Hello everybody! As you probably know by now, Amonkhet has released some spicy, juicy, ravaging zombies on us. I don't know about you, but I simply cannot wait to test out this tribe in standard. I would like to mention that if you like this deck and/or have some questions or suggestions, please give me a +1 upvote and leave a comment. If we get noticed, hopefully we can get a nice discussion going and bring this deck to light as a potential t1 for upcoming standard season. Otherwise, Please sit back, relax, and enjoy my version of Orzhov zombies!!!
CREATURES:Our creature package is stacked with low-cost zombies with the ability to be recurred. Our mana curve stops at 3 so we can be extremely explosive as well as take a midrange approach, build a board, and then overwhelm our opponent.
Relentless Dead is just an instant 4-of in any zombie deck. It does SO SO SO much for two mana. It can recur itself for a measly 1 mana and even bring a friend!!!
Cryptbreaker is such a grindy zombie. This card will feel like an engine in your deck. It can create more zombies to attack with or chump, draw you cards, and put zombies in your graveyard for your Diregraf Colossus
Dread Wanderer Time will tell if this zombie Jackal will pull its weight in zombies. I think that the ability to put on pressure early, and then recur him in the late-game when you have your lords in play will be very exciting. For these reasons, we will give him a chance to be worthy for the god- pharaoh.
Plague Belcher is another new addition from Amonkhet. 5/4 menace for 3? sold. And all I have to do is sacrifice another zombie? That is laughable. Seriously though. This guy gets pumped by our lords AANNNDDDD also pings our opponent every time a zombie of ours dies. I have no doubts in my mind that this card will perform well.
Diregraf Colossus This is our second big zombie beater in this deck. He enters with a bunch of +1+1's because we are all zombies, then he makes every zombie spell a 2-for-1. Thank you zombie gods for this fellow.
Wayward Servant This card is really exciting. I hope to drop him turn 2 and drain my opponent just by playing the game. It gets Absurd when you pair it with Diregraf Colossus and you are draining for 2 everytime you play a creature. I love this guy.
Lord of the Accursed is an absolute monster in our deck. He pumps the team which makes him an instant 4-of. Wait. There is more card text? Ohhhhh. He can also give our entire hoard menace? Lol. Okay.
Scrapheap Scrounger is the only off theme card in the deck. I know.... it's sad. It is really powerful though because it can create gas in the late game which we can translate to "reach".
PLANESWALKERLiliana, the Last Hope I have decided to add a single copy of Liliana because if you can protect her behind a zombie hoard, she will be very easy to ultimate, or at worst, will distract your opponent into attacking her while you use her -1 to bring back your zombies that are not so easy to recur.
SPELLS:Since we are a creature-based deck, we don't have a ton of spells. However, we saved enough slots to get some of the best removal standard has to offer.
Fatal Push I don't need to justify why I am running 4 of these, But I will. They kill Heart of Kiran, which is our biggest weakness. It gives us so much tempo for 1 mana. Revolt is surprisingly easy to trigger in our deck.
Relentless Dead is a bulk rare normally that becomes a absolute devastator in this deck. At worst, you cast it where x is 0 and still be able to pick off a sizeable creature. At best, you can use it as a mana sink to fill your board with more zombies and pick off a big creature. Lastly, an important interaction, the zombies enter before it tally's up your zombie count, so you can cast it for more mana to kill a bigger creature.
Grasp of Darkness is a very efficient removal spell, it hits most things in our format. I started with 4 copies in the sideboard, but I feel that against opponents that run fliers or specifically Heart of Kiran, It was worth running two of them in the mainboard. We also have two copies in the sideboard in case we need to get rid of things that are resilient to Fatal Push
Our mana base is very simple. We do not run a lot of plains because our deck only has 7 cards that want white mana. Do not keep an opening hand with 2 plains. You will lose. We also run a single copy of Westvale Abbey
because it is really easy to trigger the flip and can save you if you are starting to fall behind. It comes out of nowhere and will win you the game.
Sideboard:Due to the Felidar Guardian combo being banned, we now have a much larger flex for our sideboard. Mardu Vehicles took a big hit with all of the artifact hate, so we really need to see how the format settles from the release of Amonkhet. Our sideboard is going to be built keeping in mind Heart of Kiran and planeswalkers, as well as Winding Constrictor decks.
Grasp of Darkness gets boarded in anytime we play against a Heart of Kiran deck or midrange green decks...Or if there is a flyers deck. Basically, we board this card in against foes that are resilient against Fatal Push
Dispossess is our artifact hate. (Metalwork Colossus, Heart of Kiran, Verdurous Gearhulk, Torrential Gearhulk
Anguished Unmaking is probably the best instant-speed planeswalker removal in the set. I will happily take the damage to get rid of a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar or Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Bone Picker is not a zombie, however it is really good on the draw post sideboard because your opponent will naturally sideboard in low- cost ground creatures or more removal. You can hold up mana through combat on your turn, let them use their removal on your creature, then MP2 drop bone picker for super cheap. 3/2 with evasion is nothing to ignore.
Binding Mummy... Contrary to Bone Picker, this card isn't as good on the draw. Where this card really shines is on the play when your opponent is playing a creature deck. This card offers a ton of tempo advantage for only 2 mana. However, card isn't going to do anything against spell decks or when we are on the draw, so we keep 2 in the sideboard because the tempo swing it offers is exponential. Scenario: Turn 2 on the play you play binding mummy. Your opponent plays a creature. T3 you play a creature, and tap your opponents creature. Now you have an attacker and just cleared their blocker. In the late game it can clear up board stalls and force bad blocks by your opponent.
Transgress the Mind Control is back, and it needs to be kept in check. Firing one of these off on turn 2 will give you perfect information about the upcoming turns, and can even hit a gearhulk or vital draw spell that your opponent needs.
So that is our deck!!!!Please comment with questions or suggestions! If you like the deck, please give me the +1 and i'll see you in the top 8 of our next GP! Thank you!
