Cool deck you have there, smart strategy of either stealing through Baazar or killing through Culling Dais.
I'd just drop Tibalt (too hard to get to 6), Infernal Plunge, and Dominus, and up Ponder and Culling Dais to 4, and put some draw like Electrolyze, Remand... Nephalia Smuggler is another great creature for your deck. Daring Thief + Aura of Dominion + Imaginary Pet = 3. Take control of target creature
Stealing Opponent's creatures is fun.
Back to Onslaught block, i had an Stealing Creature deck just for fun (full of crap rares), and i had alot of it.
It was kind of an illusionary deck, that had a type of changeling ability, so they could be any creature type.
Almost every time i had more creature of any type than opponent, and then i was able to cast Standardize and Peer Pressure.
Callous Oppressor + Imagecrafter as another "combo" into that deck that allowed me to steal critters.
Also, their best trait so far is LD, and that's very unique and differentiate them from every other creature on magic, i'd keep that.
From Rosewater's tumblr:
Will the future dwarves be about land destruction again?
Quote from MaRo »
Unlikely.
That is sad. I'm really sad with that answer from MaRo.
No other race runs around LD and that is a very unique trait of Dwarves.
Afraid of pushing new players away with LD is something that i don't consider reasonable.
All LD Dwarves are 4cmc, slow enough to not compromise the entire game, and still allowing this tatic to be present on Magic.
LD will never be a thing in the game (except if they do a 2cmc LD). Never was and never will, but WotC never chickened on including it, making LD a possible brand of fun, but it seems that they are chickening in the last few years.
I believe an article from Gavin Verhey from a couple of years ago translate what players think about LD:
"What I learned from this week's deck submissions is that many of you really enjoy destroying your opponents' lands. I guess it's fair: nothing is more fun than making sure your opponents can't do anything and are forced to sit there under your heel while they die to a squadron of 2/2s. Mmmm, tasty. A plate of delicious, delicious sorrow drizzled in tears and seasoned with curse words." Original Post
I think that the only care WotC should have is not printing LD on Sinkhole costs again.
There is an very old article, back on 2002, from nobody less than Randy Buehler, where he talks about LD being unfun, and about him having bad memories playing against LD. Buehler's Article
Taking a deep look into those articles you can realize that 2012 players have a different vision over LD.
I think that lands like Flagstones of Trokair, fast decks that demands 1-2 lands, blue counter decks, all that can run over LD. Not to mention that when LD got the most love from WotC, no deck under that strategy reached World Champs, dominated by Psychatog and U/G Madness.
If LD was so dominating, so unfun, impossible to be runned around, the list of WC2002 would only contain LD decks, and in fact, NONE were there.
There are tons of ways to do it again: Dwarven Driller even put the LD in conditional, where opponent would prefer to take 2 dmg instead of letting his land getting destroyed. Pardic Miner needs to sac itself to block a foe from dropping a land. It's all about putting a nice backdrop on the Land Denial deck to make it balanced with all the game. Sort of like what was done in Odyssey block.
The only 2 white characteristics that seems to fit Dwarves are high toughness and dealing with weaponry.
Moving Dwarves to white doesn't make any sense to me, and to anyone who has at least a minor knowledge of Dwarven lore.
Dwarves are grumpy, angry, ferocious, rude, unpolite, brawly, mine labors, armorsmiths, weaponsmiths, mountain dwellers.
I can take a white splash, but moving to white is nonsense. Dwarves are red by nature.
The previews work of WotC on Dwarves (Odyssey) was great, near perfect, capturing all Dwarves essence, why not take the same path again?
Shame on you Wizards. Shame on you MaRo.
I believe the biggest mistake is thinking that a Haakon deck must be built to dig it, or that it's a key piece for the entire deck to work.
Haakon deck must be built as a regular aggro deck (some refer to it as a tempo deck, which is disagree). Target discard like Thoughtseize has the same function as in any sui or black based aggro deck, force opponent to discard some staller, or some mass removal from his hand, the usage for Haakon is a bonus. Removal is to take away blockers, (ok, duh! on this one).
The only difference from regular aggro is the usual insertion of a 3-4 permanent discard outlet like Putrid Imp, that works to beat while flying, or to trade damage with flyers. Imp/Haakon has a better role when inserted into a Zombie Deck, since Lords will pump it, whilst in a Knight deck, it won't have the pump, but it still can accomplish the early beating, and sometimes beat with evasion.
I'm not really fond to Tireless Tribe, i prefer Imp to do the job. In the end, except for Imp/Tribe, all the deck have is a regular aggro, with improving creatures beating up, and some support like Thoughtseize, Nameless Inversion to remove threats to your beating and/or blockers.
Regarding Haakon, it is not a key card, just one card that makes all others better, but still the deck is meant to work without it. So that's why there is no need to mulligan for it.
Yeah, the captivating build seems to be a popular one too, but also at the same time seems too pidgeon-holed to me.
Also, if i ran more than one captivating, my playgroup would disown me. They hate him enough with the occasional times i use him now.
I'm also seeing no Dark Rituals in anyone's deck here. Why not? I think they're a gift from the gods personally.
Dark Ritual is card disadvantage since you'll use 2 cards to cast 1 spell. So, to worth it, it must give you a very good position into the board, like initiating a combo string (the most worthful usage), or casting multiple critters on T1.
But without a solid build that would assure you to have 2-3 critters castable with DR on the opening hand, or without a deck where its a key piece of a combo, it is just card disadvantage.
On tribal decks with 3cmc lords, its not worthful. To get benefit from a lord, you need other creatures to carry their bonuses, so a T1 Lord will mean no creature to benefit from it, and you'll have to cast some other creature on T2 to get the bonus, and attack with it on T3 (T3 - 1 creature with bonus attacking). Now, if you don't use DR, and think about a Lord on T3, with a cast of a creature on T1 and T2, both will use the bonus on T3 (T3 - 2 creature with bonus attacking). So a T3 attack casting a Lord on T3 will have more benefits than casting a lord on T1. In the worst scenario with a Lord on T3, casting a single creature in the first 2 turns, would make it even with a T1 lord cast with DR. Even so, in the T1 DRitual scene, you would be losing one more card (DR) for the same effect that a T3 lord with only one creature cast on the first 2 turns.
Another situation a could point is casting a critter with DR into the board (2 cards), that once cast, it recieves a removal or burn (1 card) and die, the called "2×1 effect" (it also happens with most enchantments). It just worth the risk if its a tide changing creature like Emrakul or something like that, that would win the game for you.
In other words, DR is indeed a great card, but its cast must be relevant into the deck strategy, it must secure you a solid position into your goal to worth. As an example i'll use a discard deck that uses The Rack as wincon. A first turn DR into Duress and Hymn to Tourach or Ravenous Rats will mean that i'll waste 3 cards just to force opponent to discard 2 cards. A card disadvantage right? Right, but the deck's goal is to force opponent to have 0 cards in his hand the faster i can, so multiple Racks will slowly kill him while i just have to keep the board secure with removal or stallers. In this case, a T1 DR is part of the deck core strategy, so the card disadvantage it provides is benefic, since it helps the secure a good board position for its strategy.
In conclusion, not every black deck supports DR.
Hope i've been able to help clarify DR usage.
Do you want to make a Golgari Dredge deck, stick with Ravnica cards? Or a Dredge deck, like the Legacy competitive one?
On the Golgari standards, trying to stick with the Ravnica Golgari cards, i'd go with the creature control strategy provided by Savra, the former guild leader
First, Dredge is all about getting whatever you want from your grave, so filling the grave dredging is equal to drawing tons of cards.
With Savra out, auto-sac creatures like Shell or Scarab, that can trigger Savra, and return to your hand through dredge, are what you most wanto to have.
To keep Savra into play and rolling, Thug and Vigor Mortis are put into the deck; also sac outlets like Witch, help us avoid "exile" effects, saccing the exile spell's target, in response to its cast.
As an easy presumption, grave hate would ruin our day, so Thoughtpick is there to help avoid that kind of trouble (or to remove bombs from opponent). Witch is also a sac outlet, and based on the aforementioned arguments, i find it better than Rusalka, but there is no oppose on using it.
Brain Pry (Duress effects), also helps on avoiding grave hate, maybe would be likely to put a set into the deck, instead of so much removal (i'd put it into the last gasp place)
On removal subject, you might consider Darkblast, if troublesome */1 creatures are into your meta (i believe Izzet don't play those).
Finally:
Life from the Loam + Dark Heart interaction has nothing to do with the deck strategy, so if you need life to survive Burn from Izzet, use Golgari Brownscale, lifegain + dredge + beater on a stick, as additional force to Savra lifegain.
Bloodbond March is non-sense either because you'll be not forcing dredge (filling your grave for multiple answers) but returning 1-2 cards to play directly.
"aah, there is no use go run and hide
you can't escape this sea of sunken eyes"
Phantom Planet - Living Dead
WELCOME TO ZOMBIE'S PRIMER THE BRAIN EATERS
This is a thread focused to dissect every reliable way to needlework zombie cards, analyzing card per card 'til the last blood drop from their corpse.
PART 1. GENERAL ANALYSIS
Zombies are undead creatures living to feed their hunger for flesh meet (specially brains). They differ from other undead beings on speed (generally slower) and intelligence (they’re generally mindless, with a few exceptions). The lack of intelligence has a positive factor, they face no moral debate, have no ego to feed, nourish no survival instinct.
Zombies are usually portrayed as graveyard dwellers, so despite not been fully the truth, this reflects on game mechanics, since it's where relies their major ability, mess with graveyard, and this ability, added to the ability to generate tokens from a low cost, are the best feature of this tribe.
As general approach, power/toughness of zombies are not favorable, except for suicidal cards, where must pay a tax (life) to play with pumped critters. That said, and like aforementioned, aggroing is not the best feature of this tribe, but taking advantage of their ability to rise from their grave, and to multiply very easily (tokens)
The biggest threat this tribe can face is grave hate: Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt, Leyline of the Void, Extirpate, these cards can shut us down badly in most builds, and these are the cards that Zombies should fear if they had any trace of feelings or smartness, so we, as their wise masters, must have for them. For countermeasures, targeted discard is the best shot on mono-black.
So protect against hate, and due the diversity of zombie abilities, this is a tribe that can generate tons of different and fun decks, relying on almost all strategies Magic can provide (discard, combo, agro, control, agro/control, ramp, reanimation…) leading to a vast number of archetypes.
But before exploring the archetypes mentioned, let’s gain knowledge of zombie cards and their function, so it makes easier to create your own building. Cards will be divided by: Lands, Beaters, Discard Outlets, Sacrifice Outlets, Cyclers, Grave Dealers, Removal Creatures, Life Reducers, Hand Control, Lords, Other Creatures and Support cards. BBRRAAIINNNSS!
PART 2. THE CARDS
LANDS: here will be described all common lands used to help zombies to achieve their diverse goals.
Unholy Grotto: the main Zombie land, plays around the central ability of the tribe, retrieving creatures back to player hand.
Wasteland: mana denial. Since most zombie decks are mono color, it can screw any dual/tri-color decks, without compromising the deck’s mana base. Another common usage is to kill manlands.
Mutavault: Manland .favors agro, and can be used to work with other tribal cards. Can also help to keep the steam of the deck after a mass removal.
Crumbling Necropolis: Mana Fix on U/R/B, a slow one compared to fetchs, and also comes into play tapped, but it's really nice for guys on budget and for non-explosive decks.
Grixis Panorama: Land fetch, the nice point is, it don't come down tapped, and the downside of it is that it doesn't fix right away, needing tap one other land and itself to fetch what you need. Again, a land that is better than Terramorphic Expanse to fix your mana, as long it doesn't slow you down.
Ancient Ziggurat: Mana Fix, nice for Tribal decks that differs from mono color.
Bloodstained Mire: Land Fetch, used to make your deck thinner, raising the chance to finds basic dual lands to fix mana colors.
BEATERS: These are the cards used to take down the opponent the faster you can, by playing cards with high power mana wise.
Carnophage: raw power, 2/2 for 1cmc, this is a card meant to attack 'til his death. It's runned like 1 drops of WW decks, going full power all the way. His backdrop usually is overlaped by its inflicted damage. Most used on Suicidal decks.
Sarcomancy: despite not a zombie on itself for Tribal purposes, it's overused like his zombie counterpart, Carnophage. Raw parts of 2/2 for 1 cmc, with a small backdrop, most used on suicidal decks.
Diergraf Ghoul: raw power, 2/2 for 1cmc, with a non-meaningful drawback, coming into play tapped.
Dreadwing: Flying and beating for 4 in a 1 cmc creature, really nice. Since most Zombie decks are mono-b, it's not used, but some multicolored builds runs him as a real threat.
Grixis Grimblade: awsome beater on multicolored builds, since in that kind of deck this is most times 3/2 deathtouch beater for 2cmc. But just stick with it if you assure that you'll drop multicolored permanents often.
Zombie Outlander: 2cmc 2/2 protection from green. No good when not facing green, but vs it, it really shine getting evasion and becoming a huge wall. SB material mostly.
Dauthi Ghoul: 1/1 for 2cmc, not big deal, but evasion is his power, usually backed up for a bunch of Lords, making him a killing machine. Aggro version just love him.
Blind Creeper: 3/3 beater for 2 cmc, but many times turns into a 2/2 or 1/1 which is kind of bad for aggro power. Anyway, it's a nice choice for aggro beating.
Dregscape Zombie: 2/1 for 2 cmc. reasonable beating, but he shines since he beats until he dies, then come for one last beating just for B. Cool aggro material.
Skaab Ruinator: 3cmc 5/6. It’s off main color, and have a big issue on sacrificing 3 critters to come into play (usually played on token decks). It has evasion (flying) and can be cast from grave, which makes him a permanent threat.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born: 5cmc 5/5, comes into play tapped, and needs to sac a creature to untap, but gets +1/+1 pump on the process. Has a sort of Anihilator ability, where it kill an opponent’s creature when attacking. Nice critter on UB if played with a proper support.
Rotting Giant: 3/3 for 2 cmc. His beating power is insane for black matters, and his backdrop is really easy to deal with. Aggro material.
Sangrophage: Carnophage big brother. as Rotting Giant 3/3 for 2 cmc, and as his brother, he pings your life to keep beating, but as mentioned before, his backdrop is overlaped by his raw power. Mostly used on Sui decks.
Stillmoon Cavalier: Awsome beater, 3 mana, 2/2, pro black and white, can evade, pump and gain first strike, if it could come earlier than lords, it'd be even better.
Shambling Remains: 4/3 with unearth build in for 3 cmc, sign me in. Staple on Unearth Zombies, and should on everydeck splashing red that wants to aggro.
Wretched Anurid: another 3/3 for 2 cmc that pings your life. All qualities mentioned on Sangrophage works here. Sui material.
Putrid Leech: His backdrop is the need of green, but it’s a consistent 4/4 beater for 2 cmc and some ping in your life (2 life loss per activation). Sui material, but awesome beater you splash green (very unusual color for Zombie deck though)
Putrid Raptor: 4/4 for 3+discard, really huge aggro material, and can fit any deck with the intent to beat ASAP.
Soullless One: his power is equal to all zombies on grave or in play. You can imagine how big this guy gets on a zombie deck. Despite his power, the lack of evasion or trample really makes him a non-auto inclusion.
Twisted Abomination: Versatil creatures, nice Beating power, together with his regeneration, and cycling if showed on open hand, providing card advantage. It makes this threatful creature to play with in the most diverse scenarios.
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade: mono-b loves him as a beater, specially the ones full of swamps, swampcyclers and playing Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to fix mana base. It's slow, but gets really big on dedicated decks, and the regeneration makes it even more useful on mid-late beating. Advice: Dark Ritual is not good with this card, Heir needs swamps to show it’s power.
Infectious Horror: mostly a multiplayer card. It's a 4cmc card 2/2, but on every attack it deals 2 damage to every opponent. Trick card, but only shines on Multiplayer games.
DISCARD OUTLETS: Cards the lets you discard cards from your hand to archieve some deck strategy.
Putrid Imp: i guess all you guys know this putrid zombie. He is just the fastest discard outlet on magic, letting you discard all your hand with just: mana, imp, discard everything else. After some discards he also gets useful on beating since he has evasion (flying) and gets pumped.
Skirk Ridge Exhumer: some people like him as a discard outlet. Its not that great on discard compared to some other zombies because: depends on mana, and let you discard just one card at once, since tapping is involved. But at every activation, you get a Festering Goblin into play, with helps to improve removal in a proper deck.
Rotting Rats: not that strong as a discard outlet because will only provide 1 discard per cip (comes into play), but the replayability of this card is something to be explored.
Zombie Infestation: another very good discard outlet. On discarding decks, putting 2/2 into play to beat or chomp block while you keep your strategy rolling is something really cool. Almost an auto-include for discard based decks.
SACRIFICE OUTLETS: Cards that allows you sacrifice creatures and get some advantage from it in some form.
Carrion Feeder: the fastest permanent sacrifice outlet known on magic, and besides that, every creature that he sacs, pumps him permanently, so he gets bigger as other creatures from your side get dying (you can activate him every time a creature on your side is about to die). It becomes a beater late game sometimes.
Nantuko Husk: another card that can be used to sac other creatures, but his pump is just 'til EOT, although it’s a +2/+2 pump, so he can easily become a finisher in certain decks.
CYCLERS: Cycles are cards that can be used at a cheaper cost to archieve some other purpose than casting the creature itself. Provides card advantage.
Viscera Dragger: helps on filtering, also can be used from grave at cheaper cost.
Twisted Abomination: swampcycling, mana ramp, helps on improving your mana base to cast big stuff, also a nice beater, as above mentioned.
Gempalm Polluter: "burn" card. Not just replace itself giving you a card, as it reduces your opponent life equal to the number of zombies into play...one of the best zombies around but just for cycling.
Jhessian Zombies: fetch islands and swamps, key card when you're playing with a U splash and need to fecth a land and have a later beater.
GRAVE DEALERS: Cards that deals with YOUR and/or FOE's graveyard for different purposes.
Entrails Feaster: good beating card vs aggro decks. Every creature killed by you becomes fodder to increase the beating of this card. Also it screws up foe's strategy relying onto reviving creatures from grave. REALLLY fast and threatful.
Zombie Cannibal: no evasion and small beating, but its a fast card (1cmc) and can screw any strategy involving grave, such as dredge or bridge buildings, or even removing creatures as Ichorid.
Withered Wretch: solid creature, completely focused on screwing grave decks. His advantage is being able to remove multiples in a 2/2 body for 2 cmc.
Yixlid Jailer: comes into play and stops dredge, bridge, ichorid, haakon or anything that works while on grave from working. Underused, it can really wreck up many decks.
Lord of the Undead: also a Lord, so +1/+1 to every zombie. This card is the spirit of zombies, almost saying "RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE". Retrieve anything related to zombies, or removals like Nameless Inversion. I guess one of the most useful lord.
Balthor the Defiled: this card has a full deck designed for him. He is a fast manner to brings back all your zombies from your grave, if the deck is well designed can be game breaking.
Gravedigger: returns a zombie from your grave to your hand, not much used, except for specific decks like Korlash, since there are faster cards that have the same function.
Bone Dancer: steal opponent creatures that are on his graveyard, awsome if you find a way to make him pass through.
Coffin Queen: another creature stealer, at the same cmc that Bone Dancer.
Cemetery Reaper: not just clean opponent graveyard from creatures, but also provides creature advantage to it's controller, giving a 3/3 zombie token, everytime he activates.
Sedris, the Traitor King: this guy gives to all creatures in your grave UNEARH, it really shines when you can put beef one into it, then unearth them to beat. Not much explored 'til now, since it's cmc is kind of prohibitive.
Corpse Connoisseur: Buried Alive creature. Despite it's high cmc cost, it can provide a solid creature fetch and bury pattern, Kind of Korlash best friend.
Necromancer’s Covenant: clean up yours or opponent’s graveyard and fill up your board with an horde of lifelinker zombies. Steep mana cost, requires W and B, but if you manage to safetly reach it, it’s a game winner card.
REMOVAL CREATURES: Creatures designed to remove other creature(s).
Festering Goblin: a semi-Mogg Fanatic card. it can take down two 1/1 cards just chomping block one. With a proper sac outlet, you can manage its ability. Mostly a control material.
Plaguebearer: spot removal, 3 mana destroys a 2 cmc creature, each further 2 mana invested raises 1 cmc on destroyed creature. 2 cmc for 1/1. I've seen a bearer cast, followed by a goyf cast, then a goyf removal.
Fleshbag Marauder: Cruel Edicted creature, its nice since you can retrieve it with zombie grave dealers. Helps to deal with creatures mono-b can't target.
Gangrenous Zombies: mass removal. -1/-1 or -2/-2. Being a 3cmc and the tapping requirement slow it down, making it almost always replaced by Infest. It and also it forces you to run snow-covered swamps, but not really a concern.
Noxious Ghoul: one sided mass removal, a slow creature, but can really havoc in a proper deck. Each further zombie drop will put a -1/-1 on each non-zombie creatures.
Vengeful Pharaoh: unorthodox method to kill creatures, letting them to hit you. Nice creature for discard based decks, also it's solid when cast 5cmc, 5/4 deathtouch, this dude is born to kill.
DAMAGE PRODUCERS: zombies that can unleash direct damage to opponent/creature while not given by themselves (directly).
Pyre Zombie: a guy that can do 2 damage to opponent directly, and be taken back to be recast...annoying card.
Anathemancer: if facing non-basic lands, can unleash alot of damage into your opponent's face, a must go R splash vs non-basic lands decks.
Rakdos Guildmage: he can put alot of 2/1 haste goblins into play to take down opponent without risking itself, a guy where you can sink your late game mana.
Balduvian Dead: this one creates 3/1 graveborn with haste, but there is a need of creature on grave to waste.
Nightscape Master: shines on U/R splash builds: Can unleash 2 damage to creatures directly at a cost of RR.
Deadpult: catapult of zombies. Sacrifice zombie to generate direct damage, cool but still unexplored card, seems to provide potential.
LIFE REDUCERS: Cards that can reduce your opponents life directly.
Maggot Carrier: -1 life for each player when cip. Is it any good? Some decks really takes advantage of this life loss, like Rot decks.
Shepherd of Rot: has a deck built around him, faster you get advantage on damage table, faster you win the game. Really explosive, deals damage to all players equal to the number of zombies into play.
Gempalm Polluter: not just provides card advantage, but also reduce your opponent's life in the same amount of zombies out, really threatful on fast zombie builds.
Organ Grinder: if you find a reliable way to fill out your grave, this guy can become a real threat.
Vengeful Dead: pings when zombies go to graveyard. Still not abused, since it's a late drop to really benefit make it's ability worth it. A booken strategy is still to be found.
Lich Lord of Unx: more zombies, more damage, that's his motto. Not just produce tokens but this 2nd turn drop zombie can provide really hard hits as long it stays, and as long more zombies come into play.
Grixis Slavedriver: slow, but if able, can provide 2 tokens while a 4/4 creature itself for 6cmc.
HAND CONTROL: Creatures that mess with yours or opponents hand.
Tidehollow Sculler: Thoughtseize creature. Fast, nice body and remove specific threats from opponent hand, a must go on Panda Builds.
Grave Defiler: gives you CA, in a deck full of zombies, its not uncommon to draw you 2-3 cards on his cast.
Graveborn Muse: yeah, you all know her, it just refill your hand in no time for 1 life loss per card. Awsome creature, but needs some sort of sac outlet, or it can kill you. Control Material.
TOKEN PRODUCERS: Alot of cards that provide creature advantage through tokens. A new area being improved for zombies.
Skirk Ridge Exhumer: Festering Goblin producer. In fact you change a card in your hand for a Festering into play, there a some decks that can abuse it, like Zombie Madness.
Zombie Infestation: another discard outlet that fills the board with 2/2 Zombie Tokens, can also be abused on decks that share a simpathy for cards on grave.
Rotlung Reanimator: nice creature, but i don't know any deck that runs it effectively 'til now. His beating is inferior to many other cards, but the creature advantage it gives might be used in some devour or deadpult deck.
Lich Lord of Unx: this new UB guy, can not just create 1/1 tokens for UB, but also hit severely on opponents life. If you splash U and want a token producer, you found your guy.
Cemetery Reaper: how about screw your opponent creatures on grave, and put a 2/2 token into play, nice? What if this guy pump all the tokens it produces with +1/+1, even better? what if these pump goes to all your rotted beings, awsome? Ok, this is it, the AWSOME Zombie Lord and Token Producer.
Grixis Slavedriver: slow, but if able, can provide 2 tokens while a 4/4 creature itself for 6cmc.
Necromancer’s Covenant: WB decks required. Can produce tons of zombies if determinate graveyard is properly filled. Wincon card.
Army of the Damned: Puts 13 (thirteen) 2/2 Zombies into play!!! And better, it has flashback. It has a steep cost 8cmc, and the flashback 10 cmc, but if you’re able to play it, odds are that you’ll win the game.
[card]Endless Ranks of the Dead[/cards]: 4cmc, multiples your zombies into play to 1.5, threatful and flavorful card, if not responded, can change tides into the player ‘s favor (if he manages to keep at least 2 zombies into play).
Moan of the Unhallowed: 4cmc, puts two 2/2 zombies into play, and has flashback for 7cmc, but a not impressive card compared to other faster or more impacting token producers.
LORDS: Zombie Lords, they have abilities that deals with all zombies into play. Zombies is the tribe with the most Lords among all other tribes (5), including the popular elves and goblins (3 each)
Zombie Master: gives regeneration for all zombies and with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth gives evasion to all of them too. Versatile creature.
Death Baron: new stuff! pumps +1/+1 to all zombies, also give them deathtouch. Really great when your meta is big stuff. Not much used so far.
Undead Warchief: pumps +2/+1 each zombie and also makes all faster, many, many zombie decks runs him for the fastness and beating power that he provides.
Lord of the Undead: also a Grave Dealer. Pumps every zombies +1/+1, but its special skill is to keep bringing back wasted zombie to your hand. It provides a CA that helps alot late game steam either on combo or beating.
Cemetery Reaper: +1/+1 pump to all zombies, pack with grave hate and token producing. A really strong card, the best choice vs many MUs.
OTHER RELEVANT CARDS: other creatures or cards that still are not present on viable zombie decks, but with alot of potencial; AND support cards commonly used to back up zombies.
Nightscape Familiar: Multicolor Zombie Banneret, it's a key card on R/U builds.
Bridge from Below: just is runned on decks build around it, produces zombies as creatures get dead.
Rooftop Storm: blue card and 6cmc, but allows you to cast zombie spell for 0, yep, you can cast all zombie spells for free.
Midnight Ritual: works on decks with mana ramp. Fills the board with tons of creatures. Never saw a really working deck that runs it.
Undead Gladiator: nice beater, it costs 3 which is a little slower than other beaters, but its recursive. Guess some people should try him more.
Zombie Trailblazer: to give evasion to zombies its subpar compared to Zombie Master. But the user (Nameless One) suggested a mana denial deck based on him. Dark Ritual + Zombie Trailblazer would be really a lock down. We should build a deck around it. Any ideas and i complete this premier.
Lord of Tresserhorn: 10/4 that regenerates for 4 mana? Guess Grixis decks will run it.
Tombstone Stairwell: another card to build around it. Never saw a Zombie deck that runs it in an effective way, but heard about a combo with Vengeful Dead.
Dark Ritual: many mono-black decks have ritual to speed things up, and since zombies are mono-b (at least the majority of the lists), its a staple card.
Duress: since mono-b can't deal with Artfacts and Enchantments, taking these cards out of opponent hand before cast is essential. Thoughtseize and Distress are also played.
Night's Whisper: CA from black. Since most CA zombies are at a high cmc, fast zombie decks runs this card to fill its hand.
Sign in Blood: a better version of Whisper, since you can hit opponent for a final 2 damage.
AEther Vial: since counter decks slows you down alot, this card becomes vital, even more, because it allow you to double drop every turn.
These are the most used cards on Zombie builds, but there are alot of cards that just fits specific strategies.
PART 3. ZOMBIES ARCHETYPES
There are tons of zombies archetypes, that is what makes this tribe so fun. Here i'll list some present archetypes and samples builds to help figure it out.
ZOMBIE BRIDGE: its a recent archetype, that came with Bridge from Below release. The idea is to create a huge pumped army pretty fast and win by beating.
Strong Point: fast deck, and since you run a lord, you can manage to keep into the game without Bridge.
Weak Point: Grave hate gives you alot of dead cards, and that's not cool. Run out of steam pretty fast.
ZOMBIES OF ROT: its a suicidal deck variant, this deck takes advantage of self-pinging to unleash direct life loss to win.
Strong Point: direct damage, pretty hard to opponent avoid it.
Weak Point: you life gets down in the same rate you take his, so you always win on the red zone. So if you can't keep in front on damage race, you just loose faster than you can do something about.
ZOMBIES DEFILED: reanimation deck that runs around Balthor the Defiled.
Strong Point: Many ways to accell your mana and keep casting big stuff, Korlash keep coming back to push your mana up.
Weak Point: slow deck with alot of dead draw, usually lands. Extirpate on Korlash is also bad.
SUICIDAL ZOMBIES: pure aggro deck with the backdrop of big creature mana wise, life loss.
Strong Point: huge beating, closes game pretty fast
Weak Point: vs any deck with a high damage inflicting power, the backdrop of the cards become relevant and kills you.
LORD OF THE ZOMBIES: its a mix of aggro and control material, being able to rush or get stable to finish later.
Strong Point: Versatility, this deck really deals with alot of things, no key cards. Alot of targets to be retrieved by LotU or Grotto.
Weak Point: pretty slow, this deck can't keep up vs decks faster than this.
ZOMBIE MADNESS: many cards of this deck are not listed because its more fun than competitive deck, but its really nice to discard for Infestation and pay the madness for effects. I don't know, guess it's a deck with potencial to evolve.
Strong Points: Swarm high cards at a cheap cost
Weak Point: runs subpar cards to get the benefit of madness.
GRIXIS ZOMBIES: a very aggro/control deck that abuse damage spells while doing other things (discarding, countering, killing). The sweetest thing is the abuse of unearth which makes mass removal/creature damage trade, a minor concern vs this deck.
Strong Points: very high damaging deck, and it increases with the add of Lightning Bolt instead of Terminate.
Weak Point: get it's power lowered alot by grave hate.
ZOMBIES’ COVENANT: is a control deck, packed with mass removal, ramp, and unearth zombies, focused to hold the ground ‘til the deck is able to cast Necromancer’s Convenant, and fill the board with a horde of 2/2 lifelinker Zombies ftw.
Strong Points: works with a combo deck feeling, since once reaching covenant’s cost, graves are supposed to be filled. Also this deck can hold into the creature by themselves without covenant’s trick, which is good.
Weak Point: slow, and blank out when too many critters are exiled.
Phew, long writing, took alot of my effort, even so i guess i must be missing something, zombies is a tribe with alot of material to work with. Anyway, hope you have enjoyed this primer, and that it helps you keep your hunger for BRAINS!, i mean, to help you to build your desired Zombie deck.
Ow, and i forgot, every Zombie player, when an opponent wants to shakes his hand, he gives a dead stare and say: "BBRRAAAIIINNNSSS".
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I'd just drop Tibalt (too hard to get to 6), Infernal Plunge, and Dominus, and up Ponder and Culling Dais to 4, and put some draw like Electrolyze, Remand...
Nephalia Smuggler is another great creature for your deck.
Daring Thief + Aura of Dominion + Imaginary Pet = 3. Take control of target creature
Stealing Opponent's creatures is fun.
Back to Onslaught block, i had an Stealing Creature deck just for fun (full of crap rares), and i had alot of it.
It was kind of an illusionary deck, that had a type of changeling ability, so they could be any creature type.
Almost every time i had more creature of any type than opponent, and then i was able to cast Standardize and Peer Pressure.
Callous Oppressor + Imagecrafter as another "combo" into that deck that allowed me to steal critters.
Well, here is the deck:
21 Island
03 Riptide Laboratory
//CREATURES (20)
04 Mistform Sliver
04 Mistform Stalker
04 Mistform Warchief
04 Callous Oppressor
04 Imagecrafter
04 Peer Pressure
04 Complicate
04 Trickery Charm
02 Standardize
02 Faces of the Past
Other card that were in that deck as SB as Artificial Evolution (great to cast on tribal Lords back then)
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That is sad. I'm really sad with that answer from MaRo.
No other race runs around LD and that is a very unique trait of Dwarves.
Afraid of pushing new players away with LD is something that i don't consider reasonable.
All LD Dwarves are 4cmc, slow enough to not compromise the entire game, and still allowing this tatic to be present on Magic.
LD will never be a thing in the game (except if they do a 2cmc LD). Never was and never will, but WotC never chickened on including it, making LD a possible brand of fun, but it seems that they are chickening in the last few years.
I believe an article from Gavin Verhey from a couple of years ago translate what players think about LD:
"What I learned from this week's deck submissions is that many of you really enjoy destroying your opponents' lands. I guess it's fair: nothing is more fun than making sure your opponents can't do anything and are forced to sit there under your heel while they die to a squadron of 2/2s. Mmmm, tasty. A plate of delicious, delicious sorrow drizzled in tears and seasoned with curse words." Original Post
I think that the only care WotC should have is not printing LD on Sinkhole costs again.
There is an very old article, back on 2002, from nobody less than Randy Buehler, where he talks about LD being unfun, and about him having bad memories playing against LD. Buehler's Article
Taking a deep look into those articles you can realize that 2012 players have a different vision over LD.
I think that lands like Flagstones of Trokair, fast decks that demands 1-2 lands, blue counter decks, all that can run over LD. Not to mention that when LD got the most love from WotC, no deck under that strategy reached World Champs, dominated by Psychatog and U/G Madness.
If LD was so dominating, so unfun, impossible to be runned around, the list of WC2002 would only contain LD decks, and in fact, NONE were there.
There are tons of ways to do it again: Dwarven Driller even put the LD in conditional, where opponent would prefer to take 2 dmg instead of letting his land getting destroyed. Pardic Miner needs to sac itself to block a foe from dropping a land. It's all about putting a nice backdrop on the Land Denial deck to make it balanced with all the game. Sort of like what was done in Odyssey block.
Together with that, you could just not support LD too much like done on Odissey with: Decimate, Demolish, Earth Rift, Lava Blister, Rancid Earth, all together with Dwarves. Let LD Dwarves, Craterize, Desecration Plague, and Demolish on Standard and the game will do just fine.
The only 2 white characteristics that seems to fit Dwarves are high toughness and dealing with weaponry.
Moving Dwarves to white doesn't make any sense to me, and to anyone who has at least a minor knowledge of Dwarven lore.
Dwarves are grumpy, angry, ferocious, rude, unpolite, brawly, mine labors, armorsmiths, weaponsmiths, mountain dwellers.
I can take a white splash, but moving to white is nonsense. Dwarves are red by nature.
The previews work of WotC on Dwarves (Odyssey) was great, near perfect, capturing all Dwarves essence, why not take the same path again?
Shame on you Wizards. Shame on you MaRo.
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Haakon deck must be built as a regular aggro deck (some refer to it as a tempo deck, which is disagree). Target discard like Thoughtseize has the same function as in any sui or black based aggro deck, force opponent to discard some staller, or some mass removal from his hand, the usage for Haakon is a bonus. Removal is to take away blockers, (ok, duh! on this one).
The only difference from regular aggro is the usual insertion of a 3-4 permanent discard outlet like Putrid Imp, that works to beat while flying, or to trade damage with flyers. Imp/Haakon has a better role when inserted into a Zombie Deck, since Lords will pump it, whilst in a Knight deck, it won't have the pump, but it still can accomplish the early beating, and sometimes beat with evasion.
I'm not really fond to Tireless Tribe, i prefer Imp to do the job. In the end, except for Imp/Tribe, all the deck have is a regular aggro, with improving creatures beating up, and some support like Thoughtseize, Nameless Inversion to remove threats to your beating and/or blockers.
Regarding Haakon, it is not a key card, just one card that makes all others better, but still the deck is meant to work without it. So that's why there is no need to mulligan for it.
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Dark Ritual is card disadvantage since you'll use 2 cards to cast 1 spell. So, to worth it, it must give you a very good position into the board, like initiating a combo string (the most worthful usage), or casting multiple critters on T1.
But without a solid build that would assure you to have 2-3 critters castable with DR on the opening hand, or without a deck where its a key piece of a combo, it is just card disadvantage.
On tribal decks with 3cmc lords, its not worthful. To get benefit from a lord, you need other creatures to carry their bonuses, so a T1 Lord will mean no creature to benefit from it, and you'll have to cast some other creature on T2 to get the bonus, and attack with it on T3 (T3 - 1 creature with bonus attacking). Now, if you don't use DR, and think about a Lord on T3, with a cast of a creature on T1 and T2, both will use the bonus on T3 (T3 - 2 creature with bonus attacking). So a T3 attack casting a Lord on T3 will have more benefits than casting a lord on T1. In the worst scenario with a Lord on T3, casting a single creature in the first 2 turns, would make it even with a T1 lord cast with DR. Even so, in the T1 DRitual scene, you would be losing one more card (DR) for the same effect that a T3 lord with only one creature cast on the first 2 turns.
Another situation a could point is casting a critter with DR into the board (2 cards), that once cast, it recieves a removal or burn (1 card) and die, the called "2×1 effect" (it also happens with most enchantments). It just worth the risk if its a tide changing creature like Emrakul or something like that, that would win the game for you.
In other words, DR is indeed a great card, but its cast must be relevant into the deck strategy, it must secure you a solid position into your goal to worth. As an example i'll use a discard deck that uses The Rack as wincon. A first turn DR into Duress and Hymn to Tourach or Ravenous Rats will mean that i'll waste 3 cards just to force opponent to discard 2 cards. A card disadvantage right? Right, but the deck's goal is to force opponent to have 0 cards in his hand the faster i can, so multiple Racks will slowly kill him while i just have to keep the board secure with removal or stallers. In this case, a T1 DR is part of the deck core strategy, so the card disadvantage it provides is benefic, since it helps the secure a good board position for its strategy.
In conclusion, not every black deck supports DR.
Hope i've been able to help clarify DR usage.
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here is the link
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On the Golgari standards, trying to stick with the Ravnica Golgari cards, i'd go with the creature control strategy provided by Savra, the former guild leader
10 Forest
07 Swamp
04 Golgari Rot Farm
03 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
04 Elves of Deep Shadow
04 Golgari Thug
04 Shambling Shell
04 Grave-Shell Scarab
03 Thoughtpicker Witch
03 Savra, Queen of the Golgari
04 Last Gasp
04 Putrefy
03 Moldervine Cloak
03 Vigor Mortis
First, Dredge is all about getting whatever you want from your grave, so filling the grave dredging is equal to drawing tons of cards.
With Savra out, auto-sac creatures like Shell or Scarab, that can trigger Savra, and return to your hand through dredge, are what you most wanto to have.
To keep Savra into play and rolling, Thug and Vigor Mortis are put into the deck; also sac outlets like Witch, help us avoid "exile" effects, saccing the exile spell's target, in response to its cast.
As an easy presumption, grave hate would ruin our day, so Thoughtpick is there to help avoid that kind of trouble (or to remove bombs from opponent). Witch is also a sac outlet, and based on the aforementioned arguments, i find it better than Rusalka, but there is no oppose on using it.
Brain Pry (Duress effects), also helps on avoiding grave hate, maybe would be likely to put a set into the deck, instead of so much removal (i'd put it into the last gasp place)
On removal subject, you might consider Darkblast, if troublesome */1 creatures are into your meta (i believe Izzet don't play those).
Finally:
Life from the Loam + Dark Heart interaction has nothing to do with the deck strategy, so if you need life to survive Burn from Izzet, use Golgari Brownscale, lifegain + dredge + beater on a stick, as additional force to Savra lifegain.
Bloodbond March is non-sense either because you'll be not forcing dredge (filling your grave for multiple answers) but returning 1-2 cards to play directly.
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"aah, there is no use go run and hide
you can't escape this sea of sunken eyes"
Phantom Planet - Living Dead
THE BRAIN EATERS
This is a thread focused to dissect every reliable way to needlework zombie cards, analyzing card per card 'til the last blood drop from their corpse.
Zombies are undead creatures living to feed their hunger for flesh meet (specially brains). They differ from other undead beings on speed (generally slower) and intelligence (they’re generally mindless, with a few exceptions). The lack of intelligence has a positive factor, they face no moral debate, have no ego to feed, nourish no survival instinct.
Zombies are usually portrayed as graveyard dwellers, so despite not been fully the truth, this reflects on game mechanics, since it's where relies their major ability, mess with graveyard, and this ability, added to the ability to generate tokens from a low cost, are the best feature of this tribe.
As general approach, power/toughness of zombies are not favorable, except for suicidal cards, where must pay a tax (life) to play with pumped critters. That said, and like aforementioned, aggroing is not the best feature of this tribe, but taking advantage of their ability to rise from their grave, and to multiply very easily (tokens)
The biggest threat this tribe can face is grave hate: Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt, Leyline of the Void, Extirpate, these cards can shut us down badly in most builds, and these are the cards that Zombies should fear if they had any trace of feelings or smartness, so we, as their wise masters, must have for them. For countermeasures, targeted discard is the best shot on mono-black.
So protect against hate, and due the diversity of zombie abilities, this is a tribe that can generate tons of different and fun decks, relying on almost all strategies Magic can provide (discard, combo, agro, control, agro/control, ramp, reanimation…) leading to a vast number of archetypes.
But before exploring the archetypes mentioned, let’s gain knowledge of zombie cards and their function, so it makes easier to create your own building. Cards will be divided by: Lands, Beaters, Discard Outlets, Sacrifice Outlets, Cyclers, Grave Dealers, Removal Creatures, Life Reducers, Hand Control, Lords, Other Creatures and Support cards. BBRRAAIINNNSS!
LANDS: here will be described all common lands used to help zombies to achieve their diverse goals.
Unholy Grotto: the main Zombie land, plays around the central ability of the tribe, retrieving creatures back to player hand.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth: has a special use to fix mana, and to give swampwalk to all zombies once packed up with Zombie Master.
Wasteland: mana denial. Since most zombie decks are mono color, it can screw any dual/tri-color decks, without compromising the deck’s mana base. Another common usage is to kill manlands.
Mutavault: Manland .favors agro, and can be used to work with other tribal cards. Can also help to keep the steam of the deck after a mass removal.
Polluted Mire/Barren Moor: cycle land, gives deck thinning and card advantage.
Crumbling Necropolis: Mana Fix on U/R/B, a slow one compared to fetchs, and also comes into play tapped, but it's really nice for guys on budget and for non-explosive decks.
Grixis Panorama: Land fetch, the nice point is, it don't come down tapped, and the downside of it is that it doesn't fix right away, needing tap one other land and itself to fetch what you need. Again, a land that is better than Terramorphic Expanse to fix your mana, as long it doesn't slow you down.
Ancient Ziggurat: Mana Fix, nice for Tribal decks that differs from mono color.
Bloodstained Mire: Land Fetch, used to make your deck thinner, raising the chance to finds basic dual lands to fix mana colors.
Carnophage: raw power, 2/2 for 1cmc, this is a card meant to attack 'til his death. It's runned like 1 drops of WW decks, going full power all the way. His backdrop usually is overlaped by its inflicted damage. Most used on Suicidal decks.
Sarcomancy: despite not a zombie on itself for Tribal purposes, it's overused like his zombie counterpart, Carnophage. Raw parts of 2/2 for 1 cmc, with a small backdrop, most used on suicidal decks.
Diergraf Ghoul: raw power, 2/2 for 1cmc, with a non-meaningful drawback, coming into play tapped.
Dreadwing: Flying and beating for 4 in a 1 cmc creature, really nice. Since most Zombie decks are mono-b, it's not used, but some multicolored builds runs him as a real threat.
Grixis Grimblade: awsome beater on multicolored builds, since in that kind of deck this is most times 3/2 deathtouch beater for 2cmc. But just stick with it if you assure that you'll drop multicolored permanents often.
Zombie Outlander: 2cmc 2/2 protection from green. No good when not facing green, but vs it, it really shine getting evasion and becoming a huge wall. SB material mostly.
Dauthi Ghoul: 1/1 for 2cmc, not big deal, but evasion is his power, usually backed up for a bunch of Lords, making him a killing machine. Aggro version just love him.
Blind Creeper: 3/3 beater for 2 cmc, but many times turns into a 2/2 or 1/1 which is kind of bad for aggro power. Anyway, it's a nice choice for aggro beating.
Dregscape Zombie: 2/1 for 2 cmc. reasonable beating, but he shines since he beats until he dies, then come for one last beating just for B. Cool aggro material.
Skaab Ruinator: 3cmc 5/6. It’s off main color, and have a big issue on sacrificing 3 critters to come into play (usually played on token decks). It has evasion (flying) and can be cast from grave, which makes him a permanent threat.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born: 5cmc 5/5, comes into play tapped, and needs to sac a creature to untap, but gets +1/+1 pump on the process. Has a sort of Anihilator ability, where it kill an opponent’s creature when attacking. Nice critter on UB if played with a proper support.
Rotting Giant: 3/3 for 2 cmc. His beating power is insane for black matters, and his backdrop is really easy to deal with. Aggro material.
Sangrophage: Carnophage big brother. as Rotting Giant 3/3 for 2 cmc, and as his brother, he pings your life to keep beating, but as mentioned before, his backdrop is overlaped by his raw power. Mostly used on Sui decks.
Stromgald Crusader: 2/1 for 2cmc, plus Protection from White, Evasion (flying) and pumpable. Great card for aggro decks, a monster on itself, dodges Swords to Plowshares, Vindicate, Path to Exile, and has a special role vs white decks.
Stillmoon Cavalier: Awsome beater, 3 mana, 2/2, pro black and white, can evade, pump and gain first strike, if it could come earlier than lords, it'd be even better.
Shambling Remains: 4/3 with unearth build in for 3 cmc, sign me in. Staple on Unearth Zombies, and should on everydeck splashing red that wants to aggro.
Wretched Anurid: another 3/3 for 2 cmc that pings your life. All qualities mentioned on Sangrophage works here. Sui material.
Putrid Leech: His backdrop is the need of green, but it’s a consistent 4/4 beater for 2 cmc and some ping in your life (2 life loss per activation). Sui material, but awesome beater you splash green (very unusual color for Zombie deck though)
Putrid Raptor: 4/4 for 3+discard, really huge aggro material, and can fit any deck with the intent to beat ASAP.
Soullless One: his power is equal to all zombies on grave or in play. You can imagine how big this guy gets on a zombie deck. Despite his power, the lack of evasion or trample really makes him a non-auto inclusion.
Twisted Abomination: Versatil creatures, nice Beating power, together with his regeneration, and cycling if showed on open hand, providing card advantage. It makes this threatful creature to play with in the most diverse scenarios.
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade: mono-b loves him as a beater, specially the ones full of swamps, swampcyclers and playing Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to fix mana base. It's slow, but gets really big on dedicated decks, and the regeneration makes it even more useful on mid-late beating. Advice: Dark Ritual is not good with this card, Heir needs swamps to show it’s power.
Infectious Horror: mostly a multiplayer card. It's a 4cmc card 2/2, but on every attack it deals 2 damage to every opponent. Trick card, but only shines on Multiplayer games.
Putrid Imp: i guess all you guys know this putrid zombie. He is just the fastest discard outlet on magic, letting you discard all your hand with just: mana, imp, discard everything else. After some discards he also gets useful on beating since he has evasion (flying) and gets pumped.
Skirk Ridge Exhumer: some people like him as a discard outlet. Its not that great on discard compared to some other zombies because: depends on mana, and let you discard just one card at once, since tapping is involved. But at every activation, you get a Festering Goblin into play, with helps to improve removal in a proper deck.
Rotting Rats: not that strong as a discard outlet because will only provide 1 discard per cip (comes into play), but the replayability of this card is something to be explored.
Zombie Infestation: another very good discard outlet. On discarding decks, putting 2/2 into play to beat or chomp block while you keep your strategy rolling is something really cool. Almost an auto-include for discard based decks.
Carrion Feeder: the fastest permanent sacrifice outlet known on magic, and besides that, every creature that he sacs, pumps him permanently, so he gets bigger as other creatures from your side get dying (you can activate him every time a creature on your side is about to die). It becomes a beater late game sometimes.
Nantuko Husk: another card that can be used to sac other creatures, but his pump is just 'til EOT, although it’s a +2/+2 pump, so he can easily become a finisher in certain decks.
Phyrexian Ghoul: strickly a Husk twin brother.
Viscera Dragger: helps on filtering, also can be used from grave at cheaper cost.
Twisted Abomination: swampcycling, mana ramp, helps on improving your mana base to cast big stuff, also a nice beater, as above mentioned.
Gempalm Polluter: "burn" card. Not just replace itself giving you a card, as it reduces your opponent life equal to the number of zombies into play...one of the best zombies around but just for cycling.
Jhessian Zombies: fetch islands and swamps, key card when you're playing with a U splash and need to fecth a land and have a later beater.
Entrails Feaster: good beating card vs aggro decks. Every creature killed by you becomes fodder to increase the beating of this card. Also it screws up foe's strategy relying onto reviving creatures from grave. REALLLY fast and threatful.
Zombie Cannibal: no evasion and small beating, but its a fast card (1cmc) and can screw any strategy involving grave, such as dredge or bridge buildings, or even removing creatures as Ichorid.
Withered Wretch: solid creature, completely focused on screwing grave decks. His advantage is being able to remove multiples in a 2/2 body for 2 cmc.
Yixlid Jailer: comes into play and stops dredge, bridge, ichorid, haakon or anything that works while on grave from working. Underused, it can really wreck up many decks.
Lord of the Undead: also a Lord, so +1/+1 to every zombie. This card is the spirit of zombies, almost saying "RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE". Retrieve anything related to zombies, or removals like Nameless Inversion. I guess one of the most useful lord.
Balthor the Defiled: this card has a full deck designed for him. He is a fast manner to brings back all your zombies from your grave, if the deck is well designed can be game breaking.
Gravedigger: returns a zombie from your grave to your hand, not much used, except for specific decks like Korlash, since there are faster cards that have the same function.
Bone Dancer: steal opponent creatures that are on his graveyard, awsome if you find a way to make him pass through.
Coffin Queen: another creature stealer, at the same cmc that Bone Dancer.
Cemetery Reaper: not just clean opponent graveyard from creatures, but also provides creature advantage to it's controller, giving a 3/3 zombie token, everytime he activates.
Sedris, the Traitor King: this guy gives to all creatures in your grave UNEARH, it really shines when you can put beef one into it, then unearth them to beat. Not much explored 'til now, since it's cmc is kind of prohibitive.
Corpse Connoisseur: Buried Alive creature. Despite it's high cmc cost, it can provide a solid creature fetch and bury pattern, Kind of Korlash best friend.
Necromancer’s Covenant: clean up yours or opponent’s graveyard and fill up your board with an horde of lifelinker zombies. Steep mana cost, requires W and B, but if you manage to safetly reach it, it’s a game winner card.
Festering Goblin: a semi-Mogg Fanatic card. it can take down two 1/1 cards just chomping block one. With a proper sac outlet, you can manage its ability. Mostly a control material.
Plaguebearer: spot removal, 3 mana destroys a 2 cmc creature, each further 2 mana invested raises 1 cmc on destroyed creature. 2 cmc for 1/1. I've seen a bearer cast, followed by a goyf cast, then a goyf removal.
Fleshbag Marauder: Cruel Edicted creature, its nice since you can retrieve it with zombie grave dealers. Helps to deal with creatures mono-b can't target.
Gangrenous Zombies: mass removal. -1/-1 or -2/-2. Being a 3cmc and the tapping requirement slow it down, making it almost always replaced by Infest. It and also it forces you to run snow-covered swamps, but not really a concern.
Noxious Ghoul: one sided mass removal, a slow creature, but can really havoc in a proper deck. Each further zombie drop will put a -1/-1 on each non-zombie creatures.
Vengeful Pharaoh: unorthodox method to kill creatures, letting them to hit you. Nice creature for discard based decks, also it's solid when cast 5cmc, 5/4 deathtouch, this dude is born to kill.
Pyre Zombie: a guy that can do 2 damage to opponent directly, and be taken back to be recast...annoying card.
Anathemancer: if facing non-basic lands, can unleash alot of damage into your opponent's face, a must go R splash vs non-basic lands decks.
Rakdos Guildmage: he can put alot of 2/1 haste goblins into play to take down opponent without risking itself, a guy where you can sink your late game mana.
Balduvian Dead: this one creates 3/1 graveborn with haste, but there is a need of creature on grave to waste.
Nightscape Master: shines on U/R splash builds: Can unleash 2 damage to creatures directly at a cost of RR.
Deadpult: catapult of zombies. Sacrifice zombie to generate direct damage, cool but still unexplored card, seems to provide potential.
Maggot Carrier: -1 life for each player when cip. Is it any good? Some decks really takes advantage of this life loss, like Rot decks.
Shepherd of Rot: has a deck built around him, faster you get advantage on damage table, faster you win the game. Really explosive, deals damage to all players equal to the number of zombies into play.
Gempalm Polluter: not just provides card advantage, but also reduce your opponent's life in the same amount of zombies out, really threatful on fast zombie builds.
Organ Grinder: if you find a reliable way to fill out your grave, this guy can become a real threat.
Vengeful Dead: pings when zombies go to graveyard. Still not abused, since it's a late drop to really benefit make it's ability worth it. A booken strategy is still to be found.
Lich Lord of Unx: more zombies, more damage, that's his motto. Not just produce tokens but this 2nd turn drop zombie can provide really hard hits as long it stays, and as long more zombies come into play.
Grixis Slavedriver: slow, but if able, can provide 2 tokens while a 4/4 creature itself for 6cmc.
Tidehollow Sculler: Thoughtseize creature. Fast, nice body and remove specific threats from opponent hand, a must go on Panda Builds.
Grave Defiler: gives you CA, in a deck full of zombies, its not uncommon to draw you 2-3 cards on his cast.
Graveborn Muse: yeah, you all know her, it just refill your hand in no time for 1 life loss per card. Awsome creature, but needs some sort of sac outlet, or it can kill you. Control Material.
Skirk Ridge Exhumer: Festering Goblin producer. In fact you change a card in your hand for a Festering into play, there a some decks that can abuse it, like Zombie Madness.
Zombie Infestation: another discard outlet that fills the board with 2/2 Zombie Tokens, can also be abused on decks that share a simpathy for cards on grave.
Rotlung Reanimator: nice creature, but i don't know any deck that runs it effectively 'til now. His beating is inferior to many other cards, but the creature advantage it gives might be used in some devour or deadpult deck.
Lich Lord of Unx: this new UB guy, can not just create 1/1 tokens for UB, but also hit severely on opponents life. If you splash U and want a token producer, you found your guy.
Cemetery Reaper: how about screw your opponent creatures on grave, and put a 2/2 token into play, nice? What if this guy pump all the tokens it produces with +1/+1, even better? what if these pump goes to all your rotted beings, awsome? Ok, this is it, the AWSOME Zombie Lord and Token Producer.
Grixis Slavedriver: slow, but if able, can provide 2 tokens while a 4/4 creature itself for 6cmc.
Necromancer’s Covenant: WB decks required. Can produce tons of zombies if determinate graveyard is properly filled. Wincon card.
Army of the Damned: Puts 13 (thirteen) 2/2 Zombies into play!!! And better, it has flashback. It has a steep cost 8cmc, and the flashback 10 cmc, but if you’re able to play it, odds are that you’ll win the game.
[card]Endless Ranks of the Dead[/cards]: 4cmc, multiples your zombies into play to 1.5, threatful and flavorful card, if not responded, can change tides into the player ‘s favor (if he manages to keep at least 2 zombies into play).
Moan of the Unhallowed: 4cmc, puts two 2/2 zombies into play, and has flashback for 7cmc, but a not impressive card compared to other faster or more impacting token producers.
Zombie Master: gives regeneration for all zombies and with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth gives evasion to all of them too. Versatile creature.
Death Baron: new stuff! pumps +1/+1 to all zombies, also give them deathtouch. Really great when your meta is big stuff. Not much used so far.
Undead Warchief: pumps +2/+1 each zombie and also makes all faster, many, many zombie decks runs him for the fastness and beating power that he provides.
Lord of the Undead: also a Grave Dealer. Pumps every zombies +1/+1, but its special skill is to keep bringing back wasted zombie to your hand. It provides a CA that helps alot late game steam either on combo or beating.
Cemetery Reaper: +1/+1 pump to all zombies, pack with grave hate and token producing. A really strong card, the best choice vs many MUs.
Nightscape Familiar: Multicolor Zombie Banneret, it's a key card on R/U builds.
Bridge from Below: just is runned on decks build around it, produces zombies as creatures get dead.
Rooftop Storm: blue card and 6cmc, but allows you to cast zombie spell for 0, yep, you can cast all zombie spells for free.
Midnight Ritual: works on decks with mana ramp. Fills the board with tons of creatures. Never saw a really working deck that runs it.
Undead Gladiator: nice beater, it costs 3 which is a little slower than other beaters, but its recursive. Guess some people should try him more.
Zombie Trailblazer: to give evasion to zombies its subpar compared to Zombie Master. But the user (Nameless One) suggested a mana denial deck based on him. Dark Ritual + Zombie Trailblazer would be really a lock down. We should build a deck around it. Any ideas and i complete this premier.
Lord of Tresserhorn: 10/4 that regenerates for 4 mana? Guess Grixis decks will run it.
Tombstone Stairwell: another card to build around it. Never saw a Zombie deck that runs it in an effective way, but heard about a combo with Vengeful Dead.
Dark Ritual: many mono-black decks have ritual to speed things up, and since zombies are mono-b (at least the majority of the lists), its a staple card.
Duress: since mono-b can't deal with Artfacts and Enchantments, taking these cards out of opponent hand before cast is essential. Thoughtseize and Distress are also played.
Night's Whisper: CA from black. Since most CA zombies are at a high cmc, fast zombie decks runs this card to fill its hand.
Sign in Blood: a better version of Whisper, since you can hit opponent for a final 2 damage.
Removal: Doom Blade, Smother, Snuff Out, Nameless Inversion, Infest, Damnation are all non-zombie cards that are run to kill.
AEther Vial: since counter decks slows you down alot, this card becomes vital, even more, because it allow you to double drop every turn.
These are the most used cards on Zombie builds, but there are alot of cards that just fits specific strategies.
There are tons of zombies archetypes, that is what makes this tribe so fun. Here i'll list some present archetypes and samples builds to help figure it out.
ZOMBIE BRIDGE: its a recent archetype, that came with Bridge from Below release. The idea is to create a huge pumped army pretty fast and win by beating.
04 Bloodstained Mire
04 Blood Crypt
10 Swamp
// CREATURES (20)
04 Putrid Imp
04 Carrion Feeder
04 Festering Goblin
04 Gempalm Polluter
04 Undead Warchief
04 Dark Ritual
04 Cabal Therapy
04 Zombie Infestation
04 Bridge from Below
04 Dread Return
02 Anger
Strong Point: fast deck, and since you run a lord, you can manage to keep into the game without Bridge.
Weak Point: Grave hate gives you alot of dead cards, and that's not cool. Run out of steam pretty fast.
ZOMBIES OF ROT: its a suicidal deck variant, this deck takes advantage of self-pinging to unleash direct life loss to win.
03 Unholy Grotto
01 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
04 Barren Moor
12 Swamp
// CREATURES (20)
04 Carnophage
04 Sarcomancy
04 Maggot Carrier
04 Shepherd of Rot
04 Gempalm Polluter
04 Dark Ritual
04 Duress
04 Night's Whisper
04 Terror
02 Kaervek's Spite
02 Consume Spirit
Strong Point: direct damage, pretty hard to opponent avoid it.
Weak Point: you life gets down in the same rate you take his, so you always win on the red zone. So if you can't keep in front on damage race, you just loose faster than you can do something about.
ZOMBIES DEFILED: reanimation deck that runs around Balthor the Defiled.
04 Barren Moor
02 Unholy Grotto
01 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
13 Swamp
04 Putrid Imp
04 Twisted Abomination
04 Noxious Ghoul
04 Undead Warchief
04 Balthor the Defiled
04 Duress
04 Exhume
04 Zombie Infestation
04 Buried Alive
04 Ghastly Demise
Strong Point: can bring alot of big stuff to the game very fast.
Weak Point: too much grave dependent, so grave hate is just a gg.
HEIR OF ZOMBIES: a.k.a Korlash Control. Its a deck that forces to beat with Korlash while ramping mana and controlling board.
01 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
03 Unholy Grotto
04 Barren Moor
14 Swamp
// CREATURES (24)
03 Carrion Feeder
04 Gravedigger
04 Twisted Abomination
04 Lord of the Undead
04 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
03 Zombie Trailblazer
02 Fleshbag Marauder
04 Duress
04 Nameless Inversion
03 Buried Alive
03 Corrupt
Strong Point: Many ways to accell your mana and keep casting big stuff, Korlash keep coming back to push your mana up.
Weak Point: slow deck with alot of dead draw, usually lands. Extirpate on Korlash is also bad.
SUICIDAL ZOMBIES: pure aggro deck with the backdrop of big creature mana wise, life loss.
04 Bloodstained Mire
04 Mutavault
03 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
10 Swamp
04 Carnophage
04 Sarcomancy
04 Wretched Anurid
04 Rotting Giant
04 Gempalm Polluter
03 Zombie Master
04 Dark Ritual
04 AEther Vial
04 Snuff Out
04 Sign in Blood
Strong Point: huge beating, closes game pretty fast
Weak Point: vs any deck with a high damage inflicting power, the backdrop of the cards become relevant and kills you.
LORD OF THE ZOMBIES: its a mix of aggro and control material, being able to rush or get stable to finish later.
02 Unholy Grotto
01 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
19 Swamp
// CREATURES (30)
04 Carrion Feeder
04 Festering Goblin
04 Stromgald Crusader
04 Lord of the Undead
04 Undead Warchief
03 Gempalm Polluter
03 Zombie Master
03 Grave Defiler
01 Fleshbag Marauder
04 Duress
04 Nameless Inversion
Strong Point: Versatility, this deck really deals with alot of things, no key cards. Alot of targets to be retrieved by LotU or Grotto.
Weak Point: pretty slow, this deck can't keep up vs decks faster than this.
ZOMBIE MADNESS: many cards of this deck are not listed because its more fun than competitive deck, but its really nice to discard for Infestation and pay the madness for effects. I don't know, guess it's a deck with potencial to evolve.
03 Unholy Grotto
02 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
15 Swamps
// CREATURES (20)
04 Putrid Imp
04 Carrion Feeder
04 Skirk Ridge Exhumer
04 Grave Scrabbler
04 Brain Gorgers
04 Dark Withering
04 Psychotic Episode
04 Call to the Netherworld
04 Dark Ritual
04 Zombie Infestation
Strong Points: Swarm high cards at a cheap cost
Weak Point: runs subpar cards to get the benefit of madness.
GRIXIS ZOMBIES: a very aggro/control deck that abuse damage spells while doing other things (discarding, countering, killing). The sweetest thing is the abuse of unearth which makes mass removal/creature damage trade, a minor concern vs this deck.
04 Crumbling Necropolis
04 Grixis Panorama
01 Island
04 Mountain
07 Swamp
01 Anathemancer
03 Dreadwing
04 Dregscape Zombie
04 Rotting Rats
04 Shambling Remains
04 Death Baron
04 Viscera Dragger
04 Countersquall
04 Terminate
04 Blightning
04 Grixis Charm
Strong Points: very high damaging deck, and it increases with the add of Lightning Bolt instead of Terminate.
Weak Point: get it's power lowered alot by grave hate.
ZOMBIES’ COVENANT: is a control deck, packed with mass removal, ramp, and unearth zombies, focused to hold the ground ‘til the deck is able to cast Necromancer’s Convenant, and fill the board with a horde of 2/2 lifelinker Zombies ftw.
04 Arcane Sanctum
04 Esper Panorama
06 Plains
10 Swamp
04 Dregscape Zombie
04 Tidehollow Sculler
04 Death Baron
04 Viscera Dragger
04 Grixis Slavedriver
04 Executioner's Capsule
04 Obelisk of Esper
04 Zealous Persecution
04 Necromancer's Covenant
Strong Points: works with a combo deck feeling, since once reaching covenant’s cost, graves are supposed to be filled. Also this deck can hold into the creature by themselves without covenant’s trick, which is good.
Weak Point: slow, and blank out when too many critters are exiled.
Phew, long writing, took alot of my effort, even so i guess i must be missing something, zombies is a tribe with alot of material to work with. Anyway, hope you have enjoyed this primer, and that it helps you keep your hunger for BRAINS!, i mean, to help you to build your desired Zombie deck.
Ow, and i forgot, every Zombie player, when an opponent wants to shakes his hand, he gives a dead stare and say: "BBRRAAAIIINNNSSS".