Two years after its launch, Marvel Snap adds its first new ability type: Activate. “It promises to bring a whole new layer of strategy," said Nicki Broderick, Marvel Snap's senior producer, when announcing the new feature for the Amazing Spider-Season update. The announcement video now has over 165,000 views, necessitating one question: What exactly is Activate, and why should fans care?
Marvel Snap 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Season Launches With 5 New Cards
Marvel Snap's The Amazing Spider-Man-themed season is here, introducing the series' first new ability and five more characters, among other novelties.
Since its release on October 18, 2022, Marvel Snap has featured Marvel heroes and villains with three types of abilities: On Reveal, where cards trigger an effect upon the drop; Ongoing, where cards maintain their effect as long as they're on the board; and passive, which includes abilities that don’t fit into the On Reveal or Ongoing categories. Now, the game introduces a new ability type called Activate, which allows players to choose when to unleash a card's effect. This is why it’s such a big deal.
What Is 'Activate' in Marvel Snap?
Marvel Snap’s Activate is a card ability triggered by the player. Between rounds two to five, you can unleash an Activate ability by right-clicking or long-pressing the card. The Activate card’s text is essentially switched off until you decide to switch it on—activate it, if you will.
To better understand the Activate mechanic, think of it as an on-demand version of On Reveal. When you play a card with Activate, it places its stats on the board but holds back its effect. After a turn or two, when you’re ready to trigger the effect, you simply tap and hold the Activate card to unleash its ability.
The key difference between Activate and On Reveal cards is their effect on Cost expenditure. If you hold off an On Reveal card for later rounds—where the board conditions are right—you risk spending extra Energy. However, with Activate cards, you drop them as soon as there’s sufficient budget, and you wait for the board to align with your strategy.
Things to Know About the Activate Ability
- You cannot Activate a card on turns one and six. The card must be in play for at least one round, making it unavailable in the first and last rounds.
- Your Activate cards must be revealed before activation. Sealed cards cannot have their effects activated.
- Activation follows the same reveal pattern as other cards. If you activate the card before playing another, its effect will occur first—and vice versa.
- Activate cards’ effects are one-time-use. You can activate a card only once per match.
- You can cancel the activation. If you right-click or long-press an activated card before the turn’s end or undo the turn’s actions, the effect will stop.
What Are Some Activate Cards?
Symbiote Spider-Man is the first Activate card to join Marvel Snap during September’s The Amazing Spider-Season update. His effect allows him to merge with the lowest-Cost card on the friendly side and absorb its text, too. After Symbiote, Scarlet Spider, and Arana, two more Activate cards, will join the roster.
The following table shows all new Activate cards’ stats and texts.
|
Card |
Cost-Power |
Activation Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Symbiote Spider-Man |
4-6 |
Merge with the lowest-Cost card and absorb its text like it just revealed. |
|
Scarlet Spider |
4-5 |
Add a clone of this to another location. |
|
Arana |
1-1 |
Move the next card you play to the right and give it +2 Power. |
Marvel Snap developers have confirmed that some old cards like Black Swan and Hellcow are being reworked to get Activate abilities. Their goal is to keep the metagame relevant for older releases and incorporate fresh mechanics into the game without introducing too many cards.
How Will 'Activate' Affect Marvel Snap’s Metagame?
For now, Activate doesn’t seem to be a META-shaking ability, as its premise is quite similar to On Reveal. However, the first batch of Activate cards will surely influence the Movement Archetype as Arana and Scarlet Spider promise seamless synergies with move-oriented decks.
Will ‘Activate’ Be a Welcome Addition?
While fans are pleased with the addition of this new ability, some players argue that Marvel Snap needs more than just a new ability to rejuvenate its player base. One player reflected on the game's past, saying, "I miss when this game was in its prime—it was so good… Maybe when [Marvel Snap] stops releasing new cards only to nerf them later, some players will return. I’ve been playing since pre-launch and really hope for a comeback."
In recent months, Second Dinner's digital card game has experienced a significant decline in player numbers, with Steam charts showing an estimated average drop of 5% per month since last September.
The only notable resurgence in Marvel Snap's player base occurred in July 2024, when the game introduced Alliances—a social feature allowing players to team up—and Deadpool’s Diner, a limited-time event that pitted players against each other for a chance to win a premium card.
These trends suggest that Marvel Snap might not need just new cards or abilities like Activate but more interactive features. Additional game modes, leagues, or even 2v2 matches could potentially revitalize the game, as demonstrated by the success of Deadpool’s Diner mode.
The following chart by SteamDB shows Marvel Snap’s player count decline trends since June 2023.
Marvel SNAP
- Released
- August 22, 2023
