My newest and greatest Zabu list that focuses on high-rolling and energy-cheating! I've found a lot of success with this list, even after the Zabu changes, it has the potential for a lot of cheeky 8 cube wins, and that X factor is something I love.
The Game Plan
Being able to play a lot of 4 cost cards is valuable, but how does playing even MORE valuable cards sound? That's what this list aims to do. The standouts here are Lady Sif, Ghost Rider and Jubilee which allow us to pull some very powerful high-cost cards, with Zabu and Wave enabling our deck with cheap play costs.
This then allows us to pump large numbers on the board with some simple combos and smart positioning. We have tools like Shang-Chi and Spider-Woman to affect our opponents board to win a lane, with Vision and Captain Marvel allowing us to reach difficult locations and surprise our opponents.
The Decklist
- Sunspot is an easy 1-cost inclusion in case your hand gets bricked. He can stall for you while you get those combo pieces, and is a natural synergy with The Infinaut.
- Zabu is a nice way to set up your combos, like a turn 6 Lady Sif + Ghost Rider, a Shang-Chi + Jubilee, or you name it. I also find that playing Zabu into an empty lane sets up an easy turn 3 Crossbones right after, which is a nice bonus.
- Wave is the backup plan if you need to get your cards down and don't have the right discounts. I find that playing a turn 4 Vision feels extremely good, but even just playing her as a 3/5 is a good value proposition.
- Lady Sif is the bread to Ghost Rider's butter. She'll always provide value as a 3/5, but sometimes you have to make a choice if the obvious discard of The Infinaut isn't at your disposal.
- Jubilee pairs well with Zabu, but really acts as a way to thin your deck if you aren't drawing key cards like Lady Sif or a big card like Spider-Woman.
- Ghost Rider is undoubtedly my favorite card and does extremely well at circumventing things like Leader or Death's Domain. He can also save The Infinaut you discarded from your opponent's Shang-Chi or beating a lane your opponent thought they won.
- Shang-Chi is a great tech-card that can really steal games and can be paired with a Ghost Rider on turn 6 to make a huge power swing.
- Crossbones is a simple card with nuanced requirements. I find he pairs the best with Zabu, either to boost your Zabu lane or to throw in on turn 6 to secure a lane you might lose. He's also a nice pull with Jubilee and isn't the worst target for Lady Sif and Ghost Rider.
- Captain Marvel serves a variety of functions and can really save your games, especially paired with Zabu. She's great at reaching locked out locations, and when paired with Vision she constantly adds pressure to your opponent.
- Spider-Woman is an underrated card that in my experience can steal as many games as Shang-Chi. As long as you do the math, her ability to weaken your opponent's cards can be devastating. She works best if your opponent's lane is full but can still find value at any point in the match.
- Vision is another tricky card that constantly keeps your opponent guessing. His ability to swing a lane by 8 points is a big threat, while also acting as a synergy AND a backup for your Captain Marvel.
- The Infinaut is a classic for any discard list, and he's an obvious choice to use with Lady Sif and Ghost Rider. Sunspot and Jubilee also synergize extremely well if you don't get the right combo.
Deck Replacements and Improvements
There are a lot of ways you could play this archetype, so some obvious substitutions could be Magneto, Death, Shuri, Spiderman, Rescue, Jessica Jones, Iron Man, and much more.
The bottom line for this list is the surprise factor and getting high-power cards down early. The ability to keep your opponent guessing and get huge swings is what I like about this list, but your deck could focus on disruption, control, or huge numbers on the board. Whatever you prefer!
The Wrap-Up
After the Zabu nerfs, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to achieve that same level of success as my previous list, but after playing this for a while, I actually think this style suits me more. I think I'll continue to make variations, but for right now this is my favorite deck to run on ladder.
I find that this list is a good substitute for all of those Sera decks. Maybe you'll find a similar enjoyment in it yourself!