Welcome back to Spotlight: Cash, Snap.Fan’s monthly look at upcoming cash bundles and money's role in Marvel Snap. In the ever-shifting in-game economy, Second Dinner can dial back the gold players receive, credits only stretch so far, and Token Tuesdays will come and go. Still, there is one currency whose flow the players–not Second Dinner–can control: cash. Join us to dig deeply into the datamine as we examine February’s cash bundles. As always, bundle details are subject to change.
Something to Chew On
We covered Bubblegum Pop in January’s Spotlight: Cash, but it also extended into the early days of February. Here is what we had to say about it:
Though the first bundle of the new year, Bubblegum Pop offers an exciting perspective on the trajectory that Snap’s cash bundles have taken over the last several months. We compared it to Naughty or Nice? previously, but both bundles were ultimately upgraded to 1,000 gold and 500 credits, in line with the datamined December Ticket 1. That bundle, however, was also altered to provide 2,000 gold and 1,500 tokens for $19.99. Those last-minute changes have been increasingly common, to such an extent that around half of December’s cash bundles were reworked shortly before release. For the most part, bundles were changed to make them better values–though in some cases, they were more expensive–but the uncertainty introduced has made preplanning your purchases more difficult and overspending easier.
This is all part of a broader deflationary effect that has been ongoing for the last few months, on account of which bundles that appeared to be surefire value purchases as recently as October and November–think Magik’s Birthday Party and Half a World Away–have slid outside the top 25% of bundle values all time. Within that quartile, coincidentally 25 cash bundles to date, five were released in November, seven in December, and two through the first week of January. While bundles and progression becoming cheaper is good, this trend raises questions about how wise today’s expenditures will look in a few months.
All that to say Bubblegum Pop is right in there with Magik’s Birthday Party and Half a World Away for currency value; a bundle that would have looked great two months ago is now reduced to being just pretty good. It does present an opportunity for anybody yet to collect Dazzler to get their hands on her, though she has yet to experience her moment in the meta sun.
Bubblegum Pop
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 50
Batter than Expected
One Man Battering Ram likewise remained available into the early days of February. You can see below our thoughts on it as datamined, though it was fortified to supply 6,000 tokens and 6,000 credits at the same $75 price point, which elevated it to be the best bundle for a total value of January. It could hold that title for February if no forthcoming bundles see major value rises for release. Our original thoughts on One Man Battering Ram:
As January’s last and largest cash bundle, One Man Battering Ram is datamined as providing 6,000 Collector’s tokens and 1,500 credits for $74.99, along with one variant and the usual accompaniment of avatar and boosters. That positions it as a mediocre value in a historical context, very much in the same category as the game’s two prior $75 bundles, Death Becomes Her and September’s Aspect of Heimdall.
Although it offers the biggest lump of tokens this month, One Man Battering Ram ranks one of January’s worst bundles. However, with the strong ongoing shift away from tokens and toward credits in bundles, we should not be surprised to see this one rearranged before it hits the market.
One Man Battering Ram
Tokens per dollar: 80
Credits per dollar: 20 (improved to 80)
Mystery Machine
On January 31st, Second Dinner hit us with the most mysterious mystery bundle of them all, January 2024 Mystery 6, which was unknown from datamines. One variant, 1,000 tokens and 500 credits for $14.99 fell below the midpoint of all historical bundles. However, it may still be the best mystery bundle in February if there are no more surprises–admittedly an unlikely scenario at this stage of Marvel Snap’s evolution, or mutation if you prefer.
The other January leftover, January 2024 Mystery 5, did not receive the sought bump in currency content and so premiered as a bottom-quartile bundle. Even so, three of the mystery bundles properly tagged for February fall below it by a considerable margin. February 2024 Mystery 1 supplied one variant and a paltry 700 gold for $9.99, matching the shop rate. February Mysteries 4 and 5 are forecast to provide a similarly unimpressive 850 credits and 500 tokens at the same price. Compare any of the lot to Bubblegum Pop
(1,000 gold, 500 credits) or December’s Mystery 4 (1,200 gold, 500 credits) at the same price, and February’s Mysteries appear downright woeful.
Of the remainder, February Mystery 2 offers the best return, 700 gold and 1,500 credits for $14.99, at least in the middle of the road. February Mystery 3 falls short of that mark, supplying 1,000 gold for $9.99, and February Mystery 6 triples that formula to equally unremarkable results.
January 2024 Mystery 6
Tokens per dollar: 66.67
Credits per dollar: 33.33
January 2024 Mystery 5
Tokens per dollar: 50
Gold per dollar: 27.5
February 2024 Mystery 1
Gold per dollar: 70
February 2024 Mystery 2
Gold per dollar: 46.67
Credits per dollar: 100
February 2024 Mystery 3
Gold per dollar: 100
February 2024 Mystery 4
Credits per dollar: 85
February 2024 Mystery 5
Tokens per dollar: 50
February 2024 Mystery 6
Gold per dollar: 100
Tickets are Limited
As we described last month, January 2024 Ticket 4 ran in February and offered a great return of 1,000 gold and 3,000 credits for $19.99. The only other ticket option among cash bundles this month is February 2024 Ticket 1, which ran at 1,000 gold and 800 credits for $9.99, again a very high return per dollar spent. Put it next to something like February Mystery 3, offering 1,000 gold and zero credits, and the advantage is obvious. February Ticket 1 is the second-best $10 bundle of all time in currency payout, behind only November’s Wolverine “Friend or Foe” web bundle.
January 2024 Ticket 4
Gold per dollar: 50
Credits per dollar: 150
February 2024 Ticket 1
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 80
February 2024 Ticket 2 - gold bundle covered in this month’s Golden Opportunities article
Rock ’n’ Hood
February’s recap web bundles made us decide between a Hood variant with 1,000 gold and 1,600 credits and a Korg variant with 1,400 gold and 1,000 credits, both options running $14.99. Tiny Friend afforded a slightly better value compared to shop prices, but the higher gold of Strong Ally was more flexible for future purchases. Fortunately, Second Dinner has gotten pretty good at balancing these, so either bundle was a high-end option just behind Well-Suited Superheroine for total return.
Tiny Friend (The Hood)
Gold per dollar: 66.67
Credits per dollar: 106.67
Strong Ally (Korg)
Gold per dollar: 93.33
Credits per dollar: 66.67
More Trouble than It’s Worth
When I lament the deflation currently afflicting the market, this is precisely the kind of bundle I have in mind. Double Trouble is by no measure a lousy option. Still, with 3,000 Collector’s tokens and 2,000 credits for $39.99 after a last-minute plumping up, it is right on the threshold of being a top-quartile offering compared to historical and ongoing bundles. There is no way of knowing which side of that line it will fall on, even by the end of the month. Though that is only an arbitrary cutoff for what I consider a “great” bundle, the situation highlights our difficulty in estimating what the money we spend is worth in in-game return.
Since there has never been another $40 bundle, there are no one-to-one comparisons with Double Trouble, which offers a very good rate on tokens. For overall value for the dollar, though, it falls behind January Ticket 4, Dancing on the Sun, and Well-Suited Superheroine; both recap web bundles, Ready, Aim, Hellfire, and SorceROCKer Supreme, just in February, and those are all cheaper to boot. Still, Double Trouble could be a great buy for someone who appreciates cosmetics.
Double Trouble
Tokens per dollar: 75
Credits per dollar: 50
Hot Spot
Another bundle that didn’t appear in datamines, Dancing on the Sun, surprised us with 2,000 credits and one variant with peripherals for $9.99. That gives it the best credits per dollar of the month and makes it one the best $10 offerings of all time, just behind November’s Wolverine “Friend or Foe” web bundle (2,100 credits) and on par with December Mystery 4 (1,200 gold, 500 credits). There is not much more that needs to be said.
Dancing on the Sun
Credits per dollar: 200
Master of Portals, I’m Slinging My Ring
The other carnival-themed bundle, SorceROCKer Supreme, packed 1,000 gold and 600 credits with a non-exclusive variant and incidentals at $9.99. That brings the currency return in line with Ready, Aim, Hellfire and just ahead of Bubblegum Pop; that congregation perhaps signals that Second Dinner aims to establish a general standard around that level for $10 bundles. We can hope. SorceROCKer loses some tiny appeal for anyone with the variant, but it remains a great purchase from the currency standpoint.
SorceROCKer Supreme
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 60
Failure to Launch
After a last-minute infusion of 2,000 gold, So . . . Is Spider-Man Grounded? It rose from a lousy option to one that is just a little above average. Now totaling 6,500 gold and no other currencies, it ran for $49.99, the same as January’s Step-Up Step 10 (5,000 tokens, 650 credits) and Kneeled Before Your Queen (10,000 credits). In comparison to those and even February’s own Quadrennial Leap Year Sale! With its 5,000 gold and 2,500 credits, Grounded falls short. You have to wonder why it was released now rather than retained for the release of Across the Spider-Verse, but perhaps Second Dinner preferred not to wait through the movie’s indefinite delay.
However, the bundle also brought variants of Miles Morales and Ghost-Spider, the latter of which remains a series 4 card for now, albeit one that is not incredibly successful in play. The bundle had added value for anyone still looking to collect her or the series 3 Miles Morales.
So . . . Is Spider-Man Grounded?
Gold per dollar: 130
An Attractive Package
A late reconfiguration of Magnets, How Do They Work? from 10,000 tokens and 1,000 gold to 5,000 and 8,000, respectively, was effectively a reversion of five Token Tuesdays from tokens back to gold. That makes the currencies of the bundle more flexible without changing its overall value, but the value was already solidly on the lower end of the top quartile. Along with that haul come an appealing Magneto variant, avatar, three splits’ worth of boosters, and the “I’m with Magneto” title. All that for the low, low price of $99.99.
If you are willing to consider a bundle of that magnitude, Magnets falls short of August’s Pro Bundle Mk. II with its 5,000 tokens and 11,000 credits and November’s Pro Bundle Mk. III, which offered 6,000 tokens and 9,000 credits. However, it slots in just ahead of May’s Beautiful Beyond Compare, which is considered a top-five all-time bundle at its release.
Magnets, How Do They Work?
Tokens per dollar: 50
Gold per dollar: 80
A Real Straight Shooter
As mentioned several places above, Ready, Aim, Hellfire hews closely to some of the other $10 bundles of the month, supplying 1,000 gold and 600 credits, one variant, and boosters. That is a great purchase, though not the best of the month. The quite nice Mystique variant might make it the superior purchase for some players, but February Ticket 1 and Dancing on the Sun were better options on the currency front.
Ready, Aim, Hellfire
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 60
It’s No Beethoven
With 1,000 tokens and 2,500 credits accompanying one variant for $24.99, Moon Knight Sonata looks unimpressive beside the 1,000 gold and 4,000 credits of August’s Hail Hydraulics at the same price. By total value, Sonata comes closer to October’s The Power to Moo You, a good bundle that rendered 3,000 gold and 500 credits. Unfortunately, that package looks worse in the context of the modern market, having been buried by the many bundles with great returns that have premiered in the intervening time.
While the variant art is striking, Moon Knight as a card has never been a strong force in the meta, so this might be a bundle strictly for die-hard discard players.
Moon Knight Sonata
Tokens per dollar: 40
Credits per dollar: 100
Next Steps
Vibranium-powered offers returned in February with a revamped structure and mystery variants in place of the fixed variants of the first set. The upside is that no tier costs more than $19.99, but the downside is that it is now effectively a gated set of mystery bundles. As in January, the first two steps are free and supply 100 credits and 30 boosters.
$4.99 buys you access to the next three levels, one mystery variant, and 900 credits. Taken together, that is on par with September’s Festival of Unity, right on the lower boundary of the top quartile of bundles. The next set falls shy of that threshold, supplying 1 variant and 1,750 credits for $9.99 in the neighborhood of November’s Half a World Away, December’s Naughty or Nice?, and last month’s Bubblegum Pop. The rewards for tiers 9-10 are conspicuously identical to those from 6-8 but cost a dollar less, raising it up to the worthwhile category.
Similarly, groupings 11-12 and 13-14 each offer 1,500 gold, 500 credits, and one variant, but the former costs $14.99 and the latter $12.99. Neither one is a remarkable value. The final bunch steps 15-16, costs $19.99 and supplies 1,500 gold, 2,000 credits, and two variants, putting it just ahead of June’s Hard Eight with its 500 tokens, 1,500 gold, and 1,000 credits at that price. It is a purchase worth considering, but you do have to go through the two unappealing prior pay gates to get to it.
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 3-5
Credits per dollar: 180
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 6-8
Credits per dollar: 175
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 9-10
Credits per dollar: 194.44
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 11-12
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 33.33
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 13-14
Gold per dollar: 125
Credits per dollar: 38.46
Vibranium Powered Offers steps 15-16
Gold per dollar: 75
Credits per dollar: 100
Yas, Queen
Another month, another queen-themed bundle. In its latest datamined configuration, Once and Future Queen combines a nice variant of White Queen, a series 1 card with a minimal meta role, 1,500 tokens, 1,500 gold, and 10,000 credits for $74.99. That falls well short of One Man Battering Ram but remains a high-value purchase.
Like Kneel Before Your Queen in January, Once and Future Queen supplies 10,000 credits but adds to it 1,500 tokens and 1,500 gold for an additional $25. That makes for a worse value than that bundle, but it still beats the shop rate and Token Tuesday by a wide margin. There are worse options for anyone interested in spending $75 on Marvel Snap.
Once and Future Queen
Tokens per dollar: 20
Gold per dollar: 20
Credits per dollar: 133.33
Maybe in Four Years
For $49.99, Quadrennial Leap Year Sale! renders the buyer 5,000 gold and 2,500 credits, equivalent to five Bubblegum Pops. That amount of cash would normally buy a mere 3,850 gold in the shop, so this bundle represents a tremendous upgrade from that perspective, but it still sits outside the top quartile of all time. In a month, offering many high-end bundles, Quadrennial falls short.
Quadrennial Leap Year Sale!
Gold per dollar: 100
Credits per dollar: 50
The Bottom Line
In this month of 29 days, Second Dinner is putting forth no fewer than 30 cash bundles, or 32, including the two iterations of season pass. That’s . . . absurd. Of those 30, 11 are in the top quarter of bundles of all time in terms of currency return per dollar–and it would have been 15 using the cutoffs from last month–so the deflation we have observed over the last two months remains in full effect. For anyone keeping score, Double Trouble wound up falling out of that range once all of February’s bundles were considered, as did Strong Ally and Vibranium Powered Offers tiers 3-5 and 13-14.
On the positive side, the vanishing cheap bundles of the last two months have rebounded significantly, as 13 under $10 graced us in February. Perhaps it’s a sign of Second Dinner seeking to cater to a broader variety of spenders instead of relying entirely on the whale market.
Best tokens per dollar
- One Man Battering Ram (80)
- Double Trouble (75)
- January 2024 Mystery 6 (66.67)
- January 2024 Mystery 5; February 2024 Mystery 5; Magnets, How Do They Work? (50)
- Moon Knight Sonata (40)
Best gold per dollar
- So . . . Is Spider-Man Grounded? (130)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 13-14 (125)
- Bubblegum Pop; February 2024 Mystery 3; February 2024 Mystery 6; February 2024 Ticket 1; SorceROCKer Supreme; Ready, Aim, Hellfire, Vibranium, Powered Offers steps 11-12; Quadrennial Leap Year Sale! (100)
- Strong Ally (93.33)
- Season Pass Premium [if you reach 49] (90)
Best credits per dollar
- Dancing on the Sun (200)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 9-10 (194.44)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 3-5 (180)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 6-8 (175)
- January 2024 Ticket 4 (150)
Best overall currencies per dollar*
- One Man Battering Ram (220.33)
- February 2024 Ticket 1 (205)
- Dancing on the Sun (202.5)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 9-10 (197.22)
- Vibranium Powered Offers steps 15-16 (196.25)
*Expressed as credits per dollar, valuing gold at 1.25 credits (shop rate) and tokens at 1.4 gold (modern Token Tuesday rate), and adding 25 credits for each new card and variant
Thank you for joining us to look at February’s cash bundles and the effect that money has on the game of Marvel Snap.