This deck is created around Zombie Infestation. The deck can win without Zombie Infestation, but it really helps to have it around because the synergy is what makes this deck any kind of fun at all.
The three creatures in the deck aren't exactly hyper offensive considering the format, but they do play well with Zombie Infestation. Bloodghast is easy to discard because I can bring it back just by playing a land. Squee is easy to discard because it's Squee. It's main job is to return to your hand. Chandra's Phoenix on the other hand is a little more fun. You can cast it and swing when you need to, block if you have to, or discard it to Zombie Infestation if you'd prefer a ground pounder for whatever reason. (A lot of times I'll chunk the Phoenix for a Zombie just because I can't cast the Phoenix yet.)
You don't know how happy it made me when I saw that Mulch was getting printed in Innistrad. I love having a way to get lands into my hand while putting other things that i need in the yard, into the yard.
Fun interactions:
Grove of the Burnwillows + Punishing Fire: Well this one is obvious so not much to say here. Helps clean up creatures.
Punishing Fire + Zombie infestation: Getting Grove+Punisher online is great but it also means i can chuck Punishing Fires to the yard for Infestation for recurring damage from a beater rather than tricksy recurring Fires.
Punishing Fire/Flame Jab + Chandra's Phoenix: The fun thing about this is I can slop 2 Phoenixes into the yard with Infestation, punishing fire to bring them back OR retrace a flame jab to get them back. Extra Zombies is fun especially when dealing damage to the opponent in the process.
Life From the Loam + Raven's Crime/Flame Jab: This combination is pretty obvious. Perpetual discard means they're often playing whatever card's in their hand because they can't afford to let me make them discard it. The other half of this is that when I dredge back Life from the Loam I may actually put one of these from the deck to the yard which is extra bonus good.
Life From the Loam + Zombie Infestation: Simple. Discard lands to make Zombies. Get back lands to rinse repeat. Dredge to get back life from the loam. It's the circle of unlife.
Mulch + Anything: This card is amazing. Sometimes you hit 4 lands and you say, ok discard 4 lands get 4 zombies/discard your hand/deal 4 damage. My favorite so far has been Mulch, get a Grove of the Burnwillows, Land, Punishing Fire, Life from the Loam. Excepting the rare times you will mulch a zombie infestation into your graveyard, this has a very limited downside.
Life From the Loam + anything: This deck is specifically designed to abuse the crap out of life from the loam. As such, aside from dredging a mulch or a zombie infestation there's no reason not to love this card in this deck.
I have had trouble with Auriok Champion :/
Path to exile may take out one of my threats (Phoenix of Bloodghast) but it's usually only a minor setback.
The lands in this deck do hurt a bit and I'm tempted to take out some of the shock duals, but so far I've needed as much mana as possible to be filtered correctly. Fetching lands with recurring Catacombs + Life from the loam can be very helpful in filtering out my deck.
Yeah, this deck dies to something that exiles my graveyard. :/ Oh well? I can't deal with Pro red + pro black creatures. Shucks. But is it fun? Yeah. It's satisfying when you get any parts of the combos together. I think after a few more tweaks it'll have better matchups, but aggressively mulling to a turn 2 zombie infestation can win you a game. I did win a game staring down 3 tarmogoyfs. But because I could produce 2 2/2s every turn he couldn't attack without losing a goyf and me only losing 2 tokens.
I don't have a board yet, I'm sure it would help against a lot of decks. I honestly don't know what I could put in here to help against the things that already beat me. Exiling cards in my yard could be as simple as offalsnout or Faerie Macabre or Leyline of the Void. I think I could still beat a deck that plays an Auriok Champion if I can kill the rest of their creatures with punishing fires.
I also kinda have no clue what I could put in this deck to change it. I suppose I could add seismic assaults over punishing fire/burnwillows, but I'll leave seismic assault to my 50 land treasure hunt deck. Maybe include a Dakmor Salvage so that I could Raven's Crime guaranteed without life from the loam. I have contemplated Conflagrate but there's never a time when I have enough cards in my hand to warrant flashing it back. It's not bad but it's just not good.
Update: Punishing fire was fun but it convoluted the deck too much. I've included Darkblast and taken out the grove of the burnwillows. I've added Dakmor Salvage and included a few more multi lands.
2 Swamp
1 Forest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Overgrown Tomb
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Blood Crypt
4 Stomping Ground
4 Bloodghast
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4 Chandra's Phoenix
Spells
4 Life from the Loam
4 Raven's Crime
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Punishing Fire
4 Flame Jab
4 Mulch
This deck is created around Zombie Infestation. The deck can win without Zombie Infestation, but it really helps to have it around because the synergy is what makes this deck any kind of fun at all.
The three creatures in the deck aren't exactly hyper offensive considering the format, but they do play well with Zombie Infestation. Bloodghast is easy to discard because I can bring it back just by playing a land. Squee is easy to discard because it's Squee. It's main job is to return to your hand. Chandra's Phoenix on the other hand is a little more fun. You can cast it and swing when you need to, block if you have to, or discard it to Zombie Infestation if you'd prefer a ground pounder for whatever reason. (A lot of times I'll chunk the Phoenix for a Zombie just because I can't cast the Phoenix yet.)
You don't know how happy it made me when I saw that Mulch was getting printed in Innistrad. I love having a way to get lands into my hand while putting other things that i need in the yard, into the yard.
Fun interactions:
Grove of the Burnwillows + Punishing Fire: Well this one is obvious so not much to say here. Helps clean up creatures.
Punishing Fire + Zombie infestation: Getting Grove+Punisher online is great but it also means i can chuck Punishing Fires to the yard for Infestation for recurring damage from a beater rather than tricksy recurring Fires.
Punishing Fire/Flame Jab + Chandra's Phoenix: The fun thing about this is I can slop 2 Phoenixes into the yard with Infestation, punishing fire to bring them back OR retrace a flame jab to get them back. Extra Zombies is fun especially when dealing damage to the opponent in the process.
Life From the Loam + Raven's Crime/Flame Jab: This combination is pretty obvious. Perpetual discard means they're often playing whatever card's in their hand because they can't afford to let me make them discard it. The other half of this is that when I dredge back Life from the Loam I may actually put one of these from the deck to the yard which is extra bonus good.
Life From the Loam + Zombie Infestation: Simple. Discard lands to make Zombies. Get back lands to rinse repeat. Dredge to get back life from the loam. It's the circle of unlife.
Mulch + Anything: This card is amazing. Sometimes you hit 4 lands and you say, ok discard 4 lands get 4 zombies/discard your hand/deal 4 damage. My favorite so far has been Mulch, get a Grove of the Burnwillows, Land, Punishing Fire, Life from the Loam. Excepting the rare times you will mulch a zombie infestation into your graveyard, this has a very limited downside.
Life From the Loam + anything: This deck is specifically designed to abuse the crap out of life from the loam. As such, aside from dredging a mulch or a zombie infestation there's no reason not to love this card in this deck.
I have had trouble with Auriok Champion :/
Path to exile may take out one of my threats (Phoenix of Bloodghast) but it's usually only a minor setback.
The lands in this deck do hurt a bit and I'm tempted to take out some of the shock duals, but so far I've needed as much mana as possible to be filtered correctly. Fetching lands with recurring Catacombs + Life from the loam can be very helpful in filtering out my deck.
Yeah, this deck dies to something that exiles my graveyard. :/ Oh well? I can't deal with Pro red + pro black creatures. Shucks. But is it fun? Yeah. It's satisfying when you get any parts of the combos together. I think after a few more tweaks it'll have better matchups, but aggressively mulling to a turn 2 zombie infestation can win you a game. I did win a game staring down 3 tarmogoyfs. But because I could produce 2 2/2s every turn he couldn't attack without losing a goyf and me only losing 2 tokens.
I don't have a board yet, I'm sure it would help against a lot of decks. I honestly don't know what I could put in here to help against the things that already beat me. Exiling cards in my yard could be as simple as offalsnout or Faerie Macabre or Leyline of the Void. I think I could still beat a deck that plays an Auriok Champion if I can kill the rest of their creatures with punishing fires.
I also kinda have no clue what I could put in this deck to change it. I suppose I could add seismic assaults over punishing fire/burnwillows, but I'll leave seismic assault to my 50 land treasure hunt deck. Maybe include a Dakmor Salvage so that I could Raven's Crime guaranteed without life from the loam. I have contemplated Conflagrate but there's never a time when I have enough cards in my hand to warrant flashing it back. It's not bad but it's just not good.
Thoughts?