Thank you for your comment and suggestions.I considered adding Entomb to this deck, but decided to go with Buried Alive for two reasons: first, it costs $2 instead of $20; second, it only takes up one card slot but lets me drop three creatures into the graveyard. I typically use it to bury two Gravecrawlers and one other powerful zombie--usually Death Baron or Grimgrin--and then recur it with Unholy Grotto or Lord of the Undead. Entomb is faster and cheaper, but doesn't offer this flexibility.I like the idea of adding a few Unearths to the sideboard. It would be nice to mix in against direct-damage decks, which have an annoying tendancy to snipe my zombie lords. Bringing one back from the dead for a single black mana would be an enjoyable turnabout.
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Ah yes, you are quite right about Buried Alive slowing things down more than is necessary. Entomb would better suit this deck, and placing Grave Pact in the sideboard is wise for facing creature-heavy decks. Excellent advice!
The same goes for Vampiric Tutor.
This is a nice sacrifice deck, but I have to wonder how well it will play against a fast deck that kills before your combo is set up. Here are a few thoughts: 1) Mix in creatures that support your focus and give you a better chance of drawing combo cards. Your main damage dealing combo requires at least three cards: Gravecrawler, Blood Artist, and Carrion Feeder. Phyrexian Altar or Blasting Station won't work as a sacrifice engine unless you have Gravecrawler and another zombie out. I assume this is why you included Putrid Imp, but there are better options. Consider Butcher Ghoul (Zombie, 1B, 1/1 Undying). He's resilient, which can prevent your opponent from sniping away all your zombies and ending your combo, and in a pinch he serves as temporary sacrifice fodder until you draw Gravecrawler.2) Ditch Infernal Tutor in favor of Diabolic Intent (Sorcery, 1B + Sacrifice a creature, tutor any card to your hand). It is more versatile, especially since you actually want to sacrifice creatures.3) Ditch Dimir Machinations in favor of Buried Alive (Sorcery, 2B, Search your library for up to three creatures and put them in your graveyard). The transmute is nice, but tutors are better and the mill effect just dilutes what your deck is aiming for. Better to dump three Gravecrawlers into your graveyard for immediate access.4) Add a few Grave Pacts (Enchantment, 1BBB, Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from play, each other player sacrifices a creature). This adds board control to your sacrifice loop.5) Throw in one or two Unholy Grottos (Land, T: Add 1 to your mana pool, B+T: Put target zombie from your graveyard on top of your library), just in case. You never know when you might want a Carrion Feeder or Butcher Ghoul back, and this card has nice synergy with Buried Alive. Bury two Gravecrawlers (do you really need more than that?) along with any zombie you want and then use Unholy Grotto to put it on top of your library.I have a deck that's quite similar to yours, but with more of a zombie tribal flavor. I'm happy to share my suggestions, but please take them with a grain of salt. Also, be sure to playtest your changes to ensure that they don't unbalance the deck.Happy deck-building!