Remember those three weeks last year when everyone was playing Marvel Snap? Those were good times. There was something compelling about the card game that saw huge sign-ups from players around the world, but unfortunately it could not sustain itself. As the buzz around Disney Lorcana suggests it’s playing for keeps, it’s hard not to think about the lessons Snap could have learned.

Obviously there are huge differences between the two games. Snap is digital, Lorcana is tabletop. Snap is also free, as are all of its cards, and thus there’s less commitment involved. Games are faster, and there’s a strict and linear possession to Snap too. But they’re both card games featuring characters owned by Disney, and thus share undeniable similarities.

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Nearing Completion Of My Full Lorcana Playset, I Wonder How Long I Can Keep This Up

It was easy to justify going a little overboard on collecting Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter, but I might not be able to keep up forever.

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The reasons I gave up on Marvel Snap was that it felt too disposable - playing a short game here or there didn’t scintillate for long, and sitting down to play a chunk in a row felt like going through the motions. I still enjoyed it, and ahead of writing this dove back in for a couple of games. I won both (still got it) and am the reigning TheGamer Marvel Snap champion, so I didn’t give up because I sucked so bad. But the rewards quickly ground to a halt, and unless you paid for the battle pass, it felt like you were constantly spinning your wheels.

In fact, I’m noticeably worse at Disney Lorcana, and yet it feels like a game I’m going to play for a lot longer. I’m not a collector generally, and Lorcana is my first TCG, so it’s not just the habit of a lifetime. Lorcana is also noticeably harder to play - you need to find an IRL community and attend events, which may be in short supply near you, and organising a virtual tournament is far harder than it would be for Snap. And yet, Lorcana is the game I’m drawn to nonetheless.

Disney Lorcana has a greater potential across its lifetime, while Marvel Snap played itself into a corner. The art in Snap is fine, but it’s also all very obvious. It’s cool looking comic book art from cool comic books. Lorcana offers a reinvention, and feels like it takes ownership of its iconic characters. It also does variants far better - in Snap, all you’re getting is new artwork, but Lorcana has cards with active differences. The First Chapter has four distinct Elsa cards with different mechanics, while at least one more is due in The Second Chapter.

Lorcana’s upcoming set introduces Tiana, Winnie the Pooh, and Sisu, but it also offers new cards for Cinderella, Mulan, Belle, as well as Elsa, and some others. We only know a handful of the cards thus far, but it’s exciting both that we’re getting some huge Disney stars for the first time and seeing fresh takes. Marvel Snap, meanwhile, is currently pushing its Elsa Bloodstone battle pass. Yeah, I hadn't heard of her either. When I logged back in today I also unlocked a Venom variant for America Chavez, but rather than a new mechanic that adds some depth to the game, it’s just a new picture on an old card.

Marvel’s bench is not as deep as Disney’s, especially not if you’re expecting mainstream fans to come along for the ride. By rushing through its top picks and exploring new characters nobody cares about, rather than new interpretations of old ones, it’s only going to get harder for Marvel Snap to pull fans back. I don’t know how long the Disney Lorcana craze will endure, or how I’ll maintain my interest with fewer opportunities to play, but I know I want it to last, and that’s a few steps above from the rampant indifference I feel towards Marvel Snap.Next: Disney Lorcana: Every Floodborn Card In The First Chapter, Ranked