Zombie Hordes Ccross the Ages

Zombie Hordes Across the Ages

by Simon Driel

In my last article I discovered an uncommon gem hidden inside the new Amonkhet set; Wayward Servant, pictured all the way over on the right. This bear has those two phrases I love in triggered abilities, "whenever" and "each opponent" and given that zombies are white, and this isn't a new thing, I thought I'd see exactly what a commander deck featuring black & white zombies would look like. Token decks regularly proliferate across the Commander tables at Rabblemaster Games, but most of them feature green and Craterhoof Behemoth - that colour is off the table here, so as usual we'll set our goals before starting the building process, and see what develops from there!

This isn't a complex deck; Zombies have a limited understanding of strategy, so there aren't too many goals they won't be able to follow

#1: Go wide! Any horror movie buff knows that a single zombie doesn't pose much of a threat; the real problem begins with a ravenous horde of them. We won't be looking at Sutured Ghoul or any of those other oversized monstrosities, but rather attempting to overwhelm our opponents with sheer numbers.

#2 Be relentless! Zombies that die a final death should provide fuel for more zombies. It's an endless cycle of death, life, and hopefully more death. Of the opponents!

#3 Focus on triggered abilities - there's going to be a LOT of zombies hitting the battlefield, many of them not long for this world, as withered remains are usually pretty fragile and vulnerable to a good head-shot. We should be benefiting on arrival and departure!

#4 Use Amonkhet cards; there's a new set out shortly, full of zombies, if you haven't heard! I'd love to find at least ten - I'm not a shill for Wizards, by any means, but...
NEW ZOMBIES!

Let's begin:

"Each upkeep, trigger Suture Priest once
for each creature in each player's
graveyard. At the end of each player's turn,
set off that many Blood Artist triggers" HA!
With Dictate of Erebos out nobody else will
even stand a chance of sticking a creature.
Bring enchantment removal, boys & girls...

Horrible Zombie Hordes

Gravecrawler

Coffin Queen
Carrion Feeder

Corpse Connoisseur

Corpse Harvester

Cryptbreaker

Diregraf Colossus

Filth

Fleshbag Marauder

Graveborn Muse

Grey Merchant of Asphodel

Nantuko Husk

Plague Belcher

Pontiff of Blight

Relentless Dead

Shepherd of Rot

Wayward Servant

Zombie Trailblazer

Nasty Zombie Lords

Buffs zombie hordes? check
Return from graveyard trigger? check again
Actual zombie? Maybe if he's wearing a
Nim Deathmantle...

Cemetery Reaper

Lord of the Undead

Death Baron

Liliana's Mastery

Lord of the Accursed

Mikaeus the Unhallowed

Path of Bravery

Ravos, Soultender

Risen Executioner

Undead Warchief

Zombie Master

Things that make lots of Zombies

From Under the Floorboards

Army of the Damned

Endless Ranks of the Dead

Necromancer's Covenant

Tombstone Stairwell

Grave Titan

Ghoulcaller Gisa

One day I will build a Commander deck
that doesn't include this card.              
Today will not be that day, however!      

Overseer of the Damned

Anointed Procession

Necessary in a zombie deck

Zombie Apocalypse

Liliana, Death's Majesty

Rise from the Grave

Call to the Grave

Benefiting when things happen

Suture Priest

Blood Seeker

Blood Artist

Anointer Priest

Zulaport Cutthroat

Cathars' Crusade

Carnival of Souls

Dictate of Erebos

Wingmate Roc

Sanguine Bond

My vote for the best invocation artwork;
the frames for the black invocations seem
to hit just the right note for me

Trespasser's Curse
Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Nim Deathmantle

Finding things

Diabolic Intent (invocation)
Entomb (invocation)
Buried Alive

Mana

Sol Ring
Orzhov Signet
Mind Stone
Charcoal Diamond
Expedition Map
Ashnod's Altar
Caged Sun

Land

Unholy Grotto

Don't make a zombie deck without this one!
Unless it's a Standard or Modern deck...      

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Cabal Coffers
Crypt of Agadeem
Shambling Vent
Isolated Chapel
Godless Shrine
Marsh Flats
Temple of Silence
Caves of Koilos
Vault of the Archangel
Barren Moor
Secluded Steppe
Ghost Quarter (sold the store's last Strip Mine!)
Tectonic Edge
Lake of the Dead
Deserted Temple
12 Swamp
7 Plains

That'll do it, readers.

Let's chuck Ravos, Soultender in charge, since he's the only black & white legendary in the entire list, and it doesn't demand a specific commander.

Visceral horror, to be sure, but is thirteen drain triggers off an Army of the Damned the most broken thing you can do in Commander? Not by a long shot, but I've already made a Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck that went infinite in nine different ways. No need for that kind of nonsense today - she's off the list, despite an absolutely brutal interaction with Tombstone Stairwell.

Seriously, generals, if you see me play this card, just kill it. Don't let it see an upkeep!

We'll see you round the tables at Rabblemaster Games