In Marvel SNAP, one of the most annoying cards players can receive is ‘Rock’ – a zero-attack card which certain locations and characters add to the deck, and which is then drawn in the place of a more useful card. However, when looking at Marvel lore and Marvel SNAP‘s locations, this irritating card has actually taken over for an iconic Marvel species. – and their erasure from Marvel SNAP is yet another injustice committed against these underground dwellers.
In Marvel SNAP, there are several characters who can add Rocks to the deck or locations, including Korg and Debrii. These make sense given the power or physiology of the heroes in question. However, the locations tell a different story. The locations which can create rocks are Subterranea, which shuffles 5 rocks into each player’s deck when revealed, and Lechuguilla, which shuffles 3 into a deck only when a player reveals a card at the location.
In Marvel Comics, Subterranea and Lechuguilla are both home to the subterranean beings known as the Moloids. The Moloids are weak but numerous beings that live deep underground and were first seen in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #22. Individually, Moloids are all but powerless, however they can pose a problem in groups. Indeed, in the timeline of Old Man Logan, they’re a major threat, as their numbers have vastly expanded and they have started capturing and consuming humans. It’s unclear whether Marvel SNAP ever intended to use Moloids, but the locations which create rocks are tied almost exclusively to the creatures in Marvel lore, raising some questions about the game’s initial and future intent.
Marvel SNAP’s Subterranea & Lechuguilla Should Create Moloids
Subterranea, as revealed in the B-Story in Avengers Annual Vol 1 #20 by Peter Sanderson and Jeff Moore, was originally a city created by the Deviants, the enemies of the Eternals. Modern Subterranea was created when the enslaved races created by this Deviants rebelled, destroying the original city, and today it is generally depicted as a domain held by the Moloids, into which they have kidnaped people in the past. Lechuguilla is even more directly tied to the Moloids. In Fantastic Four Vol 1 #575 by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham – Lechuguilla’s only appearance in Marvel lore (though the cave itself is real) – establishes that it leads to a city literally created for the Moloids by the High Evolutionary, interested in hyper-evolving the species. In fact, the High Evolutionary has been one of the key proponents of the Moloids over their history, using them to construct his citadel at Mt Wundagore, itself a Marvel SNAP location.
Why Moloids Belong in Marvel SNAP
Given that Moloids are almost their sole denizens in Marvel lore, it’s not entirely clear why Subterranea and Lechuguilla give Rocks instead of Moloids in Marvel SNAP – especially since Moloids would be perfectly suited to acting as no-attack annoyances to players. It’s possible they were originally planned but removed in favor of a simpler concept, especially since it wouldn’t make sense for cards like Korg to create Moloids, meaning that going with rocks offers a single version of this mechanic that can be used in all instances.
Are Moloids Planned for Marvel SNAP’s Future?
It’s a shame, however, that the Moloids don’t appear in a game which draws on two of their most famous homes. Used as cannon fodder by villains from the Mole Man to the High Evolutionary, the Moloids truly deserve a time in the spotlight. Hopefully, Marvel SNAP will find another way to incorporate the Moloids into its gameplay, or even introduce them back to Subterranea and Lechuguilla when the game officially leaves its beta-testing phase.
