Description & Deck Updated: As of January 13, 2014.
This is my first attempt at a standard mono-black zombie discard deck (with a dash of delve) with paid draw power; it is a homebrew and I would enjoy further suggestions from you to make it further competitive. The idea is to use Gravedigger
+
Necromancer's Stockpile
(to discard Zombies to create Zombies and return the discard to my hand) and Waste Not (to cause the opponent to give me 2/2 Zombies, Mana, or draw power).
Strategy:
(1) Use Waste Not to gain tempo advantage, severely limit the options of opponent, and turn their lands into dead cards: (a) if they discard a creature, I get a 2/2 zombie, (b) if they discard a land, I get (B)(B) until end of turn, and (c) if they discard anything else, I get to draw a card. Waste Not gets crazy if you are able to get multiple copies onto the field.
(2) Use Necromancer's Stockpile for paid draw power and to generate zombies with zombie cards. (Note: Discarded Zombie cards do not become dead cards; they can either return to my hand with Gravedigger or become fodder for the
Empty the Pits
along with the expended Sorceries.)
(3) Use
Empty the Pits
+
dictate or erebos
make your opponent to regret blocking to kill your creatures, forcing your opponent to hand you victory while your life total piles up.
Combos:
(1) Waste Not + Discard
Cause Opponent to consistently discard with:
Despise
, Thoughtseize,
Black Cat
, and
Rakshasa's Secret
(which also adds cards to my graveyard to either return with Gravedigger or Delve for
Empty the Pits
).
(2) Gravedigger
+
Necromancer's Stockpile
typical combo:
Pay (1)(B) and Discard zombie card; draw a card and put a 2/2 zombie onto the battlefield tapped. When I cast Gravedigger and it enters the battlefield, I return a zombie card to my hand to either cast or use to Necromancer's Stockpile to discard, put a 2/2 zombie token on the field, and draw a card.
(3) Dictate of Erebos
+
Empty the Pits
+
Whip of Erebos
Combo:
Once you have had discarded your cards with Necromancer's Stockpile and/or having used enough instants or sorceries, (thus, placing them in the graveyard), you can use
Empty the Pits
to get one 2/2 zombie on the field for every (2) colorless mana you spend beyond the initial (B)(B)(B)(B) to cast the spell either directly or through Delve. Caution: These zombies come into play tapped, so you may want to cast this on your opponent's end-step, so your new recruits untap when your turn begins.
If you have Whip of Erebos out, this will give all of your zombies lifelink. This becomes important with Dictate of Erebos. If you were able to cast
Empty the Pits
during your opponent's end-step, you likely have enough mana to cast Dictate of Erebos the following turn. Recall that Dictate of Erebos has flash, so you may cast it any time you could cast an instant.
When you attack your opponent with most (if not all) of your lifelink zombies, if your opponent blocks some/most/all of your attacking zombies and your opponent can kill several zombies, flash in Dictate of Erebos. This enchantment will force your enemy to sacrifice an equal number of creatures to the ones they just killed. This will likely leave your opponent wide-open the following turn.
Sideboard:
Discard + Agent of Erebos: to get a creature on the battlefield and exile their graveyard, so they may not use their discarded cards to delve or shuffle back in with
Cranial Archive
.
Liliana Vess is the only tutor in currently standard. Also, her +1 ability is...Opponent discards a card! Enough said. Never run more than two in a deck.
Soul of New Phyrexia can protect all your zombies by making them all indestructible for a turn, This can help you avoid a boardwipe. This card can be cast either directly from hand, discarded for draw power, or you can use their activated ability one more time from the graveyard.
Obelisk of Urd: An artifact that can give all of your zombies +2/+2. It can also be cast with convoke.
Murderous cut: Because we're discarding and tossing cards into our own graveyard, we would have the perfect delve fodder for this card.
