The Marvel universe is no stranger to powerful, Hulk-like characters, and the latest addition to *Marvel Snap* is Starbrand. Here's a comprehensive guide to the best Starbrand decks in *Marvel Snap* to help you dominate the game.
Jump To:
- How Starbrand Works in Marvel Snap
- Best Day One Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap
- Should You Use Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens on Starbrand?
How Starbrand Works in Marvel Snap
Starbrand is a 3-cost, 10-power card with an intriguing ability: "Ongoing: Your opponent has +3 Power at each other location." Unlike Mister Fantastic, whose effect is limited to adjacent locations, Starbrand's power boost affects all locations except the one where he is played. As an Ongoing card, decks featuring Starbrand often include cards like Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress to mitigate his drawback.
Starbrand is particularly vulnerable to Shang-Chi, but he synergizes well with cards like Surtur. However, fitting him into decks can be challenging due to his 3-cost slot, which often competes with other powerful cards like Surtur or Sauron.
Best Day One Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap
Starbrand fits well into two established deck archetypes: Shuri Sauron and Surtur. Let's explore how he can revitalize these decks:
Shuri Sauron Deck
- Deck List: Zabu, Zero, Armor, Lizard, Sauron, Starbrand, Shuri, Ares, Enchantress, Typhoid Mary, Red Skull, Taskmaster
- Copy List: Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
This deck is budget-friendly, with Ares being the only Series 5 card, easily replaceable with Vision. Leveraging Zabu's ability, the deck focuses on removing negative effects from Ongoing cards using Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress. The strategy involves buffing a lane with Shuri into a card like Red Skull, then copying that power with Taskmaster to secure a location.
Traditionally, this deck used Ebony Maw instead of Zabu, but with Taskmaster's cost increase to 6, Zabu allows for powerful plays like Shuri alongside Starbrand or Ares in the final turns. Starbrand's drawback is less impactful in this tall deck, and Enchantress can neutralize it while potentially disrupting an opponent's Ongoing card.
Surtur Deck
- Deck List: Zabu, Zero, Armor, Sam Wilson, Captain America, Cosmo, Surtur, Starbrand, Ares, Attuma, Crossbones, Cull Obsidian, Skaar
- Copy List: Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
This deck is more expensive, featuring four Series 5 cards. The synergy between Sam Wilson and Cull Obsidian, combined with the high-level play of Surtur and Ares, makes this deck formidable. Starbrand enables playing Skaar at a reduced cost by setting up with Ares, Attuma, and Crossbones on turns 4 and 5. Zero helps mitigate the downsides of Starbrand and Attuma, though careful play is needed to avoid negating your own Surtur or Ares.
The key to success with this deck is timing Starbrand's play correctly, ideally after Surtur and alongside Zero and Skaar on the final turn. It may take some experimentation to master this strategy.
Should You Use Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens on Starbrand?
Starbrand is a "wait and see" card, especially with recent meta shifts due to cards like Agamotto and Eson. The viability of Shuri Sauron and Surtur decks remains uncertain, and it's wise to observe how the meta evolves before investing resources in Starbrand. Give it a few days to see how things shake out if you have the resources for this latest Hulk-like addition.
And those are the best Starbrand decks in Marvel Snap.
Marvel Snap is available to play now.
