Marvel Rivals is patching in a way for players to climb Competitive ranks more easily.
NetEase Games has dropped a new Marvel Rivals update this week (15 May, 2025), adding an all-new Galacta’s Gift event, new cosmetics, and the return of the Season 0 battle pass. This patch has not gone down without controversy, however. Many players have remarked that the new reward type offered in Galacta’s Gift–Chrono Shield Cards–offers a cheap and easy way for players to climb competitive ranks without being punished for losses.
Marvel Rivals adds a way for players to avoid competitive rank losses (up to a point)
NetEase Games’ latest event for Marvel Rivals, Galacta’s Gift, celebrates the one-year anniversary of the hero shooter’s first closed alpha test. Via the event, players can simply play through matches to earn free rewards like Sprays, Nameplates, and even a Costume Coin. However, the big ticket item here is the Chrono Shield Card, which is a new type of reward included in this event.
Chrono Shield Cards can be used to prevent a player’s rank loss upon defeat in Competitive matches. Online reception of the item proved to be negative enough upon its unveiling–with some concerned that it would impact the integrity of Competitive mode–that NetEase had to address the situation on Twitter/X.
In the statement, the developer stated:
Hey Rivals, 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 purpose is to allow lower-ranked players to enter ranked mode with even less pressure through this mechanism.
These Chrono Shield Cards function much like the game’s existing Chrono Protection system, which only helps players avoid Competitive rank loss up to Gold rank. Controversy surrounding this new reward mechanic has died down following NetEase's statement, but with more than a half-season left to go in Season 2, the competitive skills of higher-ranked players might soon be harder to ascertain.
Other Marvel Rivals updates in the 15 May patch
This week’s Marvel Rivals patch has also brought the return of the Season 0 battle pass. Players can now grind through the game's first half-length battle pass and earn its cosmetic rewards, but they'll have to keep in mind that the battle pass will only be available for purchase from 15 to 29 May, 2025. The game is also adding new Dangan Ronin and Retro X-Uniform cosmetic bundles for The Punisher and Namor, respectively.
This patch has also added a ban-pick feature in tournament room custom games. With this feature, players can take turns banning heroes in a specific order, while locking down their own heroes for tournament play. Check out this week’s Marvel Rivals patch notes here.
