There’s a new, powerful addition to the roster of muscle-bound characters in the Marvel universe, and Marvel Snap players can now harness the might of Starbrand. Here’s a detailed look at the best Starbrand decks in Marvel Snap to help you dominate the game.

How Starbrand Works in Marvel Snap

Starbrand is a 3-cost, 10-power card with an ability that states: “Ongoing: Your opponent has +3 Power at each other location.” Unlike cards like Mister Fantastic, Starbrand's effect impacts all locations except the one where he's played. As an Ongoing card, decks featuring Starbrand often incorporate cards like Zero, Sauron, and Enchantress to mitigate his downside. Starbrand is particularly vulnerable to Shang-Chi and synergizes well with Surtur. However, at the 3-cost slot, fitting him into decks can be challenging as other powerful options like Surtur and Sauron compete for the same slot.

Best Day One Starbrand Decks in Marvel Snap

Starbrand fits well into a couple of established deck types: Shuri Sauron and Surtur. Although the Shuri Sauron deck has seen a dip in popularity, Starbrand might just breathe new life into it. Here’s a suggested lineup:

• 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, featuring only Ares as a Series 5 card, which can be swapped out for Vision if needed. The strategy revolves around neutralizing the negative effects of your Ongoing cards, then using Shuri to amplify cards like Red Skull, and finally, copying that power with Taskmaster. With Zabu, you can surprise opponents with powerful plays involving Shuri and Starbrand or Ares. Starbrand's drawback is less impactful in this deck, and you can counteract it with Enchantress.

With the recent nerfs to Aero and Skaar, Surtur decks provide another strong option for Starbrand:

• 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 pricier with four Series 5 cards, but the synergy between Sam Wilson and Cull Obsidian, combined with the high-level performance of Surtur and Ares, makes it worthwhile. Starbrand can reduce Skaar’s cost to 1, enabling powerful plays. Zero helps mitigate the downsides of Starbrand and Attuma, but even without him, the deck remains effective. 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 introduced by Agamotto and Eson. While Shuri Sauron might struggle to keep up, the impact of the nerfs on Surtur decks is still unclear. If you have the resources, give it a few days to assess Starbrand's fit in the current meta before deciding to invest.

And those are the best Starbrand decks in Marvel Snap. Get ready to harness Starbrand’s power and dominate your opponents!

Marvel Snap is available to play now.