a much longer cooldown than Chrono Shield Cards, and you can only have one at a time.

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By contrast, there are eight Chrono Shield Cards in total available during the event. In effect, Chrono Shield Cards are intended to help you stay in higher ranks during Competitive play, even after a tough losing streak. Each time you lose a Competitive match, your overall rank points decrease; these decreases can stack up over time and ultimately get you demoted to a lower rank.

What This Change Means For Marvel Rivals

Pros & Cons Of Chrono Shield Cards

Chrono Shield Cards were primarily introduced for just one reason: to help skilled players who are languishing in lower ranks due to extended runs of bad luck. In Marvel Rivals, you rank up not based on individual skill, but based on your total number of wins and losses, which means you're beholden to your team's performance more often than not. In lower ranks like Bronze and Silver, you can easily get stuck with a series of bad teams, lose multiple matches in sequence, and get demoted before you even know it. Players at those lower ranks likely appreciate this change.

Now, much of the controversy surrounding Chrono Shield Cards was related to player perception that these powerful items might be available for purchase with real money. That'd obviously make Marvel Rivals pay to win: the more money you'd shovel into it, in that case, the easier it'd be to get to and stay at high ranks. However, the official Marvel Rivals X (formerly Twitter) issued a statement to clarify that Chrono Shield Tokens and Chrono Shield Cards would not be for sale.

They further clarified that Chrono Shield Cards will only be usable at Gold rank and below, so you'll never be able to reach the upper echelon of Rivals ranks by using them alone. You might think that'd solve the issue, but some players still take issue with their inclusion. Some are concerned that Chrono Shield Cards could make ranking up too easy, promoting inexperienced players to higher ranks. That's unfair to everybody involved: the unprepared players will lose repeatedly, artificially propelling their opponents to even higher ranks.

This change is still relatively new, though; as real as these concerns are, Chrono Shield Cards were just introduced, so it'll take at least a few days to feel their effects. Personally, I don't think they'll be too devastating since they're only usable at low ranks, but only time will tell what they do to the Marvel Rivals Competitive scene.

Source: Marvel Rivals/X