With the release of the Savage Lands Season Pass came the release of Zabu, the latest card to hit Marvel Snap. Zabu is a three-cost two-power card that reduces the cost of four-cost cards by 2. While Zabu can't make cards cost less than one, the cost reduction he offers still allows for some ridiculously powerful plays on turn four and after, and as such Zabu has already spawned some very powerful decks.
The best Zabu decks in Marvel Snap
Budget Dino Zabu
First off is a deck that features zero Series 3 cards but is still quite strong with the addition of Zabu, and that is the Budget Dino Zabu deck. This deck is very strong for a Series 2 deck that typically wins its games by dropping down a Devil Dinosaur or two to take two of the three locations on the board. Your early game will consist of playing out cards like Sunspot, Agent 13, and Cable. Sunspot fills in turns where you don't spend all your energy while Agent 13 and Cable grab some cards for you to refill your hand.
The mid-game will consist of playing Storm, Zabu, and some four-drops. Storm serves to get rid of bad locations while potentially locking down a location with herself and your follow-up play. Enchantress and Shang-Chi are powerful tech cards that only get better with a Zabu discount. White Queen can win games herself by copying your opponent's highest-cost card, giving you a play on turn 5 or 6. Moongirl serves to copy Devil Dino, making her a key card for the deck. Lastly, Devil Dino and America Chavez are your late-game bombs.
For those wishing to give this list a try, here is the deck code:
- eyJOYW1lIjoiTmV3IERlY2siLCJDYXJkcyI6W3siQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiQWdlbnQxMyJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiRGV2aWxEaW5vc2F1ciJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiU3Vuc3BvdCJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiU3Rvcm0ifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IlphYnUifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6Ikp1YmlsZWUifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IlNoYW5nQ2hpIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJFbmNoYW50cmVzcyJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiQW1lcmljYUNoYXZleiJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiV2hpdGVRdWVlbiJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiTW9vbkdpcmwifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IkNhYmxlIn1dfQ==
Related: Marvel Snap variant rarity explained
Zabu Discard
Featuring a very high-roll, combo-centric style, this Zabu discard deck is strong in some games and weak in others. However, because it can provide such a huge swing in a single turn, it is a quintessential Marvel Snap deck, able to grab four or eight cubes in many games by surprising opponents with a huge burst of power. With this deck, the goal will be to play out win conditions like Morbius and Dracula before hitting key discards like Swarm and Apocalypse.
The cards you never want to discard are Wong, Zabu, Dracula, and Morbius, as these are cards that help your combo function and close out games. If you manage to get Apocalypse into your hand while Dracula is on board, you then want to discard your hand quickly so that Dracula will copy Apocalypse's power. This deck also has a fun combo with Wong and Gambit, allowing you to sometimes take out two of your opponent's key cards, offering another unique path to a win. Note that this deck will take some getting used to, as sometimes you'll be stuck waiting for multiple turns doing nothing before emptying your hand in the later turns.
To give this deck a try, you can grab its deck code here:
- eyJOYW1lIjoiTmV3IERlY2siLCJDYXJkcyI6W3siQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiQ29sbGVlbldpbmcifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6Ik1vcmJpdXMifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IlN3YXJtIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJBcG9jYWx5cHNlIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJEcmFjdWxhIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJIZWxsY293In0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJMYWR5U2lmIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJaYWJ1In0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJCbGFkZSJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiR2FtYml0In0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJXb25nIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJTd29yZE1hc3RlciJ9XX0=
Related: How to get Ebony Maw in Marvel Snap
Zabu Darkhawk
Whereas the Zabu Discard deck is more of a high-roll deck, this Zabu Darkhawk list goes for full consistency. The purpose and power of this deck lie within combos centering around Darkhawk himself. Specifically, you want to use Moon Girl to make multiple copies of Darkhawk or use Mystique to copy Darkhawk's effect. Both of these options create massive cards you can throw down on turn six to surprise opponents.
Furthermore, Absorbing man has strong combos that support this deck as well. The two cards you want to copy with Absorbing Man will be Rockslide for extra rocks in the opponent's deck and thus extra Darkhawk power, or you can copy Spider-man with Absorbing Man to lock two lanes out, devastating your opponent's follow-up turn. Zabu is the card that makes these combos possible and powerful, serving as a combo enabler as well as a cost reducer. For the rest of the cards, Black Widow locks out a draw and Korg kicks a rock into the opponent's deck, empowering Darkhawk and hurting the opponent's draws. Psylocke is a great card to fill the curve in this deck, as it allows you to play out four drops on curve without Zabu in hand. Finally, America Chavez is a turn six bomb that helps the deck's consistency.
For those wishing to try this deck out, you can copy the code here:
- eyJOYW1lIjoiTmV3IERlY2siLCJDYXJkcyI6W3siQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiRGFya2hhd2sifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IlNwaWRlck1hbiJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiUm9ja3NsaWRlIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJBYnNvcmJpbmdNYW4ifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6Ik15c3RpcXVlIn0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJaYWJ1In0seyJDYXJkRGVmSWQiOiJNb29uR2lybCJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiS29yZyJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiQmxhY2tXaWRvdyJ9LHsiQ2FyZERlZklkIjoiUHN5bG9ja2UifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IkFtZXJpY2FDaGF2ZXoifSx7IkNhcmREZWZJZCI6IlNoYW5nQ2hpIn1dfQ==
Want more information on Marvel Snap? Check out How to build a Patriot deck in Marvel Snap and How to build a Marvel Snap Venom deck from Pro Game Guides!
Published: Jan 5, 2023 11:47 am