Shortly after its release, Zabu reigned supreme in the Marvel Snap meta in decks full of four-cost cards. But after his nerf along with Silver Surfer, players had to adapt to assemble the new best Zabu decks in Marvel Snap.
Zabu card abilities in Marvel Snap, explained
Zabu is a two-cost card with two Power. Its effect states: “Ongoing: Your 4-Cost cards cost 1 less. (minimum 1).” Zabu is available in the new season pass and is available in series four, accessed from collection level 486 or above. It can also be found in the Marvel Snap Token Shop, as long as the player does not have it in their collection for 3,000 Collectors Tokens.
Now that Zabu’s ability lowers the cost of cards by just one, players have found better ways to utilize him than just clearing the way for a bunch of four-cost cards. Decks with a few key four-cost cards now have a better chance of success.
Zabu’s effect can still stack with cost reductions from other sources, such as the Elysium location and the Sera card, further reducing the cost of the player’s cards and allowing multiple of them to be played in the final turns.
Strategy for Zabu decks in Marvel Snap
One of the main changes to using Zabu is that it is now a perfect new tool to bring Mister Negative into play on turn three, used in the same role as Psylocke in Negative builds. Zabu is also very effective at lowering the cost of some of the best cards in Control decks along with Sera, providing powerful final turns and being able to use Enchantress and Shang-Chi alongside other cards.
Since his nerf, it is no longer as interesting to copy Zabu’s effect with Mystique or use more than four four-cost cards in his deck.
Best combos with Zabu in Marvel Snap
Cards that have the best synergy with Zabu include:
- Sera
- Mister Negative
- Darkhawk
Zabu’s ability is best utilized to allow other important cards to work ahead of time or in combination. Zabu and Sera in a Control deck allow for a final turn where it is possible to play three cards between Enchantress, Shang-Chi, Darkhawk, and Mystique.
The inclusion in Mister Negative decks is very welcome, as now in addition to Psylocke, Zabu can also enable Mister Negative to be played on turn three. A lead turn is extremely relevant for this build.
When it comes to scoring points by taking advantage of Zabu, the best way is with Rock Slide and Darkhawk.
The best Zabu decks in Marvel Snap
Darkhawk
A deck where Zabu’s effect to reduce the cost of your four-cost cards by one can be used is in a Darkhawk deck. Here, the majority of the key cards, including the deck’s main ace, Darkhawk, are four-costs. Also, a lot of win conditions can be used here which have toolbox effects that can adapt well to most offensive strategies available in the game.
Darkhawk is the main Power source of this deck. It has an Ongoing ability to gain plus two Power for each card in your opponent’s deck. That is why using Korg and Rock Slide are important in this deck since both cards give unnecessary rocks to your opponent’s deck. Black Widow, on the other hand, gives the Widow’s Bite to your opponent’s hand which prevents them from drawing cards from their deck as long as it is in their hand.
Disruption cards like Shadow King (for bringing back the Power of all cards in the location where you play it to their base Powers), Shang-Chi (for destroying your opponent’s cards with ten or more Power in their side of the location where it is placed), and Leech (for removing the abilities of your opponent’s cards in the hand by turn six) are also included in this deck. As for Jeff the Baby Land Shark, it is literally unstoppable when it comes to playing or moving it to any location.
Ms. Marvel is there to potentially give bonus Power to your adjacent locations, while Iron Lad is a four-cost, six-Power unit that copies the text of the top card of your deck. Cap off the deck with Doctor Doom, which creates two five-Power Doombots in each other location.
Win condition cards for this deck
The win condition cards for this deck are:
- Darkhawk
- Shadow King
- Shang-Chi
- Leech
- Doctor Doom
You should always prioritize playing Darkhawk in every game since your offensive engine revolves around its effect. As for Shadow King, Shang-Chi, and Leech, their disruption effects can be converted as offense for your side. Doctor Doom can be a potential game-changer, especially if there are unplayable locations present.
Black Knight
Another deck where Zabu can be a vital part is in a Black Knight deck. This strategy revolves around the discard mechanic, especially in taking advantage of Black Knight’s effect to give the Ebony Blade which is a potential massive Power source.
Black Knight gives you the Ebony Blade whenever you discard a card for the first time (as long as it is in play). The Ebony Blade is a four-cost, zero-Power card that gains the Power of the first card that you will discard when Black Knight is already present in a location. Ebony Blade cannot be destroyed, making it a potentially powerful threat, especially if you discard a unit with a lot of Power.
Skaar, Magneto, and The Infinaut are your best targets for Black Knight’s effect. As for your discard enablers, you can use Blade and Lady Sif. Ghost Rider, on the other hand, brings back one of your discarded units at the location where you play it. Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel are also in this deck.
Finish the deck with Sera, which lowers the cost of all of your cards in the hand by one, and Caiera, which protects your one and six-cost cards.
Win condition cards for this deck
The win condition cards for this deck are:
- Black Knight
- Skaar
- Magneto
- The Infinaut
Black Knight is the heart and soul of this deck thanks to its ability to give Ebony Blade, which is your main offensive option. Skaar, Magneto, and The Infinaut are there to give instant massive Power to at least one of your locations.
How to counter Zabu decks in Marvel Snap
Since Zabu is a core card for your decks and its effect is Ongoing, the most obvious answers are Enchantress and Rogue.
Enchantress is a very affordable tech card since it’s from Pool One. Using it where Zabu is played can greatly reduce the efficiency of the card, even if the opponent can play one card at a lower cost during turn three. The strength they could have in the later turns will be stopped.
In addition to these key strategies to thwart Zabu’s effects, decks featuring Sandman can cause Zabu to completely lose his ability to play multiple cards on final turns and can stop many of the combos that Zabu makes possible.
