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The point of this deck was to create a theme/tribal deck around zombies while having it still be competitively viable in Modern (at my local Friday Night Magic, not the Pro Tour). My goal for this deck was to create something that would be strong as a result of staying within the zombie tribal theme. I also wanted this deck to win as early as possible; a lot of other zombie aggro decks go for the late game with 5 and 6 drop zombies, which I feel is too slow for competitive Modern play. Keeping this in mind, this is a Blue/Black zombie aggro deck with a generous amount of control mixed in. With each zombie card you play, your zombie creatures ramp up in power/toughness and ability and can quickly throw for a lot of damage. There's enough control to clear their way and protect them from your opponent's potential removal. At a glance, it's a very simple deck and there are none of the complicated infinite combos that are popular in Modern right now. As simple as it is, this deck plays well, and better yet, was relatively inexpensive to put together. If you draw the right opening hand and stick to the play order, it has the potential to throw for a lot of damage early and win fast.
The Zombies
Gravecrawler - Probably the most aggressive 1-drop zombie ever printed. for a 2/1 that doesn't stay dead.
Diregraf Ghoul
- Even though it comes into play tapped, it's still a 2/2 for .
Dread Wanderer - for another 2/1 that can return from the graveyard.
Relentless Dead - One of the most aggressive 2-drop zombies ever printed. for a 2/2 with menace that, much like Gravecrawler, doesn't stay dead.
Lord of the Accursed - Gives your zombies +1/+1 and menace when activated.
Lord of the Undead - Gives zombies +1/+1 and allows you to return your zombies from your graveyard to your hand.
Death Baron - Gives your zombies +1/+1 and deathtouch.
Undead Warchief - Gives zombies +2/+1 and makes them less to cast. Creates a huge power spike for this deck on turn 4.
The Control
Fatal Push - The most powerful removal in modern for black.
Countersquall - Counters your opponent's removal and combo pieces and also adds insult to injury by causing them to lose 2 life.
Mana Leak - General purpose counter. I've met a lot of people that don't understand the value of this card; in a format where you don't usually make it past turn 5, having to tap as a result of Mana Leak can be devastating to your opponent.
Play Order
Turn 1: Play Gravecrawler, Dread Wanderer, or
Diregraf Ghoul
.
Turn 2: Play Relentless Dead. Swing for 2 damage with Gravecrawler/
Diregraf Ghoul
/Dread Wanderer.
Turn 3: Play any tribal zombie that you have in hand, such as Death Baron or Lord of the Undead, to instantly buff up Gravecrawler/
Diregraf Ghoul
/Dread Wanderer and Relentless Dead. Attack for 6 damage.
Turn 4: Play Undead Warchief. This will greatly boost your zombies and basically set you up with the superior board state instantly. It will also make all future zombies to play. Swing for 14 damage (Gravecrawler or
Diregraf Ghoul
will be a 5/3 or 5/4 respectively, Relentless Dead will be a 5/4, and your turn 3 zombie will be a 4/3).
Turn 5: Play another tribal zombie and keep swinging at your opponent/removing any blockers with your open mana. If the game gets stalled longer than turn 5, then the good news is that your zombies will continue to scale well into the late game and get stronger if your opponent slows down the game because you'll keep drawing and playing more tribal cards. An early win is still ideal, however.
At its best, I've seen this deck win on either turn 4 or 5. If you don't draw the ideal opening hand, then there's enough control in this deck to stall out your opponent's plays while you set up your board presence. I tried to make this deck as versatile as possible with a good balance between aggro and control.
Conclusion
Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcome. I especially would like advice on expanding my sideboard and making it as effective as possible. Upvotes for exposure are always nice, as well.