[Deck] Zombies

[4eak]

So, I was listening to The Cranberries and started a list with 4 Phage the Untouchable and 4 Scathe Zombie...jk. This is a legitimate attempt to make a relevant Modern deck.

I actually think Zombies are pretty powerful in Modern. They can stack lords and they have disruption -- it seems worth trying. Black probably has the best tempo disruption in Modern (it may be the only color with reliable turn 1 disruption against almost any deck).

Here is a list (without a complete sideboard for now):

// Lands - 20
3 Swamp
1 Plains
2 Blood Crypt
2 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Mutavault

// Zombies - 20
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Adaptive Automaton
4 Lord of the Undead
4 Death Baron
4 Cemetery Reaper

// Tempo - 20
4 AEther Vial
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize

// Sideboard
SB: 4 Anathemancer
SB: ??

I've actually gone in a weird direction with the deck (I think), splashing 2 more colors. The manabase is greedy, but it runs primarily 1cc disruption and Vial, which is affordable. Splashing provides additional tempo and solid sideboard options that mono black decks can lack.

I think Anathemancer can be a pretty decent card against a lot of decks - he comes out of no where. That said, if I dropped a color, I think I'd drop red first.

Other cards I'm trying out:

Phylactery Lich
Phyrexian Crusader
Stillmoon Cavalier
Graveborn Muse
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
Undead Warchief
Dark Confidant

Some raw CA (outside of what some of the lords provide) would be nice.


peace,
4eak

[Prkchpsndwiches]

Phyrexian Crusader seems to good to keep off the main list. Pro bolt and path. First Strike and Infect! I think Automan gets the cut for it easily.
Phyrexian Arena can be some good card advantage.

You could probably cut bolt for dismember and go two colors.

[Lusian]

What about nameless inversion? Together with lord of the undead it can remove all the same creatures as bolt, but multiple times.

[TsumiBand]

No Blightning? :(

[OurSerratedDust]

It seems like you might want a few more 2-drop zombies somehow.

[4eak]

Phyrexian Crusader is okay. The pro's are amazing. He's very hard to remove. I am not a fan of running Infect creatures alongside regular creatures. It is like attacking two completely different types of wincons (poison counters totals and life totals) -- I'd rather concentrate on one or the other. I think Crusader is best in a control deck (oddly enough), where they want to ride one card to victory. Crusader has that "standalone" threat value. I wish he synergized better with the rest of the zombies (generally a good principle in constructing Tribal decks).

I completely forgot about nameless inversion. It's pretty cool. The recursion would not be common, but it is a neat feature. It isn't like Bolt in that I can't use it turn 1, it isn't as mana efficient, and it can't be thrown at my opponent's face (Cheney style). It relaxes the mana-coloring, but puts more pressure on the generic mana production of the deck. Also, I completely forgot Terminate - that card seems pretty amazing.

I am not in love with Blightning. You really want discard as early as possible. Turn 3 can be pretty late. At 3cc, I prefer to be dropping Lords. It is mana efficient though. If the cards were at random or I could target the burn damage, then I'd probably think it would be worth running. Vial decks want their disruption to be very cheap, in my experience, and Blightning doesn't seem to fit.

As for more 2-drops zombies, I looked. Mostly Junk. Putrid Leech is decent, imho, but it is off color. Stromgald Crusader looks like the best available. But, it is really mana intensive and doesn't syerngize nicely with the rest. What would you take out for it?



peace,
4eak

[Mr. Safety]

You're looking at ticking up your Vials to 3 counters...that's going to take a little while. I'm glad to see Sculler in there...Castigate may be another option rather than the life-loss of Thoughtsieze. Not to mention if you exile Emmy, he ain't comin' back.

I think a blue splash makes the most sense...it gives you Lich Lord of Unx, Esper Charm for instant speed discard or draw, it gives you Ponder, and it gives you some permission availability like Mana Leak or Rune Snag. The most exciting reason for a blue splash is probably Squelch and Trickbind to use for mana-denial. Now you're essentially playing Deadguy Ale with Stifle...

Don't forget about Ghost Council of Orzhova either.

[mishrazz]

Creatures-

4 Cemetery Reaper
4 Death Baron
4 Lord of the undead
4 Undead Warchief
3 Withered Wretch
3 Stromgald Cruesader
4 Festering Goblin

Spells-

4 Aether Vial
4 Smallpox
2 Nameless Inversion
2 Sudden Spoiling
2 Tendrils of Corruption

Lands-

16 Swamp
3 Mutavault
1 Bojuka Bog

SB-

3 Duress
3 Inqisition of Kozilek
2 Damnation
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sword of war and peace
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Pithing Needle
2 Chalice of the Void

[Bignasty197]

Thoughtseize needs to be in here somewhere.

[4eak]

Zombie threads merged.

-4eak

[Kanti]

Slavering Nulls seems good. 2/1 Hypnotic Specter thats in color.

[GGoober]

Creatures-

4 Cemetery Reaper
4 Death Baron
4 Lord of the undead
4 Undead Warchief
3 Withered Wretch
3 Stromgald Cruesader
4 Festering Goblin

Spells-

4 Aether Vial
4 Smallpox
2 Nameless Inversion
2 Sudden Spoiling
2 Tendrils of Corruption

Lands-

16 Swamp
3 Mutavault
1 Bojuka Bog

SB-

3 Duress
3 Inqisition of Kozilek
2 Damnation
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sword of war and peace
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Pithing Needle
2 Chalice of the Void

This makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. My casual 28 lord Zombie deck is sitting in my casual decks,. Here's the list:

28 Lords:
4 Cemetery Reaper
4 Death Baron
4 Lord of the undead
4 Undead Warchief
4 Bad Moon
4 Door of Destinies
4 Automaton (the M12 lord ZOMGBIE!)

4 Removal:
4 Fleshbag Marauder

8 Accelerant:
4 Aether Vial
4 Dark Ritual

Lands 20
14 Swamp
3 Mutavault
3 Unholy Grotto

Not having access to Unholy Grotto/Dark Ritual will be missed. Unholy Grotto is GG with a vial@3 when you have Fleshbag out.

I think zombie has a chance to be decent as a tier 2 deck in Modern but you need to run Fleshbag and possibly Metamorphs in the MD. Vial strategy works best in the Zombie shell in Modern than anything else.

[mishrazz]

Zombie threads merged.

-4eak

Thanks!

[Pltnmngl]

Edited this for being stupid.

[Amber VII]

With the release of Innistrad, might we not have a few good zombies?

Diregraf Ghoul
Creature – Zombie
Diregraf Ghoul enters the battlefield tapped
2/2

The Ghoul reminds me of Carnophage and Sacromancy back during the Tempest-era days of Suicide Black.

I feel this card gives us the potential to be more aggressive, though not quite suicidal.

Creatures (24)

4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Putrid Leech
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Withered Wretch
2 Cemetery Reaper
4 Death Baron
4 Lord of the Undead

Spells (12)

4 Dismember
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize

Lands (23)

3 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
4 Mutavault
3 Overgrown Tomb
5 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs

This deck is basically meant to go all-in. Tidehollow Sculler is the MVP of the deck. You can't argue with Distress on legs. Beyond that I found the 2-drop zombies to be lacking. I actually splashed green for Putrid Leech, which is an undercosted beater. It does stretch the mana base a little thin. Stromglad Crusader is another option to consider, though I went with Withered Wretch due to the added utility.

Death Baron is your best friend. It allows your creatures to at worst trade with your opponents. Lord of the Undead and Cemetery Reaper come in to recover your lost creatures and exile your opponents.

[4eak]

You splashed white but you don't have Path to Exile in the list? Dismember is a great card, but it isn't even close to as good as Path to Exile. Dismember is also much weaker against Zoo (a match we should be worried about).



peace,
4eak

[Amon Amarth]

Stromgald Crusader is a decent mana sink and pro-white is relevant with PTE being the best removal spell in the format.

[metalhead]

Any consideration for yixlid jailer? Not the bombest of creatures, but fits the curve and stops punishing fire, loam, and vengivine recursion.

[Amber VII]

@ 4eak

My list is rough. Path may be the better choice, but I don't think the gap between Path and Dismember in a black deck is as wide as you think it is. When I drafted the list I wanted it to be as aggressive and suicidal as possible. So much so that I originally had Dark Confidant as well.

@ Amon Amarth

Stromgald Crusader is also the only zombie with evasion. I original had 2 but cut them for Withered Wretch and Cemetery Reaper. I guess I'm prejudice because Nantuko Shade is a better card and still doesn't see play in this format.

@ metalhead

I like Yixlid Jailer. Punishing Fires is pretty punishing against this deck. It competes with Witered Wretch for the slot.

----
Also, I can't state this enough: Tidehollow Sculler is the reason for playing this deck. Every Zombie deck should start 4 of them. This card has proven its worth time and time again.

[mishrazz]

5 Swamp
1 Plains
2 Godless Shrine
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Mutavault

// Zombies - 22
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Lord of the Undead
4 Death Baron
2 Cemetery Reaper
2 Withering Wretch
2 Stromgald Cruesader

// Tempo - 18
4 AEther Vial
4 Path to Exile
2 Nameless Inversion
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize

// Sideboard
3 Deathmark
2 Damnation
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sword of war and peace
1 Sword of Body and Mind
2 Pithing Needle
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Sudden spoiling