The Marvel universe is home to numerous 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*.
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 ability that reads: “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 synergizes well with cards like Surtur. However, his 3-cost slot can make him challenging to integrate into many decks, especially when competing with 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. Although Shuri Sauron has seen less play recently, let's explore if Starbrand can breathe new life into this classic deck:
Shuri Sauron Deck:
- Zabu
- Zero
- Armor
- Lizard
- Sauron
- Starbrand
- Shuri
- Ares
- Enchantress
- Typhoid Mary
- Red Skull
- Taskmaster
Click here to copy this list from Untapped.
This deck is budget-friendly, with Ares being the only Series 5 card, which can be substituted with Vision. Leveraging Zabu's ability, this deck focuses on removing the negative effects of Ongoing cards with Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress, then boosting another lane with Shuri into a card like Red Skull, and finally copying that power with Taskmaster. Traditionally, Ebony Maw was used instead of Zabu, but with Taskmaster's cost increase to 6, Zabu allows for powerful plays with Shuri and Starbrand on the final turns. Starbrand's drawback is less impactful in this tall deck, and Enchantress can neutralize it while potentially hitting an opponent's Ongoing card.
Surtur Deck:
- Zabu
- Zero
- Armor
- Sam Wilson
- Captain America
- Cosmo
- Surtur
- Starbrand
- Ares
- Attuma
- Crossbones
- Cull Obsidian
- Skaar
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 Surtur and Ares, makes this deck highly effective. With Starbrand, you can reduce Skaar's cost to 1 by playing Starbrand alongside two of Ares, Attuma, and Crossbones on turns 4 and 5. Zero helps mitigate the downsides of Starbrand and Attuma, and even if not played perfectly, he remains a strong final turn option. The key challenge is timing Starbrand's play, ideally after Surtur and alongside Zero and Skaar on the final turn.
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 assess his impact before deciding.
And those are the best Starbrand decks in Marvel Snap.
Marvel Snap is available to play now.
