Noxious Ghoul

Creature — Zombie

Whenever Noxious Ghoul or another Zombie enters the battlefield, all non-Zombie creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.

Discussion (51)

Maizena on Lord of the Desert, Master of Death

1 month ago

Rooftop Storm + Gravecrawler + Grimgrin, Corpse-Born + Diregraf Captain is also an infinite combo!

I recomend runing Noxious Ghoul . It's awesome in your deck and it's very nice to cast Army of the Damned and wipe the table! lol

carpecanum on Varina, Zombie-Tribal EDH

1 month ago

Noxious Ghoul completely shuts down a lot of decks.

Steel of the Godhead would make your boss 6/6 unblockable, lifelink and you get at least one zombie attacking without fear of being blocked.

There are black and blue ninjas that might work here. You get the boss ability on attack and then if you have an unblocked zombie you can Ninjitsu for any number of effects. Zombies with an ETB can be recast then.

LadyZ on The Spicy Scarab

2 months ago

Welcome to building commander! I'd recommend 2-4 more lands for one thing. a personal favorite is Temple of Deceit , strictly better than Salt Marsh . if price isn't too much of an issue, also look at Morphic Pool

To support your zombie theme, some cards I'd look at are Endless Ranks of the Dead and Ghoulcaller Gisa to generate more tokens, Graveborn Muse and Undead Augur for card draw, and Noxious Ghoul as a potential one sided board wipe. You can also go with generic tribal stuff like Kindred Dominance

To get the most out of the activated ability on your commander, maybe look at a mill sub-theme with cards like Undead Alchemist , Lich Lord of Unx , Dread Summons , and Stitcher Geralf . You probably won't kill anyone with mill, but it will load the graves with useful cards.

There are some cards I'd look at cutting from your deck such as Phyrexian Obliterator , Quasiduplicate , Lamplighter of Selhoff , or Zombie Trailblazer .

tolsen0510 on Liliana, Heretical Healer

2 months ago

Additions to consider - Lim-Dul the Necromancer - Field of the Dead - Cemetery Reaper - Army of the Damned - Zombie Master - Dark Salvation - Noxious Ghoul - Noosegraf Mob - Risen Executioner - Corpse Connoisseur - Gempalm Polluter - Mausoleum Secrets - From Under the Floorboards - Graf Harvest - Call to the Grave - Cabal Stronghold

More Grave Recursion - Altar of Dementia - Victimize - Ghoulcaller's Chant - Rise from the Grave - Ever After

SideBae on Tymaret, the Duke of Death

4 months ago

So the first card that comes to mind is Mindslicer . In Rakdos decks, you can typically tune your 99 to make you the king of top-decks; this is part of the reason reanimating Sire Of Insanity is such a brutal play in decks like Xantcha, Sleeper Agent .

You're likely to be sacrificing a whole butt-ton of creatures. I advise ways to exploit your guys dying: Dictate of Erebos or Grave Pact come readily to mind. Skullclamp is pretty busted if you're going to be sacrificing creatures anyways, and its especially good seeing as you're running Gravecrawler already.

Zombies is one of the oldest archetypes, and thus it has access to a LOT of tribal effects. Cemetery Reaper , Death Baron , Zombie Master , Undead Warchief , Lord of the Accursed and Lord of the Undead are all good ways to pump your team and/or give them extra abilities. (Depending on the meta, you may want to run Bad Moon as well.) Call to the Grave is really good if you can tune the deck to have 2 or fewer non-zombie creatures. Dark Salvation and Liliana's Mastery are both viable cards in this deck. Graveborn Muse is another good card draw engine next to Phyrexian Arena , which I see you're already running. Unholy Grotto gives you a measure of recursion over your zombies. Noxious Ghoul also comes to mind, as does Withered Wretch as a form of one-sided graveyard hate.

One common issue I've seen in a lot of EDH decks is the prevalence of 1-for-1 instant and sorceries. In a majority of EDH games, you're going to have 2-3 opponents, rather than just one; this means you are facing roughly 2-3 times as many cards as you yourself have access to. Cards like Dreadbore and Terminate are good in 1-on-1 formats like Modern, but in EDH I have frequently found them to just not be good enough. I advise you run cards like Fire Covenant , Ashes to Ashes , Volcanic Fallout or Toxic Deluge instead. These have the potential to take out several creatures at the cost of one card, leaving you up that many cards over your opponents.

On a related note, since most games of EDH are decided by card advantage, anything you can do to draw cards will always be welcome. Ambition's Cost , Night's Whisper and the like are good ways to refill your hand. Wheel of Fortune is another good card, but it's about $100 now, so... consider carefully. Light Up the Stage is another one to consider. While Rakdos is good at topdecking, managing to draw extra cards means it is more likely to hit.

Black has access to many great tutor effects. You may want to consider running Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor if you're able to get ahold of the cards. Gamble is a good red tutor.

Looting effects tend to be very good in zombie decks, which have access to graveyard recursion. Faithless Looting is essentially card advantage in your deck, because you can discard things like Gravecrawler at no cost. Similarly, I advise running a bigger reanimation package (supplementing your Animate Dead ) to get back fatties your opponents may have killed or you may have discarded. Reanimate , and Necromancy are good cards -- if you want to get spicy, Dance of the Dead is a card most people have never played against before, mostly because it isn't nearly as good as the other three. But I figured I'd mention it. Also, a bigger reanimation package means things like Entomb or Buried Alive become exponentially better.

With regard to planeswalkers, Liliana, Death's Majesty is a good card for any zombie deck.

With regard to your lands: I don't think Blighted Fen is very good, and Temple of the False God should be replaced with Ancient Tomb if at all possible. If you want good utility lands that can kill pesky creatures, I advise Blast Zone . If you are able, I advise running Bloodstained Mire and/or the off-color fetches in order to grab your Blood Crypt or Smoldering Marsh . These fetches are in effect extra dual lands.

If you have a lot of recursion, which I see you do in things like Phyrexian Reclamation , you may have luck with pox-style cards. Pox is one of the most brutal cards to resolve in EDH, and Smallpox and Innocent Blood also can be played to great effect. Note that these get around hexproof, shroud and indestructible.

Depending on how hateful your meta is, you may want to consider some pretty mean red cards. Changing your land base slightly will give you access to Blood Moon , Magus of the Moon and Ruination , while Price of Glory will make people think twice about casting counter-magic. If your meta is as blue-heavy as mine, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast are also fine considerations. If you end up running a lot of lord effects, you may want to consider Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods , as your guys won't die if they're big enough. Possibility Storm is a good way to disrupt combo players -- I should know, as I play Storm in cEDH.

Because black has literally only one card designed to destroy artifacts ( Gate to Phyrexia ), red is a welcome addition to the team. By Force is a favorite of mine, but Shattering Spree , Vandalblast and Shatterstorm are also good ideas.

Rocks are great in EDH, especially if they're only 1 or 2 mana. I advise Talisman of Indulgence to replace Rakdos Locket and Mind Stone to replace Commander's Sphere . Coldsteel Heart is good as well, though it enters tapped, just like Charcoal Diamond and Fire Diamond . Thought Vessel is also worth considering.

Good luck with deck building!

McToters on Zomb Tribal Lich Queen

6 months ago

If you are worried about running more non-zombies (I see you have about 4 currently in the deck, but you have more in the sideboard) you may want to consider running Arcane Adaptation . Super helpful for rounding out the creature types and still allows you to run powerful cards like Grave Titan and even Wonder . I highly recommend trying to find a spot for Noxious Ghoul because from time to time he can be a real nifty board wipe especially if you drop Rooftop Storm and unload your hand.

This isn’t a budget suggestion but Dream Halls will be super helpful for the theme of this deck. Just be mindful that it affects all players, but in most scenarios you’ll probably be the only one wanting to discard. I know stuff like Ashnod's Altar and Grave Pact start to fringe on combo plays but sacrificing just seems so natural in zombie decks. grim-grin, corpse born may be a sweet add-in as a big beater (which reminds me check out my zombie deck here if interested. I’ve spent some years working on it but it may inspire you in some ways I hope! Im jealous you can add-in a little white with Varina but I just can’t seem to break away from Grim grin.

Anyway, sweet start on the deck!

drpeppercan on Scarab god

6 months ago

Some cards to consider:

• Bojuka Bog : A must include in any black commander deck.
• Boneknitter : Utility, simple as that.
• Corpse Harvester : Out with the old, in with the new... and a swamp!
• Cryptbreaker : So much value in such a small package. Token generating, card draw, good in the early and late game... what is not to love about this card!
• Death Baron : A zombie lord with some extra punch Sure he doesn't get deathtouch himself, but all those 2/2 tokens that are now 3/3 deathtouch.
• Dread Summons : Ever seen those zombie movies with that big hoard that just keeps coming... that's this card. Gives you a bunch of tokens, and recursion bait for your commander.
• Endless Ranks of the Dead : Card title kind of says it all for this one. Obviously not the best in metas with wrath effects coming down every turn, but shines like a copper penny otherwise.
• Ghoulcaller Gisa : So take one creature, throw it under the bus, and get more...
• Grave Titan : Why this thing isn't a zombie I will never know. 6/6 for 6, deathtouch, and brings two friends with it AND when it attacks.
• Graveborn Muse : Card draw based on zombies, who is also a zombie!
• Infernal Caretaker : Mass recursion, either play them out, or discard them back for more effects.
• Liliana, Death's Majesty : Just an all around strong zombie planeswalker.
• Liliana's Mastery : Zombies + an anthem that won't be a big target for removal.
• Lord of the Undead : A low to the ground zombie lord with recursion on a stick.
• Noxious Ghoul : Sweeps out low toughness cards for things you're already doing. Just great value.
• Relentless Dead : A great early drop, and late game it serves as a sac target + recursion.
• Shepherd of Rot : Yes it hits you, but this can be such a major threat.
• Undead Warchief : Cheaper zombies, and bigger zombies. All in one convenient package.
• Awaken the Erstwhile : Disruption, plain and simple. Sure it hurts your hand too, but you are the one with all the zombie based anthems.
• Victim of Night : Doomblade 2.0, but hits black creatures.
• Sidisi, Undead Vizier : You'll have so many tokens kicking around to exploit that she's just a straight tutor, and if she ever hits the graveyard just use her again with Scarab God.
• Fleshbag Marauder : Hurts them a lot more than you, and enter the battlefield abilities are great with Scarab around.
• Josu Vess, Lich Knight : Solid 4/5 Menace for 4, got the extra 6 mana though and he brings friends who also have menace.
• Wonder : Flying zombies... yep, that's scary.
• Pull from Tomorrow : Nice draw on an instant with the added benefit to pitch something for Scarab to target.
• Price of Fame : Legendary killer + Surveil 2... love it.
• Sinister Sabotage : Counterspell + Surveil... love it too.
• Paradox Haze : You've got a couple effects that trigger on upkeep, why not double up?

Some mana fixing/ramp:

• Dimir Signet
• Talisman of Dominance
• Mind Stone
• Dimir Locket

What would I take out:

• The deck currently seems to be going in two directions, you have a large zombie theme which I love, but you also have a minor mill theme which seems out of place.
• Advanced Stitchwing : Slow for what it gives, even on the bounce back it comes back tapped.
• Apprentice Necromancer : This is one I'm on the fence suggesting, it's a one use for one turn only.
• Grimgrin, Corpse-Born : This guy is beast, but he works best in a deck build around him.
• Lamplighter of Selhoff : Slow, for his effect.
• Merciless Eternal : He's not bad, just a lot better things to include in the 3 cost bracket.
• Phenax, God of Deception : Love this guy, really do, but he's out of place here because he's a mill guy who loves big butts.
• Relentless Skaabs : This guy does everything you don't want as he hurts your graveyard in order to even hit play.
• Servant of Tymaret : Slow with high cost. In order to make the best use of him you have to be attacking, and if the way isn't clear that means a 3 mana tax just for 1 life on each opponent.
• Spiteful Returned : Don't hate it, but better things out there.
• Stitchwing Skaab : Suffers from the same as Advanced Stitchwing.
• Undead Alchemist : This guy can go either way, but the way I look at him is generally people have more cards in their decks than life, so it's easier to take out their life.
• Vindictive Lich : This guy is fun, though for his cost there is a lot more out there.
• Exotic Orchard : Risky unless you know your playgroup always has one of your colors, otherwise it's just a colorless and a swamp or island would be just as good.
• Leechridden Swamp : Slows you down for a minor effect.
• Path of Ancestry : Phenax is the only other god creature, so even if you keep him in it's very slow for the benefit it probably will never get the chance to give.
• Coat of Arms : I love this card, I really do, but it's a calculated risk and I find zombies are usually too slow of it. Run up against a goblin or elf deck and this will do more for your opponent.
• Mindcrank : This is another I'm on the fence with as it pairs really well with Scarab.
• Vanquisher's Banner : Good card, though you're not casting all those tokens so you're only getting a bit of a benefit from it.
• Liliana Vess : Good card, out of place in this deck unless you are going heavier into the mill.
• Ob Nixilis Reignited : Just completely out of place for zombie tribal.
• Glimpse the Unthinkable : One of those mill cards, it suffers as a one of.
• Rise from the Grave : Expensive for effect.
• Ruthless Disposal : This isn't bad in this deck, but compared to Morbid Slip for example it lacks that added shine.
• Curse of Disturbance : So much politics, this is VERY meta dependent as to if players fall for the bait.
• Quest for the Gravelord : This can work out, but more often then not stuff isn't dying fast enough or it just gets pinged with early removal.
• Search for Azcanta  ^Flip: More at home in a non-creature strategy.
• Torment of Scarabs : Most people can play around this with not too much fuss, and it gives all the choice to them. I'd prefer some targeted removal.

ColonelCreampuff on Zombie Tribal

7 months ago

Gadianten is totally right, Gravecrawler is a pretty outstanding addition. With any kind of sacrifice outlet in play, and Rooftop Storm in play, you have achieved an infinite combo that is relatively easy to get out. One sort of "board wipe" that you might want to look into is Noxious Ghoul . It is an alternative board clear that can deal with indestructible nonsense as well as you might get to do it several times. Lastly, I tend to recommend adding a Solemn Simulacrum to non green decks, mostly because it helps to fill mana needs and the potential of recurring him is pretty nice as well. In terms of my former comment, keeping some of them is totally fine, it's more of a hey don't make your curve too high kinda thing.