I am not very good at write ups, but I am going to give it my best go here.
To start I have been playing Mono-B zombies since Innastrad, in both multiplayer and one-v-one formats. I have always loved these rotten fiends and the shenanigans these guys get up to. Recently I decided to buy into rainbow lands because I want to play magic at a higher level. So I decided to try to throw a multi-color zombie deck together. Though I am not completely familiar with the modern format, I think I have put together a decent and fun tribal zombie deck.
Through cuts I settled on A Sultai Aggro version of zombies. I personally prefer Aggro because I do not like long games that continue after the game is already won. It is just a preference. So I wanted to utilize some of the most aggressive zombies that the tribe has access to.
I am going to go through all the Zombie choices one by one. It was really hard to make cuts, and more cuts are likely in the future.
Skaab Ruinator This is one of your finishers. It is a huge body, and because it only costs three mana it is an Unearth target. The drawback of casting Ruinator is really big for a tribe that usually cares what it has in its graveyard. So the goal is not to cast it, rather put it into play with either Aether Vial or Unearth. With a bit of luck it is possible to get one of these guys out on turn to. A 5/6 with flying is nothing to sneeze at.
Diregraf Colossus This was a tough call and the only reason it made it is because it is an amazing value engine. Although A lot of its power is cut off by Aether Vial not casting, it can create out of control board states quickly. In theory the longer the game goes the tougher this guy gets. And it can get pretty crazy if you manage to get a Carrion Feeder and Gravecrawler.
Prized Amalgam This card is a big part of why I went into blue instead of red. You never really want to cast this card, rather get it into the graveyard as quick as you can. Between Unearth, gravecrawler, and in a pinch casting Skaab Ruinator out of the graveyard. This card tends to be a dead card in hand without access to a discard outlet so you have to be careful with your mulligans.
Lotleth Troll This card is an enabler with a decent upside. You can always toss Gravecrawler and Prized Amalgam to this card to increase the speed which you get you zombies onto the field. In the right situations it would be right to toss a Skaab Ruinator or Diregraf Collosus as well. Though that is a call that has to be made depending on what your matchup is. With regeneration Lotleth troll also makes a decent blocker in a pinch.
Soul Diviner This card is probably the most interesting choice that I had to make. Zombie's have a lot of different ways to get cards. And the card that can be taken advantage of the most Undead Augur is a viable choice for this slot. There are several reasons why Soul Diviner beat out Undead Augur for this slot.
- First would be its body. Though it is still within range of bolt, it gets one extra defense which is a big deal for me.
- Second is the downside of Undead Augur. This card can hurt a lot and puts you on a time limit when you start using it. And without good access to life gain Undead Augur becomes more of a liability then an advantage. Soul Diviner may only draw you one card per turn, but that is a card that you do not get hurt for.
- Third is because it interacts with AEther Vial. Being able to drop down AEther from 3 to 2 in a pinch is just awesome. It gives this deck much more flexibility than it would have otherwise.
Bonus in a pinch it interacts with Lotleth Troll, Diregraf Colossus, and Carrion Feeder
Carrion Feeder For people who play zombies this is a familiar card, it is an amazing enabler as well as being able to become a threat quickly.
Gravecrawler This has been a staple for zombies since it has been printed. It has synergies with a large portion of its tribe. Gravecrawler is an auto add for any zombie deck.
Stitcher's Supplier When I was first making this deck I was leaning more toward dredge. In the end that ended up feeling a little forced to me. There may be a line of play there but it seems like it will always end up a worse than dredge deck. I left the Stitchers Suppliers in because with luck on your side they can create some explosive opener's as well as maybe helping you late game find a card you need to come out of your graveyard.
Abrupt Decay This slot really is a preference slot and largely depends on what your meta is. Abrupt decay is a very versatile card and fits wonderfully into this deck. It can deal with this like Blood Moon and Ensnaring Bridge.
Unearth A large part of the strategy of this deck is around Unearth. It lets you get Skaab Ruinator or Diregraf Colossus out as early as turn 2. This allows you to put pressure on early while deciding how quickly and far to extend your field.
Aether Vial Creature based decks love this secret, click here to find out.
The land base is built around tribal rainbow lands with some basics to help deal with certain land destruction cards.
All and all this deck still needs to see a lot of play to find a much better balance for whatever meta it finds itself it. I do not see this being a tiered deck, but as far as zombies go it has the potential to be a powerhouse.
Sideboard is going together after further research into the format (Any suggestions are appreciated)
