Starter Deck: Zombies

by twolinecinephile on 01 May 2014

Main Deck (60 cards)

Sideboard (0 cards)

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Deck Description

This is the second entry in my "starter deck" series of about four decks because four friends I played a massive Magic game with recently decided it wasn't just for nerds after all (go figure) and really enjoyed it so I'm scrapping together some starter decks for them with cards I have lying around (came into Magic when M12 dropped, hence why everything is relatively new in all these starter decks) so I can teach them strategy, deck building, themes, etc. This is a very basic and very effective zombie tribal build.

Diregraf Ghoul and Despise are the turn one plays. If you can, always play Despise first and foremost. Not only do you get a peek at what's to come, you get to trip up your opponent's strategy from the gates and remove a key creature or planeswalker from their opening-hand arsenal. Highborn Ghoul and Spiteful Returned are for the second turn. Highborn G can oftentimes cheese in damage thanks to intimidate, while Spiteful tacks two life off your opponent's life total anytime you attack with him. He's also a good late-game enchantment to beef up a key zombo and make him bring extra hurt (hell, he's a great enchantment to throw on Highborn Ghoul, especially if he's sailing in for damage every turn). The third turn is for the best creatures in the deck, Diregraf Captain and Unbreathing Horde. Both benefit from you having other zombies on the battlefield (which is why the deck tops-out with them) and include some nasty abilities in the Cap's deathtouch and the Horde's ability to avoid dying.

As for the non-creature spells I've yet to mention, Geth's Verdict and Tragic Slip work great with zombies and with each other, allowing you to easily take out two of your opponent's creatures with just three mana. Ghoulcaller's Chant calls back a couple zombie dudes from your graveyard to your hand for you. Moan of the Unhallowed floods the field with more undead dudeskis for you. And Endless Ranks of the Dead takes your zombie army and proliferates the fuck out of your brains-eating ranks.

When constructing a black deck, you want to include spells that kill your opponent's creatures and mess with their tempo. The most resilient of black creatures are zombies, who thrive both on the battlefield and in the graveyard, making them a potent and pestering tribe. This deck will take a couple handfuls of turns to win usually, but it's resistance is what's key. So enjoy sitting back and building your zombie horde while clearing your opponent's best troublemakers from the board and their hand and watch your zombies beat them down for the win.

Hope this inspires some new Magic players! Any comments/suggestions are welcome!

Deck Tags

  • Beginner
  • Budget
  • Zombie
  • Dimir

Deck at a Glance

Social Stats

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This deck has been viewed 3,180 times.

Mana Curve

Mana Symbol Occurrence

045000

Card Legality

  • Not Legal in Standard
  • Legal in Modern
  • Legal in Vintage
  • Legal in Legacy

Deck discussion for Starter Deck: Zombies

This looks like an awesome deck!
I am a new player and am interesting in getting my feet wet with a nice easy to play deck so I don't get overloaded. Would you recommend this deck, the elf one, or some others?
Thanks for your help! I am so new I don't know where to start!

0
Posted 07 September 2014 at 04:11

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