Spectral Flight could give this deck some reach. Was also considering Ghoulcaller's Chant or Ghoulraiser for added threat. With as much removal that the list has, Wakedancer is also another option...
EDIT I removed the Spectral Flight, replacing them with Moan of the Unhallowed.
I think I would consider dropping the Tributes for some more creatures. You already have a pretty good amount of removal/bounce that is better than Tribute since it is expensive and you can't target it. What about adding in some Grimgrin or Unbreathing Horde or Ghoultree?
I was thinking of adding Unbreathing Horde in the sb for sure. Tribute is there to deal w/ all the Saint Trafts and Invisible Stalkers. I do need more threats tho as you mentioned. Grimgrim might be an option...
Like B/W tokens, Zombies is a potential Standard deck that is mostly from ISD. So I think it has a lot of potential. I think in ISD I might try to fit in some Liliana's - main or SB.
I'm not sure how much diregraf captain helps... without him you can run red instead for devil's play and burn. That seems like better reach than spectral flight. Just a thought.
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Some facts of magic:
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
I'm not sure how much diregraf captain helps... without him you can run red instead for devil's play and burn. That seems like better reach than spectral flight. Just a thought.
As well as Rolling Tremblor and/or Blasphemous Act which means you can drop he tributes and use those against Geist/Stalker instead.
Is there room to incorporate Call to the Grave, at least in the sideboard? Seems like a good idea against creature-based kills...
~M
I don't think you can use that, since this is block constructed. Also, I would stay blue, since lord effects are always powerful, and they allow you to get more use out of your zombies. I don't think rolling temblor is worth running here, since it really kills most of our creatures anyways and I'd rather hit Geist with tribute to hunger for the life gain anyways.
I don't think you can use that, since this is block constructed. Also, I would stay blue, since lord effects are always powerful, and they allow you to get more use out of your zombies. I don't think rolling temblor is worth running here, since it really kills most of our creatures anyways and I'd rather hit Geist with tribute to hunger for the life gain anyways.
I think you might not be remembering how Tribute works. You do not get to choose the target, your opponent does. Only in situations where the Geist is the ONLY creature on the field are you guaranteed to be able to kill it with a Tribute to Hunger.
Moan of the Unhallowed is really good, and Endless Ranks of the dead has some sideboard potential or even main deck potential as a 1-2 of. They aren't very good in some matchups, but in others they will help you grind out the game.
Have you considered Altar's Reap? The way your deck is currently constructed, you have a bunch of low-CC creatures and removal, so once you play out your hand (probably relatively early), you are going into top-deck mode. The Reap would work well with Gravecrawler (sac, draw two, replay as long as you have another Zombie, all for 1BB), as well as being a Morbid trigger for Tragic Slip (deals with almost any problem creature, again for just 1BB).
I agree with the others about Spectral Flight; it just isn't good enough for Constructed and leads to too many 2-for-1's against you.
Also agree with folks on Moan of the Unhallowed being considered. The flashback is slow, but it can help you both early- and late-game.
Alter's Reap and Ghoulcaller's Chant were both considered. Ya make a good point with the Reap. Def digging the suggestion on Moan of the Unhallowed. It's pretty terrible in Standard but just might give this deck the stuff it needs mid to long game. I just realized that Sever the Bloodline can take care of hexproofers too. The instant speed of Tribute might be key. Will test both and come back with a revised DL. One things for sure, Spectral Flight is out, Moan is in. Thanks for the feedback.
Ditto. Sever still HAS to target a creature as part of it's casting, which if the intended target has hexproof it can't because it's an invalid target...
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Standard
Mid-range 'Merica UWR
LOL Zombies GB
Wurmz Ramp GW
Ditto. Sever still HAS to target a creature as part of it's casting, which if the intended target has hexproof it can't because it's an invalid target...
Correct. I should really reread a card before I talk about it and try not to draw from my terrible memory, especially late at night. Sever will go back to the SB and Tributes come back.
Question, I feel like I need more threats. At least 2-4 more. Any suggestions? Opinions on Wakedancer? Trying to keep the curve low as possible to provide me with constant beats.
Just thought I'd chime in. Again, I think BR aggro is the way to go. You lose a bit of the zombie synergy (just the lord), but I think the red will add more than the blue. Don't forget Vampire Interloper either! Even though it's a zombie deck, a 2 power flier for 2 mana is great!
Hellrider might be too much for the mana base, olivia voldaren might be better, but she works with a different game plan. If RR is too much, and olivia is too slow, Instigator gang is waiting in the wings.
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Some facts of magic:
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
Wakedancer could only go in Zombie decks with Heartless Summoning. She's sac fodder for "Sac a Human" effects and Summoning brings her cost down.
If you decide to stick with blue, get rid of some of the chaff zombies and get a couple Havengul Lich.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
Considerables:
Unbreathing Horde
Undead Alchemist (changes the gameplan somewhat, but how can you stop 3/3 deathtouch zombie tokens, multiplying after every attack?)
Where are you getting 3/3 deathtouch from with Undead Alchemist? He makes 2/2 guys, and if you're referring to Diregraf Captain then he only gives other zombies +1/+1 and not deathtouch.
I agree with the earlier post about adding Grimgrin, Corpse-Born. Combined with the Diregraf Captain, each recursion of the Gravecrawler will cause them to loose life. This combo could give the deck some of the reach it needs.
Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
Well I think if u are in blue it would work but why not just play a draw spells instead. Either way it would give the card advantage a creature heavy deck needs if you can flashback cards with it. If you had one more creature you can play from the grave with a huge drawback or requirement it would actually warrant a spot.
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I like current block formats the most.
Its so limited to its power scale against other formats.
Block constructed should be a more competitive format like it was back in Champions or Ravnica.
I went 2-2 tonite.
First match vs U/W Spirits:
I lost the 1st game due to mana flood, topdecking land. After major shuffling, my deck played the way it was suppose to, meaning he got beat down. 2-1
Second Match vs Mono W tokens:
The 1st game, I could only delay the inevitable as his tokens kept on coming backed by 2 Intangible Virtues. The next 2 were pretty easy due to me SBing in the Severs. 2-1
Third match vs B/W tokens:
This went pretty much the same both games. Sorin came out, tokens were beefed up due to Sorin's emblem and Virtues. Came really close both games but Sorin's lifelink won in the end. 0-2
Last match vs B/R control
Now if there was ever a deck that was built to destroy Zombies, its this. Both games, everything I dropped met removal. From various burn to MD Severs against my Messengers to Liliana laughing at me across the board, I couldn't touch him. He finished me off with finishers Charmbreaker Devil, Devil's Play, and Burning Vengeance.
So what did I learn? Grimgrin blows in this deck. I regretted seeing him every time. The moment he would become untapped, he'd die. Not too sold on Tragic Slip either. Either I was beating face, or my creatures were trading. Felt like it was kinda difficult to trigger morbid but I'll still give it a chance as maybe it was due to my match ups. Moan of the Unhallowed was amazing. Def wanna find room for at least one more. It provided that rush I needed. Alter's Reap/ Ghoulcaller's Chant NEEDS to be in here. Still thinking about the ratio of either/both though. Dead Wieght and Tragic Slip both MD might be too much. Thinkin about moving Tributes MD
Also, Victim of the Night was stellar every time I brought it in. Unbreathing Horde is another must. Ghost Quarters blew as in the SB. Quickly getting replaced by Memory's Journey to hose flashback schenanigans w/o affecting me unlike. Grafdigger's Cage. That's all for now. Will be playtesting and refining. Should have an updated list posted soon.
Adding the aristocrat and reap really make slip and volleys amazing. The 2 severs MB are really amazing as it hoses undying creatures and tokens. The deck has been very consistent for me but I'm still tinkering with the side board.
Adding the aristocrat and reap really make slip and volleys amazing. The 2 severs MB are really amazing as it hoses undying creatures and tokens. The deck has been very consistent for me but I'm still tinkering with the side board.
Since the lands are going to be coming into play tapped with Evolving Wilds anyway, would 4 Sulfur Falls work better for the mana base? Like:
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Diregraf Captain
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Tragic Slip
4 Silent Departure
2 Moan of the Unhallowed
4 Tribute to Hunger
4 Island
2 Evolving Winds
Spectral Flight could give this deck some reach. Was also considering Ghoulcaller's Chant or Ghoulraiser for added threat. With as much removal that the list has, Wakedancer is also another option...
EDIT I removed the Spectral Flight, replacing them with Moan of the Unhallowed.
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
More facts of magic
As well as Rolling Tremblor and/or Blasphemous Act which means you can drop he tributes and use those against Geist/Stalker instead.
~M
I don't think you can use that, since this is block constructed. Also, I would stay blue, since lord effects are always powerful, and they allow you to get more use out of your zombies. I don't think rolling temblor is worth running here, since it really kills most of our creatures anyways and I'd rather hit Geist with tribute to hunger for the life gain anyways.
I think you might not be remembering how Tribute works. You do not get to choose the target, your opponent does. Only in situations where the Geist is the ONLY creature on the field are you guaranteed to be able to kill it with a Tribute to Hunger.
I agree with the others about Spectral Flight; it just isn't good enough for Constructed and leads to too many 2-for-1's against you.
Also agree with folks on Moan of the Unhallowed being considered. The flashback is slow, but it can help you both early- and late-game.
Lastly, I would have Sever the Bloodline main-decked (over Tribute to Hunger) and Curse of Death's Hold in the sideboard, to combat human and/or token-based strategies.
Ditto. Sever still HAS to target a creature as part of it's casting, which if the intended target has hexproof it can't because it's an invalid target...
Mid-range 'Merica UWR
LOL Zombies GB
Wurmz Ramp GW
Correct. I should really reread a card before I talk about it and try not to draw from my terrible memory, especially late at night. Sever will go back to the SB and Tributes come back.
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Vampire Interloper
4 Gerard's Messenger
4 Hellrider
4 Devil's Play
4 Geistflame
4 Brimstone Volley
24 Land
14 Swamp
6 Mountain
4 Evolving Winds
Hellrider might be too much for the mana base, olivia voldaren might be better, but she works with a different game plan. If RR is too much, and olivia is too slow, Instigator gang is waiting in the wings.
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
More facts of magic
If you decide to stick with blue, get rid of some of the chaff zombies and get a couple Havengul Lich.
Where are you getting 3/3 deathtouch from with Undead Alchemist? He makes 2/2 guys, and if you're referring to Diregraf Captain then he only gives other zombies +1/+1 and not deathtouch.
Although, you could potentially make an interesting block Zombie Mill deck with Undead Alchemist/zombie suite/Geralf's Mindcrusher with spells like Increasing Confusion and to a lesser extent Dream Twist.
EDIT: Rough Decklist of Zombie Mill
4 Gravecrawler
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Undead Alchemist
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Geralf's Mindcrusher
3 Dream Twist
4 Tragic Slip
1 Sever the Bloodline
3 Nephalia Drownyard
4 Evolving Wilds
12 Swamp
5 Island
BU Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
BR Tor Wauki
BG Savra, Queen of the Golgari
BWURG Karona, False God
Standard
Currently nothing.
Modern
B 8-Rack
Casual
BW Pestilence
B Multiplayer Discard
Block Constructed
BWG Abzan Midrange
I like current block formats the most.
Its so limited to its power scale against other formats.
Block constructed should be a more competitive format like it was back in Champions or Ravnica.
Sig by DD Awie by CC
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Highborn Ghoul
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Diregraf Captain
2 Grimgrin, Corpse-born
4 Tragic Slip
4 Silent Departure
4 Dead Weight
2 Moan of the Unhallowed
15 Swamp
4 Island
4 Evolving Wild
4 Sever the Bloodline
4 Tribute to Hunger
4 Victim of the Night
3 Ghost Quarter
I went 2-2 tonite.
First match vs U/W Spirits:
I lost the 1st game due to mana flood, topdecking land. After major shuffling, my deck played the way it was suppose to, meaning he got beat down. 2-1
Second Match vs Mono W tokens:
The 1st game, I could only delay the inevitable as his tokens kept on coming backed by 2 Intangible Virtues. The next 2 were pretty easy due to me SBing in the Severs. 2-1
Third match vs B/W tokens:
This went pretty much the same both games. Sorin came out, tokens were beefed up due to Sorin's emblem and Virtues. Came really close both games but Sorin's lifelink won in the end. 0-2
Now if there was ever a deck that was built to destroy Zombies, its this. Both games, everything I dropped met removal. From various burn to MD Severs against my Messengers to Liliana laughing at me across the board, I couldn't touch him. He finished me off with finishers Charmbreaker Devil, Devil's Play, and Burning Vengeance.
So what did I learn? Grimgrin blows in this deck. I regretted seeing him every time. The moment he would become untapped, he'd die. Not too sold on Tragic Slip either. Either I was beating face, or my creatures were trading. Felt like it was kinda difficult to trigger morbid but I'll still give it a chance as maybe it was due to my match ups. Moan of the Unhallowed was amazing. Def wanna find room for at least one more. It provided that rush I needed. Alter's Reap/ Ghoulcaller's Chant NEEDS to be in here. Still thinking about the ratio of either/both though. Dead Wieght and Tragic Slip both MD might be too much. Thinkin about moving Tributes MD
Also, Victim of the Night was stellar every time I brought it in. Unbreathing Horde is another must. Ghost Quarters blew as in the SB. Quickly getting replaced by Memory's Journey to hose flashback schenanigans w/o affecting me unlike. Grafdigger's Cage. That's all for now. Will be playtesting and refining. Should have an updated list posted soon.
4 gravecrawler
4 highborn ghoul
4 geralf's messenger
4 diregraf captain
2 falkenrath aristocrat
4 tragic slip
2 alter's reap
4 brimstone volley
2 moan of the unhallowed
2 sever the bloodline
15 swamp
3 mountain
2 island
4 victim of the night
2 sever the bloodline
3 tribute to hunger
3 memory's journey
3 ancient grudge
Adding the aristocrat and reap really make slip and volleys amazing. The 2 severs MB are really amazing as it hoses undying creatures and tokens. The deck has been very consistent for me but I'm still tinkering with the side board.
Since the lands are going to be coming into play tapped with Evolving Wilds anyway, would 4 Sulfur Falls work better for the mana base? Like:
Trades