Star-Lord Master of the Sun is the build I’d recommend if you’re going to play Star-Lord this week. It leans into what the meta is doing while still adapting to it.
Star-Lord Master of the Sun Goes All-In on Energy
Star-Lord Master of the Sun should be no surprise as my first choice. I chose this version to lean into what the meta is doing while still adjusting for it. The central line begins with Star-Lord Master of the Sun on turn four, with a possible repeated-effect play as turn six approaches.
Legion is a key core card here. I also called out Tribunal as an early-season presence. It is the big presence I am looking out for at the beginning of the season.
The Jim Hammond versus Sunspot choice matters. Jim Hammond, Human Torch is performing better and scaling higher than Sunspot right now. If I have to choose only one, I choose Jim Hammond, Human Torch. Sunspot is still an option if I can make room by taking out Electra, but that is not the version I prefer for this week.
Electra is there because I want to play into the counter. High Evolutionary is present, and so are Star-Lord Master of the Sun lists using Jim Hammond, Human Torch and Sunspot together. Electra gives me a guaranteed counter on a key lane. Misty Knight is another target I called out. I also see Electra almost like a second Jim Hammond because she can take out my opponent’s Jim Hammond. For such a cheap card, I see Electra as valuable enough to take the Sunspot slot in this build.
Red Hulk carries an important part of the payoff. Players are floating energy, so Red Hulk grows in hand. That means I do not need to spend deck space on the High Evolutionary line and the big green Hulk to get that kind of payoff. Odin also gets the nod because this meta rewards going harder on energy.
I like this version a lot better. It has a much higher ceiling than the High Evolutionary builds. Star-Lord Master of the Sun can become surprisingly large through multiple triggers. If I’m playing a Star-Lord Master of the Sun build this week, this is the one I recommend.
Ronin Super Giant’s Counter Package for the Early-Season Field
Ronin Super Giant is the counter deck I’m watching. It is the beginning of the season, though, so the deck needs to face more than a single matchup. That is why I made tweaks to the more popular version, because I’m trying to play against more than one deck in particular.
In the line I’m describing, Super Giant might stop duplication going into turn six, but Star-Lord Master of the Sun can still land on turn four. The opponent can still be working with seven or eight energy on turn five with face-down cards.
Ronin Super Giant also has room to contest the board in a different way. I can set up a tall Ronin in the lane where the opponent has not committed anything.
I took out Hydrobob for Echo. Tribunal is especially present during the first two weeks of this season, and a lot of people use Tribunal decks to climb because they are the fastest way to get to Infinite for a lot of players. Echo is specifically here because of Tribunal, making it a targeted response to that part of the field.
I also think any deck running Cosmo feels good right now. If your pocket meta feels as oppressive as the early days have looked, with Star-Lord Master of the Sun decks putting out huge energy and power, I think Ronin Super Giant is a strong response.
Arisham Is the Exception I’d Make Early in the Season
Arisham is the choice I would not normally promote. It is not my play style, and it is not the kind of deck I enjoy. At the same time, I think it is really good at the beginning of a season, while the meta is still being figured out and enormous power is hitting the board.
The case for Arisham is timing. This is a tech-focused Thanos deck.
The Thanos deck has a load of tech. It includes Cosmo, Mercury, and Shadow King, and also allows Professor X.
Variations of the idea have shown up in tournaments and moved in and out of different metas. In this environment, being ahead of curve on turns four and five gives the deck room to interfere with Star-Lord Master of the Sun setups.
Putting Mercury in one lane and Professor X on turn four can still work as an early lane-shutdown plan. The broader benefit is that the deck can hold up against more than the Star-Lord Master of the Sun field while the rest of the meta is still taking shape.
There is a limit to the recommendation. I said this deck sees better win rates in the first two weeks of the season than in the last two. That does not make Arisham my personal climb choice, but it does make this the moment I would play it if I were going to play it at all.
I would take Star-Lord Master of the Sun when I want to embrace the energy race, Ronin Super Giant when I want to punish it, and Arisham when early-season uncertainty makes its timing strongest. Personally, the first two are the decks I’m going to play for my climb to Infinite over the next few days.
Watch the video: the original episode.
