Zombies were added as one of the best tribal decks to pop up with the Innistrad block and found some major tournament success in many variations including B/U and B/R during the Innistrad/ Dark Ascension time, but lost steam significantly since then despite having not lost any of their most powerful cards. Now, with even better removal available, I feel Zombies are in a good place to return to the top tables and can definitely make for a nasty surprise for an unsuspecting opponent.
Why you should play this deck:
-You like aggressive black decks
-You like combos
-You like the Undying mechanic
-You are obsessed with the zombie apocalypse
The Deck: Zombies is centered around the color black and although it can include other colors, its best cards remain in black for the most part. It can be an aggressive deck and obviously intends to win by smashing your opponent for 20 damage as fast as possible with a horde of unrelenting, and sometimes undying creatures. Also, being in black means the deck has access to some of the best removal spells in standard and it would be a shame if we didn't take advantage of that. With control not around quite as much these spells are rarely dead cardboard, and even against control they seem to be playing more creatures now so it's rarely a sad day when you draw one up.
The Core Cards:
-Gravecrawler. This guy is just value city as a recastable 2/1 for one mana, as well as a piece of the massive Bloodthrone Vampire combo or direct damage with Diregraf Captain in play if you're going blue.
-Geralf's Messenger. Two damage to the face (or four) as well as a beater or blocker or just whatever you need is hard to argue with. This guy is the boss and can trade favorably with Thragtusk as well as nearly nullify his lifegain.
-Diregraf Ghoul. One mana for a 2/2. Comes in tapped... and I'm over it. Still one mana, still a 2/2.
-Skirsdag High Priest. This guy is insane. Morbid triggers are everywhere in this deck and so are cheap creatures to tap. The 5/5 Demons will be a-flyin'.
-Bloodthrone Vampire. This guy can win a game real quick with a crawler and any other zombie on the board. Pay five mana and hear comes the 11/11 Bloodthrone. Sweet.
-Tragic Slip. Alongside other removal, but I personally think is the most important killspell in the deck.
The Other Stuff:
-Butcher Ghoul. Paying one more mana for black Young Wolf is just fine sometimes, especially in this tribal deck.
-Killing Wave. Can absolutely steal games. Sneaks in and out of my builds.
-Mutilate. Decent sweeper, costs a bit much for aggro.
-Highborn Ghoul. Good evasion although the rampancy of Rakdos Cackler and other popular black creatures can make him less relevant.
-Corpse Blockade. Literally laughs at Geist of St. Traft as well as anything else. Also a sacrifice outlet should you need one. And deathtouch can be easily made. Better than it looks for sure.
-Devour Flesh. Speaking of laughing at geist. Really good removal card is really good.
-Sign in Blood. Often very needed in this aggro deck. Has done nothing but good things for me but not everybody loves it.
-Duress. Decent hand disruption, still probably the best we have to work with.
Now let's talk splashes. Zombies were everywhere as Black splash decks when they were winning and I feel that they still need that second color. I feel like the options are Black/Blue and Black/Red. Both of these would still rely heavily on the black base and play very little of their splashed colors, just enough to make them more reactive to their opponent and provide them one or two good creature additions.
UBlue AdditionsU
-Diregraf Captain. The lord seems obvious here and his ability can make a crawler into a whole lot of direct damage.
-Dimir Charm. Decent in this deck, not the best removal but it can do a few things.
-Mizzium Skin. Also good in the sideboard sometimes.
Blue is very good at adding power mainly in the addition of the Captain. This is the version I am currently playing and it has led me to quite a few 4-0's on MTGO and the color also gives some good sideboard adaptability.
This version was oh so very good in tournaments before and I see no reason why it can't be again. Those couple cards it can add really push the Black/Red version into a very aggressive and removal heavy machine.
I definitely feel mono-black is the weakest for the aggressive build we want but maybe you could try to slow it down and work Liliana into it. Didn't build a sideboard because I strongly recommend against mono black.
Guildgate seems weird and he focused less on tribal, but it looks powerful. Hellrider and Hellkite are interesting additions and add to the need for more lands. Looks Good.
My baby and MTGO grind machine. Many 4-0's and 3-1's. It's versatile, unexpected and stuffed with combos.
Conclusion:
Zombies has tons of possibilities and can be made to fit anyone's preferences and I've seen some crazy takes on it. Green/Black seems to be increasingly popular although its not nearly as tribal so I left it out here because it also is pretty green heavy. Sideboard can adapt to your local meta depending on your colors and whatever you choose to leave out of the mainboard.
Quote from BW Zombies by Branhamcat »
Ok I would like to start by saying that in the current standard format there are many many decks that can do good on any given day.....and we are all aware of Naya, Jund, Bant, and the many types of aggro. With that said I wanted to play something that could compete in the current standard format but at the same time wasn't being used by every other player. So I decided to play Orzhov Zombies at the Star City Super IQ $1000 event in Richmond Ky 3/16/2013.... I placed 10th out of 98 players and actually could have drew into top 8 but didnt because nothing was guaranteed at the time. So in this primer I will give you the deck list I played, as well as the match-ups I faced.
Okay now lets get to the matches, and then we will get to the card choices I suppose.......
MATCH 1 vs Orzhov Zombies 2-1 (Mirror)
I really wasnt expecting to see many other copes of this deck however there were two more and it just so happened that I got paired with one of them in the very first match....
Game-1 I took early control with a turn 2 and turn 3 Blind Obedience, this allowed my creatures to be much more effective than his were and also allowed me to extort him out of the game...
Game-2 He got 3x Blood Artist and it was too much to handle.
Game-3 He jumped out to an early lead but once I matched him Blood Artist for Blood Artist I was able to regain control with the Geralf's Messenger and RestorationAngel
MATCH 2 vs Gruul Aggro 1-2
This match I actually got paired with one of my teammates and to be honest this matchup is really a 50/50 split for Orzhov Zombies, If I can play Blind Obedience early I win, but if not I lose.....and thats exactly how the match played out
MATCH 3 vs BUG aggro 2-1
This deck was well played however it didnt have enough board presence or speed to really compete. It did manage to get game 2 over me with me only drawing 3 lands the entire game and even then he only won with 4 life left.
MATCH 4 vs Naya Mid-range 2-0
Even with Thragtusk, and Restoration Angel this deck is just too slow and once Blind Obediece drops and slows them down even more its game over.
MATCH 5 vs Jund mid-range 2-0
This match played exactly like the match against Naya-Mid..... His deck was just too slow and didnt have enough removal.
Match 6 vs Jund Aggro 2-1
Game one was an easy win with him almost acting confused or surprised by the power of this deck. Game two was a bit different as he replaced his Falkenraths with Oliva and controlled me out by stealing my Obzedat, Ghost Council and also my Restoration Angel. And game three I got him with a group of cards such as doube Blood Artist, Cartel Aristocrat, and Lingering Souls with flashback.
Match 7 vs Junk Reanimator 0-2
My opponent actually offered me a draw which would have guaranteed him a spot in the top 8, however it would have depended on the results of the other matches on whether or not I went into the top 8 as well so being unsure I decided to play...... Big big mistake
Game one I jumped out to a quick quick lead and almost won....BUT then he recovered with an Unburial Rites on a Thragtusk and actually flashed it back the next turn on a second Thragtusk and then followed it up with a Restoration Angel. Game two I got hit with a no land hand and actually ended up having to mulligan to 5 cards which I kept a 1 land hand, 2x Diregraf Ghoul, 1x Isolated Chapel, Blind Obedience, and Orzhov Charm..... I never saw land #2 as he beat me down with double Loxodon Smiter.
And after it was all said and done I realized that had we actually drew the rest of the matches actually ended up with what would have put me into the top 8 and a cash prize.
The Orzhov Zombie deck I played in MATCH 1 also made top 16!!! So this deck posted 1 10th place finish, and also a top 16 finish in a 98 man event (NOT TOO SHABBY)!!!
Many people have questioned me for having this in my main deck. And I can defend it by saying that I went into this event expecting a lot of Aggro decks and a lot of Mid-range decks and I got exactly that. Not to mentio that three of my creatures have large downsides against aggro (Diregraf Ghoul, Gravecrawler, and Geralf's Messenger) Blind Obedience really helps even up the playing field and will usually give me the edge through extort.
As he did help win me many games yesterday, I cant help but to feel that he might be better fit for the sideboard, allowing me to bring in 1 more Restoration Angel, 1 more Bloodthrone Vampire, and maybe even a 23rd land that I seemed to have been missing a few games.
This is actually a card choice I wanted to include into the deck but just couldnt decide on what to take out for 2x copies.
I am very pleased with the results that this deck posted, two of three Orzhov Zombie decks placed top 16. So Im saying that though its not as popular as Naya, Jund, Boros, Esper, and Bant...... This deck can still compete and should be open for conversation. If any of you have any advice or questions then please let me hear what you have to say.
I have been playing B/u zombies to some success. It doesn't seem to have many bad match ups aside from Naya blitz though i haven't had a chance to play jund or junk reanimator. I don't run diregaf captain because it requires other cards to be good. With the level of removal some decks are running I often would rather draw a different card. wight of precenct six is also another odd choice however i've found it to be effective versus aggro in conjunction with my cheap removal. Although it is a bad card it's a bad card that win's games so I'm sort of on the fence about it. the decklist is below.
The deck plays similar to B/x zombies in some matchups but can be pretty tempo-y after side. The cards that could be changed around are wight of precinct six, dimir charm, tormod's crypt, devour flesh, murder, tragic slip, and dead weight depending on the meta or if you wanted to add more of another card. If reanimator becomes popular in my meta I might add more crypts. Got 3rd place last fnm. I lost to Bant wolfun which took 2nd. Junk reanimator took 1st.
Restoration Angel - Great blocker/beater, screws up opponents combat math, gain value from bouncing some of our stuff, namely Obzedat & Messenger.
Obzedat, Ghost Council - The finisher. He's very tough to deal with, and brings at the least a constant 4 life swing per turn.
Mentor of the Meek - Card advantage is king, and this guy does it well. Triggers off a lot of our guys, turning half our creatures into cantrips. Very good w/ Lingering Souls.
Lingering Souls - Crazy value, chump blockers galore, triggers for Mentor of the Meek.
Vampire Nighthawk - Comes out for the faster aggro matchups, stabilizes well and trades with anything.
Sign in Blood - Card draw, not much to say. It's good.
Liliana of the Veil, Nevermore, Duress - Anti-control, as I feel that'll be the decks worst matchup. LotV will rarely hurt us, Nevermore is a good catchall, and Duress hits counterspells/Sphinx's Rev/etc. May opt for a split between Duress & Appetite for Brains, so I can hit things like Swagtusk/Huntmaster/etc.
I feel like Blind Obedience needs a spot somewhere, though I don't know what to cut. Maybe put them in the side instead of Nighthawk? Will be doing heavy testing tonight, and will probably sleeve it up next week and give it a go at my shop.
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anybody have any thoughts on a zombiecrat deck. i tried posting int eh aristocrat thread but was poorly received. if anybody is interested i can post a deck list for comments.
Just a FYI, all of the old threads/primers from the old Zombie forum are now in the archives in case you are looking for those primers, decklists, and discussions.
I've seen pretty high sucess with this decklist at my local FNM, 3rd place 3 weeks in a row. It isn't the match ups, i occasionally just get mana screwed/flooded. And all my pile shuffling, carefully calculated ratios, and money I threw to make this deck means nothing.
There really are no darker or more evil situations in all of magic than those of the mana screw and mana flood.
My only complaint about the list is the Cartel Aristocrats. Sure they are a sacoutlet and combo well with gravecrawlers, messengers, and lingering souls, but I also feel I'd rather have a different card. Only once did I ever combo out with 2 gravecrawlers, a blood artist, some souls and her to sac for game. I almost feel like i would rather have x2 Killing Wave and +2 Blood Artrist. Or at least a 3/3 split between C.aristocrat and artist.
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Understand, Dredge is not really a Magic: The Gathering deck. When a card is playable in it, it doesn't mean it's a tournament playable card. It means it's playable in whatever crazy fantasy world that Dredge operates in.
It's great, but I am worried it is not fast enough to compete with junk rites. As apparent in the Finals of the GP and in my testing. I see junk rites at every sho I play.
Understand, Dredge is not really a Magic: The Gathering deck. When a card is playable in it, it doesn't mean it's a tournament playable card. It means it's playable in whatever crazy fantasy world that Dredge operates in.
Im just curious what people think about adding the Demonlord of Ashmouth maybe as a 2 of in the deck.... He is a nice flying body at as a four drop, his downside isnt much of a downside while playing with gravecrawler, and Geralf's Messenger, not to mention Lingering Souls.... Im just curious if this card may have any value at all in this deck?
Im just curious what people think about adding the Demonlord of Ashmouth maybe as a 2 of in the deck.... He is a nice flying body at as a four drop, his downside isnt much of a downside while playing with gravecrawler, and Geralf's Messenger, not to mention Lingering Souls.... Im just curious if this card may have any value at all in this deck?
it could work in some versions...but i prefer resto angel in the four drop slot. it's all around more useful, and adds tech/slight bits of reach to the late game(with geralfs/obz flickers)
also, just took my list to a local standard tourney...only ten players, but went 3-1...and shoulda been 4-0, but my one loss was due to the ONE time i forgot to exile obz at eot, with me at 20 life and opponent at 7 with no blockers, giving him the opportunity to supreme verdict, then take over from there. i was pissed. i'll post my list:
(don't remember the last few cards, my bad. everythings in the trunk of the car, too lazy to get)
game 1 was against a naya homebrew with bloodrush/signal the clans 2-0
game 2 was against my buddy UWR control. this is where i punted match 3 by not flickering obzedate, he ended the day 4-0.
game 3 was against a 4 color homebrew...naya splashing black for disciple of bolas, was interesting, but it worked well and were actually really fun games. i won 2-1(one point was at 3 life, morbid trigger on his turn gave me a 5/5 demon, then swung with zombies/resto/demon and vault of archangel to swing game around. felt good)
game 4 against another friends battle of wits deck(yeah, you heard that. it's actually fairly competitive..) i won 2-1. lost one game due to not thinking right when i ultimated a lotv. his deck abuses curses as one of the (many) wincons, and i got stacked up to taking 14 damage on my upkeep from his curses.
considering i put the deck together basically 'cause i traded into a full zombie playset(for a thundermaw and some change) i wanted to give it a try....and honestly, I'm surprised with the deck. it definately has the speed everyone is used to with zombie decks. a nut draw on the play is a turn 4 zombie apocalypse bumrush win. and if things stall out lategame...the restos/obz/high priests give the game a lategame reach. vault of the archangel is a blowout lategame as well. not sure what changes i want to make...if any. i feel like making this deck better to me is more about playing it more, it can get a little tricky making sure your doing your plays correctly(similar to aristocrats decks, which this takes a large portion of my gameplan from)
thoughts? questions?
edit: also...thoughts on me ditching one of the obz and adding a singleton deathpact angel. i know, it's mainly me just loving the art/flavor of that card and wanting to see it in play...but it does give another lategame evasive creature that...if resolved, requires a 2 for 1 to fully remove. may be just wishful thinking(seriously, the art is so bad ass. i may get a playmat of it)
yeah, i just like her as a card...i agree about not being QUITE as useful. and i like 3xobz 'cause i LOVE seeing him. if he resolves, my chances of winning double usually. and having an extra HAS been used to win for me a few times...opponent at 4, one flickers in, cast second one and get drain trigger before legend rule kills 'em for the last bit of damage.
and the third one is one of my first "board out" moves for game 2...as i've had alot of people hate seeing obz so much game 1 they will board in more specific hate for it. and it's nto even the main wincon, just a very good threat.
Anyone else having insane trouble with midrange? I've been doing fairly well against everything except Huntmaster + Swagtusk + AoS decks. Like yea, I guess it's super cool bro that you can run your ToomuchvalueTusks in your 5 color midrange deck. It's fairly frustrating.
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EDH WBRKaalia of the VastRBW BChainer, Dementia MasterB Legacy 0Manaless Dredge0 RGoblinsR Standard RBWThe AristocratsWBR
Deck 4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Gravecrawler
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Cartel Aristocrat
3 Falkenrath Aristocrat
2 Zealous Conscripts
4 Blood Artist
x Lingering Souls
x Orzhov Charm
x Tragic Slip
Sideboard:
IMAGE#4 IMAGE#5 IMAGE#6
Deck 3 Vampire Knighthawk
3 Appetite for Brains
3 Mutilate
4 Blind Obedience
2 Oblivion Ring
I don't know how many Lingering, Charm, or Slips I want in the deck...someone give me suggestions and you're reasoning.
Its 25 Creatures, X Spells, and probably 23 Lands(8 BW Duals and 8 BR Duals +Swamps for filler)
I would like to somehow squeeze these cards in:
Liliana of the Veil
Sign in Blood
Bloodthrone Vampire
High Priest of Penance
Please help!
I posted a list similar to this before the changed everything. only difference was I was runnin two resto angels. currently I run two souls three charms and three slips. I don't think the deck needs bloodthrone as it has a strong agro start with the zombies. liliana and sign in blood are more mid rangey cards, and I have not tried the high preist out. my sideboard is a lot different but that's do to my lgs meta.
why one three falkenraths?
Im not sure if this is better than BW or not? I think Junk Rites is the toughest matchup and this may be able to withstand those decks.....so what do you guys thing Orzhov Zombies or Golgari Zombies? I would almost merge the two if thats possible lol
Im not sure if this is better than BW or not? I think Junk Rites is the toughest matchup and this may be able to withstand those decks.....so what do you guys thing Orzhov Zombies or Golgari Zombies? I would almost merge the two if thats possible lol
i feel like a nut draw with that deck would be CRAZY fast....but even a middle of the road opening hand wouldn't be enough to get you there against the current top decks...and if you don't win by turn 4-6...you prolly just scoop. I don't see any real reach beyond the rancors i suppose. I feel b/w lists have a much stronger all around gameplan...with more avenues of attack to help push through where more traditional zombie aggro decks stall out.
could be talking out my ass...but this doesn't look like it has enough going for it to play currently, though I can see that getting a little lucky with good hands could just be fast enough to catch alot of people off guard.
It's also, i'm noticing, basically a deck that was around last season(I see nothing from gatecrash added?)
i feel like a nut draw with that deck would be CRAZY fast....but even a middle of the road opening hand wouldn't be enough to get you there against the current top decks...and if you don't win by turn 4-6...you prolly just scoop. I don't see any real reach beyond the rancors i suppose. I feel b/w lists have a much stronger all around gameplan...with more avenues of attack to help push through where more traditional zombie aggro decks stall out.
could be talking out my ass...but this doesn't look like it has enough going for it to play currently, though I can see that getting a little lucky with good hands could just be fast enough to catch alot of people off guard.
It's also, i'm noticing, basically a deck that was around last season(I see nothing from gatecrash added?)
I mean it can obviously compete..... Im sure that an elite IQ in NC had a large turnout.... And must it have gatecrash to be good?..... Either way Im still leaning more toward the BW build mostly due to the blood artist and the cartel aristocrats.....
my biggest problem is the main reasons to go green/black(deathrite and abrupt decay) are just sideboard spots? what maindeck does this offer compared to the b/w variants? a bit more speed, basically. can it out race naya blitz though? not without a nut draw imo. i think the utility of cards like lingering souls/resto angel/obz far outweigh the little bit of extra speed.
though to be fair, this is pure aggro...and the b/w builds are more of an aggro/midrange gameplan(which I feel is stronger however in the current meta)
I've done extensive testing on BW and BG, and I found BG to be lacking. It could win on t3/t4 with a nut draw, but outside that it was VERY easy to disrupt. BW has tons of reach between Messenger, Artist, and Obzedat/Resto, as well as a strong early game. I'm really enjoying BW right now, it rewards skill and has game against just about everything. Here's my current list;
Things I want to tweak are removal in the MB, sideboard options, and I feel like it could use some card draw somewhere. Not sure if I want that to be Sign in Blood, Altar's Reap, or Underworld Connections. After some testing with Mentor of the Meek, it was just too clunky.
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muffunz...your list is nearly identical to mine, cept i went with 3 obz's main...and two skirdar high priests instead of 4 blood artists( was using blood artists in initial builds though and they did work as well). I feel it is a very strong list...and with the right practice/plays is a very viable contender imo. I'll be taking my list this weekend to my usual LGS for another round of testing...and on the 7th I think me and some friends are going to try and go to the PTQ in santa clara, CA...assuming i don't BOMB during testing this weekend, I'll probably be taking b/w zombie list.
@sofacoin while trost/obz combo is lulz fest, i agree, it's also super cute lol. however, I've considered rhox faithmenders in my sideboard(in case i'm on the draw against something like naya blitz....or naya humans, etc) and vault of the archangel + rhox in play = annoying to say the least even without faithmender....vault can be a blowout. last weekend i went from 3 life to 17 in a single attack phase(obzedat + high priest demon and some zombies)
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BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
4x Gravecrawler
4x Diregraf Ghoul
4x Bloodthrone Vampire
4x Blood Artist
4x Geralf's Messenger
4x Restoration Angel
24x Creatures
Spells~
4x Tragic Slip
4x Lingering Souls
3x Blind Obedience
2x Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
13x Spells
2x Plains
2x Cavern of Souls
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Godless Shrine
11x Swamp
23x Land
2x Obzedat, Ghost Council
3x Nevermore
3x Tormod's Crypt
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Orzhov Charm
15x Sideboard
4 Diregraf Ghoul
3 Duskmantle Seer
4 Gravecrawler
4 Blood Artist
4 Geralf's Messenger
3 Bloodthrone Vampire
3 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Knight of Infamy
1 Wight of Precinct Six
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Watery Grave
2 Dimir Guildgate
10 Swamp
2 Cavern of Souls
Spells (8)
1 Murder
2 Tragic Slip
2 Victim of Night
1 Dead Weight
2 Killing Wave
3 Appetite for Brains
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Murder
2 Liliana of the Veil
2 Negate
1 Evil Twin
1 Syncopate
1 Devour Flesh
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Dimir Charm
The deck plays similar to B/x zombies in some matchups but can be pretty tempo-y after side. The cards that could be changed around are wight of precinct six, dimir charm, tormod's crypt, devour flesh, murder, tragic slip, and dead weight depending on the meta or if you wanted to add more of another card. If reanimator becomes popular in my meta I might add more crypts. Got 3rd place last fnm. I lost to Bant wolfun which took 2nd. Junk reanimator took 1st.
4x Gravecrawler
4x Geralf's Messenger
4x Diregraf Ghoul
3x Restoration Angel
2x Obzedat, Ghost Council
4x Mentor of the Meek
Instants (5)
2x Devour Flesh
3x Ultimate Price
4x Lingering Souls
4x Sign in Blood
Planeswalkers (2)
2x Liliana of the Veil
Lands (24)
1x Vault of the Archangel
4x Godless Shrine
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Orzhov Guildgate
11x Swamp
4x Vampire Nighthawk
2x Tragic Slip
3x Oblivion Ring
2x Nevermore
4x Duress
Gravecrawler, Diregraf Ghoul, Geralf's Messenger - The normal zombie team, brings the recurring beats and can gain value from being bounced/dying.
Restoration Angel - Great blocker/beater, screws up opponents combat math, gain value from bouncing some of our stuff, namely Obzedat & Messenger.
Obzedat, Ghost Council - The finisher. He's very tough to deal with, and brings at the least a constant 4 life swing per turn.
Mentor of the Meek - Card advantage is king, and this guy does it well. Triggers off a lot of our guys, turning half our creatures into cantrips. Very good w/ Lingering Souls.
Lingering Souls - Crazy value, chump blockers galore, triggers for Mentor of the Meek.
Vampire Nighthawk - Comes out for the faster aggro matchups, stabilizes well and trades with anything.
Devour Flesh, Ultimate Price, Tragic Slip, Oblivion Ring - Removal suite, with some changeup in the sideboard. Not sure what the best choice between Ultimate Price and Victim of Night is, my meta changes quite frequently so that's a hard choice to make.
Sign in Blood - Card draw, not much to say. It's good.
Liliana of the Veil, Nevermore, Duress - Anti-control, as I feel that'll be the decks worst matchup. LotV will rarely hurt us, Nevermore is a good catchall, and Duress hits counterspells/Sphinx's Rev/etc. May opt for a split between Duress & Appetite for Brains, so I can hit things like Swagtusk/Huntmaster/etc.
I feel like Blind Obedience needs a spot somewhere, though I don't know what to cut. Maybe put them in the side instead of Nighthawk? Will be doing heavy testing tonight, and will probably sleeve it up next week and give it a go at my shop.
EDH
WBRKaalia of the VastRBW
BChainer, Dementia MasterB
Legacy
0Manaless Dredge0
RGoblinsR
Standard
RBWThe AristocratsWBR
4 Gravecrawler
2 Blood Artist
4 Cartel Aristocrat
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Restoration Angel
2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
4 Lingering Souls
2 Liliana of the veil
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Godless Shrine
4 Isolated Chapel
14 Swamp
4 Thalia of Thraben
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Appetite for brains
3 Nearheath Pilgrim
I've seen pretty high sucess with this decklist at my local FNM, 3rd place 3 weeks in a row. It isn't the match ups, i occasionally just get mana screwed/flooded. And all my pile shuffling, carefully calculated ratios, and money I threw to make this deck means nothing.
There really are no darker or more evil situations in all of magic than those of the mana screw and mana flood.
My only complaint about the list is the Cartel Aristocrats. Sure they are a sacoutlet and combo well with gravecrawlers, messengers, and lingering souls, but I also feel I'd rather have a different card. Only once did I ever combo out with 2 gravecrawlers, a blood artist, some souls and her to sac for game. I almost feel like i would rather have x2 Killing Wave and +2 Blood Artrist. Or at least a 3/3 split between C.aristocrat and artist.
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WUBRG Progenitus Superfriends
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[i] Tiny Leaders EDH
1RR Chandra Burn
RBW Alesha's Aristocrats & Taxes
UUU Kira's Merfolk Cult
GGG Ezuri's Elfball
4x Overgrown Tomb
1x Stomping Ground
1x Rakdos Guildgate
4x Dragonskull Summit
4x Woodland Cemetery
4x Cavern of Souls
2x Swamp
4x Diregraf Ghoul
4x Gravecrawler
2x Deathrite Shaman
4x Lotleth Troll
3x Dreg Mangler
4x Geralf's Messenger
4x Falkenrath Aristocrat
3x Thundermaw Hellkite
1x Dreadbore
3x Searing Spear
2x Tragic Slip
2x Deathrite Shaman
3x Duress
2x Appetite for Brains
2x Flames of the Firebrand
2x Thragtusk
1x Tragic Slip
3x Vampire Nighthawk
Modern:
Something new every week
Legacy:
Something new everyweek
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Gravecrawler
2 Hellrider
4 Knight of Infamy
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Blood Crypt
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Rakdos Guildgate
2 Brimstone Volley
1 Searing Spear
2 Tragic Slip
1 Mark of Mutiny
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Duress
2 Mark of Mutiny
2 Pillar of Flame
1 Slaughter Games
I am starting to think this deck is very well positioned, with only JUND running PIllar (and most of the times that is in the SB)
Match-up feels pretty close actually.
It really depends on how both players sideboard and choose their game plans.
Modern:
Something new every week
Legacy:
Something new everyweek
it could work in some versions...but i prefer resto angel in the four drop slot. it's all around more useful, and adds tech/slight bits of reach to the late game(with geralfs/obz flickers)
also, just took my list to a local standard tourney...only ten players, but went 3-1...and shoulda been 4-0, but my one loss was due to the ONE time i forgot to exile obz at eot, with me at 20 life and opponent at 7 with no blockers, giving him the opportunity to supreme verdict, then take over from there. i was pissed. i'll post my list:
4 diregraf ghoul
4 geralf's messenger
4 cartel aristocrat
2 skirsdarg high priest
4 restoration angel
3 obzedat, ghost council
2 Liliana of the veil
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
3 lingering souls
4 orzhov charm
4 isolated chapel
4 orzhov guildgate
2 cavern of souls
1 vault of the archangel
9 swamp
4 knight of infamy
2 vampire nighthawk
2 tragic slip
2 appetite for brains
1 merciless eviction
(don't remember the last few cards, my bad. everythings in the trunk of the car, too lazy to get)
game 1 was against a naya homebrew with bloodrush/signal the clans 2-0
game 2 was against my buddy UWR control. this is where i punted match 3 by not flickering obzedate, he ended the day 4-0.
game 3 was against a 4 color homebrew...naya splashing black for disciple of bolas, was interesting, but it worked well and were actually really fun games. i won 2-1(one point was at 3 life, morbid trigger on his turn gave me a 5/5 demon, then swung with zombies/resto/demon and vault of archangel to swing game around. felt good)
game 4 against another friends battle of wits deck(yeah, you heard that. it's actually fairly competitive..) i won 2-1. lost one game due to not thinking right when i ultimated a lotv. his deck abuses curses as one of the (many) wincons, and i got stacked up to taking 14 damage on my upkeep from his curses.
considering i put the deck together basically 'cause i traded into a full zombie playset(for a thundermaw and some change) i wanted to give it a try....and honestly, I'm surprised with the deck. it definately has the speed everyone is used to with zombie decks. a nut draw on the play is a turn 4 zombie apocalypse bumrush win. and if things stall out lategame...the restos/obz/high priests give the game a lategame reach. vault of the archangel is a blowout lategame as well. not sure what changes i want to make...if any. i feel like making this deck better to me is more about playing it more, it can get a little tricky making sure your doing your plays correctly(similar to aristocrats decks, which this takes a large portion of my gameplan from)
thoughts? questions?
edit: also...thoughts on me ditching one of the obz and adding a singleton deathpact angel. i know, it's mainly me just loving the art/flavor of that card and wanting to see it in play...but it does give another lategame evasive creature that...if resolved, requires a 2 for 1 to fully remove. may be just wishful thinking(seriously, the art is so bad ass. i may get a playmat of it)
and the third one is one of my first "board out" moves for game 2...as i've had alot of people hate seeing obz so much game 1 they will board in more specific hate for it. and it's nto even the main wincon, just a very good threat.
tl;dr brianbgrp LOVES Obzedat.
EDH
WBRKaalia of the VastRBW
BChainer, Dementia MasterB
Legacy
0Manaless Dredge0
RGoblinsR
Standard
RBWThe AristocratsWBR
4 Gravecrawler
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Cartel Aristocrat
3 Falkenrath Aristocrat
2 Zealous Conscripts
4 Blood Artist
Sideboard:
3 Appetite for Brains
3 Mutilate
4 Blind Obedience
2 Oblivion Ring
I don't know how many Lingering, Charm, or Slips I want in the deck...someone give me suggestions and you're reasoning.
Its 25 Creatures, X Spells, and probably 23 Lands(8 BW Duals and 8 BR Duals +Swamps for filler)
I would like to somehow squeeze these cards in:
Liliana of the Veil
Sign in Blood
Bloodthrone Vampire
High Priest of Penance
Please help!
I posted a list similar to this before the changed everything. only difference was I was runnin two resto angels. currently I run two souls three charms and three slips. I don't think the deck needs bloodthrone as it has a strong agro start with the zombies. liliana and sign in blood are more mid rangey cards, and I have not tried the high preist out. my sideboard is a lot different but that's do to my lgs meta.
why one three falkenraths?
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4 Dreg Mangler
4 Geralf's Messenger
4 Gravecrawler
4 Knight of Infamy
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Rakdos Cackler
1 Vampire Nighthawk
11 Swamp
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Rancor
4 Victim of Night
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Ranger's Guile
3 Tragic Slip
1 Ultimate Price
3 Duress
Im not sure if this is better than BW or not? I think Junk Rites is the toughest matchup and this may be able to withstand those decks.....so what do you guys thing Orzhov Zombies or Golgari Zombies? I would almost merge the two if thats possible lol
i feel like a nut draw with that deck would be CRAZY fast....but even a middle of the road opening hand wouldn't be enough to get you there against the current top decks...and if you don't win by turn 4-6...you prolly just scoop. I don't see any real reach beyond the rancors i suppose. I feel b/w lists have a much stronger all around gameplan...with more avenues of attack to help push through where more traditional zombie aggro decks stall out.
could be talking out my ass...but this doesn't look like it has enough going for it to play currently, though I can see that getting a little lucky with good hands could just be fast enough to catch alot of people off guard.
It's also, i'm noticing, basically a deck that was around last season(I see nothing from gatecrash added?)
I mean it can obviously compete..... Im sure that an elite IQ in NC had a large turnout.... And must it have gatecrash to be good?..... Either way Im still leaning more toward the BW build mostly due to the blood artist and the cartel aristocrats.....
though to be fair, this is pure aggro...and the b/w builds are more of an aggro/midrange gameplan(which I feel is stronger however in the current meta)
4x Cartel Aristocrat
4x Blood Artist
4x Restoration Angel
4x Gravecrawl
4x Diregraf Ghoul
4x Geralf's Messenger
2x Obzedat, Ghost Council
Istants (3)
3x Orzhov Charm
4x Lingering Souls
Planeswalkers (4)
2x Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
2x Liliana of the Veil
Lands (23)
4x Orzhov Guildgate
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Godless Shrine
2x Vault of the Archangel
9x Swamp
2x Nevermore
3x Oblivion Ring
4x Vampire Nighthawk
4x Duress
2x Tragic Slip
Things I want to tweak are removal in the MB, sideboard options, and I feel like it could use some card draw somewhere. Not sure if I want that to be Sign in Blood, Altar's Reap, or Underworld Connections. After some testing with Mentor of the Meek, it was just too clunky.
EDH
WBRKaalia of the VastRBW
BChainer, Dementia MasterB
Legacy
0Manaless Dredge0
RGoblinsR
Standard
RBWThe AristocratsWBR
@sofacoin while trost/obz combo is lulz fest, i agree, it's also super cute lol. however, I've considered rhox faithmenders in my sideboard(in case i'm on the draw against something like naya blitz....or naya humans, etc) and vault of the archangel + rhox in play = annoying to say the least even without faithmender....vault can be a blowout. last weekend i went from 3 life to 17 in a single attack phase(obzedat + high priest demon and some zombies)