Two resource budgets

Regent spends energy and Stars separately. Divine Right supplies an opening Star reserve, while Venerate and other generators replenish it. A card with no energy cost may still require Stars, and the initial reserve can hide a generation shortage during the first few turns.

Before adding another payoff, compare its Star requirement with what the deck produces during a normal cycle. If several desirable cards compete for the same limited reserve, some will remain unusable even when there is spare energy. More draw reveals those cards sooner but does not create the missing Stars.

Star generators

Solar Strike attacks while generating Stars. Gather Light supplies Block with generation. Those cards can be useful during development because they contribute to the present turn rather than only promising a later payoff. Glow combines generation with draw-related value; read its current turn and next-turn timing before planning the hand.

A damage card such as Comet offers a large payoff but requires the Star budget to support it. Gamma Blast combines damage with debuffs. Choose which problem needs solving rather than collecting every expensive spender. A deck that already handles a boss may still need a faster answer to an ordinary group.

Defensive spending

Child of the Stars grants Block for Stars spent. Particle Wall returns to hand, so it can convert an existing reserve into repeated defensive plays without being drawn again. That repeat still spends Stars each time. Returning the card does not return the resource, and the printed effect does not form a free loop by itself.

Black Hole rewards gaining or spending Stars with area damage. It can fit the same resource activity as Child of the Stars, but adding both Powers creates another setup requirement. If the opening hand cannot survive while they are played, a generator with immediate Block may be more useful than an additional payoff.

Upgrades and late picks

A Venerate or Solar Strike upgrade can improve supply. Improving Child of the Stars strengthens defense from the spending already occurring. Compare the resource shortfall with the defensive shortfall instead of always upgrading the largest attack.

Alignment converts Stars into energy. It is useful only when the resulting energy can play something worthwhile and does not leave the Star-dependent defense stranded. Keep an ordinary attack, a small Forge package or another resource-independent answer for hands where the main economy is split across draws. The strategy becomes safer when its unfinished turns remain playable.