Best Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap

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 a unique 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 except the one he occupies. Consequently, decks utilizing Starbrand often incorporate cards like Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress to mitigate this drawback.

Shang-Chi single-handedly counters Starbrand, while synergies with Surtur are potent. However, his 3-cost placement makes him tricky to integrate into many existing 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 examine how he impacts each:

Shuri Sauron Deck

This budget-friendly deck features only Ares as a Series 5 card (easily replaceable with Vision). It leverages Zabu for optimal synergy, outperforming the traditional move card in this build.

The strategy is familiar: neutralize the negative effects of your Ongoing cards with Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress; boost one lane with Shuri into a high-power card like Red Skull; and finally, copy that power using Taskmaster. Zabu offers flexibility, allowing you to play Shuri alongside Starbrand or Ares for unexpected power surges, unlike the previous Ebony Maw inclusion. Starbrand's opponent power boost is less impactful due to the deck's high-power strategy, further mitigated by Enchantress.

Surtur Deck

This more expensive deck includes four Series 5 cards (Sam Wilson, Cull Obsidian, Surtur, and Ares). Sam Wilson and Cull Obsidian work synergistically, while Surtur and Ares form the core high-power strategy.

Starbrand allows for a faster Skaar play by strategically placing him alongside Ares, Attuma, and Crossbones. Zero helps mitigate the downsides of both Starbrand and Attuma. The challenge lies in the optimal timing of Starbrand, ideally alongside Zero and Skaar on the final turn, though this isn't always feasible.

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

Starbrand's viability is uncertain given the recent meta shifts with Agamotto and Eson. The effectiveness of Shuri Sauron and Surtur decks remains to be seen, especially after the nerfs to Aero and Skaar. Consider waiting to observe his performance before investing resources.

Marvel Snap is available now.