If you like to play around with Magik as much as I do, you might have found yourself wondering what the best new deck for her might be now that we have access to Zabu. I've tested a ton of different decks with different combinations of cards, and after lots of consideration I think I've finally got a decklist that I feel very comfortable recommending to you all if you want to climb up the ranks fast.
This deck does require a bit of skill to pilot properly, but once you figure out the basics you'll find that it is an extremely versatile deck that can deal with a ton of different decks currently in the meta with lots of options available to you at most points in the game.
Deck Identity and win conditions:
I wanted to make a deck that would not only offer consistent wins, but also options that can dramatically swing the game in our favor at a moment's notice.
There are three main win conditions which are what inspired me to name this deck "Sucker Punch" You don't NEED to read them but I would recommend doing so for a quick overview.
Win condition 1 (Overtime): At some point before turn 6, use Lady Sif to discard Magik out of your hand. Also, play out Zabu if you can. Then on turn 6, play Ghost Rider to bring Magik back into the game. You'll find that on turn 6, people stop holding onto their secrets and they'll play out their most important cards. It might be a cerebro deck dropping down Cerebro + Mystique, or it might be a discard deck playing Hela, or it might be a Destroyer deck playing either Destroyer or Spectrum.
What they won't be expecting is for the game to keep going after turn 6. That's right, if you play out Magik this way, she can still activate Limbo and cause the game to continue. It's like her nerf never happened! Your opponent also can't cancel out Limbo on the next turn because of it appering so suddenly. By now you might have a hand that's perfect to deal with whatever their deck wanted to win with. Your best cards to win on turn 7 with are going to ideally be Jubilee, Dracula, Enchantress and/or Shang-Chi. With Zabu you can play out 3 of these all in one turn which is huge, but normally just Shang-Chi and Enchantress will be enough.
And let's say that the enemy did something unexpected that you can't deal with. Since you gave yourself an extra turn, you can just leave the game at that point. Losing 4 cubes obviously sucks, but losing 8 would have been a lot worse. Having a 2nd chance like this can be huge and should not go overlooked.
Win condition 2 (Infinaut): There is a lot of room to improvise with this one, but ideally you want to play Sunspot as early as you can. Use Lady Sif to discard Infinaut from your hand. play Zabu if you can. On the last turn with Zabu's ongoing effect, you can play out 3 of your 4-cost cards in one turn, which will include Ghost Rider to bring Infinaut back into play. This equates to at least 24 damage for 6 energy, oftentimes much more if you can get value with Dracula or Jubilee.
Win condition 3 (She-Hulk Infinaut): Play Sunspot as early as possible. Use Magik on turn 5. Pass turn 6. On turn 7, play out Infinaut and She-Hulk, or Infinaut and America Chavez. The latter option is a bit weaker, but both can be good options in certain games. Many people will expect Infinaut on turn 7 but not She-Hulk as well. This may change once She-Hulk enters series 3, but for now this is a reliable option.
Win condition 4 (Last resort): This one is simple but it will still catch many by surprise. Use Magik on turn 5. Then, on turn 7, use Lady Sif and Ghost Rider to bring back a big card and hopefully win. You might opt for this win condition if you started with a bad hand. Extending the game with Magik might give you the time you need to draw into your combo, and with 7 energy on turn 7 you can play Sif Rider even without a Zabu in play.
Quick card notes and overviews
(I accidentally deleted this section and I'm really annoyed so I'm going to just rewrite the important parts lmao)
Sunspot
very important since you will float lots of energy with this deck. There is a high chance Killmonger will obliterate him, so make sure to have an alternative win condition. I have opted to not run Armor because in my opinion it makes this deck's lategame quite a bit worse, and it makes it harder to use Jubilee and Dracula as well. Armor will also protect enemy cards from your Shang-Chi which is bad.
Lady Sif
Sif doesn't need to discard Infinaut to be useful, you might opt to use her for She-Hulk, Magik, or America Chavez instead. Depending on the gamestate, these can all be good options. If you have a hand with She-Hulk and Infinaut you might need to spend a turn floating 1 or more energy so that you can be sure to discard the right target. I like playing Lady Sif out on turn 3 if I already have Ghost Rider and Infinaut in my hand, however playing her later can be fine too.
Zabu/Jubilee/Dracula
If I don't have a good path with Lady Sif I like to play out Zabu on turn 3, especially if I have Jubilee and Dracula. Jubilee has a chance to draw a huge card which is great, but maybe more importantly she also thins out your deck, which will make your lategame more consistent. When you combine her with Magik, you will draw through 11 cards of your deck by turn 7, as opposed to normally drawing through only 9 of your 12 cards, which is huge.
The only "bad" cards Jubilee can pull are Sunspot, Lady Sif, and/or Ghost Rider. Enchantress and/or Shang-Chi can also be bad pulls but it depends. If these cards are all still in your deck, weigh your odds carefully. Everything else Jubilee can pull is basically a great card for her.
You can also use Jubilee on turn 5 if you desperately need to pull a card like Enchantress or Shang-Chi in order to win, since America Chavez will be drawn on turn 6. This can be a good option if you haven't snapped yet.
Dracula might not always get value, but he can be a great bluffing tool since many opponents will assume you have a sure-fire way of making him a 20 or 9 power unit. And of course, he's a huge card that can't be killed by Shang-Chi if he does pull one of your big 3 at the end of the game.
Shang-Chi/Enchantress
Obviously very powerful and well-known tech cards. One combo you should keep in your back pocket is (with a Zabu buff) Enchantress + Shang-Chi on turn 6 or 7 in case your opponent is hiding their big cards behind an Armor.