Definitely plasma. Look at star formation in nebulae. Most of the hydrogen in them are in glow mode plasma. It takes a very small amount of energy to ionize plasma and a a huge amount to fuse it. So when stars are forming they might start as cold hydrogen, but they get progressively warmer and more dense until they ionize, then get even warmer and more dense, until they're burning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_formation