This is a budget version of my Skeleton tribal deck, created especially for the ongoing Tribal Deck Budget Challenge (http://www.mtgvault.com/zaklax13/decks/tribal-challenge-whats-yours). For the non-budget version, check here: http://www.mtgvault.com/jre47/decks/skeletons-in-my-closet.
If there's anyone on this site that's followed my decks for a while, they'd notice I'm a big tribal fan. Some tribes are easy and obvious: Goblins, Elves, Zombies, Humans, Vampires, a few others. Not to take away from those decks at all (I have tribal decks for them all that I love), but some of them practically build themselves. Others take a bit of work.
Vampires and especially Zombies have given black a strong tribal theme for years. But there's another black-aligned races that's been around just as long, popping up in most blocks throughout time but really not having much to tie them together as a tribe. Except for one, critical card that most people think of as a Zombie "lord".
It's time for Skeletons to come out of the closet.
The one "lord" they have (and share with Zombies) is a beauty: Death Baron. It hands out not only strength which many Skeletons are severely lacking in, but another ability that plays better with Skeletons than most Zombies: deathtouch. Why? Because almost all Skeletons have the ability to regererate. Regeneration and deathtouch are a brutal combo, leading what would normally be 1-for-1s in a completely one-sided affair. Seems like building a deck full of that simple combo should be pretty good, huh?
So that's what most of the deck focused on: Skeletons that can block and regenerate all day long, and once Baron hits, pick your opponent's army apart in the red zone. Certain other Skeletons cause pain other ways, too:
- Augur of Skulls can thin out their hand and leave the opponent few options.
- Wall of Bone can often block without needing to regenerate, saving your mana for those that do.
- Duty-Bound Dead fills a few role in enabling you to turn one of your typically-small Skeletons into a monster attacker.
- I try not to lean on Adaptive Automaton too much with my tribal decks, but this one really benefits. Skeletons are mostly small creatures, and while the strength boost from Death Baron helps, having the extra potential from Automaton is a glaring need with this particular tribe, so here he is.
- Skithiryx will often be your champion. Not only is he a fantastic attacker (especially when exalted a time or two), but with Infect, he can essentially cut your opponent's life total in half unless answered. A single Duty-Bound Dead and Skithiryx with no blockers is game over in two swings. And he can get haste and, like your other guys, regenerate as well!
Another card of particular note is Pack's Disdain. The opponent doesn't want to swing their most valuable creatures into a pack of deathtouched regenerating Skeletons? Well with over half the deck consisting of those hard-to-kill bony fiends, Pack's Disdain can take down even big beefy creatures with ease. No opposing creature is safe!