Straight Shooter

Star-Lord + Hulk is a tale as old as time (well...at least as old as 2021). I wanted to experience this combo for myself while building a powerful Energy Spear + Firepower deck. Star-Lord wields this combo better than most as his hero ability turns all his allies into Guardians, so you don't have to compromise on ally quality in order to get your Spears in play.

This is a multiplayer deck that is all-in on damage. I usually try to use Star-Lord's basic activation to thwart, but that's about as much as you'll get from it. Best to check your team composition before running it to make sure thwarting is accounted for, or check that the scenario sufficiently rewards damage (usually with high minion density).

The Outlaw's Code

Star-Lord's "What could go wrong?" ability is legitimately good, but when improperly used, it can create a negative experience for others at the table in pursuit of your own idea of fun. I make every effort to obey the following code so that my Star-Lord does not become a burden to other players.

1. Only use it on cards costing 3+. Might be an obvious one, but the average encounter card is between 2 and 3 resources of negative value, so this small difference can tip it from being worth it to not.

2. Only use it when it makes a hand more or equally efficient. If you are taking the discount of 3 only to leave 1 or 2 cards leftover in hand, you have sacrificed the full value and might have a better NET round if you can spend your whole hand without using it.

3. Only use it to play good cards or Element Gun. Invulnerability or Uppercut do not suddenly become good cards because you got to "discount" them by 3. You must benchmark 3+ cost cards against each other and still determine which are best to play. Element Gun is objectively a bad card, but it's a core part of the fun of Star-Lord, so it earns a one-time pass during the game.

How to Pilot

In the early game, the highest priorities are Gun, Helmet, and Knowhere. The Gun turns Directed Force into a live card every turn and almost always leads to efficient hands since you can use a spare resource as ammo.

Second priority is to play an ally or two. Then you'll be able to give them Energy Spears. Depending on the circumstances, wait to use your allies until they're armed for max value. (If there are immediate threats, you gotta do what you gotta do). Thor and Two-Gun Kid make for great spear-holders since they can double up on the buff by attacking multiple enemies with one activation.

In the endgame, it's time to rain fire. Star-Lord is known for his explosive final turns with Daring Escape super-charging a Sliding Shot or two for the final blow. In this deck, we can also Firepower for an additional burst, possibly buffed by Directed Force up to 15 damage! Try to keep your spear-ed up allies around if you can afford to save them for the final push.

Deckbuilding Note: If you are trying this after Elektra is out, swap out one ally (maybe Mockingbird) for Shang-Chi, possibly the best Aggression card in the game!