Marvel Snap: Top Starbrand Decks Revealed

The Marvel universe boasts a plethora of powerful, Hulk-esque characters, and now, Starbrand joins the ranks of Marvel Snap. Let's dive into the best Starbrand decks currently available.

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 the ability: “Ongoing: Your opponent has +3 Power at each other location.” Unlike Mister Fantastic, this effect isn't limited to adjacent locations; Starbrand grants power to every location he's not in. Because of this Ongoing effect, decks utilizing Starbrand often incorporate cards like Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress to mitigate the downside.

Shang-Chi single-handedly counters Starbrand, while synergies with Surtur are exceptionally strong. However, his 3-cost placement makes him tricky to integrate into many decks, often competing with Surtur or Sauron for the same slot.

Best Day One Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap

Starbrand fits surprisingly well into a couple of established deck archetypes: Shuri Sauron and Surtur. Let's explore how he impacts these strategies:

Shuri Sauron Deck

This budget-friendly deck features only Ares as a Series 5 card (easily replaceable with Vision). It leverages Zabu for superior flexibility compared to traditional move cards.

• Zabu
• Zero
• Armor
• Lizard
• Sauron
• Starbrand
• Shuri
• Ares
• Enchantress
• Typhoid Mary
• Red Skull
• Taskmaster

[Click here to copy this list from Untapped.]

This deck's strategy is familiar: neutralize negative Ongoing effects with Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress; boost a lane with Shuri into a high-power card like Red Skull; and finally, copy that massive power using Taskmaster. Zabu offers the advantage of playing Shuri alongside Starbrand or Ares on later turns, creating unexpected power surges. Starbrand's opponent power buff is less impactful due to the deck's high-power strategy, and Enchantress can negate it entirely.

Surtur Deck

This more expensive deck includes four Series 5 cards: Sam Wilson, Cull Obsidian, Surtur, and Ares. These cards are highly synergistic and crucial for the deck's effectiveness.

• Zabu
• Zero
• Armor
• Sam Wilson
• Captain America
• Cosmo
• Surtur
• Starbrand
• Ares
• Attuma
• Crossbones
• Cull Obsidian
• Skaar

[Click here to copy this list from Untapped.]

Starbrand allows for efficient curve manipulation, potentially reducing Skaar's cost to 1 by playing Starbrand alongside Ares, Attuma, and Crossbones on turns 4 and 5. Zero mitigates the drawbacks of Starbrand and Attuma. The challenge lies in optimal Starbrand placement; ideally, he's played alongside Zero and Skaar on the final turn, but this isn't always feasible.

Should You Use Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens on Starbrand?

Starbrand's viability is currently uncertain, given the recent power creep with cards like Agamotto and Eson. The effectiveness of Shuri Sauron and Surtur decks remains to be seen. It's advisable to wait and observe how the meta evolves before investing significant resources in Starbrand.

Marvel Snap is available now.