Marvel Rivals Gets Controversial New Item For Ranked Play

Published May 15, 2025

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In a post from the official Marvel Rivals X , the developers confirmed the introduction of Chrono Shield Cards, which can be earned from in-game events and will stop players from losing ranking points in Competitive mode if they are on the losing team (via GamesRadar+). The game has always had Chrono Shield Tokens, which worked the same way but had to be earned by playing Competitive matches and had a pretty long cooldown before they could be used again.

The Marvel Rivals X replied to their own post in response to pay-to-win accusations, saying: "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 developers cited the reason for the new item introduction was to "allow lower-ranked players to enter ranked mode with even less pressure through this mechanism.

NetEase Says Chrono Shield Cards Aren't Monetized

But There Are A Lot Of Microtransactions

Marvel Rivals, generally, has one of the most consumer-friendly monetization strategies for free-to-play titles. All characters, maps, balance changes, and all other gameplay-related updates are completely free of charge. However, the game's cosmetics are pretty pricey, but that's to be expected in a game that has this much free content. Bringing in yet another type of "currency," though, is making some fans question NetEase Games' current strategy, especially when it was just announced that the Season 0 Battle would return but be more expensive.

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The major concern about Chrono Shield Cards from fans was that players could purchase them and stop themselves from ever going down in rank, effectively changing the free-to-play model into a pay-to-win strategy. That has since been clarified by NetEase Games—Chrono Shield Cards must be earned from in-game events and cannot be purchased. Still, this new information has put a spotlight on ranked play in the game, and fans seem to be more concerned with how the general ranked points system works currently.

Will This New Feature Shake Up Ranked Play?

No, Not Really

While it is nice to see the developers attempt to make some changes to how points are won or lost in Competitive, the Chrono Shield Cards won't make much of a difference in the end. They still have to be earned in-game, and if fans are playing regularly, they are probably already ranking up in Competitive mode. The negative reception could just be knee-jerk reactions to the idea that players could've bought their way to higher ranks, but we now know that will not happen.

Marvel Rivals has a pretty large following, and its fans are not shy when it comes to discussing the health of the game's core gameplay and its monetization. Fans were in an uproar over the controversial skin recolor system, and this new addition is likely going to cause more discourse. Though it must be said, NetEase Games has a pretty reputable history of listening to fan for Marvel Rivals, so if the outcry is large enough and lasts long enough, there will likely be changes. Only time will tell how the new Chrono Shield Cards will affect the game and its community.