Well, a lot of people say that zombie tribal is just "a casual idea" and "never can be a competitive deck". And at first glance, a lot of zombie cards look like trash, and aren't much bigger than a Runeclaw Bear, making for a tribe that wants to swing for damage, but struggles to get past Hill Giants. But after the B/ Zombie decks started to do well in Standard, I started to brainstorm, and theorize an idea to take that to Commander(no, this isn't just standard legal cards). So I looked all over, high and low, and I've eventually come up with this list, after many trials and tribulations. This is an aggressive deck at heart, but kind of plays like a "Zombie-Bidding" combo deck in disguise. Another reason I opted for Zombies is that there is an amazing amount of zombie support, in like a dozen lords or so. So that certainly helps beef the up to more formidable levels.
Ultimately, I built this for my brother who seems to misplay a lot of my other decks(especially U decks where he sees counters and tries to play draw-go with them), so this is like "play zombies, turn sideways, watch them die, then mass-rez them and beat face some more". That sounds overly simplistic in explanation, but that is how I explain it to him, and he seems to do pretty well with it. So I figure, after talking about the deck in various parts of the forum for months now, it is time to unveil the list to the community, and inspire discussion to improve it.
It's worth noting, I suppose, that there is a "combo" in here, in Inkmoth Nexus + Lashwrithe/Nightmare Lash. I swear, it really isn't a standard deck, rofl.
Theros Additions Gray Merchant of Asphodel --> [Something?] Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx --> Swamp...as soon as I find one for cheap-ish.
[Something] --> Grave Pact (Because this should be in here somewhere)
[Something] --> Tombstone Stairwell (Because this deck can make a phenomenal use of extra hasty bodies for free with a relevant typeline)
huh kind of wondered why no Exsanguinate also no Liliana
Depends on which Liliana where talking about here. My Lili 2.0 is tied up in my Kaalia deck, and 3.0 is trashy. This is also a multiplayer deck, and Planeswalkers aren't known for the resiliency in multiplayer(i.e. the 1st and 2nd abilities have to be good enough on their own to warrant being worth it one-time for their mana cost(in this case, Liliana Vess has to be worth spending five to tutour to the top once, which she quite clearly isn't). Or Liliana of the Dark Realms has to be worth four mana to draw a swamp or a sorcery speed kill spell or pump(it isn't, and if I want pump, I'm better off with a Lash equipment. Veil Lili could be, but this is multiplayer so I'm getting a three mana Cruel Edict, or three mana everyone discard(and then people come to kill her because this is an aggressive deck and doesn't defend itself well, let alone an extra body to keep safe.
Exsanguinate, well I'm not really a big mana deck(Coffers is just kind of there for a small boost) so the value I get with this card is minimal.
He's off-coloured for this deck, though. Mikaeus was chosen for two specific purposes; to lord my team, and provide wrath-resilience. Grimgrin doesn't offer either of these features to me.
I would like to suggest Pestilence and Call to the Grave. Pestilence allows you to control the board and with Mikey and lords your board is resilient, plus it allows you to keep life-totals in check.
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For Lists, Click Here EDH: GW: Selvala, Let us help YOU. UB: Mirko Vosk, when outmatched cheat BW: Vish Kal, The Arbiter of Reanimation UG: Prime Speaker Zegana, the science of sorcery RB: Malfegor, Traitor's Haven UW: Daxos, Control-Fort-Tron BG: Pharika, Goddess of Stax RW: Gisela, Boros Control RG: Ruric Thar, a Primal Surge deck RU: Niv-Mizzet the Firemind, Spellslinger?!?! B:(Pauper) Mikaeus the Unhallowed R: Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient: The Power of Engineering
I would like to suggest Pestilence and Call to the Grave. Pestilence allows you to control the board and with Mikey and lords your board is resilient, plus it allows you to keep life-totals in check.
I used to not play Call since the only non-zombie in the deck was the Titan -- but with DGM I made the clean swap for Pontiff of Blight. This has the added benefit of giving the deck some more reach via drain effects, which is more than Titan who just attacks and blocks; albeit Titan does that really well.
About the inclusion of Pestilence, this deck tends to have a use for nearly all of it's mana anyway, but even still, I feel like I have plenty of removal already.
Any changes lately? You still playing this deck? My playgroup would like to play more tribal games so I've been looking for an appropriate deck.
Oh wow, haha I didn't realize there was still some interest in this deck. Seems tribal zombies don't seem to get much love without Dimir or Grixis colours. Glad to see I am at least a little proven wrong here. To answer your question, yes this deck can go still. It's still a beast of a deck. it even got a few other goodies from M14 -- mainly Liliana's Reaver and another Bidding effect in Rise of the Dark Realms. I'm thinking Rise may just replace Army of the Damned for that huge mana I win sorcery, but part of me wants to keep Army too -- I do after all carry thirteen zombie tokens with me for this deck. The Reaver I suspect should replace the Blood Scrivener dude -- I played him in a Skullbriar deck on MODO and was fairly under-whelmed by it.
Nim Deathmantle over Scythe of the Wretched. Yes you need to pay mana to resurrect something but you no longer have to kill something through combat to reanimate.
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Nim Deathmantle over Scythe of the Wretched. Yes you need to pay mana to resurrect something but you no longer have to kill something through combat to reanimate.
Hey, thanks for the suggestion. But Deathmantle only keeps one of my guys on the board, while Scythe lets me get one of my opponents guys, in blocking or defense. Additionally, holding up 4 every turn can be a hassle, as this deck generally will always find some kind of purpose for it's mana. And, the deck has more than enough ways to pull it's dudes out of the yard -- better to go and start trying to take my opponents dudes as well.
Admittedly, I'd rather it be Unscythe, Killer of Kings the most. I've always seen that as the penultimate zombie equipment. But alas, that colour identity...
It's true. Though I can't seem to find my Grave Pact right now. I do feel like it's a worthwhile inclusion on it's own, however.
I don't really like the Husk or the Ghoul as they don't do enough to be worthwhile. Harvester is fine, if a bit slow, though tutouring a dude and a land is pretty strong in it's own right. Feeder is probably the best. And it'd give me another one drop Zombie, which is cool. I'll probably acquire those two if I can ever find my G-Pact and then update the list (still need to mark my update for Grey Merchant and acquire a Nykthos and Tombstone Stairwell).
I love that you are doing this without combo. I just hope people understand beforehand and dont maul you. If not awesomeness.
Stay the heck away from Coat of Arms. I hate that card in most tribal. It seems like I always run into other decks playing some tribes in bunches in their decks. Imagine running into Kaalia with a Coat out? Brutal and very unpleasant!
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**** this site. I'd delete this account but that doesn't seem to be an option. The mods here are ******* useless ********s who ban people for simple ass normal words. **** them and **** this site.
I love that you are doing this without combo. I just hope people understand beforehand and dont maul you. If not awesomeness.
Thanks. I generally assure people I'm not playing him for combo - just for zombies that keep shambling for brains, dying, then getting mass rez'd for more brain-shambling. It's fun, but I wouldn't recommend it to any group with more than three opponents.
I've thought about some combo applications, at least. Triskelion would be an insta-gratification kill the whole table at once. But meh. Can't I just do this (while staying on theme!) with Grey Merchant anyway, with enough Living Deaths? Haha.
Stay the heck away from Coat of Arms. I hate that card in most tribal. It seems like I always run into other decks playing some tribes in bunches in their decks. Imagine running into Kaalia with a Coat out? Brutal and very unpleasant!
For reals, man. Coat is just...bad haha. I have access to half a dozen or so lords that do other things too, in addition to the commander heh.
Hey 3drinks,
Are you still playing this?
If so I would like to know your opinion on some cards, which I'm considering adding/cutting from my own zombie deck.
I'm running Skullbriar as the Commander, which gives me some removal options and some cool zombies but it runs mostly like your list.
Suggestions from my list that you could try:
Eldrazi Monument - self explanatory
Balthor - self explanatory
Corpse Harvester - Tutors, sac outlet, etc. You activate it to get Gravecrawler the first time and never miss a land drop again, while tutoring for zombies.
Grave Titan
Gray Merchant - it is definitely worth it, I even added some milling effects to reanimate all my creatures at once and kill with him. I cut Gempalm Polluter for him.
Lifebane Zombie - Meta dependent
Stronghold Assassin - is now a Zombie. Sac Outlet and Removal
Twisted Abomination - fixes if needed, big body if not, good with mass recursion
Vengeful Dead - Sac your creatures, MassRecur them, sac again while pinging. Combined with Tombstone and even Gray Merchant is awesome.
Curse of Shallow Graves - has been awesome for me
Endless Ranks of the Dead - self explanatory
Grave Pact - as mentioned before
Cards I would like your opinion about, if possible:
1 Geralf's Messenger - are the 2 bodies and 4 life relevant in the format?
1 Undead Gladiator - isn't he a little too slow?
1 Dread Slaver - Does he really kill anything in this format?
1 Gempalm Polluter - I feel Gray Merchant is stronger and I'm not sure I want both effects
1 Pontiff of Blight - Isn't the effect a little to slow and mana intensive?
1 Dark Prophecy - Seems good, I added it to my list but haven't tried it yet
1 Cruel Revival - Too expensive?
1 Nevinyrral's Disk - I have a lot of spot removal, and I'm not sure how many mass removal effects I want
1 Profane Command - Is it worth it?
1 Syphon Flesh - Again, too expensive?
1 Shepherd of Rot -
Gravespawn Sovereign - I usually have 5+ zombies lying around easily
Woebearer - Seems cool, not sure
Zombie Traillblazer - Same
Hey 3drinks,
Are you still playing this?
If so I would like to know your opinion on some cards, which I'm considering adding/cutting from my own zombie deck.
I'm running Skullbriar as the Commander, which gives me some removal options and some cool zombies but it runs mostly like your list.
Suggestions from my list that you could try:
Eldrazi Monument - self explanatory
Balthor - self explanatory
Corpse Harvester - Tutors, sac outlet, etc. You activate it to get Gravecrawler the first time and never miss a land drop again, while tutoring for zombies.
Grave Titan
Gray Merchant - it is definitely worth it, I even added some milling effects to reanimate all my creatures at once and kill with him. I cut Gempalm Polluter for him.
Lifebane Zombie - Meta dependent
Stronghold Assassin - is now a Zombie. Sac Outlet and Removal
Twisted Abomination - fixes if needed, big body if not, good with mass recursion
Vengeful Dead - Sac your creatures, MassRecur them, sac again while pinging. Combined with Tombstone and even Gray Merchant is awesome.
Curse of Shallow Graves - has been awesome for me
Endless Ranks of the Dead - self explanatory
Grave Pact - as mentioned before
Cards I would like your opinion about, if possible:
1 Geralf's Messenger - are the 2 bodies and 4 life relevant in the format?
1 Undead Gladiator - isn't he a little too slow?
1 Dread Slaver - Does he really kill anything in this format?
1 Gempalm Polluter - I feel Gray Merchant is stronger and I'm not sure I want both effects
1 Pontiff of Blight - Isn't the effect a little to slow and mana intensive?
1 Dark Prophecy - Seems good, I added it to my list but haven't tried it yet
1 Cruel Revival - Too expensive?
1 Nevinyrral's Disk - I have a lot of spot removal, and I'm not sure how many mass removal effects I want
1 Profane Command - Is it worth it?
1 Syphon Flesh - Again, too expensive?
1 Shepherd of Rot -
Gravespawn Sovereign - I usually have 5+ zombies lying around easily
Woebearer - Seems cool, not sure
Zombie Traillblazer - Same
Yeah these are a lot of good suggestions.
The Titan I don't like as I play Call to the Grave. He doesn't synergize too well here and I prefer the Pontiff to him. Pontiff is also a zombie who is, *gasp* bigger than a Hill Giant haha. You wouldn't think this is a very high metric to get past, but for zombies it surprisingly is. Dread Slaver fits here too.
I don't really feel that Grey Merchant and Gempalm do the same role. One is based on what I have in play, and is noticeably better off a Bidding effect. Likewise for the Gladiator, he is fine - clampable, & recurrable, makes him an ideal piece for Gate to Phyrexia. Think of him as like a 2nd Gravecrawler. He's also cool with Corpse Harvester, although I feel like Harvester is a bit slow for my taste (five cmc, can't activate until t6 minimum). The swampcycling guy should go in here as well, for sure.
Profane Command is a win con - I can use it like a Fireball, rez a guy, or make my guys unblockable. A fine mana sink if I get Deserted Temple too. Likewise Shepherd of Rot breaks board stalls. Just keep taking everyone's life away and the relevant typeline is nice. Vengeful Dead is a cool addition (gives me another clock), and wow did I totally forget about Stronghold Assassin. That's an awesome sac outlet, and definitely deserves a slot. Also makes me want to find my Grave Pact haha. This also makes Geralf's even better as you get two uses of the ability in conjunction with him (we can't always have Mikaeus out to grant global Undying).
Endless Ranks aren't really good, though. You need to keep two bodies on board to make just one dude, it makes for a terrible top deck when you need...anything at all. Tombstone Stairwell on the other hand, this is the Endless Ranks you want. Shallow Graves curse is good too.
Monument is okay, a bit redundant with Mikaeus. But is worth testing, I think. Balthor...hmm, I've thought about it a lot. Relevant creature type and another bidding effect. Shame that it exiles itself though. Dark Prophecy is pro man, definitely play it. And as for Nev Disk. Well, there's things in mono-B you just can't deal with, so this is what you need to rely on. If you're on Golgari it may not be as needed. But for me, it's non-negotiable. Cruel Revival is good removal. Like Syphon Flesh it kills stuff and makes bodies. It wouldn't be good in 1v1, but in multiplayer it scales well.
Titan as allways been awesome to me. I play Call to the Grave as well (obviously ahah) and also Noxious Ghoul, which doesn't synergy as well and it is still very good. It's a big body, and producing type relevant tokens every turn is very good.
Do you benefit a lot from the Extort ability with Pontiff? It seems so slow... I could see myself playing it but I'm afraid it won't do enough.
With Dread Slaver my concern is that he would be just a 3/5 for 5. Do you often still creatures with him?
I like the effect in Grave Betrayal but it's a little to expensive.
Both Merchant and Gempalm are based on what you have in play. Merchant counts mana symbols and your zombies will have at least one, often more. The only difference is that tokens don't count for Merchant, but it makes for it by counting more than one for each zombie (and even stuff like Dark Prophecy counts adds 3 to devotion). The lifegain is also relevant. I could see myself playing both, but right now I don't feel the need to have more than one of the effect.
I will try Gladiator, seems cool as a target for Corpse Connoisseur as well. I guess he can be a discard outlet before a big Bidding too. Oh, and keeps the monument alive.
Harvester is slow, true, and I don't even run any ramp ahah. But the effect is really powerful.
Yeah, you should find a Grave Pact fast Easily one of the best cards in my deck.
If Profane Command as been good to you I guess I'm gonna keep mine in the deck a little longer. Too bad I don't run Cabal Coffers (because I'm in GB) and I won't pay for a Nykthos right now.
Shepherd of Rot is a card that I worry about because of the times I see a Kaalia in front of me and I found myself behind on life.
I guess I'll have to test Messenger, probably in the Glissa spot... it's more synergistic.
Endless Ranks has been awesome to me, but I guess I benefit a lot from having a cheap Commander activating it more easily.
I love Tombstone too. Stacking its trigger to resolve before the Ranks trigger is a fast way to overwhelm a table.
I started to play Monument (considered Monument and Akroma's Memorial, which I may try in the future) because of the issue that you mention. It's easy to flood the board with Bear and Giant sized zombies, but they are easily outclassed by other creatures in this format. So Monument is a way to give them a nice boost.
Balthor is very good, a body that can double as Bidding effect if needed.
Nice, I'll keep the Prophecy. Seems good with Shambling Shell (play it for Skullbriar and graveyard filling).
Yeah, I'm playing Nature's Claim, Beast Within and Putrefy (and would like Maelstrom Pulse) so I cut my Disk and Oblivion Stone.
I want at least a sweeper, which probably should be Damnation. I don't own one so I played OStone in the spot but I'm giving Plague Wind a try.
Why don't you play Oblivion Stone? I find it better than Disk (you can play around removal) and it its Artifacts, which you would have difficulty dealing with but All is Dust leaves untouched.
I removed Cruel Revival for Ashes to Ashes, it seems better.
Woebearer is probably to expensive for the effect, and not needed because of the Bidding effects. Gravedigger is not needed as well.
Trailblazer seems good but I'm already playing Cover of Darkness
Titan as allways been awesome to me. I play Call to the Grave as well (obviously ahah) and also Noxious Ghoul, which doesn't synergy as well and it is still very good. It's a big body, and producing type relevant tokens every turn is very good.
Do you benefit a lot from the Extort ability with Pontiff? It seems so slow... I could see myself playing it but I'm afraid it won't do enough.
With Dread Slaver my concern is that he would be just a 3/5 for 5. Do you often still creatures with him?
I like the effect in Grave Betrayal but it's a little to expensive.
Sometimes I do use the extort, yes. I pay lots of life and this helps to compensate (which is why I chose the equipment package I did for this deck). You don't have to pay all the Extorts, of course. But it's nice little bonus and can go over the top of a clogged board.
edit: Forgot to talk about the 3/5. He's not bad. Not particularly good, but the occasional time he does steal something, you will enjoy it. That kind of thing.
Both Merchant and Gempalm are based on what you have in play. Merchant counts mana symbols and your zombies will have at least one, often more. The only difference is that tokens don't count for Merchant, but it makes for it by counting more than one for each zombie (and even stuff like Dark Prophecy counts adds 3 to devotion). The lifegain is also relevant. I could see myself playing both, but right now I don't feel the need to have more than one of the effect.
You have a point and I wasn't thinking of it this way. It may finally be time for Gempalm to go (though I like just cycling it sometimes on t2).
If Profane Command as been good to you I guess I'm gonna keep mine in the deck a little longer. Too bad I don't run Cabal Coffers (because I'm in GB) and I won't pay for a Nykthos right now.
I don't blame you, Nykthos is pretty over-priced right now. I'll wait a couple years for it to rotate and then I can have like a second Coffers for this deck.
Shepherd of Rot is a card that I worry about because of the times I see a Kaalia in front of me and I found myself behind on life.
I guess I'll have to test Messenger, probably in the Glissa spot... it's more synergistic.
Ha, I find it odd that a mono-B deck would have a hard time with a 2/2 flyer with no inherent protections. Definitely play around with Messenger though, he's a quality body.
Endless Ranks has been awesome to me, but I guess I benefit a lot from having a cheap Commander activating it more easily.
I love Tombstone too. Stacking its trigger to resolve before the Ranks trigger is a fast way to overwhelm a table.
I started to play Monument (considered Monument and Akroma's Memorial, which I may try in the future) because of the issue that you mention. It's easy to flood the board with Bear and Giant sized zombies, but they are easily outclassed by other creatures in this format. So Monument is a way to give them a nice boost.
This is true, your commander is two mana while mine is six, so you can get more mileage from Ranks. But I'd argue you don't need Tombstone and Ranks - Tombstone is good enough on it's own. I think I never considered Monument because my commander provides the mass Undying effect so I don't need the protection. And Indestructible is a bit redundant with Undying. Flying is good, but hey, that's what Zombie Master is for anyway, right?
Balthor is very good, a body that can double as Bidding effect if needed.
Nice, I'll keep the Prophecy. Seems good with Shambling Shell (play it for Skullbriar and graveyard filling).
Why don't you play Oblivion Stone? I find it better than Disk (you can play around removal) and it its Artifacts, which you would have difficulty dealing with but All is Dust leaves untouched.
I removed Cruel Revival for Ashes to Ashes, it seems better.
Woebearer is probably to expensive for the effect, and not needed because of the Bidding effects. Gravedigger is not needed as well.
Trailblazer seems good but I'm already playing Cover of Darkness
Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for Balthor. He's the only Bidding effect I don't have.
The Disk vs O-Stone thing is close, though I generally prefer Disk as it's cheaper overall (and it kills artifact lands). Ashes & Cruel are about even. A two-for-one either way. Personal preference on that one. Woebearer is high cmc, don't play him he's bad.
Ultimately, I built this for my brother who seems to misplay a lot of my other decks(especially U decks where he sees counters and tries to play draw-go with them), so this is like "play zombies, turn sideways, watch them die, then mass-rez them and beat face some more". That sounds overly simplistic in explanation, but that is how I explain it to him, and he seems to do pretty well with it. So I figure, after talking about the deck in various parts of the forum for months now, it is time to unveil the list to the community, and inspire discussion to improve it.
It's worth noting, I suppose, that there is a "combo" in here, in Inkmoth Nexus + Lashwrithe/Nightmare Lash. I swear, it really isn't a standard deck, rofl.1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Creatures
1 Gravecrawler
1 Shepherd of Rot
1 Withered Wretch
1 Cemetery Reaper
1 Coffin Queen
1 Death Baron
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Geralf's Messenger
1 Ghoulraiser
1 Lord of the Undead
1 Undead Gladiator
1 Zombie Master
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
1 Liliana's Reaver
1 Skinrender
1 Soulless One
1 Undead Warchief
1 Dread Slaver
1 Noxious Ghoul
1 Phyrexian Delver
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Helldozer
1 Pontiff of Blight
1 Gate to Phyrexia
1 Dark Prophecy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Call to the Grave
Instants
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Geth's Verdict
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Cruel Revival
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Scroll Rack
1 Scythe of the Wretched
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
Sorceries
1 Ghoulcaller's Chant
1 Innocent Blood
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Victimize
1 Barter in Blood
1 Damnation
1 Mutilate
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Living Death
1 Patriarch's Bidding
1 Syphon Flesh
1 Zombie Apocalypse
1 All Is Dust
1 Army of the Damned
1 Decree of Pain
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
1 Profane Command
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Deserted Temple
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple of the False God
1 Unholy Grotto
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
22 Snow-Covered Swamp
5 Swamp
Theros Additions
Gray Merchant of Asphodel --> [Something?]
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx --> Swamp...as soon as I find one for cheap-ish.
[Something] --> Grave Pact (Because this should be in here somewhere)
[Something] --> Tombstone Stairwell (Because this deck can make a phenomenal use of extra hasty bodies for free with a relevant typeline)
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Depends on which Liliana where talking about here. My Lili 2.0 is tied up in my Kaalia deck, and 3.0 is trashy. This is also a multiplayer deck, and Planeswalkers aren't known for the resiliency in multiplayer(i.e. the 1st and 2nd abilities have to be good enough on their own to warrant being worth it one-time for their mana cost(in this case, Liliana Vess has to be worth spending five to tutour to the top once, which she quite clearly isn't). Or Liliana of the Dark Realms has to be worth four mana to draw a swamp or a sorcery speed kill spell or pump(it isn't, and if I want pump, I'm better off with a Lash equipment. Veil Lili could be, but this is multiplayer so I'm getting a three mana Cruel Edict, or three mana everyone discard(and then people come to kill her because this is an aggressive deck and doesn't defend itself well, let alone an extra body to keep safe.
Exsanguinate, well I'm not really a big mana deck(Coffers is just kind of there for a small boost) so the value I get with this card is minimal.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Experimental Kraj
Also, grave pact would be excellent here with all the undying triggers.
The EDH stax primer
When you absolutely, positively got to kill every permanent in the room, accept no substitutes.
You don't generate infinite mana with just Phyrexian Altar and Gravecrawler alone. You'd need some sort of mana doubler or a third piece (such as Mikaeus, the Unhallowed) in order for it to work.
He's off-coloured for this deck, though. Mikaeus was chosen for two specific purposes; to lord my team, and provide wrath-resilience. Grimgrin doesn't offer either of these features to me.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
death pits of rath for infinite killing, but your side survives because of undying
living death looks like it's just there for flavor, patriarch's bidding, which you have, is less of a risk.
great deck, anyways
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
For Lists, Click Here
EDH:
GW: Selvala, Let us help YOU.
UB: Mirko Vosk, when outmatched cheat
BW: Vish Kal, The Arbiter of Reanimation
UG: Prime Speaker Zegana, the science of sorcery
RB: Malfegor, Traitor's Haven
UW: Daxos, Control-Fort-Tron
BG: Pharika, Goddess of Stax
RW: Gisela, Boros Control
RG: Ruric Thar, a Primal Surge deck
RU: Niv-Mizzet the Firemind, Spellslinger?!?!
B:(Pauper) Mikaeus the Unhallowed
R: Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient: The Power of Engineering
I used to not play Call since the only non-zombie in the deck was the Titan -- but with DGM I made the clean swap for Pontiff of Blight. This has the added benefit of giving the deck some more reach via drain effects, which is more than Titan who just attacks and blocks; albeit Titan does that really well.
About the inclusion of Pestilence, this deck tends to have a use for nearly all of it's mana anyway, but even still, I feel like I have plenty of removal already.
Oh wow, haha I didn't realize there was still some interest in this deck. Seems tribal zombies don't seem to get much love without Dimir or Grixis colours. Glad to see I am at least a little proven wrong here. To answer your question, yes this deck can go still. It's still a beast of a deck. it even got a few other goodies from M14 -- mainly Liliana's Reaver and another Bidding effect in Rise of the Dark Realms. I'm thinking Rise may just replace Army of the Damned for that huge mana I win sorcery, but part of me wants to keep Army too -- I do after all carry thirteen zombie tokens with me for this deck. The Reaver I suspect should replace the Blood Scrivener dude -- I played him in a Skullbriar deck on MODO and was fairly under-whelmed by it.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
-Anonymous
Hey, thanks for the suggestion. But Deathmantle only keeps one of my guys on the board, while Scythe lets me get one of my opponents guys, in blocking or defense. Additionally, holding up 4 every turn can be a hassle, as this deck generally will always find some kind of purpose for it's mana. And, the deck has more than enough ways to pull it's dudes out of the yard -- better to go and start trying to take my opponents dudes as well.
Admittedly, I'd rather it be Unscythe, Killer of Kings the most. I've always seen that as the penultimate zombie equipment. But alas, that colour identity...
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Carrion Feeder, Corpse Harvester, Nantuko Husk, Phyrexian Ghoul, etc...
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It's true. Though I can't seem to find my Grave Pact right now. I do feel like it's a worthwhile inclusion on it's own, however.
I don't really like the Husk or the Ghoul as they don't do enough to be worthwhile. Harvester is fine, if a bit slow, though tutouring a dude and a land is pretty strong in it's own right. Feeder is probably the best. And it'd give me another one drop Zombie, which is cool. I'll probably acquire those two if I can ever find my G-Pact and then update the list (still need to mark my update for Grey Merchant and acquire a Nykthos and Tombstone Stairwell).
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Stay the heck away from Coat of Arms. I hate that card in most tribal. It seems like I always run into other decks playing some tribes in bunches in their decks. Imagine running into Kaalia with a Coat out? Brutal and very unpleasant!
Thanks. I generally assure people I'm not playing him for combo - just for zombies that keep shambling for brains, dying, then getting mass rez'd for more brain-shambling. It's fun, but I wouldn't recommend it to any group with more than three opponents.
I like that I don't have any combos in the deck, just strong synergies like Gravecrawler + Gate to Phyrexia or Dark Prophecy + (when I obtain it) Tombstone Stairwell (those Tombspawn are Zombies too!)
I've thought about some combo applications, at least. Triskelion would be an insta-gratification kill the whole table at once. But meh. Can't I just do this (while staying on theme!) with Grey Merchant anyway, with enough Living Deaths? Haha.
For reals, man. Coat is just...bad haha. I have access to half a dozen or so lords that do other things too, in addition to the commander heh.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Are you still playing this?
If so I would like to know your opinion on some cards, which I'm considering adding/cutting from my own zombie deck.
I'm running Skullbriar as the Commander, which gives me some removal options and some cool zombies but it runs mostly like your list.
Suggestions from my list that you could try:
Eldrazi Monument - self explanatory
Balthor - self explanatory
Corpse Harvester - Tutors, sac outlet, etc. You activate it to get Gravecrawler the first time and never miss a land drop again, while tutoring for zombies.
Grave Titan
Gray Merchant - it is definitely worth it, I even added some milling effects to reanimate all my creatures at once and kill with him. I cut Gempalm Polluter for him.
Lifebane Zombie - Meta dependent
Stronghold Assassin - is now a Zombie. Sac Outlet and Removal
Twisted Abomination - fixes if needed, big body if not, good with mass recursion
Vengeful Dead - Sac your creatures, MassRecur them, sac again while pinging. Combined with Tombstone and even Gray Merchant is awesome.
Curse of Shallow Graves - has been awesome for me
Endless Ranks of the Dead - self explanatory
Grave Pact - as mentioned before
Cards I would like your opinion about, if possible:
1 Geralf's Messenger - are the 2 bodies and 4 life relevant in the format?
1 Undead Gladiator - isn't he a little too slow?
1 Dread Slaver - Does he really kill anything in this format?
1 Gempalm Polluter - I feel Gray Merchant is stronger and I'm not sure I want both effects
1 Pontiff of Blight - Isn't the effect a little to slow and mana intensive?
1 Dark Prophecy - Seems good, I added it to my list but haven't tried it yet
1 Cruel Revival - Too expensive?
1 Nevinyrral's Disk - I have a lot of spot removal, and I'm not sure how many mass removal effects I want
1 Profane Command - Is it worth it?
1 Syphon Flesh - Again, too expensive?
1 Shepherd of Rot -
Gravespawn Sovereign - I usually have 5+ zombies lying around easily
Woebearer - Seems cool, not sure
Zombie Traillblazer - Same
Yeah these are a lot of good suggestions.
The Titan I don't like as I play Call to the Grave. He doesn't synergize too well here and I prefer the Pontiff to him. Pontiff is also a zombie who is, *gasp* bigger than a Hill Giant haha. You wouldn't think this is a very high metric to get past, but for zombies it surprisingly is. Dread Slaver fits here too.
I don't really feel that Grey Merchant and Gempalm do the same role. One is based on what I have in play, and is noticeably better off a Bidding effect. Likewise for the Gladiator, he is fine - clampable, & recurrable, makes him an ideal piece for Gate to Phyrexia. Think of him as like a 2nd Gravecrawler. He's also cool with Corpse Harvester, although I feel like Harvester is a bit slow for my taste (five cmc, can't activate until t6 minimum). The swampcycling guy should go in here as well, for sure.
Profane Command is a win con - I can use it like a Fireball, rez a guy, or make my guys unblockable. A fine mana sink if I get Deserted Temple too. Likewise Shepherd of Rot breaks board stalls. Just keep taking everyone's life away and the relevant typeline is nice. Vengeful Dead is a cool addition (gives me another clock), and wow did I totally forget about Stronghold Assassin. That's an awesome sac outlet, and definitely deserves a slot. Also makes me want to find my Grave Pact haha. This also makes Geralf's even better as you get two uses of the ability in conjunction with him (we can't always have Mikaeus out to grant global Undying).
Endless Ranks aren't really good, though. You need to keep two bodies on board to make just one dude, it makes for a terrible top deck when you need...anything at all. Tombstone Stairwell on the other hand, this is the Endless Ranks you want. Shallow Graves curse is good too.
Monument is okay, a bit redundant with Mikaeus. But is worth testing, I think. Balthor...hmm, I've thought about it a lot. Relevant creature type and another bidding effect. Shame that it exiles itself though. Dark Prophecy is pro man, definitely play it. And as for Nev Disk. Well, there's things in mono-B you just can't deal with, so this is what you need to rely on. If you're on Golgari it may not be as needed. But for me, it's non-negotiable. Cruel Revival is good removal. Like Syphon Flesh it kills stuff and makes bodies. It wouldn't be good in 1v1, but in multiplayer it scales well.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Titan as allways been awesome to me. I play Call to the Grave as well (obviously ahah) and also Noxious Ghoul, which doesn't synergy as well and it is still very good. It's a big body, and producing type relevant tokens every turn is very good.
Do you benefit a lot from the Extort ability with Pontiff? It seems so slow... I could see myself playing it but I'm afraid it won't do enough.
With Dread Slaver my concern is that he would be just a 3/5 for 5. Do you often still creatures with him?
I like the effect in Grave Betrayal but it's a little to expensive.
Both Merchant and Gempalm are based on what you have in play. Merchant counts mana symbols and your zombies will have at least one, often more. The only difference is that tokens don't count for Merchant, but it makes for it by counting more than one for each zombie (and even stuff like Dark Prophecy counts adds 3 to devotion). The lifegain is also relevant. I could see myself playing both, but right now I don't feel the need to have more than one of the effect.
I will try Gladiator, seems cool as a target for Corpse Connoisseur as well. I guess he can be a discard outlet before a big Bidding too. Oh, and keeps the monument alive.
Harvester is slow, true, and I don't even run any ramp ahah. But the effect is really powerful.
Yeah, you should find a Grave Pact fast Easily one of the best cards in my deck.
If Profane Command as been good to you I guess I'm gonna keep mine in the deck a little longer. Too bad I don't run Cabal Coffers (because I'm in GB) and I won't pay for a Nykthos right now.
Shepherd of Rot is a card that I worry about because of the times I see a Kaalia in front of me and I found myself behind on life.
I guess I'll have to test Messenger, probably in the Glissa spot... it's more synergistic.
Endless Ranks has been awesome to me, but I guess I benefit a lot from having a cheap Commander activating it more easily.
I love Tombstone too. Stacking its trigger to resolve before the Ranks trigger is a fast way to overwhelm a table.
I started to play Monument (considered Monument and Akroma's Memorial, which I may try in the future) because of the issue that you mention. It's easy to flood the board with Bear and Giant sized zombies, but they are easily outclassed by other creatures in this format. So Monument is a way to give them a nice boost.
Balthor is very good, a body that can double as Bidding effect if needed.
Nice, I'll keep the Prophecy. Seems good with Shambling Shell (play it for Skullbriar and graveyard filling).
Yeah, I'm playing Nature's Claim, Beast Within and Putrefy (and would like Maelstrom Pulse) so I cut my Disk and Oblivion Stone.
I want at least a sweeper, which probably should be Damnation. I don't own one so I played OStone in the spot but I'm giving Plague Wind a try.
Why don't you play Oblivion Stone? I find it better than Disk (you can play around removal) and it its Artifacts, which you would have difficulty dealing with but All is Dust leaves untouched.
I removed Cruel Revival for Ashes to Ashes, it seems better.
Woebearer is probably to expensive for the effect, and not needed because of the Bidding effects. Gravedigger is not needed as well.
Trailblazer seems good but I'm already playing Cover of Darkness
Sometimes I do use the extort, yes. I pay lots of life and this helps to compensate (which is why I chose the equipment package I did for this deck). You don't have to pay all the Extorts, of course. But it's nice little bonus and can go over the top of a clogged board.
edit: Forgot to talk about the 3/5. He's not bad. Not particularly good, but the occasional time he does steal something, you will enjoy it. That kind of thing.
You have a point and I wasn't thinking of it this way. It may finally be time for Gempalm to go (though I like just cycling it sometimes on t2).
I don't blame you, Nykthos is pretty over-priced right now. I'll wait a couple years for it to rotate and then I can have like a second Coffers for this deck.
Ha, I find it odd that a mono-B deck would have a hard time with a 2/2 flyer with no inherent protections. Definitely play around with Messenger though, he's a quality body.
This is true, your commander is two mana while mine is six, so you can get more mileage from Ranks. But I'd argue you don't need Tombstone and Ranks - Tombstone is good enough on it's own. I think I never considered Monument because my commander provides the mass Undying effect so I don't need the protection. And Indestructible is a bit redundant with Undying. Flying is good, but hey, that's what Zombie Master is for anyway, right?
Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for Balthor. He's the only Bidding effect I don't have.
The Disk vs O-Stone thing is close, though I generally prefer Disk as it's cheaper overall (and it kills artifact lands). Ashes & Cruel are about even. A two-for-one either way. Personal preference on that one. Woebearer is high cmc, don't play him he's bad.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Cover of Darkness
Dauthi Embrace
Belbe's Portal
Darkness
Volrath's Stronghold
Contamination
Urza's Incubator
Curse of Shallow Graves
—Chaeska, Keeper of Tresserhorn
Hey there. I don't really feel like the cost-reducers are that relevant here as zombies don't cost large amounts of mana.
Contamination man I can't believe I didn't think about that. I could make sufficient use of it in here for sure.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.