Marvel Snap’s Developer Explains the Bizarre Inclusion of Ego, the Location That Randomly Plays Your Cards for You

Since the official release of Marvel Snap, fans have pondered the inclusion of Ego — the living planet played by Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

In Marvel Snap, Ego takes control of cards and plays for you, effectively randomizing the outcome. There’s no rhyme or reason to Ego’s actions; his moves are completely arbitrary. So why include Ego at all?

According to Second Dinner founder Ben Brode, who recently spoke with IGN on the occasion of Marvel Snap’s launch, Ego’s design stemmed from a simple question.

“What would a location that’s sentient do? Well, maybe it would play your cards for you. I don’t know,” Brode says. “So it was very what we call top-down design, where we start with the flavor and art, and then design what the heck it would do. And I couldn’t think of anything else for what the heck Ego would do.”

Just had the most INSANE game of Marvel Snap – got Ego who auto plays the game for both players, but it eventually played scarlet witch, killing itself and giving control back to us, but changing into a location that randomizes every card on the board.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?! pic.twitter.com/3ympdBJwZr— Andy Yen (@renowned) November 3, 2022

Ego winds up being a change of pace; an opportunity to laugh as it haphazardly plays your deck, frequently resulting in disaster. However, Brode says, that doesn’t mean that Ego lacks strategy.

“What’s really interesting about that location is it’s surprisingly skill testing, actually. Just weirdly, because you’re obviously not making any decisions in the gameplay. But because of the Snap mechanic, your ability to say, ‘Okay, I have secret information. I know where Ego has played my card. It’s either good or bad. And so I need to use that information to decide to Snap, to double down, or retreat,’ Brode says.

“And so it puts so much focus on the Snap mechanic in a way that changes the game up in a really interesting way. So I think it’s really interesting. It’s certainly a very unique location.”

This user puts it best:

When Ego is playing in @MARVELSNAP you’re obligated to snap!

— JR (@DudeDudenstein_) November 11, 2022

Whatever fans think of Ego, Marvel Snap continues to be very successful. In our review we wrote, “Marvel Snap upends the collectible card game genre with some truly fresh ideas, impressive strategic depth, wonderfully slick presentation, and a fantastic use of the Marvel license.

In addition to talking about Ego and other topics in our review, Brode revealed his three favorite Marvel Snap decks, which may be of interest to high-level players with access to a wide variety of cards. If you’re just getting started, make sure to check our some of our best beginner’s decks.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.