That match up is heavily in B/W zombies favor. One of the reasons to run the B/W version is due to how good it is in the mirror. It is a slam dunk, wayward servant and binding mummy break the mirror wide open G1, and after board Declaration in Stone and Dusk/Dawn are aces in this match up. From personal experience I've stabilized at 1, only to comeback and win due to the servant life gain/ cryptbreaker engine.
That said, B/W was better positioned before the marvel banning. Mono black tends to be faster and can get under certain decks. I'd say things are shifting quickly, we may be entering a meta that forces zombie players to move towards anti sweeper tech like Dusk. The emerging Grixis/ U/R control decks will be much harder to beat. I do think we will have to evolve this deck to be more resistant towards those decks. Temur energy/ Mono W Monument are rough match ups for the mono black version. B/W can break serve if of gets into ground stalls via the 2 mentioned cards.
A lot is going to change come next week.
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Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
I don't think the zombie deck is in a really good position right now. With the prevalence of URx control (Hour of Devastation) in the local meta, I decided to stop playing the deck altogether and move on to another. Granted these were just playtests so people were very much excited to play with new cards.
I'll still be coming to this thread to see if there are any developments though.
This is from todays's MTGO 5-0 lists. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is interesting as eating just 1 zombie puts him out of Hour of Devastation range. The only new card is Ifnir Deadlands, which is kind of a free roll and offers some extra removal in a pinch (also nice with Kalitas).
With 19 cards of thé 75 generating creature tokens, Anointed Procession becomes very breakable. If 2 of the 3 are out, the token rush is nigh unstoppable.
With 19 cards of thé 75 generating creature tokens, Anointed Procession becomes very breakable. If 2 of the 3 are out, the token rush is nigh unstoppable.
this concept seems interesting. Although the only issue with decks like this in general is the turn you can play anointed procession, that's it. It's easy for many decks to take advantage of taking a whole turn doing *nothing* and the advantage you gain from it afterwards sometimes does not make up for it. I have not played much this new standard but my experience with this was from Parallel Lives back in original Innistrad standard. I will still look into something like this because as a poster from before said it seems Zombies are not as viable this time around despite, Aetherworks gone.
While it is still unclear at, it is safe to assume that the God-Pharoah's Gift deck shows promise. It's most basic goal which can make a 6/6 flying lifelinker appear and swing at you can put you behind enough to not come back. A 6/6 Angel of Invention gets past grasp of darkness. It's a copy too. And not a regular token so it completely avoids fatal push. Dark Salvation has the potential to kill it but it's at sorcery speed.
Personally I have no idea what to do so I'm curious what others think about it. I mostly picked up the black zombie deck because it played very similar to my modern Merfolk and I enjoyed it a lot. While not the most surprising of innovations. I liked the blue splash for scarab god in one of the recent decks. I like Gissa and Geralf too but not as much. I also believe the blue splash has more potential if GFG gets bigger because if u bounce the "eternalized" token that deals with them. Im not sure if standard has any good bounce spells ATM tho.
So I am planning on my playing monoblack zombies this weekend at my LGS, but wanting to adjust for the new HOU meta. My thought is that red removal is going to be super prevalent this weekend and that metallic mimic is less valuable than previous. I'm leaning towards shifting the curve on the list up slightly by cutting the mimics for beefier zombs that can dodge some of the more common removal. What do you think of this list?
I wouldn't drop Metallic Mimic just yet, it allows you grow your dudes out of K Return range and it's the +1 +1 counters that also allow you to body other creature based decks that aren't pummeler combo. G1, I think you always want to be stream lined towards taking advantage of all the zombie syngery/ tribal aspects the deck has going for it. After board, you can bring in tech to combat your meta. I say your meta because you have to tech against your LGS meta, GP's and even PPTQ's are very different. It is a bit early to figure out what the top decks are but as it stands:
Mono Red Aggro is Tier 1, and zombies has a great match up there. Their damage based removal doesn't line up that well against a go wide/ lord strategy. I think you should watch a few of the Day 1 PT vids, and every time is was Zombies vs Mono Red, zombies won pretty handily. Mimic gives you flex slot to side out after SB, trimming that card is fine on the draw, but mimic G1 leads to the those draws that completely run opponents over is unchecked.
selfless spirit was an all star in this build. It totally threw off my opponents and changed their game plan against me. dusk // dawn was another great card too, won be multiple games using both modes. You can also sac a selfless spirit to protect your pumped zombies.
selfless spirit was an all star in this build. It totally threw off my opponents and changed their game plan against me. dusk // dawn was another great card too, won be multiple games using both modes. You can also sac a selfless spirit to protect your pumped zombies.
I was just thinking about splashing white for wayward servant and shambling vent to have some life gain as a leg up against aggressive red decks. Glad to hear you did good with it. Curious, how was it not playing with Dread Wanderer?
Skysoverign comes in against midrange energy decks and G/B variants. It also great in the mirror, and I think Disposses is for the GPG match up and or U/R/x based control decks that reply on gearhulks (Transgress may just be better here but Disposses is fine).
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selfless spirit was an all star in this build. It totally threw off my opponents and changed their game plan against me. dusk // dawn was another great card too, won be multiple games using both modes. You can also sac a selfless spirit to protect your pumped zombies.
I was just thinking about splashing white for wayward servant and shambling vent to have some life gain as a leg up against aggressive red decks. Glad to hear you did good with it. Curious, how was it not playing with Dread Wanderer?
I didn't miss it at all. relentless dead is superior in my opinion. The ability to revive a dead diregraf colossus is very important, and bringing relentless dead back into my hand to re-cast as another cast trigger for Diregraf really helps the deck continue the grind in long games. Between selfless spirit and relentless dead (and dusk // dawn ) the deck is so resilient against sweepers.
Took the zombie team my LGS tonight and went 3-0. Played against some local grinders and learned quite a bit about our Ramunap Red match up, namely, it's favorable.
My Current list, and there are some cards I was trying out but I can see some cuts being made:
Match 1 Vs W/B Lifegain (brewed to stomp Mono Red, See CFB article regarding this arch type here: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/can-red-be-beat/) 2-1 Win
Match vs Ramunap Red 2-0 (I mulled G1 and still got there)
Match 3 Vs Temur Energy 2-1 Win (Tough Match, but the fact that mimic is being cut allows us to run more removal and Grasp really shined here)
Vs RDW, I stabilize at 1 G1 (Mulled to 6)land multiple lords back up by Mastery's. I had enough early removal and chump blockers to stall. Yes it was close but it felt okay. G2 is very telling, I get a hand of creatures, and 0 removal, but I have a curve. I wind up sticking 2 lords, and a colossus, backed by mastery. Game Over, he could never break through. The go wide strategy really taxed their removal and despite taking a ton of damage early, Relentless Dead was an MVP. You have to play tight and know when it is your turn to become the beat down. Turning the corner usually involves us getting our team out of Magma Spray range. The rest of their removal is whatever, shock isn't great and Abrade while decent isn't Fatal Push.
The only real problem with cutting Dread Wanderer is no Turn 4 kill potential vs a goldfish. Without Dread Wanderer T1, the deck cannot curve to a T4 kill. Even RDW has difficulty attaining a T4 kill vs a goldfish in this standard.
Given moderate interaction, this is a 5 turn format. Mono Black Zombies is very predictable, in that I can likely guess 50+ of your initial 60 cards, and probably some of the sideboard.
B/W zombies can easily generate a turn 5 kill, as well as extend the game via lifedrain effects. Designed and piloted correctly, B/W Zombies can go mid to "deep deck", and win. B/W is midrange/go wide, and has string sweeper resist-recover character. It does have a rough game against the Blue/x stunt decks running counterspell effects particularly if lifegain and sweepers are robust.
who said we are cutting Dread Wanderer? We are cutting Metallic Mimic which is reasonable. You get to run Kalitas (and he is very well positioned) and more removal to shore the aggro match up. This shift makes zombies more midrangey but still retains it grinding power. Very few decks out grind zombies, it's well positioned for now.
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Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
On page 16, Tim1137 and I posted versions of the deck without Dread Wanderer. Personally, I started Running Kalitas Maindeck, dropping binding mummy. Anointed Procession is an absolute mirror breaker, and overpowers control strategies.
I do think U/B is good, I'm not sure it if the meta has reached the point where this version can be run safely. If mono red is running rampant the last thing I want to be hold in hand is a 5cmc creature. Lili's mastery is different it provide 5 power and buffs the team. For now, until the meta shifts, mono black is better at holding back mono red and G/B constrictor.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
I've had a winning record with the deck locally since the PT, I was gearing up for GP Denver but adult life got in the way, SO my 23 pages of notes along with a custom SB plans were a good method of preparing for larger events.
As rotation approaches I hope we have all enjoyed grinding away and overpowering our opponents If there are any more questions players have regarding SB'ing or match ups let's keep this thread "alive".
My Sb is skewed to beat control decks (people will play this arch type no matter how poorly positioned it is).
Ah if anyone is wondering how I came up with these, I read Mr.Mangucci's article, Zen's article from mtgmintcard, both played at the PT and both were on the same team, from there I read various older articles and also played the deck a bunch in preparation for GP Denver (life dictated that I act as an adult and take care of my responsibilities, hence Denver was a no go this time); I tend to make my own SB plans based own my build, it should be like this for everyone right?
The Mirror:
Out: -4 Dread Wanderer, -1 Fatal Push, -1 Kalitas
In: +1 Skyship, +1 Aethershpere Harvester, +1 Grasp, +2 Never//Return, +2 Liliana, the Last Hope (Take this card out on the draw)
Vs Ramunap Red:
Out: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -1 Dark Salvation
In: +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Fatal Push, +1 Grasp of Darkness
*if they go back to their aggro plan, it is okay to bring in +2 Liliana, the Last Hope
Vs U/R Control : (Yes my SB is dedicated to beating various control decks)
Out: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -3 Fatal Push, 1 Dark Salvation, -1 Kalitas
In: +2 Liliana the Last Hope, +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Dispossess, +1 Grasp of Darkness
*Most control decks will always bring in alternate win cons, you cannot board out all of your removal, so Grasp is both a combat trick and an answer to manlands/Gearhulk (block)
Vs G/B and it's various Flavors
Out on the Play: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -2 Dread Wanderer
In on the play: +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Push, +1 Grasp, +1 Skysovereign
On the Draw:
Out: -4 Lord, -2 Dread Wanderer, -1 Land (you can cut 1 utility land on the draw like Scavenger Grounds
In: +2 Never//Return, +1 Push, +1 Grasp, +2 Transgress the Mind
Vs Mardu Vehicles:
Out: -2 Lord, -2 Dark Salvation
In: +2 Never//return, +1 Grasp, +1 Push
*Mardu tends to go bigger, so making a board state your primary focus. You will need to tax their Pw's*
Vs White-Blue Monument
Out: -4 Lord, -4 Liliana's Mastery
In: +2 Liliana the Last Hopem +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Grasp, +1 Skysoverign, +1 Harvester
*G1, dump all the lord effects into the yard via Cryptbreaker and go wide, SUPER wide. Blank their Dusk // Dawn plan and make sure you remove all of their Selfless Spirit's. This is a weird match up, but it's far more technical to play since you are the beat down in this match up.
Vs Temur Energy
Out: -2 Lord, -1 Kalitas, -1 Dark Salvation, -1 Push
Out: +2 Never// Return, +1 Grasp, +2 Transgress the Mind
* I liked Transgress in this match up, it will almost always grab something relevant from their hand*
Vs R/G Pummeler
Out: -3 Mastery, -4 Lord
In: +2 Liliana, the Last Hope, +2 Never//Return, + 1 Push, +1 Grasp, +1 Kalitas,
Vs G/R Ramp
Out: -3 Push, -3 Grasp, -1 Salvation
In: +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas
Vs GPG
Out: -3 Push, -4 Mastery, -1 Salvation
In: +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Dipossess, +1 Kalitas, +1 Grasp
*This is the reason I dropped Westavale abbey in favor of Scavenger Grounds*
SB'ing and understanding the meta will increase your win % with Zombies, and I have enjoyed this deck immensely. It is one of the harder decks to pilot well, it is a tribal, synergistic, deck that can play the midrange plan well. It also has the ability to grind opponents with it's sticky threats and constant 2 for 1's. If played well you should have game against anything, but you have to play tightly, very few victories come easily, but those that do will come via unanswered Cryptbreaker's and Diregraf Colossus. There's ton of tricks, and this deck does reward longevity. I'm going to be sad to see this deck rotate.
No prob Yes I play the 25 land version, and it is pretty much the same list that won GP Minneapolis. I tried running 24 lands and it just felt clunky. The deck is extremely mana hungry, and with the return of GPG Scavenger Grounds is 100% necessary.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
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That said, B/W was better positioned before the marvel banning. Mono black tends to be faster and can get under certain decks. I'd say things are shifting quickly, we may be entering a meta that forces zombie players to move towards anti sweeper tech like Dusk. The emerging Grixis/ U/R control decks will be much harder to beat. I do think we will have to evolve this deck to be more resistant towards those decks. Temur energy/ Mono W Monument are rough match ups for the mono black version. B/W can break serve if of gets into ground stalls via the 2 mentioned cards.
A lot is going to change come next week.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
I'll still be coming to this thread to see if there are any developments though.
RBW Mardu Reveler
Commander:
UW Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper - One-Punch Griffin || UR Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain - Historic Tribal Superfriends
GR Omnath, Locus of Rage - Turbo Lands Spellslinger || WURBG Scion of the Ur-Dragon - Living Death Reanimator
BGonti, Lord of Luxury - Gonti's Midnight Party
Under Construction:
WGU Rubinia Soulsinger - Enchantress || RBGU Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder - Cascading Artifacts
RU Jhoira of the Ghitu - Dragonstorm Eldrazi || RU Mizzix of the Izmagnus - Spellslinger
WURBG The Ur-Dragon - Cloning for the Win || WGU Roon of the Hidden Realm - Creature Toolbox
RBGU Vial Smasher the Fierce Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix - Lots'a Combos || BW Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim - Reanimator Combo
WBGU Atraxa, Praetors' Voice - Modified Precon
BUR Nekusar, the Mindrazer || U Arcanis the Omnipotent - Artifact "Storm"
4 Diregraf Colossus
4 Dread Wanderer
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Lord of the Accursed
4 Relentless Dead
4 Dark Salvation
3 Fatal Push
3 Grasp of Darkness
4 Liliana's Mastery
4 Ifnir Deadlands
19 Swamp
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Grasp of Darkness
2 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Murder
3 Plague Belcher
2 Scrapheap Scrounger
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Yahenni's Expertise
This is from todays's MTGO 5-0 lists. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is interesting as eating just 1 zombie puts him out of Hour of Devastation range. The only new card is Ifnir Deadlands, which is kind of a free roll and offers some extra removal in a pinch (also nice with Kalitas).
4 Shambling Vent
4 Concealed Courtyard
2 Plains
2 Shefet Dunes
10 Swamp
Core:
4 Cryptbreaker
4 Wayward Servant
4 Lord of the Accursed
4 Diregraf Colossus
3 Anointed Procession
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Dark Salvation
3 Hanweir Militia Captain
3 Binding Mummy
4 Fatal Push
3 Declaration in Stone
3 Relentless Dead
3 Selfless Spirit
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Ayli Eternal Pilgrim
1 Gideon of the Trials
2 Never//Return
2 Dusk//Dawn
2 Anguished Unmaking
With 19 cards of thé 75 generating creature tokens, Anointed Procession becomes very breakable. If 2 of the 3 are out, the token rush is nigh unstoppable.
While it is still unclear at, it is safe to assume that the God-Pharoah's Gift deck shows promise. It's most basic goal which can make a 6/6 flying lifelinker appear and swing at you can put you behind enough to not come back. A 6/6 Angel of Invention gets past grasp of darkness. It's a copy too. And not a regular token so it completely avoids fatal push. Dark Salvation has the potential to kill it but it's at sorcery speed.
Personally I have no idea what to do so I'm curious what others think about it. I mostly picked up the black zombie deck because it played very similar to my modern Merfolk and I enjoyed it a lot. While not the most surprising of innovations. I liked the blue splash for scarab god in one of the recent decks. I like Gissa and Geralf too but not as much. I also believe the blue splash has more potential if GFG gets bigger because if u bounce the "eternalized" token that deals with them. Im not sure if standard has any good bounce spells ATM tho.
Sorry for the wall of text.
1 Ammit Eternal
4 Cryptbreaker
4 Diregraf Colossus
4 Dread Wanderer
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Lord of the Accursed
2 Plague Belcher
4 Relentless Dead
4 Dark Salvation
2 Fatal Push
2 Grasp of Darkness
4 Liliana's Mastery
Lands:
22 Swamp
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Ammit Eternal
2 Dispossess
2 Fatal Push
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Never // Return
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Yahenni's Expertise
Mono Red Aggro is Tier 1, and zombies has a great match up there. Their damage based removal doesn't line up that well against a go wide/ lord strategy. I think you should watch a few of the Day 1 PT vids, and every time is was Zombies vs Mono Red, zombies won pretty handily. Mimic gives you flex slot to side out after SB, trimming that card is fine on the draw, but mimic G1 leads to the those draws that completely run opponents over is unchecked.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
4 cryptbreaker
4 diregraf colossus
4 wayward servant
4 selfless spirit
3 lord of the accursed
4 dark salvation
2 kalitas, traiter of ghet
1 Metallic Mimic
1 fatal push
1 midnight oil
1 liliana's mastery
1 Never // Return
1 dusk // dawn
4 shambling vents
2 westvale abbey
4 plains
11 swamp
selfless spirit was an all star in this build. It totally threw off my opponents and changed their game plan against me. dusk // dawn was another great card too, won be multiple games using both modes. You can also sac a selfless spirit to protect your pumped zombies.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
I didn't miss it at all. relentless dead is superior in my opinion. The ability to revive a dead diregraf colossus is very important, and bringing relentless dead back into my hand to re-cast as another cast trigger for Diregraf really helps the deck continue the grind in long games. Between selfless spirit and relentless dead (and dusk // dawn ) the deck is so resilient against sweepers.
I would probably only run dread wanderer in a deck with prized amalgam
My Current list, and there are some cards I was trying out but I can see some cuts being made:
4x Cryptbreaker
4x Diregraf Colossus
4x Dread Wanderer
3x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4x Lord of the Accursed
4x Relentless Dead
3x Liliana's Mastery
Land (24)
4x Ifnir Deadlands
19x Swamp
1x Westvale Abbey Flip
Instant (6)
3x Fatal Push
3x Grasp of Darkness
4x Dark Salvation
1x Fatal Push
2x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Grasp of Darkness
2x Liliana, the Last Hope
2x Never // Return
1x Ob Nixilis Reignited
2x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4x Transgress the Mind
Match 1 Vs W/B Lifegain (brewed to stomp Mono Red, See CFB article regarding this arch type here: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/can-red-be-beat/) 2-1 Win
Match vs Ramunap Red 2-0 (I mulled G1 and still got there)
Match 3 Vs Temur Energy 2-1 Win (Tough Match, but the fact that mimic is being cut allows us to run more removal and Grasp really shined here)
Vs RDW, I stabilize at 1 G1 (Mulled to 6)land multiple lords back up by Mastery's. I had enough early removal and chump blockers to stall. Yes it was close but it felt okay. G2 is very telling, I get a hand of creatures, and 0 removal, but I have a curve. I wind up sticking 2 lords, and a colossus, backed by mastery. Game Over, he could never break through. The go wide strategy really taxed their removal and despite taking a ton of damage early, Relentless Dead was an MVP. You have to play tight and know when it is your turn to become the beat down. Turning the corner usually involves us getting our team out of Magma Spray range. The rest of their removal is whatever, shock isn't great and Abrade while decent isn't Fatal Push.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
Given moderate interaction, this is a 5 turn format. Mono Black Zombies is very predictable, in that I can likely guess 50+ of your initial 60 cards, and probably some of the sideboard.
B/W zombies can easily generate a turn 5 kill, as well as extend the game via lifedrain effects. Designed and piloted correctly, B/W Zombies can go mid to "deep deck", and win. B/W is midrange/go wide, and has string sweeper resist-recover character. It does have a rough game against the Blue/x stunt decks running counterspell effects particularly if lifegain and sweepers are robust.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
I've had a winning record with the deck locally since the PT, I was gearing up for GP Denver but adult life got in the way, SO my 23 pages of notes along with a custom SB plans were a good method of preparing for larger events.
As rotation approaches I hope we have all enjoyed grinding away and overpowering our opponents If there are any more questions players have regarding SB'ing or match ups let's keep this thread "alive".
My Sb is skewed to beat control decks (people will play this arch type no matter how poorly positioned it is).
2x Dispossess
1x Fatal Push
1x Grasp of Darkness
2x Liliana, the Last Hope
2x Never
1x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1x Aethersphere Harvester
4x Transgress the Mind
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
Ah if anyone is wondering how I came up with these, I read Mr.Mangucci's article, Zen's article from mtgmintcard, both played at the PT and both were on the same team, from there I read various older articles and also played the deck a bunch in preparation for GP Denver (life dictated that I act as an adult and take care of my responsibilities, hence Denver was a no go this time); I tend to make my own SB plans based own my build, it should be like this for everyone right?
The Mirror:
Out: -4 Dread Wanderer, -1 Fatal Push, -1 Kalitas
In: +1 Skyship, +1 Aethershpere Harvester, +1 Grasp, +2 Never//Return, +2 Liliana, the Last Hope (Take this card out on the draw)
Vs Ramunap Red:
Out: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -1 Dark Salvation
In: +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Fatal Push, +1 Grasp of Darkness
*if they go back to their aggro plan, it is okay to bring in +2 Liliana, the Last Hope
Vs U/R Control : (Yes my SB is dedicated to beating various control decks)
Out: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -3 Fatal Push, 1 Dark Salvation, -1 Kalitas
In: +2 Liliana the Last Hope, +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Dispossess, +1 Grasp of Darkness
*Most control decks will always bring in alternate win cons, you cannot board out all of your removal, so Grasp is both a combat trick and an answer to manlands/Gearhulk (block)
Vs G/B and it's various Flavors
Out on the Play: -4 Lord of the Accursed, -2 Dread Wanderer
In on the play: +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Push, +1 Grasp, +1 Skysovereign
On the Draw:
Out: -4 Lord, -2 Dread Wanderer, -1 Land (you can cut 1 utility land on the draw like Scavenger Grounds
In: +2 Never//Return, +1 Push, +1 Grasp, +2 Transgress the Mind
Vs Mardu Vehicles:
Out: -2 Lord, -2 Dark Salvation
In: +2 Never//return, +1 Grasp, +1 Push
*Mardu tends to go bigger, so making a board state your primary focus. You will need to tax their Pw's*
Vs White-Blue Monument
Out: -4 Lord, -4 Liliana's Mastery
In: +2 Liliana the Last Hopem +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas, +1 Grasp, +1 Skysoverign, +1 Harvester
*G1, dump all the lord effects into the yard via Cryptbreaker and go wide, SUPER wide. Blank their Dusk // Dawn plan and make sure you remove all of their Selfless Spirit's. This is a weird match up, but it's far more technical to play since you are the beat down in this match up.
Vs Temur Energy
Out: -2 Lord, -1 Kalitas, -1 Dark Salvation, -1 Push
Out: +2 Never// Return, +1 Grasp, +2 Transgress the Mind
* I liked Transgress in this match up, it will almost always grab something relevant from their hand*
Vs R/G Pummeler
Out: -3 Mastery, -4 Lord
In: +2 Liliana, the Last Hope, +2 Never//Return, + 1 Push, +1 Grasp, +1 Kalitas,
Vs G/R Ramp
Out: -3 Push, -3 Grasp, -1 Salvation
In: +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Never//Return, +1 Kalitas
Vs GPG
Out: -3 Push, -4 Mastery, -1 Salvation
In: +4 Transgress the Mind, +2 Dipossess, +1 Kalitas, +1 Grasp
*This is the reason I dropped Westavale abbey in favor of Scavenger Grounds*
SB'ing and understanding the meta will increase your win % with Zombies, and I have enjoyed this deck immensely. It is one of the harder decks to pilot well, it is a tribal, synergistic, deck that can play the midrange plan well. It also has the ability to grind opponents with it's sticky threats and constant 2 for 1's. If played well you should have game against anything, but you have to play tightly, very few victories come easily, but those that do will come via unanswered Cryptbreaker's and Diregraf Colossus. There's ton of tricks, and this deck does reward longevity. I'm going to be sad to see this deck rotate.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn