The Marvel universe is packed with powerful, Hulk-like characters, and the latest to join *Marvel Snap* is Starbrand. Here’s a deep dive into the best Starbrand decks 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 formidable 3-cost, 10-power card with an ability that reads: “Ongoing: Your opponent has +3 Power at each other location.” Unlike cards like Mister Fantastic that affect adjacent locations, Starbrand boosts your opponent’s power at every location except the one he's in. As an Ongoing card, pairing Starbrand with cards like Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress can help mitigate this drawback.
While Starbrand is hard countered by Shang-Chi, he synergizes well with cards like Surtur. However, fitting him into decks at the 3-cost slot can be tricky, especially when competing with Surtur or Sauron.
Best Day One Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap
Starbrand slots nicely into two established decks: Shuri Sauron and Surtur. Let’s explore how he can breathe new life into these strategies:
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 budget-friendly deck includes only Ares as a Series 5 card, which can be swapped for Vision if needed. Leveraging Zabu’s ability, this deck aims to neutralize the negative effects of Ongoing cards using Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress. Then, it powers up another lane with Shuri and a card like Red Skull, and finally, copies that immense power with Taskmaster.
Traditionally, this deck used Ebony Maw instead of Zabu, but with Taskmaster’s recent cost increase to 6, Zabu allows for powerful late-game plays with Shuri and Starbrand or Ares. Starbrand’s drawback is less significant when going tall with Shuri, and you can neutralize it with Enchantress.
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 costly, 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 potent. 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.
The key is timing Starbrand's play correctly, ideally after Surtur and on the final turn with Zero and Skaar. It might take some practice to perfect this strategy, but the potential for explosive plays is undeniable.
Should You Use Spotlight Cache Keys or Collector’s Tokens on Starbrand?
Starbrand is a "wait and see" card. With recent meta shifts due to cards like Agamotto and Eson, it's unclear how well Shuri Sauron will perform, even with Starbrand's addition. Similarly, the impact of the nerfs to Aero and Skaar on Surtur decks remains to be seen. If you have the resources, it might be wise to observe the meta for a few days before committing to Starbrand.
And there you have it—the best Starbrand decks in Marvel Snap. Whether you're looking to revitalize classic strategies or experiment with new ones, Starbrand offers exciting possibilities.
Marvel Snap is available to play now.
