The fictional nation of Wakanda in the Marvel universe is comprised of five tribes. One of the tribe leaders, M’Baku, is King T’Challa’s biggest rival to the throne, but becomes his friend and ally in the end.
M’Baku has superhuman strength, making him an absolute beast when it comes to physical combat. In Marvel Snap, however, M’Baku’s ability isn’t powerful enough to turn the tide of battle on its own. In times of desperation, though, M’Baku is a legitimate game-changer, especially in the most unexpected scenarios.
Here are the best M’Baku decks in Marvel Snap.
Marvel Snap M’Baku abilities, explained
M’Baku is a one-Cost, two-Power card with an ability that reads “If this is in your deck at the end of the game, it jumps to a random Location.” At first glance, this doesn’t look impactful at all, especially given M’Baku’s lackluster stat line. But under certain circumstances, M’Baku is a potential game-changer, particularly at Locations where players are tied for Power or very close.
You can get M’Baku as a series three card, meaning he is up for grabs as soon as you reach at least Collection Level 486. You can also get M’Baku as your free series three card once per seasonal rotation.
Strategy and best combos for M’Baku decks in Marvel Snap
M’Baku works best for the surprise factor, so keeping him in your deck until the end of the game is ideal to fully take advantage of his effect. There are some cards, however, that bring out his true potential.
With M’Baku being a one-Cost card, he is a great addition to Ka-Zar Zoo decks. He gets the plus one Power boost from Ka-Zar, so making room for him is a good option, especially if you get M’Baku early in the game while you’re still piloting a Ka-Zar Zoo deck. M’Baku is also a great inclusion in a Cerebro Two deck. His two-Power stat line is great for decks that rely on using multiple cards with uniform Power to take advantage of Cerebro’s Power boost.
The best M’Baku decks in Marvel Snap
Ka-Zar Zoo
As mentioned, M’Baku works well in a Ka-Zar Zoo deck that focuses on playing multiple one-Cost cards to gain the Power boost. This deck also includes other late game cards with Ongoing abilities to make your one-Cost cards bigger in the process.
Aside from M’Baku, other one-Cost cards you can use are Ant-Man (for the potential huge Power despite being a low-Cost card), Nightcrawler (for possible movement and to buff Angela), Squirrel Girl (to swarm the Locations with more one-Cost units), and Yondu (to destroy the top card of your opponent’s deck).
Angela is another cheap card that can potentially stack Power every time you play a card at her Location. Elsa Bloodstone provides plus two Power every time you play a card that fills a Location. She is a great addition to this deck as it focuses on playing lots of cheap cards to fill up Locations, making her Power bonus easy to attain.
As for Bishop, he can stack plus one Power every time you play a card. Wolfsbane, on the other hand, gains plus two Power for each card already played at the same Location. Top off the deck with Blue Marvel, who can give plus one Power to all of your cards (regardless of their Costs), and Onslaught, which is a six-Cost, seven-Power card that doubles the Ongoing effects of cards at his Location.
Win conditions
The win conditions for this deck are:
- Ka-Zar
- Elsa Bloodstone
- Angela
- Bishop
- Wolfsbane
- Blue Marvel
- Onslaught
Ka-Zar and Elsa Bloodstone are the heart and soul of this deck. Playing them in every game as much as possible is the key to building up Power for most of your cards, especially the one-Costs. Angela, Bishop, and Wolfsbane are your primary Power sources, as they can all amass enormous Power thanks to their abilities and synergies.
Blue Marvel is included for the general Power boost, while Onslaught is your card with the highest Power, as well as his ability to double Ka-Zar and Blue Marvel’s Ongoing effects in the process.
Thor Bloodstone
Another deck that uses M’Baku is the Thor Bloodstone deck. Here, the main focus is to play multiple cheap cards that can gain the Power bonus from Elsa Bloodstone, while also building up a lane with Thor and other cards.
Like the Ka-Zar Zoo deck, filling up Locations is an ideal strategy to take advantage Elsa Bloodstone’s plus two Power bonus. Playing multiple cheap Cost cards can help you achieve powerful setups at multiple Locations. This includes the zero-Cost cards, Wasp and Yellowjacket, as well as Kitty Pryde, who can bounce herself back to your hand while stacking plus one Power. She can also be a great partner with Angela, as they can both spam their Power boosts, as well as creating more space for the latter.
The combo of Hit-Monkey and Mysterio is also great in this deck. The former gains plus two Power for every other card you played during the same turn, while the latter creates up to two Illusions at the other two Locations that all count as separate plays. You can significantly boost Hit-Monkey’s Power this way, as well as Bishop, who is also another potential massive Power source in this deck.
As for Thor, he creates and adds the zero-Cost, zero-Power Mjolnir to your deck. Playing Thor’s hammer at any Location gives the god of thunder plus six Power. So, using Jane Foster, who is a five-Cost, eight-Power card that calls all zero-Cost cards from the deck to your hand, is beneficial in this strategy. Finish the deck with Luke Cage, who prevents your cards from being inflicted with negative Power in any form.
Win conditions
The win conditions for this deck are:
- Elsa Bloodstone
- Thor
- Jane Foster
- Angela
- Bishop
- Hit-Monkey
Elsa Bloodstone is the main engine of the deck, so bringing her out in every game is ideal. Thor and Jane Foster are there to build up Power for at least one Location, so always consider their combo, as they can also help Elsa Bloodstone spam her Power boost.
Angela, Bishop, and Hit-Monkey are your other alternative Power sources aside from Thor and Jane Foster. Playing multiple cards to build up their Power is the key to keeping your side in the lead at all times.
Cerebro Two
The final deck in this list that uses M’Baku is the Cerebro Two deck. Here, the main focus is to play cards with uniform Power to benefit from the Power boost provided by Cerebro, as well as the potential ability of Mystique to make that Power boost bigger in the process.
Cerebro has an Ongoing ability to give plus two Power to cards with the highest Power. You can spam this by using multiple cards with the same Power, and two is the prescribed Power for the majority of the cards in this deck. Mystique, on the other hand, copies the Ongoing ability of the last card you played. Use her to copy Cerebro’s Ongoing ability, doubling the Power bonus to four.
Aside from M’Baku, other two-Power cards you can include are Nico Minoru (for flexibility and a toolbox of abilities that can adapt to the current scenario), Nightcrawler (for possible movement), Goose (to prevent you and your opponent from playing cards that cost four or more at the same Location), Luke Cage (to prevent your cards from being inflicted with negative Power), Mister Sinister and Brood (to swarm your Locations with two-Power cards), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (for destruction and setup control), and Storm (to flood a Location). Lastly, top off the deck with Blue Marvel for the extra Power bonus.
Win conditions
The win conditions for this deck are:
- Cerebro
- Mystique
- Nightcrawler
- Goose
- Storm
- Mister Sinister
- Brood
Cerebro and Mystique are always the go-to strategy for this deck. Nighcrawler’s prowess to move to another Location can be game-changing, while Goose’s pseudo-lockdown ability can be highly impactful for your side, as well as Storm’s flooding ability, both of which you can use on the offense.
On top of this, Mister Sinister and Brood can instantly fill your Locations with two-Power cards, which can also receive the Power boost from Cerebro and Mystique.
