The history was truly one for the history books—if history books existed 66 million years ago! An asteroid, on a fateful collision course with Earth, crashed down in a cataclysmic explosion that wiped out most life, including the mighty dinosaurs. But this wasn't just any extinction event; the impact did some comic origins stuff and unleashed cosmic energy that supercharged one lucky (or unlucky) Tyrannosaurus rex, making it Earth's first-ever Starbrand.
Of course, even the most powerful dino couldn’t outrun time, and when the T-rex finally met its end, a mystical oasis called the Garden of Eden sprang up over its resting place. Fast forward 65 million years, and the Garden was obliterated when the long-dormant Starbrand found a new host—a prehistoric human warrior named Vnn. On a very fateful and tragic day Vnn lost everything that was important to him and found himself the apex of prehistoric evolution.
With his newfound cosmic might, Vnn joined the prehistoric Avengers, battling against threats no caveman was ever meant to face. Unfortunately, even superpowered cavemen aren’t immortal, and Vnn met his demise in an epic showdown against Doom Supreme, a terrifying foe from the time-hopping Multiversal Masters of Evil.
But Starbrand’s story was far from over. The mark of cosmic power resurfaced again, and again, either through another White Event or by passing from one wielder to another. One thing was clear—whenever danger loomed, Starbrand found its way to a new champion.
Back to Snap
Snappers! This Wednesday, the 12th, Star Brand Crater will be our Hot Location. We’ll see it so often that you’d better prepare yourself or face the extinction of your cubes!
So what’s the deal this time around? Simple—if you have 10 or more Power in the crater, you gain +1 Energy each turn, that goes for both players so keep in mind that both players can have their plays supercharged with the crater’s energy. We should worry about how best to acquire that sweet spot of 10 power faster so we can snowball into bigger and better plays. Let’s break it down the best ways to do that.
“It Was Made For Me! This Is My Hole!” Says Starbrand with determination in his eyes. They were made for each other and complement themselves so well that is no joke. You can play him on his crater by turn 3 and cosplay as Arishem for the rest of the game with your extra energy. He’ll be the simplest and possibly the quickest way to find 10 power by turn 3. If you’re in need of some inspiration for the card, I just made an article for it yesterday! Go take a look by clicking here.
If you are considering Starbrand, don’t forget to try the other cards with Harmful Ongoing effects! Lizard would be great with his newfound 6 points of power. The classic 1, 2 combo of Zero and Ebony Maw could net you the Crater’s juice by the end of turn 2.
You could also try out a deck with Maximus as a crucial piece. His powerful body rivals the Lizard and his usually detrimental effect helps Ronan the Accuser to do his thing against your opponent later in the game.
There are some risky 1-Drops that feature a ton of power, usually enough to take over a high priority location early enough. Hydra Bob is the most risk-free of the bunch but he shies away whenever anyone Snaps. Titania’s and her waltz can be quite dangerous but her power kinda makes up for it. Lastly, Martyr, the forgotten 1-Drop. She is big enough to quickly get you the Crater’s power but she’ll try to backstab you at the end of the game.
We could also pretend that we are playing Sanctum again and play the Guardians! Rocket Racoon, Starlord, and Groot are small and quick enough for you to play in order to get the extra energy as soon as possible. However, you’ll also need to have powerful late game cards to warrant their inclusions in your deck.
If you wanna be mean to your opponent, there are two routes to be taken. Firstly, play junk! If you stuff enough of your opponent’s side of the crater with trash, he won’t be able to reach 10 power and you’ll be the only one to enjoy the extra energy.
The other way through the crater is to feature Scream and a bunch of bully cards that will toss around your opponent’s cards and their chances of filling up the crater.
I overdid it a bit on the strats. Let me give you decks on the way out.
Star Brand Crater Decks
Its Ragnarok All Over Again
Why Can't I Hold All These Rocks
Another Trip to the Zoo
You Face Galactus
What's Wrong Babe? You Barely Touched Your Clog
Scream-o
Afterthoughts
I love Locations that give extra energy and this location won’t be an exception for me. Star Brand Crater is quite generous as it can be quite easy to acquire that 10 power for you and your opponent and some tactical skills are required to get the most out of the energy while also trying to deny it to your opponent. It isn’t the most exciting location but it is one that I really don’t mind joining the ranks and I’m looking forward to seeing it every so often.
But the opinion that truly matters is yours, is the Crater making you scratch your chin while thinking how to best take advantage of it? Do you have some different strategies for it that I haven’t considered? Let me know in the comments!
As always, it was a pleasure and I will catch you on the next one!